Home For Everyone

They were all gathered around me. Ronnie, Daun, and Kyle sat on the other side of the cold, metal table, while Ira and I sat opposite to them. Kyle was holding Daun's hand looking down, his brown hair falling in front of his face hiding his expressions. Daun was whispering into his ear, her blonde hair shining in the lights. As for Ronnie, he sat slump, leaning in the chair, arm over the back and his legs sprawled out.

We were all sitting in silence. You could hear the footsteps and distinct conversations happening outside of the room. The hum of the refrigerator against the wall, the whir of the light bulbs, the movement of lips, and the inconceivable whispers between Daun and Kyle.

"Listen, Nora. There are some things that your mom has done, that almost everyone can agree are horrible." Ira broke the silence. Kyle looked up, his eyes were still slightly pink, his neck was strained and his muscles looked tense.

"Now, we're not saying she's been the worst ruler and there have been worse." She rested her palm on the backside of my hand, the cold touch sent a shiver through my skin. The tension in the air was thick.

"Esmerelda, Diabella, Chessa..." Daun, beginning to talk, listed different rulers through the times. Some of the names she said made lumps grow in my throat.

"I just want to know what you mean by Dusky." At that word leaving my mouth, Kyle tensed, Daun tensed, even Ira tensed. Ronnie was perfectly fine. He has been calm this entire time.

I was so curious. They've been using this word so cautiously that it seemed like a cuss word no one has used. I understand that my stance on my mother has been confusing to everyone around me, it's been confusing to me as well. I love her. She raised me for the better, showed me what it meant to be strong as best she could. There's somewhere in me that knows my mother is the best she can, I understand this. Others call her powerful and smart, some a disaster.

"Nora, these idiots be stalling fo' time," Ronnie spoke up, looking directly towards me. His faint blue eyes felt warm despite their icy color.

"Ronnie, we have to take our time." Kyle refuted at him, his face contorted.

"No, we don't. You just a pussy."

"Ronnie! Please!" Daun smacked his arm.

"Come on, the girl is in da dark, she needa know." Ronnie sat up, his legs closing slightly. "Y'all wanna tell her or nah? She gets to know, she deserves to know." They all sat quietly.

"Nora, a Dusky is someone who's been stripped of their magic is all. Now that wasn't hard."

"Wait, stripped of it? Like it's gone?" I asked, sitting on the edge of my chair. I was confused, the thought of that being possible is so mind-boggling.

"Yeah. They can't do anything." Ira moved her hand and wiped it against her pants. "It's not taken away, they were born without it, but it wasn't such a big deal until four years into your mother's reign. She gathered up everyone who doesn't have a power and contained them. It was basically a second Thralldom, from the Esmeralda Era." My heart sank at "thralldom". Thralldom was a time during Esmerelda's reign where she caged innocent people who disagreed with her and took out the one thing that made them..them.

"She didn't hurt anybody, but she trademarked 'Dusky' at made them seem like burdens. She caused endless discrimination. It was practically impossible to escape someone who didn't have an opinion on Duskies." Daun spoke out. She was chewing on her lip, turning it all red and swole.

All I could do was sit there in shock as they continued to speak.

"In some cases, they'd kill people because of this. Because there was no way for them to protect themselves." Daun's voice began to distort and fade, my vision got blurry.

I didn't think of this. I didn't ever believe that this was ever a thing. Why would she do that? My mother of all people? She couldn't have. She would never have done that, made a struggle for someone else when she...

"Are- are you sure?" Was all I could get out.

"We are." Kyle made a stern claim. My vision began to clear.

"Did she say this herself." There was a long pause. They all looked at each other.

"No, it was that Louis man, he made it public, saying that your mother had advised for this to happen." My throat tightened at his name. My brows furrowed, my nose crinkled, my eyes itched. I clenched my fist tight, my nails digging into my palm, my breathing raced. A high-pitched ringing rang in my ear as the tables began to shake, the lights began to flicker, the room, the building began to rumble.

"Nora, Nora, calm down." Ira had her hand on my shoulder, shaking me violently.

Both my fists tightened as I sat there. I was breathing heavy my own breath escaping my lips as dark puffs.

"Nora!" Ira yelled and everything stopped. I coughed. My fingers were stretched out and relaxing.

"I'm sorry, sorry. I didn't..."

"It's fine."

"So, my mother didn't say anything about this, didn't bring the topic up ever in public." Ira and Daun shook their heads.

"Just that Louis guy." Ronnie spoke again.

"So, my mother may not have any part in this? You just assumed she did because her High Advisor said something?" I said sternly, my voice coming out loud.

"Her High Advisor came out and said he was going to do these things." Kyle retorted to me.

"So, he said he was going to do those things and you thought it automatically meant my mother? Her High Advisor who has complete independence to himself to release and do things under my mother's name? You just went for my mother and never once thought that it might just be him?!" I was screaming at this point.

"He works under your mother, why would she not know?" Kyle rebutted, his voice growing in volume.

"Learn the hierarchy of the Empire before you claim this bullshit!" A vein was popping out of my forehead, I was standing, the chair below me had fallen with a loud boom, startling everyone.

"My mother would never do such a thing."

"Listen, my mother is in control of the entire Empire of Pace, she has a High Advisor to help her situate problems. He has the power to do things in certain communes of Pace." I slowly began to sit.

"Guys, I understand my mother is sometimes the worst, but Louis has power almost equivalent to my mom's Deit, Sinth, and Foran." I explained to them, what my mother's High Advisor could do, his role to my mother and how he has this much power.

"That makes sense because these actions took place in all of Foran and in some places of Sinth." Daun entered the discussion.

"Then why didn't she know?" Kyle asked his first sentence in the past five minutes.

"She has an entire Empire to look over, she doesn't notice things and plus she was only four years into this," I said with a small smile.

We continued this discussion. I took the time to explain the powers of the High Commission, the High Advisor, the things I witness at home. We began to stray from these serious conversations and speak like normal people. We were laughing, smiling, and just having fun. As the day continued, I was shown the different rooms of the Sanctuary.

"Where are we going now?" I asked as we entered an elevator.

"We goin' see the President." Ronnie rubbed my shoulders squeezing them with his rough hands.

"Dead?" I looked at Ira. I was overwhelmed and ecstatic.

"Dead serious, you already love her anyway." She winked at me.

"If I don't know her, how could I-" I was cut off as the elevator doors opened to a room with a large monitor, several people at desks with long screens and keyboards. Maps were displayed across the walls, weapons were held in glass cabinets under those maps.

"Hey, honey, how's your day going?" A lady with darker skin that Ira's turned and looked at our group. My jaw dropped.

"Nora, you've met my mom." Ira went up and hugged her. She smiled, her flowing hair waving across her shoulders. She was dressed in a dark blue pantsuit, her shoes matching.

"Welcome to HQ, Nora. We've got a lot to talk about." She smiled as she walked over to me and placed her hands on my shoulders, "I've been waiting for the day you would visit and I can't wait to get you settled."