I put the rice through the machine just as Tujan had instructed. It came out through the other chiselled end in a granulated, almost flake-like form as it went into the green bowl I'd placed at the end of the machine.

Tujan was stirring a stewed mixture on a stove, adding spoons of ingredients every so often and tasting it with the wooden ladle she turned the stew with. She wore a long sheer silver gown that accentuated her tall angelic body type. As I moved around in the kitchen, I kept taking a glance at her unusually clear eyes.

The rice had already been cooked and mixed with a bunch of stuff Tujan had elaborated: kisgan, pepper, hraft oil, that was the much I remembered.

"Set it in that dish," she instructed and I took a spoon from the rack and began to pour the yellow grainy mixture into a serving dish Tujan handed to me. The entire kitchen—besides the ceiling—was tiled, from wall to floor. I set the dish on the worktop.

The tomato mixture was ready now according to Tujan. It looked too thick and extremely red, with brown tiny bits of things visible sprinkled around the pasta. She transferred that to a bowl.

Nilsa walked into the kitchen. "Are you girls done?"

"Zhun, Mama," Tujan replied. "Emery, please take this to the dining room while I clean this place up." She set the serving dishes on a rectangular tray and handed the tray to me.

"Okay." I took the tray and marched to the dining room. Tujan's father was there, and so were Bihak and his other aunt. Nilsa and Tujan stepped in and took seats for themselves. The plates were already organized by Nilsa in front of each sit. There were six chairs in total: two at each end of the longer sides and one each at the shorter length sides. An extra wooden chair was placed just beside one of the longer lengths.

My slot. I almost smiled at how Nilsa was already trying to accommodate me.

"Where's Tevessa?" Nilsa asked.

"At the back," Bihak responded, taking his hair to the back. I spotted a scar on his forehead just as his hair fell right back and covered up his forehead. "He's still practising."

"Well, it's way past our lunchtime," she shot me a look. "Tart-kaw'lnu hi, Tujan." [Go call him]

"Zhun, Mama." She got up and strode to the living room and disappeared into the curtains.

I cast a look at Tevessa's father. His face was neutral. Then, he caught my eyes with his, strictly taking them in, like an observant journalist. Slightly uneasy, I dropped the contact and stared at my ceramic side plate instead.

He still did not trust me.

Tujan came out through the curtains with a sweaty Tevessa in a black tank top, sweatpants and no footwear. He wiped his face with a towel as he marched to the dining room, a smile etched his face once he saw me.

"Why didn't you tell me promptly that Emery was here?" He hung the towel on his chair. "Has she come to declare openly her interest in getting married to me?"

I put my face down in embarrassment, unable to think of a comeback in the presence of twelve-year-old Bihak, the two scrutinizing faces and Tevessa's father who didn't trust me.

Crypta sat down beside Tujan. I sat at the edge, near Bihak and his aunt. Everyone began to serve themselves. As hungry as I was, I kept to a small quantity. One, I didn't know if I'd enjoy the food. Two, I didn't want to appear desperate.

Observing the latter was hard. The food was amazing.

***

"How's your wound healing?" Tevessa asked me. He sat on a light red mat, using his hands as support. I leaned on the garnet wall, watching him rest after performing a round of pushups.

I ignored his lean, athletic body that his tank top did nothing to hide. Or I tried to. His tank top was long-sleeved, covering his hands.

He stood and walked to a bench, grabbing his red water bottle and drinking a greenish liquid from it. "Does it still hurt?"

I forced my eyes off his body. "Well... I forget that it's there most of the time. But when I run or jump or put any extra pressure, it throbs like hell."

"Like hell, hunh?" He gestured for me to sit on the bench and I did, watching the way his arm muscles flexed each time he raised it to take a drink. "Do you exercise?"

"No, not exactly. Not until my training sessions with Crypta."

"Why do you have training sessions?" He squinted and sat beside me on the bench. He placed the bottle between his foot. "Trying to stay in shape or what?"

"What, no. It's for a preparation..." I trailed off. It didn't feel right to tell Tevessa, a stranger who I barely knew, about the battle between Crypta and the Zadios. A battle that the Uktamas didn't even know anything about.

I was grateful he didn't push it. Instead, he said, "Good. 'Cause you have a very excellent body... Care to explain why you're here, though? When you could be doing something earth-like or with Crypta, for your ‘training session’."

And the thing was, Tevessa was right. Me being here was against all logic. I hadn't even planned how I was going to get home at the right time; when I'm sure Rowan wouldn't be sneaky, waiting to catch me in the headlights.

And that was when I figured I couldn't go home today. It was minutes after five – there was a chrome thistle-like wall clock hanging on the wall, just adjacent to the metal door that led to Tevessa's workout room.

"I don't think I'll be able to go home today, Tevessa."

That one harmless sentence—or so I thought it was—brought up an argument on room arrangement for the night.

Because the moment Tevessa saw that I was serious, he dragged me out and to the living room and made the announcement known. Unfortunately, there was nothing like an extra room in an underground house that had been carefully planned.

"We can work this out," Tevessa said. "Let her sleep with me."

"I'd prefer not." I pressed my lips tightly, sounding as serious and firm as my Vice Principal.

"Why?" He inched forward to me. "Afraid you'll fall for this handsomeness?" He waved his hand over his face, drawing attention to it.

"No. I can sleep with Tujan," I suggested.

"It's a one-man bed in my room," she explained.

"Tevessa has a really big bed!" Bihak chirped. "I stay with him when I'm scared."

"Which you aren't anymore," Tevessa encouraged Bihak, giving him a fist bump and shuffling his hair with his hand. "Mama?"

"Emery can stay in your room, Tujan. While you sleep with Essa."

"I can't handle that boy. He snores in his sleep and I'm not okay with that."

"And I am?" My mouth moved, on its accord.

"You know for someone we're trying to do a favour..." Tevessa crossed his arm, sinking into an armchair, "You sure are selective."

That did it. I pressed my lips and burrowed my head down. "I'm sorry," I said genuinely. "I'll stay anywhere you tell me to, Nilsa. I didn't mean to bother you, honestly. I'm just scared that if I go home now, my brother would find out and—"

"You don't have to explain, my dear."

"I'll sleep with Tevessa," Tujan finally agreed. "You can stay in my room." But I didn't look up to meet her. I was afraid I'd see a frown on her face, that she wasn't happy doing any of this.

"Emery?" Tevessa stood up and tilted my head. A tear dropped down my eye. "Hey, no, I didn't mean what I said-"

I pulled back, wiping that one tear with the back of my palm. Why did I have to cry? What was emotional in what just happened?

"You know what?" Tevessa chimed. "I will stay in Tujan's room while you and Tujan stay in my room. It's just one night, isn't it?"

While I stood there, Nilsa walked in and came back out with a white nightdress. "You can wear this while we wash this one, my dear. So that you'll have something neat to go back with tomorrow morning."

"Thank you all so much." I was grateful their father wasn't here. He'd have kicked me out to be fed by Kulni than allow an athurhen to stay at his house.

***

Tevessa's room was plain. A big bed stuck in a four-sided red wall. No pictures, no watches sticking out on tables. Not even the smell or disorderliness of a teenage boy.

Was Tevessa a teenage boy? He looked older than Rowan, with all that sideburns that looked like it was recently shaved. It was all that flirt and playfulness that made him appear younger than he was.

Unlike Crypta who was hellbent on dealing with the Zadio and regaining Neba's peace.

Whatever it was that Tevessa owned, they must have arranged in a mahogany chest of drawers in a semi-enclosed space in his room.

"Look, about what my brother said—"

"No, no, it's okay." We were in matching nightgowns, lying with our sides, facing each other. There was nothing like a window in any of the rooms, just bright light. Somehow, the room was always at the right temperature. There had to be a machine installed somewhere. "He's a funny kind of person. Great company, truly."

She laughed. "Even with his cockiness?"

"Especially with his cockiness," I observed her eyes. "What's the power of your crystal?"

She blinked coyly, her cheeks turning a light rosy colour. "Nes-hi quartz. I balance the atmosphere."

"What's that mean?"

"It means I'm at the right places, helping others. Amplifying, transforming and storing energy."

"Wow." I stared at those eyes for a little longer. She sat up and turned off the brighter light, the dim light from the nightstand still giving us light. Her pale face gleamed in the half light. "Are you saying it was your crystal that led you to me when I was in danger?"

"Kulni wouldn't have killed you." She shook her head. "He's our pet. And he knows a stranger when he sees one."

"How many of you live here?"

"We're a lot of us here. A community. This is just one family, Mama, Rika, Tev and I. Bihak and his aunt are close relatives. The rest are scattered around."

"So you guys are the leaders? You own the place?"

"We're a community, Emery. It's nothing autocratic."

"But your family brought up this idea?"

"Something like that... How's it going on earth?" I could sense she was trying to change the subject. But I had questions and now just seemed to be the time.

"It's good. Does this whole technological arrangement have anything to do with help from the Chinese?"

"Yes. Why the questions? Did Crypta send you to do this?"

"I... Why are you all underground? Are you hiding from something?"

"No..." But her eyes told me otherwise. "Tell me about your friends from the earth."

I sighed, realizing I couldn't push Tujan into answering all of my questions. "I don't have many friends. And Tujan, Crypta didn't send me to do anything. I didn't tell him or anyone."

My friends. That was the reason I was here in the first place. I needed a real talk with a real girlfriend. I had left Kimberly's house, hidden behind a bush, and sprayed the potion.

"I can tell you're thinking about something. And I know Crypta didn't send you to do anything." She sounded genuine. "It's just that this is a sensitive topic for our family. One that we'd rather not talk about. Why did you come down here? I sense that you were running away from something."

I nodded.

"You see, Emery, we—this community and you— have something in common. Underground is a safe place to be, like a little bubble."

"You all... You're survivors of Asterion, aren't you?" She exhaled in a giving-in manner. I was right.

"Emery, you can't tell Crypta about this."

"I won't but I also want to know why. You're Neban's fighters, they need you for their war. If you're hiding, they won't have so many options, they could lose and-"

"Emery, end of discussion." There was uneasiness in her voice. She turned off the nightstand and all I could see was darkness. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Tujan."

There was something about this community that they were hiding. They were trying to bury it deep down the earth... or deep down Asterion sands, you could say.

I was determined to pluck it out, ensuring I was hurting no one. But I had to keep my promise, I couldn't tell Crypta about this.

I turned. Tujan was awake. Her quartz eyes were glowing, looking at me intently. And then slowly, her lids came down and covered that little source of light and the energy it furnished me with.

***

I got ready to leave very early in the morning. Tevessa's father was in the living room when I stepped out with Tujan. No one had woken up yet. Except for the three of us.

"Harijta yera, Rika," Tujan said to her father, her angelic smile visible. [Good morning]

"Harijta." He replied, his eyes scanning my jeans, striped shirt and trainers. I had packed my head in a ponytail.

"Good morning, sir," I greeted him and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Do you really have to go now?" Tujan pressed. "It's too early, haven't had breakfast or anything."

"No, it's fine." I didn't want to bother them. "I can always come again." I waved the Mehjazgeu in my hand, reminding her. Then I sprayed it. "Bye."

"Bye."

I walked through the portal, thinking of Crypta's amazing blue tiger-like eyes which were permanently flawed by that scar on his left eyebrow. I couldn't go home yet. There was no way I could explain getting out of my room in the early hours of the morning. It was already obvious I hadn't returned to them last night. Mum would scold me nonstop.

As I stepped out, I was in Crypta's training room. He was throwing punches at a punching bag in a pair of joggers and no shirt. He didn't have boxing gloves on either.

He stopped and face me when I called. "You know, Crypta, I didn't take you for a morning person." I admired his abdominal muscles, pectoral muscles, anything that ended with muscles.

"Emerald, should I be worried you're here by five in the morning?"

.

A/N

Good morning/afternoon/evening to you! Before you throw me anything, I'm so sorry I've waited this long.

I skipped three updates! Heck, I skipped this story for an entire week and I totally get it if that makes you mad. While you're free to go ahead and do just that, bear in mind that last week was our school's CAT and I barely had time to do anything at all on Wattpad. And I'm talking about my story, WattAssignments and anything Wattpad-related. That includes replying comments and PMs and giving all that love that y'all give me♥️.

Now I'm not trying to justify my actions but I hope you forgive me🥺 Look, I even made this chapter extra long for you.

You may or may not have noticed that I'm adding titles to my chapters. Yeah, I think they're way cooler that way. What d'you think?

Do vote and comment and have a lovely Monday!