Her Dawning Empire: The Prophecy

Chapter 37

The moments in which footsteps sounded up the stairs and the doorknob turned felt like an eternity and a fraction of a second, at the same time. I felt my heart lurch upwards as the door opened, revealing the very figure that had fuelled many a bad thought through the previous weeks.

Debra.

She walked in a peach-coloured silk nightgown that stopped at her ankles, showing off her stocking-clad feet. The colour matched her complexion as she came in, a huffing and sweaty mess. She looked around, clueless at first before her eyes landed on me with fiery recognition. She let out an angry shriek at this, making the curlers in her hair shake with the action. A shriek that I was much too familiar with.

"Hanna!" She let out, nearing me.

Both Demir and Emut stood up as quick as light at this, their positions defensive as they surveyed the rounded woman at the door. She flinched back, a look of defiance still on her face along with shock. It was then that Richard rounded the corner.

"What's wrong, De-"

He stopped mid-sentence as he looked around the room, a confused look on his face. He was still wearing his work attire- a white button up shirt, cream office trousers and brown suspenders that struggled against his stout beer belly. His eyes landed on me and his mouth pulled into a frown as he neared behind Debra. She stood eyeing me with her hands against her hips.

"What is the meaning of this?" He said in his meek alpha voice and I nearly rolled my eyes at the look of hatred in their eyes as they looked me up and down.

Emut surveyed the surroundings before turning to me, a confused look on his face.

"I thought you said that all those from Earth were beautiful?" He let out, oblivious of his insensitive words and I pursed my lips to prevent the laughter as I turned to see Debra's face redden even more so than it already was. She pushed forward, her smell of overpowering body cream and pancake syrup invading my nose, making a wave of nostalgia hit me.

"Where the hell have you been?! Do you know how far Richard has driven, looking for you?! Do you think money for fuel grows on trees?!" She exclaimed at the top of her lungs and I felt too exhausted to answer, the sheer events from the previous hours overwhelming me. A good thing for her too as she was far from done. She huffed loudly before gesturing to Demir and Emut, with rounded hands.

"And, is this the kind of company you arrive with?! I'd be damned if I raised a harlot!" She screamed before turning to Richard, her face puffed out from anger.

"Say something, Rich!" She scolded and he stood up straight at this, clearing his throat as he looked up to make eye contact with the males who towered over him significantly.

"I would like you to leave my home immediately. My wife and I don't tolerate such obscene behaviour in our house." He said, in a voice that was straining to be deep. He stroked a hand through his thinning hair as he eyed Demir and Emut sternly, but they didn't move. Instead, they looked to me as though they were waiting on what I wanted to do. Yet, before I could even think of what to do or say, I heard another dreaded voice.

"Mum, Zug Zug spilled my nail polish. I want a-" She halted to a stop as she saw me.

Sierra.

She was wearing her signature black hoodie that rested against her mid-thigh, showing off her long legs. Her brown hair was in a messy bun, showing her fair, freckled face and I stilled as she looked me over.

For a while, I had called this girl my sister yet I hardly knew her in the many years I had been here. Her eyes were scrutinizing my attire- my burgundy tank top and mid-thigh shorts and combat boots. Her eyes met mine then, a look in them that threw me back to the unbearable memories.