“Not well, but yes,” Lupin answered. “She loved to cook and had dreams of opening her own bakery, but life had other plans for her. So she baked desserts and meat pies in her spare time and visited the slums, passing them out to the poor. Never taking a single coin in exchange. Many said her food had healing energy, lifting the spirits of anyone who ate it. A trait clearly passed down to you.”
Knowing I had inherited her love of cooking made me feel closer to her—something I’d never experienced before. Emotion clogged in my throat.
“How did you meet her?” I asked. Lupin traveled all over the universe, visiting different realms. Anything could’ve caused them to cross paths.
“The Emporium came to her one day, just as it showed itself to you.”
“She was unhappy?” I asked. “That’s why your shop appears to people, right? To help ease people’s sadness.”
“Unhappy?” He shook his head. “No, she loved her life. But she made the grave mistake of falling in love with the wrong man. Your father. Now, don’t get me wrong. He loved her just as fiercely as she did him. However, he made many enemies in his life, enemies that became hers.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?”
“Some things are better left unknown,” Lupin answered. “Especially when the truth is so dangerous.”
“Dangerous how?”
“Because of who your father was.”
“Who was he?” My voice sounded so small. I felt like he was about to reveal something that would change my entire fucking life. Again.
“That, I cannot yet say.”
“Bullshit,” I said, refraining from the urge to splash bubbles at him. “I have a right to know. You wouldn’t be here otherwise, right? So tell me.”
“Revealing your father’s identity is too dangerous at this time.” Just as I was about to argue, he held up one finger. “But I’ll at least tell you this. Cynthia was called the Beauty of Exalos. A beauty your father couldn’t help but fall for when he journeyed to the city and first laid eyes on her.”
“Wait. Exalos? But that’s…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence. It was too much for me to wrap my head around. Too unbelievable. “That would mean my mom…”
“Was from this world, yes.”
I couldn’t respond. I could barely breathe.
“When Cynthia came to the Emporium, she wasn’t alone.” The skin around Lupin’s eyes grew taut. “In her arms was a baby. Evander, she called him. She begged me to take him somewhere safe. So I did.”
There was a loud ringing in my ears, and each breath felt like it had to pass through wet concrete to reach my lungs. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying the reason you never felt like you belonged in your old world and why you feel so at home here… is because thisisyour home. Both of your parents were born here.” A short pause. “And so were you.”
***
Lupin should get an award for being the biggest butthole wizard in the whole universe. After dropping that massive bomb on me, he’d pulled out a pocket watch, said he had to leave, and then fucking vanished.
He had given me a few answers but left me with too many questions. My mom had been from this world. So had my dad. A dad who had made many enemies. But why? And why had my mom begged Lupin to take me away? Why hadn’t she gone with me?
Whenever I thought of it, my chest got tight.
“Breathe, mister Evan,” Miles said. We stood beside a long table where we’d just finished sorting some of the desserts. The rest remained in the kitchen and would be served to the guests throughout the night. “You’re awfully pale. Are you nervous?”
“Yeah,” I said, which was true. I was pretty damn nervous.
“Don’t be.” He offered me a warm smile. “The night will be perfect. Everyone will love your food.”
“Our food,” I corrected, which made his smile widen.
Miles was dressed in a navy blue suit that complemented his brown hair and skin tone. The material was frayed in a few areas, and it looked too snug around the shoulders. He had worn one of his father’s old suits. He’d told me his father had passed away several years ago, and him wearing the suit was like his father being able to attend the ball as well.
And no, that hadn’t made me tear up, not even a little bit.
