Hello

Soren’s POV:

“Where is she!?”, My brain seethed with confusion. I had just awoken from my nap and was met with the scary truth that the sofa that she had laid on was now empty. I quickly got up and began searching the house. Just as I walked by the kitchen, I noticed a figure pacing through the kitchen with purpose. I slowly approached, cautious as I still had no idea if the girl we had rescued was friend or foe. I peaked over the wall that stood between us. 

It was Mom! I was relieved but not for long as it hit me. The realization that if she was home, then she must have seen the girl. I hope she didn't get the wrong idea. 

“Mom?” I uttered. 

“Oh good, you're awake”. “How was your day sweetheart”, she asked as she continued about her dinnerly duties. 

“Are you good?”, I asked anxiously. If she had indeed seen a girl in our home, she should have said something by now, but that wasn't the case. She was oddly relaxed and unconcerned, almost like nothing had happened. 

“Of course I am!”, “Why the concern?” she questioned. 

“Oh nothing, just looking out for my mother.” I intensely gazed at her trying to unravel her current visage. I noticed nothing out of the ordinary and decided to head upstairs to my room to resume my search, that's when she said it. 

“Your girlfriend is in your room”. 

I knew it, I knew she was pretending. At least I had my suspicions. 

“Alright mom”, I replied, my voice having an undertone of embarrassment. I knew she was smiling at me with a sheepish expression, but I didn't want to turn around and see it. It'd just further mortify the little pride I had left. 

I slowly walked up the stairs, carrying my legs with such caution, almost like I was a predator trying to sneak up on an unsuspecting prey. I must have have been cautious because I didn't know who she was, or how she'd react to me. She's probably already spoken to my mom, and she's upstairs, so she must be friendly, I thought. I didn't know what to except from her and wanted to condition myself to be ready for the ready for the worst but hope for the best. I had gotten to the door to my room. I stood there with my hand on the knob, trying to calm my nerves so I wouldn't creep her out. I took a deep breath and opened the door. 

There she was. She looked alot more beautiful awake which I know sounds corny but it's true. She sat on my bed, staring at everything, she didn't even notice that I opened the door, she must have been mentally occupied. I took a step towards her and that's when she noticed me, she turned her head to look at me with a startled expression. We just looked at each other for quiet a while, I wanted to say something but I was too stunned to speak. Her eyes, they were blue, but a mystical shade of blue. I had noticed this earlier but now that she was awake, it become more prominent. Her white hair. Her white hair looked as smooth as silk and as soft as velvet. 

“Hi”, I said, but for some reason, those words felt heavy, I stammered uncontrollably trying to say that one word and it felt like it took every fibre of my being to say it. My breathing had heightened, I felt like my legs would give out, why did I feel this way? Was this fear? I had no answer to the questions I asked myself. I couldn't think. I just stood there, frozen. 

******

Meanwhile, Elysia who sat on Soren’s bed was rather just fascinated by the clothes they wore in this realm. She had awoken earlier and noticed Soren sleeping in front of her, she walked up to him and began inspecting him rather throughly, trying to understand what he was. He did look like her a little but his skin was warmer and his ears less pointy. She gently probed him for a while before fixating her attention on the house she was in.

She got up and after wandering round the house a little, she had heard a knock on the front door of the house. She walked towards it and stood in front of it, wondering why it made such a strange sound. Shortly after, it stopped making the sound and the person on the other end had started opening the door. It was Soren’s mother. Elysia was frightened and ran towards the red sofa to hide behind it. The door opened and Soren’s mother walked in to find her son sleeping on the couch. She sighed, shook her head in amusement.

She then noticed a figure peeking out from behind the sofa. “Who's there?”, she asked cautiously.

She armed herself with a pen knife she had in her purse and approached the sofa slowly. Elysia quietly came out from her hiding place and responded to Liora. “Hello”, she said.

The language of the elves and the humans were in fact different but the journey through the portal to the earth realm permitted Elysia to understand their language. Elysia, totally unaware of this just thought that the humans spoke the same language as her. 

Soren’s mom, originally confused by the scene unfolding in front of her now made the assumption that Soren brought a girl home and fell asleep. She chuckled lightly and shifted her gaze back to Elysia. 

“I'm sorry Soren fell asleep and left you alone, he should be awake soon. In the meantime you could wait for him in his room”. 

Elysia nodded her head in response and Soren’s mother led her to his room. Elysia was rather fascinated by everything, and being the carefree spirit she is, she loved new experiences and venturing into the unknown. Soren’s mother opened the door and ushered Elysia into Soren’s room where she began another probing session into everything she saw.

Liora thought it was rather concerning that she was severely pale and she barely spoke but she understood how allergic Soren is to certain people and figured this was his type of person. She walked downstairs and started preparing dinner and that's when shortly after, Soren woke up. 

“Hello” Elysia said. 

Soren clear his throat and continued…

“We found you in the woods, my friend and I”, “What happened to you?”. 

As those words left Soren’s lips, Elysia was struck by the realization of how she got here, why she was here, the sacrifice her mother made, and every emotion she felt during those final moments with her beloved mother. She suddenly burst into a flood of tears and began wailing uncontrollably. Soren - now shocked and severely worried - rushed to her side and held her, his confusion wasn't going to hinder him from caring for her. He didn't know why he acted this way but it felt like the right thing to do. 

He sat beside her and held her close. She grabbed his shirt and leaned heavily on him, almost like she had lost the strength to sit up on her own. She said nothing to him and he couldn't say anything because he didn't know what had happened, he didn't know anything at all. It was scary for Soren that someone he had no connection to or no knowledge of was sitting in his house, on his bead and was weeping uncontrollably like a child, but he felt serious empathy for her. More empathy than he had felt for anyone in a long time. 

Then suddenly Elysia began to speak.