{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https:

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/www.p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com

/easyread. Remove the dashes. NovelFull censors the word.}

I flutter my eyes open and bring my hands up to clean the gunk out of them. Sleeping in is something I don't do very often, but when I do. It's refreshing. I sit up as I move away from Sally, and I pop my back as I do. She is still sleeping, and it's probably only been an hour since I first woke up. I sit on the edge of the bed and run my hands through my hair.

It's starting to get long. Almost long enough to put in a little ponytail or bun. I should get a haircut soon. It could end up getting in the way. I stand up and stretch out my legs. They also pop. I turn around and see Sally is still sleeping. She wouldn't like it if I just went downstairs without her. I walk over to her side of the bed, and I kneel in front of her side.

I place my hand on her shoulder and lightly jiggle her. She shifts slightly and grumbles in protest. She opens one eye and looks at me.

"Time to get up. We've slept in long enough.

" She slowly leans up with annoyance all over her face. Some people just aren't for the morning. She sits on the edge of the bed, and I stand up.

She runs her fingers in her hair and straightens it out.

"The property that Amelia owns isn't going to take that long to get to. You want to eat at that restaurant again?

" As those words leave my mouth, all signs of tiredness disappear. Good food can have that effect on people.

"I'll take your reaction as a sign that you are more than happy to leave now.

" She nods her head with excitement, and I turn to start walking towards the door.

She gets up from the bed and follows me. We exit the room and head towards the main counter down the hall. The Inn isn't as lively as it was last night. Most are still here are passed out from drinking so much last night. They say drinking until you blackout is a sign of depression. If so, there are a lot of depressed people.

"What do they serve for breakfast?

" I take a small breath to answer, but before she can, she starts up again.

"Are they like pancakes, or is it more like a bacon and eggs breakfast?

" I'm sure they'll have both. I open my mouth to speak.

She beats me to it yet again.

"Do you think there will be a long wait cause I don't want to stand there and wait while all the good food is being served.

" I give up on trying to explain anything. She'll find out the answers once we get there.

We eventually make it to the restaurant and see there isn't much of a wait. Most people have probably already eaten breakfast. So that means the wait won't be that long. We enter the restaurant and head towards the counter. We see the breakfast menu above the cashier on the wall. There is so much food to eat.

The most delicious foods are the ones you have after you get up. They'll be your source of energy for that day. The cashier looks at us with a notepad, time to order.

"I'll have the bacon, pancakes, hashbrowns, and eggs.

" The portions here are huge, but I'm a tall guy with a huge appetite. I look at Sally and see she is still looking at the menu. She eventually picks and orders similar to me, with added bread.

We are directed to our table, and they place a number on it. We sit in eager silence for our food, smelling the aroma coming from the grills in the back. After a few minutes of waiting, the food is brought out, and we dig in. We both zone into our food and savor the amazing breakfast. Ther bacon and pancakes, add that to syrup, and it's heaven.

I finished off with hash browns and eggs. We finish at nearly the same time, and I lean back in my chair and release a satisfied sigh.

"It gets better every time. I'm going to be sorely missing this food after we leave...

" Sally looks at me in disappointment.

"It's not like we can eat this stuff every day, and I know that my food is terrible. It's just the way it is, sadly...

" It truly is sad. More than I ever thought it could regarding food.

We stand up, and I leave a gold piece as a tip and pay for the meal at the counter. We exit the store, and we both turn our heads to the northern entrance.

"I can't believe I get to meet your, mom. It's going to be interesting to hear what she's been through. After you entered my life, it changed drastically. I bet the same happened to her.

" Sally's words are scarily accurate. Amelia's life did change after I entered it.

She is now a powerful noble and is living a life she probably doesn't want. Sally sees my disappointed look and places her hand on my arm.

"I'm sorry if I said something...

"I shake my head. It's not her fault. It's mine. Her life may be financially easier. That's not always better. Having money doesn't mean your life is good.

Some people prefer the solitude and lack of money, and while Amelia needed money for the kids. I'm sure that if they weren't in her life, she'd never been the type to be desperate for money. People's financial situations can make them do things they wouldn't normally do.

"You didn't say anything wrong, Sally. I'm reflecting on my actions and how I've affected Amelia and her life. Many would claim it's millions of times better, but I don't know if she thinks that way.

" I don't know Amelia good enough to assume all this, but I feel that the only reason she accepted the position as Countess here in Zenith was for all the little ones she looks after. A mother is willing to do anything for a child of hers. Absolutely anything.

We slowly walk side by side to the northern entrance and eventually reach it. We have our hoods on, so no need to worry about people finding me out. Sally and Amelia will probably get along really great. They are alike in many ways. Kind-hearted, selfless, and many other things I could name. It'll be nice to see Amelia after so long. I haven't checked any of my personal mail at the churches.

She is definitely wondering if I'm alright, and seeing me will lift her spirits some—more than she'd get from reading a letter. After a few minutes of walking, we exit the city and head into the forest and out of sight. Flying there will probably be more efficient. I can find it faster from a birds-eye view. I get on one knee and activate my wings.

Sally climbs on my back, and I launch off the ground. We reach the clouds, and I look north. We are going about 20 mph right now. I can see a giant mansion not very far from here, and I notice some guards here and there. I slowly glide into a decent and make sure when I do, no guards can see me. I land gently in the garden on the property, away from any eyes.

I let Sally off, and that's when I hear something hit the ground. I turn around and notice a little kid. She dropped an apple. She is staring at my wings and looks back to my hood face. I walk up to her and toggle my wings off, they disappear, and she slightly flinches.

"You mind taking me to Amelia?

" She slowly shakes her head, not minding taking me. I stand, and she grabs my hand.

We start to run slowly, and Sally follows closely behind. We make it to a hedges maze, and that's when I'm glad that I ran into this little kid. She probably knows this place like the back of her hand. After making many twists and turns, we exit the hedge maze, and I see the giant mansion off in the distance.

I turn my head and lock eyes with some guards. They quickly run over and draw their weapons. I let go of the little girl's hand, and I slowly push her out from between us.

"You are trespassing on a Countess's property! You are under arrest!

" The squad captain points the tip of his blade at me. I don't want any unnecessary bloodshed, I take my hood off, and they don't react in the slightest.

A second later, I hear the doors from the mansion up ahead crash open. I knew she'd be watching.