He begins sharpening his blade, keeping his head turned.
“How’d I know this day would come?” he asks.
My head is pounding. I think I’m going to be sick. “You’re not real,” I mutter.
“Real enough to know you’re my daughter,” he says.
The way he says it… it’s like he’s disgusted. I remember how he was now, too clearly to feel any good about it.
The love, excitement, and the anticipation I felt with Kalxor has been hit by a storm of negative emotions. Suddenly, none of this seems worth it.
I want my old life back. I just want to go home.
Kalxor lifts his chin slightly. “Ava...”
“Don’t,” I plead, though I don’t know who I’m directing that to. I’m so flustered I can’t concentrate on anything anymore.
I just want out. Now.
My father examines the blade near the flames, a black hat circles over his shoulders like a dead sun. It shadows half of his face.
He looks different, but my vision wanes before I can put my finger on what that difference is.
“What in the hell did you think you were doing, coming into this place?” he asks.
“I’m sorry,” Kalxor interrupts. “I couldn’t protect you.”
His eyelids folds over with guilt.
“I’m okay,” I lie. “A little shaken up, but I’m good.”
My father stops sharpening his blade and raises an eye at the alien. “Quiet down. I’m trying to speak with my daughter,” he says. “If you want to ask questions, you’ll direct them at me.”
“Fine. I will. First thing’s first. Why the fuck didn’t you kill me? You are human,” he says. “You clearly don’t want your daughter to be happy. What gives?”
My father smirks, lips rolling up to show some of the blackness around his gums. “I have no use in killing you. You’ll just end up killing yourself, anyway. Like you always do. It’s in your nature to lose.”
Kalxor jerks against his ropes, but my daddy’s always been a good boy scout. He’s got him tied up and knotted well.
“Once I’m out of here, I’ll bring you down with me,” Kalxor growls.
My father whistles out a stream of air. “Maybe. Probably. But it won’t matter, and you know it. This place has become unmanageable. It’s a living, breathing organism. You saw it with your own eyes.”
“I intend to kill it,” Kalxor roars even louder.
“You can’t kill what you aren’t meant to kill,” he says. “Elon didn’t expect you to win.”
Kalxor twists his head to the side, wincing and moaning. His shoulders sag, back bent, looking defeated. “Fucking Elon. The king of this place. I need to find him.”
My father flips the knife and nearly places it into its leather holder, but he hesitates. “You already know him,” he says.
“No,” Kalxor says. “I’ve never found him.”
My father stands and peers into Kalxor’s eyes. Suddenly, he grabs his chin and tilts his head toward the flames. “Did you already forget?”
Kalxor’s neck bulges. His muscles become inflamed as he frantically tries to push the chair away. But he’s too weak to fight, and my father is too stubborn to let him go.
“Get off him,” I cry. “This is about you and me.”