Dominions

Chapter 27: Asher

Asher did his best to avoid this side of town. The white picket fences, the victorian pillars that lined the porches, the balconies with the elegant patio furniture lined with gold iron, and floral pillows all served as reminders of things that he had never had. Things he would never have. 

It was silly. Asher got memories of his past life, some knowledge of his power, and fought an evil general of another world, and here he was worried about being on the rich side of town. He knew that he was being ridiculous. Elle couldn't help her upbringing just the same as he couldn't help his. 

But this wasn't supposed to be his upbringing. This life, the one that he had with his mom was not supposed to be his. He was a Glorian. He was a Glorian that now had several attachments to a world he would eventually have to leave. 

Of course, no one said that he did have to leave. He only assumed that that was the end game. How could he be the guardian of another world if he wasn't physically in that world? What would he tell his mother? How would she respond that the only person that she had in this world other than his shitty stepdad was going to have to go away forever potentially?

"We're almost there." 

Elle's voice snapped Asher back into reality just as they turned into a culdesac. Whatever Asher was envisioning before, he wasn't ready for what waited for him as they drove down Elle's street. 

His eyes lingered as they passed by castles disguised as suburban houses. Houses that seemingly stretched for miles lined the street. Each one is tucked behind iron gates with shiny locks. Vines crawled up the sides of the grey brick and balconies stretched across the front. He counted the fancy fountains as they passed shaking his head at each one. 

"Woah," Selena said from the passenger seat.

Asher knew that Elle was rich. The mayor's kid had to be, right? Didn't matter if the town was densely populated or like Saffron's small band of people, the politicians were always stacked. So when the car pulled up to the biggest house on the street he tried not to show his surprise. 

The house was beautiful. The long cobblestone entryway that led up to the patio had five stairs to walk up. Four tall white pillars that looked as if they'd touched the sky were outlining the edge of the patio. The house itself was gorgeous. It was made of red brick and a grand cherry wood double door. At the top of the door was a beautiful glass window that would put church-stained glass windows to shame. The design was intricate and looked as if a vine was cutting the window into three equal parts. 

If this was the outside of Elle's house, Asher felt a twinge of jealousy thinking about what the inside would be like.

Elle abruptly stopped the car and jumped out of the driver's seat. She ran along to the back of her father's 2021 blue Dodge Journey and popped the trunk revealing a passed-out Judah. 

"We can put him in my room," Elle said. She looked at Jayden and Asher expectantly and they took their cues to get out of the car and help Judah into the house. "Selena, why I show them to the room can you stay downstairs and be on the lookout in case Gedeon decides to make a comeback?" 

Selena nodded and Asher grabbed the top half of Judah while Jayden grabbed his legs. A soft groan escaped Judah's mouth and Asher felt relieved that he had shown some sign of life. He was almost jealous that Judah was passed out. Everything moved so fast today, he felt as if he could sleep for years. 

They walked up the cobblestone path. Elle opened up the front door of her house and Asher was awestruck at what was before him. There was a spiral staircase made of white marble winding as tall as the high ceilings, a crystal chandelier that seemed to drip diamonds, and in the very center of the room placed boldly in a gold frame was a hand-painted portrait of the family. The bright colors added a pop to the otherwise pristine white room. Asher's eyes fell below the painting to a table with a gold trinket that he was sure cost more than both his mom stepdad'sad's cars combined.