Nyx's Descendant

Chapter 24

After all the paperwork was signed, we headed outside. Raz didn't speak the entire time as we left the hospital. "What kind of breakfast were you thinking?" I asked him. He gave me another cautious look. "I don't know. What are you in the mood for?" I thought about it for a minute. "Well, sausage omelets sound amazing with peppers and bacon bits," I told him after a minute. He grinned. "Sounds perfect. I know of a place. You could get either regular omelets, or an omelet burrito or quesadilla if you prefer." He explained. I thought about it. "One of each?" I asked hopefully. He laughed. "One of each, coming up." He replied.

We stopped at this small truck that served breakfast. He ordered two of the omelets and paid. The amount of money the foods cost didn't phase me anymore. Then found a table to sit at across from the truck. "Well, at least you're not freaking out about cost anymore," he said proudly. "No, I don't think I should be. I'll be returning the favor at some point," I told him. Raz frowned. "This isn't something you'll have to reimburse," he said. "No, but I hate feeling like I owe people anything. No matter the situation. Even if or when I get trained in how to protect myself, and one day I end up saving you guys. That will make me feel better," I admitted. "So, it's not about having to pay us back in cash, it's more about feeling like you're pulling your weight or doing something useful for us," he said.

"Yeah, and not just doing something useful. I don't want to feel like a dead weight. I want to feel like I'm contributing something to the group," I said. He thought about what I said for a minute and then they called him up for his order. He came back carrying two large Styrofoam containers. He handed me one. "We should have ordered a drink," he muttered. I opened up mine and said, "that won't be necessary." He looked over and gasped softly. A one-liter bottle of mountain dew rested inside. "I guess drinks come standard," I told him. He opened his and saw a root beer. "I guess they know what people like to drink," he replied, grabbing the drink.

"I don't recall ever having soda before," I said. "Probably not. Mostly, it's what? Juice, or water?" he asked. "Yeah," I agreed. "Well, every once in a while, a soda isn't going to harm you," he assured me. I grabbed at the necklace chain around my neck and untangled it. I looked at the symbol indicating that I was orkta. I haven't thought about it much since everything happened. "You know? I don't even think that acknowledges you as orkta," he told me. I looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Look at the center," he told me. I did. A huge crack ran down the center.

I could still feel some power from it, but it was so weak, it faded away for a moment. "What does this mean?" I asked in fear. "Nothing against you. No matter what happens to the necklace, you have a place at the orphanage guaranteed until you graduate. That can't change," he told me. "Are you sure? What if Riley decides to evict me as soon as I'm eighteen," I began freaking out. "He can't. As long as you're still in school. All this means for you is that something is shifting in our world. I'm not sure what that is. Honestly, we are all confused about what Khorne told us about you. About the eight children being united together.

"That hasn't been confirmed yet. We aren't sure who the child of night is," he told me. "What did he mean about you and Jyn?" I asked. He looked like he was in pain. "That's hard to explain without you reading about our history," he told me. I nodded. "So, once I finish the book, or do my homework, things will start making more sense?" I asked him. He smiled. Nodded and began eating. I did the same. I was very hungry. I ate everything quickly, and I hurried off to school. Raz right behind me. I made it outside of the school and joined the other kids from the orphanage.

"Zeke, you, okay?" a younger girl asked. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine," I told her and smiled. She nodded and smiled back. We got cleared to enter without any problems. I went to class. Art passed without incident. Ms. Francela taught us the value of portraits that brought targets to life in a matter of speaking. Some enchanted pencils, or inks could be used to allow the person or animal to move in the painting. Sometimes, they are used to connect to other frames to deliver messages and warnings. The materials used are expensive. So, she gave us all a small amount to work on. Five of were exceptional, the others were atrocious. "Zeke, you definitely got talent and the artistic will," she complimented.