The Diablos Come for Dinner

The next few hours passed by quickly. After hearing the man's cryptic message, I locked myself in my room. The dress I wore to Maury was a little dirty from when Valerie Glen pushed me into the street.

I changed dresses an hour before I was supposed to meet Eon. I fixed my hair as well. Eon probably wanted to meet in the dinning room, so I headed that way.

What would Eon's relatives be like? He said they were nice. He didn't say they were nice to slaves. But again, I'm not a slave.

Eon was in the dining room. The table had been shortened a little bit. Six sets of silverware were arranged neatly. He looked pleased to see that I showed up.

"Please sit," Eon said as he pointed to my normal seat, "My relatives will be here soon. I believe I've only told you about Isabelle."

"You have," I said.

"Besides Isabelle, my aunt, uncle, and my other older cousin are coming."

"What are their names?"

"My aunt is Jennifer, my uncle is Kenneth, and my other older cousin is Mason."

"Ah. What are we having for dinner?"

"We're having turkey, steak, cooked vegetables, mashed potatoes, stuffing, fruit salad, and red wine."

"Sounds like Thanksgiving."

"Indeed."

Thanksgiving was a thing here, too. Earth and Suvilla weren't so different. It's like they're the same place, but in different realities.

Eon looked at the clock and exited the room. His relatives would arrive any minute. I could escape now. Eon wouldn't be able to find me. He would be for Ed to abandon the dinner.

Then again, I had nowhere to go. The idea of trying to leave was dumb. The only exit I knew of was the front one, and Eon was waiting there.

Suddenly I was nervous. What if I did something wrong and stupid? Not only would Eon's relative be mad at me, but Eon would be embarrassed. I would get food for days if that happened.

Muffled speaking came from the halls. They were here. I sat up straight and looked at the door. It opened with a quiet creak. Eon was walking with four other people. I could tell by age who was who.

"Why, Eon, is this who you were talking about?" The older man, Kenneth looked at me with kind, bright eyes.

"Yes, it is."

"My, how pretty she is," Jennifer said.

"Thank you. Come and sit." Eon directed the four to the table. His cousins sat on one side and his aunt and uncle sat on the other.

"This is Kenneth, Jennifer, Mason, and Isabelle." Eon gestured to each person as he said their name.

"What is your name, dear?" Jennifer asked me.

She didn't treat me like a slave or a servant. What had Eon told them about me?

"My name is Lumine, Madam," I replied and smiled politely.

"So well behaved. How long have you had her? She wasn't mentioned in your letter." Kenneth looked at Eon.

"This is the third day," Eon said with a look of pride.

"Only the third? I'm very impressed."

"Her eyes are gorgeous," Isabelle remarked.

"How long do you plan on staying?" Eon asked Kenneth.

"Today and tomorrow," Kenneth replied.

"Maybe we can do something tomorrow."

"Are there any good theaters around?"

"Maury has a great theater. We can see a show."

"That sounds excellent." Kenneth smiled and straightened his sleeve.

A few servants brought out platters of food. The entire table was covered with delicious smelling food. Bottles of wine were placed at the center of the table.

"This looks delicious!" Mason exclaimed.

"Used your recipe for the barbecue sauce, Kenneth," Eon announced, "My father used it a lot."

"I'm glad he did," Kenneth beamed.

The Diablos helped themselves. Eon looked at me and gestured to the food. I took a bit of everything except for the steak. As for the wine, I took a good amount.

Sure, I was only sixteen. Wine should be off limits until age twenty at the least. I just couldn't help it. The wine tasted like heaven. Besides, no other drinks were being served and I didn't want to look rude.

Everyone dig into their food. The stuffing was definitely my favorite. It had so much flavor.

"You know what, Eon?" Jennifer began.

"What?"

"I never thought you'd by a pet. You've always preferred to be alone."

"I have, but the company has done me well."

"How could he resist, Mother? She's gorgeous," Isabelle added.

I chewed very slow upon hearing the conversation. Of course, that's why Eon treated me nice. I wasn't a servant or a slave. I was a pet. The Diablos looked ate me and I ignored them.

"Do you not like the steak?" Mason questioned.

I wanted to tell them the truth, but I didn't feel comfortable. Kenneth hid it well, but he looked a bit hurt.

"I wanted to make sure the rest of you got your fill, since you all like the steak so well," I hoped they would believe me.

"Don't worry. There's plenty left," Jennifer assures me with a smile.

I wanted to make the excuse that I was full, but that sounded too predictable. That was a classic excuse. Maybe this steak and sauce was different.

"In that case, I'd love to try it."

Kenneth beamed and smiled when I took some of the steak and put it on my plate. The smell was familiar, even though the incident happened when I was much younger.

Eon gave me a confused and suspicious look.

I cut off a piece of steak and raised it to my mouth. Eon studied my face. Realization hit him.

I felt like panicking. I felt like dropping the fork and running away.

Suddenly, a servant walked through the door holding a small box. Eon stood up abruptly upon the arrival.

"Wait! Lumine, I have something to give you."

I couldn't believe the idea of being a pet had never crossed my mind.