Heart of Darkness

Skender left the ball hall and took Roxana to the garden so they could have a moment alone.

"What are you doing?" She chuckled when he kept leading her away. "We can't leave everyone behind."

"I want you alone for a moment." He took them around the tall hedges so no one could see them and then he drew her into his arms and kissed her.

She smiled against his lips as she kissed him back. Not wanting to waste a second, he reached for the ring in his pocket without tearing his lips from her and put it on her ring finger.

Roxana drew back and looked at her hand. Her eyes widened. "Oh... is this...sapphire?"

"Do you like it?"

She touched the large crystal. "It is like your eyes." She said looking up at him. "I love it."

She tiptoed to kiss him and he possessed her with his lips again. "I wish this night could never end." She said.

He smiled. "We need to have our wedding day."

She chuckled. "Right."

Suddenly he sensed a presence and his eyes searched the era quickly.

"Is something wrong?" Roxana asked looking around as well.

His grandma stepped out from behind the hedges. They both looked at her surprised. "I wasn't sure whether to disturb now." She said stepping forward.

She looked different. Slightly nervous.

"What are you doing here?" Skender asked. Did she have to ruin this day?

She fumbled with her hands. "I came to apologize," she said.

Roxana looked between him and his grandma. "I will leave you two alone," she said, stepping away.

Apologize? Why now?

"There is no need. It is too late." He said and decided to walk away and follow Roxana.

"Alexander," she blocked his way, her eyes glistening as if she had tears in them. "I know I am late. I did not apologize, not because I didn't regret what I did, or because I wasn't tormented by it wishing I had done things differently but because I thought I didn't deserve forgiveness. But it is not about me. You deserve an apology and more. You deserve to know that there was nothing wrong with you. Your parents and I failed you."

Skender clenched his jaw hard, fighting back the emotions of frustration, sorrow, and anger resurfacing.

"You grew up to be a fine man still and I feel proud of you. I am so happy you found such a wonderful mate. A strong woman. You deserve her and I wish you all the happiness in the world. I know you don't want me here, but I would still like to help you. It is the least I can do for you before I leave." She continued.

Skender clenched his hands into fists.

"Please allow me to do that one last thing for you," she said.

"Can you do more?" He asked her. "Is that all you can do?"

"You tell me what I need to do, Alexander. I will do it for you."

"Can you stay?" He asked.

She looked at him confused.

"Can you not leave and stay here with me?" He asked. "As my grandma."

Her eyes softened and teared up even more. "You want me to stay?"

"Yes."

"As your grandma?"

"Yes."

"Then... can grandma hug you?" She said a tear falling down her cheek.

Skender felt a large lump in his throat. "Yes." He breathed.

"Oh..." She sobbed hurrying across the distance as if she had been holding back the tears for years. She wrapped her arms around him and cried in silence.

Skender stood stiffly for a moment, a strange feeling coming over him. He suddenly remembered the good memories he had with his grandma. Her laughter, her hugs, when she took him to bed and told him stories. She was also the one he went to whenever his parents had a fight. She would scoop him in her arms and distract him.

She was stern but she had those moments too. Tears streamed down his face, as his arms slowly came up to hug her back. Now she couldn't keep her cry silent and sobbed. "I am sorry." She said. "I am so sorry."

Skender cried silently. After so many years of loneliness, he wanted to hate her but he couldn't. Now she was here and it felt good to have her. He had yearned for it. Yearned to have a family.

She drew back and wiped his tears instead of her own. Then she turned to where Roxana was crying standing at the corner of the hedges. Roxana came over with her tears and to his surprise hugged his grandma. "I am glad you are here." She said.

"Thank you for taking care of Alexander." His grandma hugged her back.

Once they calmed down while sitting in a garden, "Where will you stay tonight?" His grandma wondered. "It is easy for someone to get inside here." She worried.

"I can't leave my sister," Roxana said apologetically.

His grandma looked displeased. "Some rules should be changed. How do people expect family members not to know such a big secret?"

"I know," Roxana said saddened.

Skender frowned. Maybe he should join the arch and change a few rules. This was indeed absurd.

"Just be careful." His grandma said.

They had no choice but to stay in the human world. Roxana would not leave her sister now that she found her, especially after all the hardships her sister had gone through. Skender could understand that. He would do the same.

"Well, we should go back inside. I am sure grandma will have many men lining up to dance."

His grandma chuckled. "Oh no, I don't think that is a good idea."

But Roxana was persuasive and took his grandma to the ball. His grandma had all the male attention immediately and they waited for the chance to ask her for a dance. She must have been all alone too, without his grandfather.

As he was about to walk over to Vitale who sat all alone, he heard a hissing sound, that got louder and louder. He looked around. Nobody seemed to hear it. He looked over at Vitale.

'Do you hear that?' he asked telepathically.

The demon looked at him. 'Hear what?' he asked.

Skender became confused but he didn't feel good about. 'Take Roxana and Diana away.' he told Vitale. 'Rayven leave! Take everyone to the demon world for a while.' He ordered them.

He was sensing that something wasn't right. He went over to Roxana and looked at her sister, uncle Ben, and Fanny. "The ball is over. You are leaving and going to sleep." He compelled them.

"What is happening?" His grandma asked. Roxana wondered too.

"I don't know. I just don't feel right."

Vitale, Rayven, and Angelica came to them.

"What about you?" Roxana asked.

"I can't just leave. Besides if there is something wrong, this is my chance to find out. We can't keep running."

"I will stay here with you." His grandma said. "You all should leave."

Roxana shook her head, but Skender was distracted. His head turned to the entrance, the hissing sound becoming disturbing now.

He turned back to Roxana. "I'll be fine." He assured her. "Follow Vitale."

They would probably be in trouble if they were found out in the demon world, but there were more important things now.

Vitale and Rayven took them out of the hall so they could teleport them to the demon world.

Skender remained with his grandma. "What is wrong, Alexander?" She asked now that they were alone.

"I hear something." He told her, then suddenly it stopped. But the strange feeling remained.

His eyes scanned the hall, looking at the faces to see if he could find anything strange.

"You are frightening me," his grandma said following his gaze.

He found nothing. "I don't know." He said confused.