stunning Mom!” Sebastion pipes up.
Sebastion was well dressed, all in white. He looks so adorable. And as I look up, I notice that he’s dressed exactly like grandfather.
Grandfather leads the way and we follow, heading towards the waterfall. I smile the whole way there, enchanted by the sights.
“Where is this festival dinner?” I wonder aloud, “And where is Emma?”
“Emma and her father are waiting at the waterfall, which is where dinner is being held tonight,” responds Grandfather, as he walks in front of us with a regal air about him. Must come with the territory of being king, strange that I’ve never noticed it before this moment.
We arrive at the waterfall and walk around to the side where our dinner was being held inside a cave, a direct view of the waterfall flowing beside us.
“Emma!” I scream in excitement when I see her sitting there at the table. Wow, she looks as beautiful as ever!
She puts down her glass and runs over to me, just as excited, giving me one hell of a hug.
“Arabella, this place is amazing, I can’t believe it’s real, I feel as though I’m dreaming, oh my God you look beautiful!” She says looking me up and down, out of breath, cheeks flushed out of all the excitement.
“As do you, I love that you’re here,” I beam at her.
I look around, taking in my surroundings; everything looks amazing with so many glowing lights inside this beautiful cave. A huge long table was stretched as far as I could see, to fit all of us. I wonder what they will serve in this world. I peek out and see Midnight swimming, carefree, and wonder if he’ll be joining us for dinner.
“Can you believe this place? This is your world Arabella, your magic, oh I can’t believe it, it’s amazing!” Emma chatters enthusiastically.
I smile at her warmly. “I’m so glad you get to share this with me.”
“I wish I was magical.” She giggles, wistfulness in her voice.
“Hello,” interrupts a male voice. Emma and I both turn around and see two boys standing there, ever so casually.
“Hello,” I reply.
“You must be Arabella, and you the mortal friend.”
I hope he didn’t mean that in a rude way because if he did, then we were going to have a problem.
“Yes.” Emma says, bristling at his tone.
“We’re the Bralin brothers,” he announces.
“Nice to meet you,” I say as I link my arms with Emma’s and head for the table.
In that moment, I was reminded of Riley; the memory of what happened and the consequent effect on our relationship was dwelling on my mind. I miss him and feel dismayed that our kinds are enemies.
“What’s the matter?” asks Emma, sensing my gloomy thoughts, as she unfailing does; she knew me too well.
“Riley,” I whisper.
“I miss Jake too,” she replies in understanding, giving my hands a gentle squeeze
“Everyone, please take a seat, the feast is about to begin.” My grandfather’s voice echoes throughout the cave we’re seated in.
“Where do we sit?”
I look around for Sebastion and Mom, spotting them seated up near Grandfather and Ray.
“This way,” I pull Emma’s arm, leading her towards their direction.
“Arabella, you are quite the beauty tonight,” states Grandfather as he hugs me warmly and guides us to our seats.
We all take a seat, and the chatter quickly dies down. There are so many people here; elves, witches, warlocks, fairies, and who knows what else.
Grandfather remains standing at the head of the extremely long table. Will the people seated at the other end even hear him? I wonder. Emma, seated next to me, has the biggest grin on her face; she was full of pure excitement. Her elation must have been infectious because soon enough, Riley was far from thought, and I was just as happy as Emma.
“Good evening my wonderful people,” spoke grandfather, “We hold this feast in honour of my granddaughter Arabella, who has turned sixteen recently, and has been told about her abilities and our world. Due to unfortunate circumstances in the mortal world, Arabella and her family and friends will be living here in Aquarian Falls with us.”
This feast is all because of me? I wonder in astonishment.
“Arabella, please stand,” Grandfather implores with a flourish of his hands, offering me an encouraging smile.
What? In front of everyone? My heart starts beating wildly and butterflies flutter around in my stomach as I try to get a handle on my nerves. I shake my head profusely in refusal. Emma gently places her hand on my shaky arm and smiles, providing me with comfort and courage.
Grandfather catches my eye and motions for me to stand quickly with a reassuring nod. I gulp, take in a deep breath, push my chair back with my feet, and slowly rise to my feet, avoiding eye contact with those present; I just look down at the beautiful place setting that was in front of me.
There was a moment of silence until grandfather holds up a gold goblet glass, encrusted with diamonds. That seemed to shatter the silence as everyone started cheering and clapping, shouting my name in a sign of approval. I raise my head in a bold gesture, and the cheers get louder. I smile and quickly sit back down.
“Arabella, stand back up,” orders Grandfather gently. The attention on me wasn’t over yet? I stand back up, feeling the nerves making a comeback.
“My beautiful granddaughter has the magical four elements,” he pronounces in a serious tone, yet the pride was unmistakable.
Everyone falls silent, and I heard gasps of shock.
Is that a bad thing? I look around, trying to decipher the expressions on the attendee’s faces to find the answer to my unspoken question. All I could hear was the sound of the waterfall crashing into the water below. I look to grandfather, pleading with my eyes for him to elaborate further, and see his serious expression change to one of complete pride. He smiles.
“She’s the one!” he yells exuberantly.
Everyone cheers once again, and they stand to their feet clapping thunderously, faces alight with wonder.
What the hell is going on?
“I’m the one for what?” I ask him harshly, never one appreciative to be left in the dark. I wanted to know what the big deal was, and I wished they told me before subjecting me to the public’s eye with such a statement.
“I’ll explain after the feast my darling,” Grandfather promises me calmly, his wide smile never leaving his face.
I look to mom as she nods in agreement, seeming just as pleased.
Before I sit down, a voice from the far end of the table yells out.
“Prove it.”
I look to grandfather for guidance.
“Arabella, untuck your necklace and show them,” demands grandfather, clearly unpleased with the challenge. His eyes narrow, as if personally insulted, and at that moment I can see traces of the powerful warlock he must be renowned for.
I lift the necklace that I had tucked into my dress earlier, and show it to the entire table, eliciting more gasps and whispers.
“Perform some magic,” yells that same voice, the challenging tone still present.
Grandfather looks at me to see if I’m up to performing some magic. I nod confidently, even though inwardly I’m nervous to perform magic in front of everyone. Something in the challenger’s tone made me bristle, and I want to prove the person wrong, that I do hold the power of the four elements.
I start off with the fire element. I rub my palms together and feel the heat, then click my fingers at the candles upon the table. Each and every single one of them all lit one by one, the flames only inches away from the cave’s roof.
Before anyone could speak, I focus on the air element and lift air from the ground, causing hairs to blow and dresses to flow about wildly; I couldn’t help but giggle.
Next was the earth element. I concentrate on the vines that grew outside next to the waterfall, bringing the vines inside the cave and allowing them to grow at a fast pace, wrapping the vin
es around the backs of the chairs in a criss-cross pattern. Once my magical affinity to earth is clear and unquestionable, I quickly stop the vines and they slowly slither back outside to their natural state.
Next was the water element. I focus on the waterfall that was flowing beside us. What could I do with this? I use the magic within me and connect with the water. I amaze myself by bringing the waterfall inside the cave, letting it flow in my direction, yet not allowing it to fall or drip at all; I was in total control. I focus on releasing the water and push it back outside, letting go of my mental grip on it and watching the shaped mould fall back into place.
I feel extremely proud of myself and turn my attention back to the audience. I look around and find that everyone has their mouths open in surprise, eyes lit with incredulity.
“She is truly the one!” yells a female voice gleefully.
Everyone cheers in sheer excitement.
I couldn’t help but wonder, I’m the one for what? This world is full of magic, how am I the one? What makes me so special? I try to push those questions to the back of my mind until I can sit down with Mom and Grandfather to get my answers.
After that we all enjoy our feast, a huge selection of food. From fish, to fruit - it was most delicious and satisfying. Fully satiated, we start making our way back home.
“I really want you to come see our new home.” Emma pleads as she tugs at my arm.
“I’d love to.” I smile.
Emma and Ray’s home is beautiful, with a gorgeous garden like grandfather’s. Her room was perfect for her, and she was the most content that I have ever seen her to be. I couldn’t be any happier with