A Thousand Thrones

Fourteen

Fourteen

"So this is where you've been living?" Zoe asked as she pulled into my driveway.  She looked out through the windshield of her Mercedes CL-Class Coupe.  It was apparently the only car that Damon would let her have.  He had seven others, so why did he love this one so much?

I nodded as I unbuckled and lifted my bag into my lap.  "I've lived with Tom and Wendy for a few years now, ever since a couple of months after I was found.  I lived in a few foster homes before then.  They're good to me, though, and I love them."

Zoe smiled.  "It's good that you had them and they're like family to you.  I couldn't imagine everything you'd been through...and this hasn't even been the first time either."

I just shrugged.  "I can't remember, so I don't worry about it."

As we walked on the pathway leading to the front door, it opened slowly and Sammy ran out.  He had a huge grin on his face.

"Sissy!" he yelled, just like he did every day when I got home. 

I smiled at him just as he collided with my legs.  I leaned down and picked him up, settling him on my hip.  "Hey, Sammy," I said, tickling his stomach and making him giggle. 

Zoe was watching our exchange with a smile on her face. 

"Sammy, I want you to meet my new friend Zoe," I said, looking at him.  "And Zoe, this is Sammy."

Zoe smiled, holding her hand out to him.  "Hello, Sammy," she said.  "It's very nice to meet you."

He looked at her for a moment before putting his hand in hers.  "Hi," he said.  "You pwetty."

Zoe laughed as she shook his little hand.  "Why, thank you," she said.  "And you're a handsome little man."

I smiled as he giggled and nodded toward the front door.  "Come on and let's go inside.  You can meet Wendy."

Zoe was looking at the house as we walked inside.  As we headed toward the kitchen, where I could hear Wendy, she looked in all of the rooms.

"You have a beautiful house," she said.

I shrugged.  "It's home.  It's probably nothing like what you're used to."

She sighed, smiling.  "Daddy's house is gorgeous, but it's a little too big for me.  He likes it, though, since it's light and open.  After being in the...well, you know...for so long, he likes it a lot."

I nodded, understanding immediately what she was implying. 

The Underworld. 

I didn't know what to think of when I tried to picture it in my head.  I could have gone with the darker version, with all of the fire, dead people, torture...or with the other, more nicer version, which didn't involve the fire and torture.  The dead people, though, they were going to be there either way. 

We stepped into the kitchen then to find Wendy searching through the fridge.  She didn't turn, but she knew it was me.

"Did Sammy open the door, Persie?" she asked, leaning down to get something from the bottom drawer.  "I told him that he needed to wait for me." 

She stood and reached up for something on the top shelf and then turned.  When she saw Zoe standing beside me, her eyes widened and jaw dropped.  That seemed to be the usual reaction whenever someone saw her for the first time.  It had been happening all day.

"Persie, who's you're new friend?" she asked, looking over at me before her eyes went back to Zoe.

"This is Zoe," I said.  I decided that I was just going to stick with the story we told everyone else.  "She's just moved here, but I knew her from before I came to live with you."