"Uncle Rhys." Anna called, her blank eyes staring at the wall.
Carla's nervous fingers wringed themselves as she stared at her stunned daughter.
"What about Uncle Rhys?" Her voice shook, she wished Rhys would pop out of nowhere like he usually did and put a stop to this.
"I saw him when I was born." Anna's childish voice with a blank face scared Carla, it made her heart thump and her breath ceased.
"What do you – what do you mean when you were born?" She could not feel her outer body anymore, she could only feel the rush of blood to her head.
Her life was so fucked up that if she was told her seven years old daughter would pick up a knife and stick it into her chest, she would agree without a second thought.
'Rhys!' She called in her head.
This was the time she really needed him but he was nowhere to be found.
"Baby?" Her voice shook and her trembling finger extended to touch her daughter's long black hair but Anna's watery blue eyes pinned her in place before tears started to spill.
Frenzied, she hurriedly engulfed her daughter in a hug. Doing the only thing she knew how to do best, sing for her while patting her back till she fell asleep.
Placing Anna in her room and making sure the door was firmly locked, she paced around in the sitting room, her hands running through her hair several times that it must have looked like a bird nest at some point.
"Rhys?" She whispered into the air, afraid of raising her voice so as not to disturb her daughter.
When she got no response, she sat heavily on the chair and laughed to herself. She must be running mad.
She couldn't even talk to her best friend about all these.
In the middle of her thought, her eyes snapped open to someone shaking her awake.
"Nefertiti!" It was Rhys and he looked anxious.
"Rhys?" She called, out of breath and sweaty.
"Where were you?" His eyes were a bit wide as he dried off the sweat from the side of her face.
"I don't understand…" She trailed off when she felt a sharp pain at her chest as she tried to move.
"Don't move." Rhys hands on her shoulder kept her in place.
When she looked down on herself she became a trembling mess at the sight of her torn clothes and muddy body, especially her hands.
"What is going on?" Her glassy questioning eyes stared at Rhys frowning face in terror.
"I should be asking you Carla. Where did you transport yourself to?" Pausing in his actions, he stared intently at her as if that alone would provide the answer he was looking for.
"I don't know…" Carla winced and held up her hands to her now throbbing head.
"Don't try to remember!" The urgency in his voice scared her.
"Why?"
"Just don't!" He snapped, his eyes betrayed his fear.
'Why is he afraid?' Carla thought, looking into Rhys' eyes.
"I'm not afraid. I'm just worried about you!" Rhys snapped at her and she blinked before looking away as if just realizing that he could read her thoughts.
"Go take your bath." He squatted before her while she looked down into his eyes.
"Tell me what is happening to me." She demanded but Rhys looked away and whistled instead.
"Rhys?" She called but met with silence.
"Anna said you were there at her birth." Her tone was rigid and that was enough to catch Rhys attention.
"When did she say it?" He finally looked back at her and his eyes were bright red.
Carla felt the familiar thumping of her heart, her weakened state deepened further but she fought to stay awake.
"Go take a bath Carla so you can sleep afterwards, we will talk about this at dawn." He stood to his feet making Carla look up at him.
"She said it this evening before she fell asleep." Was Carla's stubborn reply and Rhys sighed.
"What does that mean?" Her lids were heavy with something she knew wasn't sleep but she forced herself to stand making Rhys curse before rushing to her side to keep her still.
"Damn you Carla! You are still the same."
Carla didn't know what he meant but managed a small smile. Being this close to Rhys felt unreal, he had a heart beneath his ribcage and she confirmed this by placing a hand on his chest and hearing his breath get caught in his throat.
"Don't push it, I'm not that gentle. I can be a lot worse than he is." He made a reference to the person she didn't want to think about right now.
"And I am not an undead, I am sort of an immortal." He looked into her heavy eyes with complex emotions.
The environment changed and she found herself in the bathroom.
"You don't get to do this." She had wanted to yell at him but her pounding headache restrained her so she held tightly onto his clothing as the water from the shower soaked them wet.
Rhys brought his face to hers, his lips hovering over her lips. Her eyelids fluttered.
"What we have run deeper than you can imagine Carla." His voice was heavy, his hands caressing her wet hair as she grew needy.
"Yes, Anna is right, I was there at her birth. I have been here ever since you were born." He confessed and Carla drew her face back from him in shock.
"What!?" Her once heavy lids snapped open with renewed energy.
"Take your bath, get some sleep and if possible avoid going to work tomorrow." He advised and pulled her into him, softly placing a kiss on her forehead.
'No! No! No!' Carla knew with this, he would disappear soon so she grabbed him by his waist with both hands.
"Tell me the truth. Please." She stood on her toes in an attempt to reach his eyes level at least.
"You don't have to…" Rhys' words were cut short when Carla desperately clashed her lips on his in an attempt to shut him up.