Ornate Designs

I woke to silence, it was almost worse than the clatter that I usually heard during the week days. Grant was usually here when I woke up, opening cupboards, slamming them, mumbling curses when he couldn’t find what he wanted.

I got out of bed slowly, treasuring the one day of the month that I didn’t work, and as soon as I changed into fresh clothing, I heard the front door slam.

“Dom!” Grant yelled, his voice made the glass cabinet I had in my room shake in terror. I opened my bedroom door a moment before he did.

“What’s up?” I asked as calmly as I could. His composure was polar opposite of mine.

“You’ve got no idea what I’ve been through this morning. No fucking idea.”

I pointed to the kitchen, and Grant huffed as he turned and walked to the round table my father made for me when we moved out of their home. I sat down across from him and nodded, letting him elaborate.

“They want to imprint me, Dom.” He shook his head and held ran his hand through his hair. A scowl was plastered on his face. “They can’t do it. I’m not letting it happen.”

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. He knows what I went through when the elves imprinted me.

“You’re not going to say anything then?” His eyebrows plummeted. “You’re supposed to say something! Say something!” Grant was nearly out of his seat as he screamed at me.

“If I tell you anything, you’ll deny it. You know what I went through. I’m not happy they did it, Grant, but it’s best for them.”

Grant shook his head and slumped back into the old wooden chair. “What about what’s best for us? You went through with it because of Lila. Don’t even deny that, Dom, it’s obvious.”

“Well,” I paused, trying to think of something he wouldn’t retaliate against, “Ask them if it’s necessary... maybe they’ll give you a break.”

“The King already planned it. My appointment is at ten in the infirmary.”

“It’s only bad the first few days, Grant.” I said, not able to say anything else. Grant just looked at me, his mouth quivered and he walked out the door.

I sat at that table for about thirty minutes; the clock read 9:35 a.m. Twenty-five minutes until Grant’s world changed.

Imprinting is an odd thing for us. All of the humans living in amongst the clan go through it at one point or another. I was imprinted when I turned fifteen, and it was the worst thing that I ever went through. The one thing that made me relax was thinking about Lila.

When a human is imprinted, they become linked to all High Ranking elves to a point where we sometimes feel what they feel. We know when they are in danger, we know where they are hurt. We also always know how to get back to the clan, wherever we are. Eventually, we lose ourselves, becoming like them.

We are one with the trees...