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Mom looked down at me, gesturing to the fountain while giving me a gentle nudge in the back as she corralled me towards it. “Come on sweetie,” she said. “We’ll only be gone for a little bit.”
I nodded, knowing better than to argue as I walked towards the fountain of my own accord. “Okay.” I mumbled, feeling unsure about being left alone by the fountain in a busy city like Atlantis.
But I wouldn’t argue. I would listen, because Mom was being nice about it. She didn’t scream or yell like Dad did. Most of the time. I liked that the most about her. She gave me a small, reassuring smile, as though she was an Empath like Dad was and could tell I was nervous. But she wasn’t, I knew that. But she could still tell I was nervous. I returned the smile, wanting to believe I was brave as she turned her back and walked away, her tall heels clicking against the ground as she rushed to catch up with Dad.
Rush isn’t the best term. She looked too elegant to be rushing.
But Dad definitely wasn’t waiting for her.
I sat down on the edge of the fountain, watching as they both walked away and faded into the blended crowd. I couldn’t help the frown that formed on my face, though I quickly thought of a joke to cheer myself up and snickered slightly. I felt better as the lump in my chest left me alone.
I was an energetic child, but I wasn’t without my self restraint. Mom and Dad hated it when I tapped my feet against the ground when I was bored, wondering why I wasn’t better controlled. So I’d learned to fidget in other ways. But I liked tapping the most. Mom and Dad weren’t here right now…. So I decided to start tapping my feet. The bundles of crowds didn’t seem to notice the small noise of my feet against the pavement among their own problems.
I waited like I was told, sitting on the edge of the fountain while I waited… and waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
The crowds started dwindling little by little, hour by hour.
I started getting worried. Just a little. I wasn’t scared of much. But I can assure you I didn’t necessarily enjoy being left by myself in Atlantis without my home crystal. I thought silently to myself. ‘Mom had only said it was going to be a little while.’ ‘They wouldn’t leave me, right?’
‘They would.’ whispered a tiny voice in the back of my mind. I chose to ignore it, shutting my eyes and forcing the treasonous thoughts of my parents out of my mind.
Seconds melted into minutes that slowly rolled into hours. Endless hours that made my brain scratchy, searching for things to do that wouldn’t draw any attention to my spot. I chose to scratch at the small pale part of skin on my finger. I don’t remember where I got it, but I think it hurt if it left a mark. I asked Mom a little while ago and she said, ‘Why should I remember? If you were being a fool, then you should remember what happened to your finger. Toughen up, sweetie, it’s not that bad.’ I didn’t ask again. She said, ‘It’ll go away soon, just ignore it.’ So I did.
I still waited. I started getting tired, but I couldn’t really tell if it was getting dark since the lights in Atlantis are always on. But I wouldn’t sleep. I wouldn’t be able to anyways, not without being at home.
Finally, after a few more hours of waiting, Mom, Dad, and another guy came back. Dad looked annoyed, as if it were an inconvenience to have to come pick me up. But he kept talking with Mystery Dude, and I ignored it. Mom grabbed my hand and led me over to them, where we began going back to get to the surface.
Mom turned to me, her icy blue eyes shining brightly, but some form of… was that pity? I couldn’t tell, I hadn’t manifested yet. But I swear I could feel her remorse. Or pity. Or whatever that gut aching emotion was that made me believe her as she whispered in my ear. Actually, I couldn’t tell if she was whispering or if she was just mouthing the words. She was quiet.
"I’m sorry for forgetting you, Keefe.” she murmured, the wisps of her hair blowing around her face. She tucked a few strands behind her hair with her free hand, cupping my cheek with her other hand. Her hand was warm. It was nice. I leaned into her hand, but she pulled away her hand and I let her. She began walking away again, though grasped my hand and pulled me along with her.
At least she didn’t forget me this time.