Nephilim • exo || irene bae

2

"A grandchild?"

Grandma flashed a smile. “Why, yes. A very nice kid, I must say.” Elizabeth nodded.

After she’s been showed around the simple household, both Grandma and Elizabeth walked to the nearest market and bought some surplus clothes that looked good on the young Elizabeth. Dresses, pants, blouses, and even shoes and sandals.

They enjoyed walking around, dressing up, and even minimally talking with each other. Both passed by the wet market and Elizabeth was overwhelmed with the amount of people yelling here and there.

“Would you like something to eat, dear?” Grandma asked Elizabeth while the latter only gave an emotionless look—not knowing what to say. Grandma was confused. “Haven’t you been to a wet market?”

Elizabeth panned her head.

“A mall?”

She panned her head again.

“A shopping district?”

She panned her head once again.

Grandma sighed. “Oh dear. You’ve been nowhere? I’m sure you’ve been going to school… right?”

Elizabeth looked perplexed. “What’s a school?” Grandma looked surprised.
“You’ve never been to school? Oh dear. You need to be worked out.”

Later that day, Grandma and Elizabeth went back home with all the things they bought which included Elizabeth’s clothes, essentials, and vegetables to be cooked in the evening.

The young girl helped Grandma wash the vegetables and put them in the fridge. Elizabeth went to her room and observed the whole room once again.
It felt bizarre.

‘I still don't get it, Mother.’

A knock on the door gently banged on her door. Her head panned to the direction of the entrance to her room. The door opened and revealed Grandma. “Are you doing all right, dear?” Elizabeth nodded and sat at the edge of her bed.

“Can I come in?” Grandma asked, and once again Elizabeth just nodded.

Grandma closed the door and sat next to Elizabeth. “Can you tell me about yourself? We haven’t had a long chat yet.”

Elizabeth turned her head to Grandma and showed her usual emotionless face. “L-Like your full name, how old you are, who your parents are, and where you’re from? Those things.”

Elizabeth looked puzzled and clueless. Her eyes were twitching while trying to remember more things about herself.
“But if you’re not—”

“I am Elizabeth. Elizabeth Han.” Grandma listened intently, hoping Elizabeth would open more about herself.

“That’s a beautiful name, Elizabeth Han. How old are you? You look around 18 or 20.” Grandma asked with a smile, only did it fade when Elizabeth raised both her hands by her torso and started counting very carefully.

“I am 8—”

“18! I’m correct.”

“No. Precisely 8 hours, 57 minutes, and 43 seconds.” Grandma felt strange at how Elizabeth looked determined and serious with her reply. She believes the young girl didn’t seem to be someone who’d joke around and that made her worry.

“Excuse me? 8 hours?” Elizabeth nodded slowly as they looked each other in the eyes. Grandma gulped and tried to recover with a smile.

“H-How is that, Elizabeth?” Grandma tried to talk her out.

“I was born almost 9 hours ago in an abandoned house nearby.” Elizabeth answered as always, very seriously.

“I don’t think that’s very possible, dear. You should only be an infant then.”
Elizabeth was noticeably wretched. She had her head down. “I can’t.”

“W-What do you mean you can’t?”
She looked at Grandma in the eyes with crestfallen expression. “My mother told me that this world is too harsh for a young child to live alone.”

“Y-Your mother told you that? But didn’t you say both your parents are dead?”

“Yes. My father was killed, while my mother died when she gave birth to me.”  Grandma was getting more and more confused as the conversation escalated.

By then, a sound of the front door sliding open was faintly heard from inside the room. “Grandma, I’m home!”

“Oh! That’s the grandchild I told you about earlier. Over here, child!” She yelled the last line for her grandchild to know where she is.