A Keen Eye

The air in the living room didn’t just hang heavy; it vibrated with a low thrum of confusion, a quiet discord that seemed to seep from the floorboards into everyone's bones. Admin stood like a lightning rod, his parents' bewildered stares pinning him down. It was a feeling he hadn’t known since grade school. His friends stood like a quiet fence between him and his old life, a reminder that things would never be the same again.

He felt the lies he’d been telling start to fall apart, showing the scary truth like a rotten wall. What he said was both true and false, getting the details right but still making everything sound wrong. He felt like he was coming apart trying to use words so simple to talk about things so crazy.

His mom spoke first, always seeing the best in him. She had believed him even when he came home late or with strange injuries. Her voice was like thin ice, ready to crack. A different world… she said slowly, as if the words themselves were a test. If all this is real… if you're telling the truth, she stopped, looking hard at Admin, trying to see if he was making it all up. Then how… how could you get married and have a family so fast?

The question made enough sense. In her experience, love took time. Dating, falling for each other, and getting married. Children took lots of documents. All of that can take years. Yet, here he was, saying he had done all of it.

But his dad wasn't buying it. He was an engineer, and he needed proof. This is dumb, he said, his words sharp. He scanned the room and everyone in it, trying to find something that didn't add up. I don't know what you're doing, Admin, but end it now. His voice got loud, like he trying to take charge of a situation that was out of hand. Explain this now, and things will all be good.

The word good echoed in Admin's head. People had messed with his world, so the idea of his old life seemed like something from another person's past. His dad spoke of things going back to how they once were, like fixing a cut. But Admin knew better. His normal life was gone, like a smashed mirror.

Admin knew that wasn’t going to happen. Things from before were gone, lost in some shift that he had been dragged into. But maybe the truth was the key to something peaceful.

He met his dad’s hard stare, not looking down. I’m not playing a game, Dad. This is the way things are. The words were confident, and they seemed to hit the room hard. He turned to his mom, his voice like it always was when he was speaking to her, gentle. Mom, I know this is tough to understand. But I will tell you everything. He paused, taking a big breath. First, about Eyrie…

He looked at Eyrie, the way he looked at her showing his love. She stood quietly, looking at everyone with eyes that seemed older than her years. She had been through so much, and now she was in the middle of this situation.

Eyrie is my adopted daughter, he said clearly. She needed a family, and Reyus and I…we became her family. It sounded easy, but it wasn't, but it was true.

The word adopted helped, like something that could be understood. It was something they could accept.

His mom's face softened, and she started tearing up. She saw a child who needed help. Her body showed that she was open to understanding.

His dad didn’t seem happy still, but he had lightened up.

His mom reached out to Eyrie, not sure if she should. She just wanted to help this child she had just met. Oh, sweetie, she said. How old are you?

Eyrie thought hard, wondering what to say. She knew that she had gotten here with no one caring about her past. I am…not sure, she said. Maybe six cycles? Or maybe ten cycles? I don’t know.

The words were like smoke, telling of the kind of life Eyrie had. She had never been given something so simple. She had never had a birthday party, and that got to Admin. What kind of life had she been living?

She said cycles instead of years, and that made it clear that she had to have come from somewhere else. Admin filed that away.

His mom cried again. She took Eyrie’s hand, like a mom comforted their kid. She didn't know what everything meant, but this child should not be hurting. Oh, honey, she whispered. That’s just so sad.

Admin could see his mom changing. She was a grandma meeting her grandchild.

His dad didn’t believe it yet, but he had softened some. Okay, so you took her in, he said, glancing at Eyrie. What about Reyus? How did you two get married? He paused and noticed something. How can we know that you were born in 1989? When you were just 15?

His dad was letting Admin give him some answers to all of this. Admin didn't know how to talk about changing reality.

Admin knew he had to say everything. He needed to put it all out there and hope that they would believe or just accept how things were.

He readied himself. His friends stayed close to him, a reminder that he wasn’t alone in any of this.

Mom, Dad, he began firmly. I know this is a lot. But you need to listen. I have to tell you everything. He paused, checking to see how they were taking it. It won’t be easy, but you have to trust me. Or everyone that we care about is in danger.

The words seemed like a warning. It was about their family and about the world.

His mom squeezed Eyrie’s hand, her instincts kicking in. His dad perked up. They might not understand, but the idea that they were in danger got to them better.

Admin took a breath and tried to plan out how to start. How could he talk about a game that plays with the real world?

The sun came through the windows. Outside, the world was fine. But inside, they were calling everything into question.