“Give or take.”
They went quiet as people walked on and off the bus.
Seri let out a sigh when a woman stopped at their row. Gasping, as she sat down right on top of him, the Nymph quickly moved his backpack onto the table and shuffled over to the next seat.
Skya peered at the woman with wide eyes, and then started to grab at the air, trying to reach her. “Ab ba!”
Seri glanced down, gently grasping one of his daughter’s hands. “Skya, no. We don’t touch people without permission. And we definitely don’t touch shadow people.”
Skya's face scrunched into a pout.
Severo chuckled. “You’ve kept your distance, so it’s probably the first time she’s gotten to see one of the ‘shadow’ people up close.”
“Even so, it isn’t right for her to try to touch some random person, shadow or otherwise.”
“Can’t say I don’t agree. Hey, little gummy bear.” Severo made a funny face. The pout disappeared as she blinked up at him. He did the face again and she giggled.
“Gummy bear?” Seri asked, not reacting to his silliness at all.
“Well, she is all gums and no teeth.”
“She can’t help it. She just turned three months old, a week and a half ago.”
“Yeah—” Severo jumped, his words cutting off as Skya let out a loud ear piercing, yet familiar, wail. “Is that the hungry cry?” He yelled to be heard over her scream.
“Yes!” Seri snickered while he snagged the baby bag and dragged it on top of his backpack.
“No warning? Just straight, feed me now?” Severo asked.
“Sometimes there’s a warning, and sometimes there isn’t. I’m guessing she was distracted as much as we were by all the activity, and it just hit her that she was hungry.” He pulled out one of the ready-made bottles he'd prepared soon after getting on the bus, and held it up for her. She instantly latched on and greedily started to suck.
The Dweller chuckled. “Once she’s fed, why don’t we eat too?”
Seri shrugged. “Might as well.”
Seri clung to Skya as he trembled, eyes locked on the lowering sun. While it was a bright pale blue, and didn’t really illuminate much…he feared what the world would be without it. Seri didn’t know what Severo’s realm looked like without it…but Preston’s had always been pitch black.
“Seri, it’s going to be fine, I promise,” Severo said, almost too calmly for Seri’s liking.
He knew the man wasn’t trying to downplay his fears…more trying to keep him from freaking out, but his lack of worry felt mocking at that moment, for some reason.
“It won’t…” he denied.
Skya whimpered, likely picking up on his emotions.
“Just wait…” the Dweller insisted. “You’ll see.”
“Hide…I-I should…I should hide,” he gasped breathlessly. Where…where could he even hide? How did one even hide from lack of light?
They’d made it to Denver, and onto the expedient train with no issues, but after all the time they’d spent traveling, it was almost 8pm…they still had two hours left. And the sun was… How could Severo expect him to stay in here… He couldn’t. Leave—he had to leave this realm.
“Please…let me out,” Seri begged. Tears forming, he pulled his eyes away from the window to look at the Dweller.
Severo winced when their eyes met. “I promise you, Seri, there are no Cryptids or humans in this realm, besides you, Skya, and I. And it is about to be brighter than it has been in here all day. If I am lying to you, I will take you to the other side, I promise. Just trust me, it is going to be okay.”
Seri shook his head, tears slipping free. “Please.”
But Severo did nothing. He just sat there across from him, his expression full of pain. Cocooning around Skya, Seri slammed his eyes shut right before the last sliver of the sun disappeared.
