Abioye walked along the shores of the River of Remembrance. There were still souls being ferried in a boat but he didn’t look at them. Instead he came to a house by the river. He walked as if something was dragging him until he was in front of the door which was really a rug. He gave a long sigh.

He had thought about for some time and it still bothered him about what Maliah said. It shouldn’t but it did. And he didn’t know who else to ask but Ayinde. He was half human and the oldest of the half-human siblings. He would know. But Abioye didn’t really want to ask but it bothered him too much.

Abioye finally knocked on the rug before he could talk himself out of it and received a come in. Ayinde was shocked to see Abioye stepping into his home. He rarely came by. He stood awkwardly and if Abioye’s outfit had pockets, he was sure that he would have stuffed them in them. He looked uncomfortable as he stood.

Thankfully Ayinde recovered quickly and gave a large smile to cover the shock as ushered Abioye in. They sat on a rug on the floor with a pillow across from each other.

Ayinde smiled, “I’m glad to see you, Abioye. What brings you by?”

Abioye was silent, glaring at the floor for some long moment but Ayinde waited patiently.

“What is loneliness?”

Ayinde blinked. He was aware of Abioye looking at him impatiently annoyed. Finally Ayinde realized he would need far more context and ventured to inquire softly, “Abioye…you know what it means. I’m not sure why you would ask that.”

“Humans feel it right?”

“Yes.” nodded Ayinde.

“So you know what it is?”

Ayinde was careful not to laugh or smile, “I know what it is but I confess I’ve never felt that way.”

“Why?”

This time Ayinde did laugh, “Seriously? I have two twins that are constantly running around. Granted they have settled since they both got married but the four of them can create chaos that I’m still trying to figure out how they create. I also have you and Amondi as well. And although we don’t see Alimayu much, he is still here.” Then his voice went soft, “Not to mention my own lovely wife. Why would I feel such a thing? At what point in time do I have to feel it?”

Abioye was a little more than surprised and for once it showed on his face.

Ayinde smiled gently, adept at reading Abioye’s face more than the fully Death Prince like to admit, “Abioye, what brought this on? You don’t usually think about these kinds of things. Actually you never have.”

Then he gasped and sat forward, “Did something happen to future sister-in law?”

Abioye growled, “I really wish you all would stop with this future sister in law.”

Ayinde grinned, “Where is the lie, though?”

“That is not the issue today!” snapped Abioye.

Ayinde nodded, “Then what is?”

Ayinde always managed to annoy Abioye with this calm demeanor. He rarely allowed himself to ruffle even dealing with Abioye and his siblings. But then again maybe that's why he developed such a calm. Abioye was less violitale to deal with than Amondi or Alimayu. But Ayinde was always a source of information on humans whenever he needed it. When Abioye was forced to take over the Debate Palace, it was Ayinde that helped him understand humans.

Abioye breathed, “Maliah’s mother got sick.”

“Oh, no!” Ayinde gasped, “Is she going to be okay?”

Abioye waved, “She’s fine. Salmonella poisoning.”

Ayinde bobbed his head as he gave a sigh of relief, “Uncomfortable but not life-threatening. This is good.”

“But for some reason, Maliah’s became overdramatic about something that didn’t even happen and stressed that she would be left alone.”

Ayinde did that infuriating thing when he understood Abioye. He ‘ahhed’ and bobbed his head looking relaxed as if they were discussing the weather. Abioye waited a beat or two and the longer he waited the wider his nose got. As usual, Abioye couldn’t tell if Ayinde was ruffled by this or not as he simply leaned forward.

“Surely you can appreciate her feelings, Abioye.”

“Would I be here talking to you if that was true?”

Ayinde’s eyebrows shot up. So his big brother actually wanted to appreciate Maliah’s feelings? This was an unexpected and welcoming development. Actually since Ayinde thought about it, if it had been anyone else, Abioye wouldn’t be here talking to him about it.

“Get that look out of your eyes.”, sneered Abioye.

Ayinde nodded and was serious, “Okay. Big brother, think about this. If I, the twins, Amondi and Alimayu were no longer here, how would you feel?”

“Esatic!” Abioye deadpanned.

Ayinde almost banged his head on his propped up knee that he was hugging. That was one thing about Abioye. He always had to be dragged kicking and screaming to a revelation.

Ayinde breathed and went with it, “Ok. Fine. When we first disappear never to be seen again, you would throw a party. But let’s say it’s been several hundred years afterwards, and you’ve been alone, by yourself all this time, how would you feel?”

Abioye tilted his head.

“How about a millennia had passed and we weren’t around? How would you feel?” Ayinde asked softly.

It was true that if his siblings disappeared he would probably feel great that they wouldn’t be around to get on his nerves. But the longer he thought about it the more he realized after awhile, he would miss it. His eyes widen slightly. He never really thought about it. All of his siblings were immortal, even his half siblings. Although they had human blood in their veins, they couldn't die like a normal human. They would always be around.

There was never any need to think about such things. All of them would always exist provided slim extenuating circumstances. Circumstances that happened to his mother. But that was unusual. So at the end of the day, currently there wasn’t anything around that would kill them. Therefore none of them would cease to exist any time soon.

Ayinde watched his brother’s face closely. He could see that he was working through it, arriving to the conclusions that he needed.

Although Abioye whined that they were annoying, he never thought about the fact of what if they weren’t there. What if it was just him? He found he didn't really like it. He was not about to do all of their jobs, but even deep inside he knew he would actually miss them.

Was that what loneliness was?

“Yes, I get that but you don’t understand that if I lose my parents I won’t have anyone! I don’t have any friends. I’m also an only child. I don’t have a boyfriend much less married. If I lost my parents that means I have to deal with life alone. I can't do that. Not now. Maybe not ever.”

He had heard of other humans who expressed loneliness before and although he heard the words he never really understood the feeling.

Was that what Maliah was feeling?

But then again that didn’t explain why he felt so troubled by Maliah’s feelings? However Ayinde adept at reading his older brother’s face began to talk, “I admit, I’m surprised that you would come to me with these questions. However, I think I know why. You don’t care about humans but Maliah isn’t just some human is she? Her feelings are the same and different from others. It’s the same feeling but because it’s her, it bothers you more than you care to admit.”

Abioye looked away with a roll of his eyes.

“It troubles you that it’s Maliah that said that.” Here Ayinde paused before gathering himself. He knew he was walking into a minefield by saying next, “And I wonder….if it has anything to with the fact that it was Maliah’s mother that was the catalyst for this.”

“Meaning?”

Ayinde kept his voice barely above a whisper knowing that Abioye would be able to hear it, “You know what it’s like to have lost your mother.”,

As expectedly Abioye swung his head to Ayinde and glared violently.

However head down Ayinde continued in a soft voice, “You never knew your mother but that doesn’t make the pain of losing her any less. And it hurts more that it was humans that caused your mother’s death.”

Abioye growled, “Ayinde....”

Ayinde lifted his head, eyes earnest, “Abioye, in this moment you share more in common with Maliah than you care to admit. She was frantic with the idea that she could lose her mother and that spun her imagination out of control. It’s a common human phenomena. Are you sure you cannot relate to such a thing?”

Abioye shot up to his feet, his knuckled gripping hard. Ayindea looked up at him but didn’t stand. “I wonder, how cruel you are? Would you wish to spare her that or do you truly not care?”

Abioye lifted the side of his nose once before he spun on his heel and stalked out the door.

Ayinde bobbed his head once and murmured to himself, “You aren’t as cruel as you make yourself out to be. Naive perhaps but not cruel.”

-----

Abioye didn’t know what made him angrier, Ayinde’s words or the fact that he was across the street on the roof of the house looking at Maliah put up the new groceries she bought for her parents. He could see from the garbage she put in the garbage can the amount of food she threw away. It was mostly the fresh foods that were brought, the eggs, vegetables and fruits. After carefully looking at the labels she ended up throwing away the orange juice as well.

He hated that Ayinde’s words made him think. He knew that Ayinde did it to help him which was why he was the only one that could say half the stuff he did and get away with it. Ultimately, Ayinde’s words always helped him even if Abioye didn’t like it sometimes.

This was one of those times that he couldn’t deny that Ayinde wasn’t wrong. And that was what bothered him more than anything. He watched Maliah put away the last of the food before she just sat in the middle of the kitchen staring blankly at the refrigerator before her. Even as far as he was, Abioye clearly saw the tears that began to flow from Maliah’s eyes. He pursed his lips and looked away, shifting on his feet. Eventually however he found himself leaning on the wall looking down at Maliah’s head.

“Why are you still crying?” he asked.

Maliah jumped a foot in the air, even as she was seated which had her almost sprawled on the floor away from Abioye. When she looked up to see Abioye staring down at her she growled, “There is a front door. Use it!”

“I did. You didn’t hear me. Why are you crying?”

Maliah noticed Abioye’s gold eyes looking intently down at her. She used the time to climb to her feet and wash her hands as a stall. As she dried her hands she finally said, “I'm fine.”

“I don’t repeat myself and I have twice already for you.”

Maliah’s head jerked up at Abioye who was still staring at her.

Finally she shrugged and looked down, “I don’t know.”

“Your mother is fine.” Abioye reminded her.

“I know that.” Maliah said angrily.

Abioye sighed, “You human and your emotions don’t make sense.”

Maliah looked up at him and snapped, “Look, no one asked you to be here. Am I being too loud or something again? Well, I”m sorry. I can’t control what goes on in my head.”

Abioye stared at her before he finally straightened and turned his back to her. Maliah didn’t know why but suddenly her stomach lurched at the thought of him leaving. But to her surprised he didn’t disappear.

“I didn’t hear anything this time”, Abioye said softly, “You had a scare and thought that perhaps your mother might have been lost to you.”

Maliah’s mouth fell open at his words. She almost doubted that Abioye’s said them because she couldn’t see his mouth moving even if he was still there.

“So you panicked and even now the memory hasn’t quite faded as it? It makes you think of a reality that will be real one day.” Abioye's voice was softer than she ever knew it to be.

She rapidly blinked and wiped at her face, “I just….”

She had no idea what to say.

“You are fortunate to know your mother”, Abioye murmured.

Maliah looked up at him. His shoulders were taunted. “You...didn’t know yours?” she ventured to ask softly.

Abioye growled and Maliah read that as a negative. “I’m sorry.”

She saw his shoulders drop and he glanced across his shoulder once, “Why?”

Maliah shrugged, “I don’t know what it’s like to not know your mother at all. I’m glad that I was able to but it must be hard that you didn’t know her. I guess If I didn’t know my mother, I would wonder about her. What was she like? What did she look like?”

Abioye turned his head to stare in front of him. He had no idea why he was talking about his mother with Maliah. He always hated anyone discussing his mother yet he found himself saying, “I know what she looks like. We have a painting of her. Three actually. Each one drawn after one of us was born. And my siblings told me what she was like.”

“That’s good but there is still something missing in not experiencing it yourself…..”

Abioye snapped around and looked at her. She took a step back and ducked her head, “I’m sorry, I don't mean to speak out of turn.”

Abioye’s wide eyes finally turned to normal. Finally he growled and said, “Humans destroyed her.”

It was Maliah’s turn to look up at him shocked.

“If it wasn’t for the dark heart of humans she would be here.”

Maliah didn’t ask any questions and it was silent for a long time.

----

In a couple of days, Mrs. Anderson was able to come home. She kept urging Maliah to go back to work but Maliah didn’t until her mother was safe in her house. She even cooked their meal, eyeing and praying over every source of food she touched. What was really surprising however was that since that day in the kitchen, Abioiye came around. She had gotten used to the Death Prince sitting or standing around. But he never said anything. Maliah half wondered once if a Death Child could feel boredom as he didn’t bring anything to work on or read. He just sat quietly watching Maliah converse with her parents. It was slightly awkward as Maliah was the only one that knew that he was there but it strangely comforted her.

When she said good-bye to her parents with a promise that her mother would call her tomorrow evening and her promise that yes, she would go back to work the next day, she got into her car. She would have been shocked that Abioye was sitting next to her, seat belt buckled except she had come to expect him to show up wherever.

Maliah started the car a and drove off to her apartment. At a stop light, she turned and looked at Abioye. She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say. He just stared ahead.

Finally, she said, “Thank you.”

Abioye dipped his head once still looking ahead before saying with a pointed finger, “The light’s green.”

Maliah chuckled.