Page 60 of Pet: Genesis

My eyes widen slightly at Remus’s story, and I can’t help but study him even closer now. I want to ask him question upon question, especially since he so nonchalantly revealed that he’s been alive for centuries. But he speaks before I can.

“Tell me about your society. Before I arrived,” he says with interest. His celestial eyes meet mine, and I take in the river of pure power that flows within that vividly colored gaze. I don’t know if he’s toying with me or genuinely curious.

“I thought you knew everything there is to know about my society,” I say. He shrugs, keeping his gaze lined to mine.

“I want to hear it from your point of view.”

A silence overcomes us, and I can feel my uneasiness rising.

“My point of view is from the perspective of a ten-year-old girl. I’m sure it won’t be accurate,” I say softly. Remus doesn’t respond. He only watches me expectantly, waiting for me to tell him about Earth, so I do.

“We weren’t perfect, but we were curious. And our curiosity led to a lot of inventions and changes. We had cars, phones, technology that could control our houses, and more. We had buildings that could touch the clouds and buildings that were built under the water. We had holidays and events... and we had places from history preserved for those in the future to see,” I say softly. I look out over the Leviathan city as I slowly go over my memories in my mind.

“If you were my age, you went to school. And if you were older, you either went to college or worked to earn a living. We had places that were sad but also happy. We were still learning how to be kind to one another. It may seem like it took a while to you, but we were trying,” I say.

Remus silently reaches across the table, his fingers gracing the locket that hangs around my neck. His eyes are intensely focused on it before he speaks again.

“Tell me about your family.”

His question catches me off guard, my gaze lifting to meet his. I slightly pull away from him out of reaction, my hand closing around the pendant.

“Why?” I ask. His eyes meet mine.

“I’m curious,” he says. It’s strange hearing Remus tell me he’s curious about my past. My grip on my locket tightens as I think of them.

“I barely remember them now... I was so young when everything happened. Their faces no longer appear in my memories. The people in this picture are strangers to me now,” I say.

“My father was kind. He wasn’t around a lot because he had to work, but when he was, he always ensured that we had his undivided attention. But he and my mother fought a lot. They were actually fighting the day you...” I trail off as the horrid memory plays in my head. I can hear the screams—the crunch of the metal.

My father’s dying breath.

I open the locket, looking at the faded picture. I was no more than a toddler in it. My father doesn’t match the man in my memories.

“What about your brother?” Remus asks. I look up at him.

“What?” I ask. He gestures to the locket.

“I assume the other man in the picture is your brother.”

I slowly nod my head.

“Cypress. He... he stopped coming around toward the end. He and my father had a bad fight, and he just left us,” I say.

Faded memories of my brother slip across my mind.

“Growing up, he was my protector. He was older than me by a lot, so he was very protective of me when it came to not only the world but my parents. He taught me to ride a bike.” A soft smile appears on my lips as I recall the memory. Something that I thought was forever gone, but as I think of him, more memories come to mind.

“He taught me how to swim and how to tie my shoes.” Tears spill over as I remember the day the Leviathan came. My parents were arguing about him. My father tried to call him while everything was happening, and eventually, his phone stopped working. At this point, I can only assume he’s dead.

“They all died during the invasion,” I say, looking at Remus. He has a strange expression on his face as he takes me in.

“How are you so sure that your brother was killed?” he asks.

I hastily wipe my eyes.

“We couldn’t reach him before communication went down. I assumed he died in the commotion or maybe in the battles. It’sbetter that way. He doesn’t have to suffer along with the rest of us,” I say.

The words slip out, and I immediately sit up, watching Remus as fear creeps over me. Remus doesn’t seem insulted by my words, though. His expression is soft. He’s once again focused on the city that surrounds us. If he let my words slide, that means he’s in a different mood than usual. I use it as my opportunity to find out what I can about his siblings.

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