Chapter Thirty-four: Breakfast in Slumber

Hekin and Sketta stared at the little girl with maroon hair and sapphire eyes. She was sitting across from the table in her fleece pajamas decorated with unicorns, eating her breakfast of toast and jam.

Hekin's sleepy eyes blinked. They had woken up an hour before sunrise to help Tark locate more human survivors. They had never seen this little girl before. Even with trekkers living nearby, she didn't seem afraid. "Sketta, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"She's adorable!" Sketta squealed. "Hi, sweetie! My name's Sketta and this is Hekin. We live in the treehouses over there." She pointed out the window where the large trees' leaves rustled in a sea breeze. "Have you met Golir and Rif? They're about your age."

The little girl stared at them for a moment before nodding.

As if they had been summoned, Golir and Rif strolled into the dining room with their plates filled to the brim with food. Golir sat the furthest away from the little girl and focused on his breakfast.

Rif sat beside her and beamed. "Good morning, Fayeth! Good morning Unc Hekin and Aunt Sketta!" He jumped with excitement in his seat after he set his plate on the table. "She's Gabby's daughter, the one that-that Nofork kept in a snow globe prison for a really long time, and she didn't get older there 'cause time passes slowly there. I don't know how that's possible, but Tark and Jopp said she can stay with her momma, Ms. Gabby."

Hekin raised an eyebrow in disbelief. The same Gabby that helped kill the last angel? The same Gabby that tricked him into thinking she was a little innocent girl? He furrowed his brows as he thought something wasn't right.

Rif tapped Fayeth's shoulder and signed with his hands if she wanted something to drink.

Hekin tilted his head in curiosity while Sketta tapped her chin. "It looks like he's using sign language," he muttered.

"She's mute," Rif explained as he set his plate on the table. "Would you like anything from the kitchen while I'm there?"

Hekin and Sketta showed him their mugs halfway filled with coffee.

"We'll be all right," Sketta assured. "Thanks for being considerate, Rif."

"You're welcome," Rif uttered before heading to the kitchen for Fayeth's drink.

Sketta smiled as Rif returned with a glass of warm milk for Fayeth. Fayeth signed her thanks.

"It looks like she blew him a kiss," Hekin whispered. "What did that mean?"

Sketta lightly punched his arm and giggled. "She told him 'thank you.'"

Hekin stared at her suspiciously until she burst into laughter. "I don't remember you learning sign language."

"That's what you get for not reading books," she quipped.

Hekin sighed after sipping his coffee. "Teach me, oh smart one," he mumbled.

Sketta raised an eyebrow at him. "You need to put in effort, too, Hekin."

"It's just that . . ." he began. "I never thought I could be human again." His amber eyes gazed at her with a hint of sadness. "I miss being able to fight unruly humans and demons with Master, Jopp, Gez, and Thorn."

"Will you tell me more about those days?" Sketta queried as she took his hand and squeezed it.

"It's nothing pretty," Hekin sighed. "I'd rather focus on us and our future." He wanted to protect her from any schemes the witches could be up to.

Sketta placed her head on his shoulder as he sipped more coffee.

It was hard to think that his demon days were over. Had he dreamt of this day where he could be human again? He worked his jaw as he thought if Noforl hadn't arrived, he would still be dousing hell ogres with holy fire.

He stared at the coffee swirling in his mug as he ran Mayzel's last words to him through his mind.

"Think of those you love; your will to protect them is enough."

Now that he was human, he didn't feel the demonic energy that he was used to. Was it possible that there was another type of energy but one he didn't sense?

Hekin stared at Fayeth's understanding gaze, and a chill ran down his spine. Was she capable of hearing his thoughts?

Rif glanced at them and scratched his head. "Can you hear her talk in your head Unc Hekin?"

Hekin awoke from the sense of foreboding and shook his head. "Nope. Not a word."

Fayeth nibbled on her toast and drank some milk. Rif chuckled when she turned to him.

"You have a milk mustache," he pointed out. Fayeth giggled with him as she wiped it off. She stopped laughing when Golir glared at her.

Rif was chewing his sausage patty when he noticed the animosity. Fayeth didn't look away, which angered Golir.

"Fayeth," Gabby called as she walked in. "It's time for your lessons. Get dressed and meet me outside."

Fayeth turned to her and nodded. Gabby ruffled Rif's hair and smiled. "Thank you for helping her, Rif."

"You're welcome," Rif uttered, but a hint of sadness was in his voice. As Fayeth dashed out the room, Rif scolded her for leaving her dishes on the table. "You gotta pick up your mess!" he fussed. "Come get your stuff!" Fayeth picked up her dishes and rushed to the kitchen to clean them.

"It's not a race," Rif told her as he followed. "Dishes can break. Be careful."

Fayeth nodded as she turned on the water and washed her dishes with soap. She rinsed them off and set them to dry on the dish rack before bolting to her room.

"Shall we sit for a while longer?" Hekin asked Sketta. Yesterday, her sharp and painful bites on his neck hurt more so with his human body, but that only aroused him even more. Despite how great it lifted his spirit, he felt weak from last night. She had nearly sucked the life out of him, in more ways than one.

The rowdy trekker kids bustled into the dining room. Golir seemed excited as the eldest, Maffin, sat beside him.

"Unc Hekin! We're going to the Gatchu Mountain to look for survivors!" the youngest trekker called Urffin piped. "Do you want to come?"

Hekin glanced at Sketta, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Having a fellow human wouldn't hurt, right?" he queried.

"Let's get ready while they eat," Sketta suggested.

"Good idea," Hekin affirmed. They downed the rest of their coffee and took care of their dishes before heading to their rooms.