After a long day of work, a fine dinner was always welcome. The familiar smell of varnished wood blended finely with wafts of pure deliciousness that came my way. With Mia’s business booming, courtesy of both her improving skills and Cedric’s help, we were finally able to restore the dilapidated old place.

My hands skimmed over the smooth table’s wood as I marveled at the change. Our old, already rotting table had been swapped out for this one, and it must have been one of our greatest purchases ever. The musty smell of rotting wood whilst eating was never a welcome experience.

This time, however, Cedric would be joining us. And based on the tense gazes that he was giving Mom, I could tell that this wouldn’t be a simple visit. I could count the number of times Cedric had visited our home with one hand, and each time he came, it was always some breaking news that ended up with Mom kicking and thrashing. I could also count the amount of times Mom had lost her cool with one hand.

I hoped they didn’t spill the food this time. Mom was handing out plates and cutlery with trained precision. She wore her signature blankness, and even her clothing was plain. The hearth crackled and fizzled, sending cascades of dull yellow glow onto her auburn hair. The fire dimmed as she placed the last plate — in front of her — and sat down. Like the fearless chap he was, Cedric was the first to dig in.

“So, how’s your day?” As usual, Mia was the first to speak.

“Good.”

Silence overtook the conversation. Like clockwork, this would be the beginning of every dinner. Only this time, the incessant clanking of wood on wood disrupted it. For a few minutes, dinner was normal. Idle chat. Compliments. Silence. Perfectly normal. The m

eat of the conversation only began once Mia and I finished eating.

“Go to sleep,” Mother said. It wasn’t a question, it was an order. With a quick nod, the two of us hastily left the stifling atmosphere and clung our bodies against the wall to listen in on their incoming conversation. And hopefully familial secrets.

“The kids…?” Cedric glanced at the doorway. He’d somehow known we were there. I mouth a curse. Why did he have to be so damn observative?

“It’s fine. They’ll hear us either way. What are you here for, Cedric?” I breath a sigh of relief. Typical Mom, straight to the point. “The Enforcers, they’re becoming reckless. These past few years, more and more of them have stuck their heads into our business.”

Mom nodded, as though this did not surprise her. “They took a kid, Olivia.” The hearth grew dark. “A kid who accidentally blocked an Enforcer’s way. That was all it took for them to arrest him.” I suppressed a gasp. I knew the Enforcers despised us, but that was all it took?

“…And?” Mom’s stone mask did not crack. Cedric sighed, slumping down against his chair. “This is not the time to be indifferent, Olivia. This is children we are talking about. Children. Like your kids. What’s stopping them from taking them next?”

Mom’s eye twitched and her body stiffened. “They wouldn’t do that. We had a promise.”

“You wouldn’t keep a promise with a rat, would you?”

Mom went silent for a few moments, “So, what do you want me to do about it?”

“What do you mean what do I want you to do about it?” Cedric scoffed, throwing his hands up in the air. He took one last bite of his meal, shoved it aside, then looked at her dead in the eye. “I want you to give it to them.” His usual calm and gentle demeanor was gone.

“You know I can’t do that. I will not bestow death upon another of my loved ones. I made that mistake once. And I will not make it again.” Mom brought her spoon down to the table. Without another word, she stood up and began stacking the plates. The dim light of the hearth seemed to get even dimmer.

Cedric stared at the intricate lines of the table, his arms cupped together, deep in thought. It was as though he was reliving a memory. One by one, the plates were collected. One. Cedric glanced at Mom, but quickly averted his gaze. Two. He opened his mouth but closed it. Three. He squeezed his eyes shut. The last one — Cedric’s. As Mom neared him, he finally spoke.

“Rey was a good man.” A dull sentence, but it seemed to have resonated with something deep within Mom’s heart. “Yes… yes, he was.” The last sparks of the hearth crackled and fizzled. The lingering aroma of food was washed away. You could hear the drop of a pin.

“Forget it,” Cedric pulled his coat over himself and stomped towards the door. With a click, the door opened, and moonlight spilled into the room. Cedric turned his head, his posture was weary. But his eyes were worried. “At least think about it. I don’t want them to be in danger, either. But they’ll be in a worse spot if we don’t. The clock’s ticking, Olivia.”

With a thud, he closed the door, and the stream of moonlight was cut out. My eyes couldn’t pierce the darkness, but I could hear the soft sounds of muffled sobbing. I turned my back and sneaked up the stairs, while Mia went to go comfort Mom. How, I wasn’t sure. But she was always better than me at this stuff. At least when she was done with Mom, she would look like nothing had ever happened.

I crawled atop our restored bed and didn’t bother lighting the lamp. Closing my eyes, I let myself be immersed in the conversation they had. From what I could understand. The Enforcers were getting greedy. We are in danger. And Cedric wants Mom to reconsider something. I thought of the blue rocks that I’d barely seen. Something to do with those, no doubt.

She’d hidden well, too well. I couldn’t even locate them with my grubby little hands. I had checked everywhere they could reach. And there weren’t many places to hide things in this house. It was probably somewhere high, at least beyond my reach. I doubted Mia would even think of refusing or going against Mom — she’d never shown any signs of rebellion all this time; I was probably what she was worried about.

I opened my eyes and looked around. Nothing I hadn’t seen before, and nothing that seemed to be hiding mysterious, magical stones. With a sigh, I laid my head back and closed my eyes. There wasn’t any use in dwelling on it, especially not now. Without another thought, I let the tight grip of sleep rip the soul out of my body.

———

I awoke to the shuffling of sheets. With my eyes clenched shut and my mind still groggy, I tried to locate the disturbance. Mia was clinging to me as though I was a teddy bear, but the sheets to my right were ruffled. Mom had gotten up. My right eye risked a peek, opening into a sliver.

The smell of melting wax carried through the air. She was pacing around the dimly lit room in circles. Her brows were furrowed, and her lips were pursed. She turned and turned and turned for minutes, then dug deep into her desk and pulled out an unfamiliar square box that slid onto her hand silently. The weird box was covered in some weird coating that muffled its sound, or maybe it was some type of cushion.

Mom stared at it intensely, as though a world of emotions was being held back. Like a dam on the verge of collapse. A click sounded out as she unclasped it. Since she was holding it above me, I couldn’t see its contents, but based on the dim blue glow that contrasted the yellow lighting. There was not a shadow of doubt in my heart about what it was.

The stones, I mouthed. For a hot minute, Mom glared at the contents. It was as though she was contemplating life and death, and death was winning. Her hand was clenched around the box, and for a moment, I was worried that she would break. Her, and the box.

She took a moment to glance at us, and I promptly squeezed my eye shut. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to have seen my awakening as by the time I reopened it, she had already returned her concentration to the box. She must be worrying about whether she should follow Cedric’s advice. She clenched her eyes shut and sighed. Then promptly returned the box back to its hiding place. And I made sure to memorize it.

A click. She had turned the door handle and was stepping down the stairs. Cool night air washed in, chasing away the warmth of the candle — which she had probably forgotten of. I waited a few minutes, but she didn’t seem intent on returning, so I closed my eyes and returned to sleep.