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It was Nathan’s face that I saw hovering above mine when my eyes opened the next morning. He had a bright smile and carried a tray of food in his arms. He did not speak (as I’m sure his grandfather had ordered), but did conjure up another fiery little butterfly which flew smoky little circles around my head and shoulders.
I forced a smile and when his cheeks reddened, I knew that all was forgiven. Duncan called for him, so he placed the plate onto the bed and then disappeared out of my room at a run. Quickly, I emptied the plate of eggs, bacon, and cheese covered grits. My appetite surprised me. As I stood up, I waited for the crushing pain to stir up inside me, to break me down into tears, but it didn’t. Instead, I felt something new, emptiness.
I walked out into hall and turned into the kitchen. Two young men that I didn’t recognize were playing cards on the icebox. Upon noticing my entrance, they both jumped onto their feet and leaned over. I just stared.
“I specifically said not to bow!” Duncan growled as he and Nathan entered from outside.
The two men straightened up, glancing over at me with embarrassed half-smiles. “Sorry,” said each of them.
“It’s okay,” I replied. Normally I'd have felt embarrassed too, having people bowing to me when I walked into a room, but strangely, I didn't feel anything at all.
“My local support," Duncan announced. "Jake and Eddy. Helped me to…” Duncan didn’t finish his statement. Instead, he came over with a large plastic shopping bag and took my empty plate. “This is everything you’ll need for a shower, including a change of clothes. Had to guess at the sizes but they should fit well enough.”
I nodded a thank you and retreated into the hall.
"Best be swift though," he called. "Our plane leaves in a couple of hours.”
It was right then that it struck me. I was really leaving. Not only that, but my life was going to be completely different than it had been for the first fifteen years of my life. A feeling that I couldn't understand came over me. Tears threatened this time, but I resisted, summoning back the numbness.
I showered quickly, changing into the blue jeans and pink t-shirt that Duncan had bought for me. Nathan laughed out loud when he saw the fairy princess on the front. “Grandpa she’s fifteen, not five!”
Duncan shrugged.
Duncan, Nathan, and I loaded up in a large black SUV, with Jake and Eddy following in an old pickup truck. I watched the little wooden cabin until it disappeared from view. I tried to keep my thoughts on the present, but it was hard. I found them drifting between my scary and unknown future as a witch (which hadn’t truly sunk in) or to the fact that a large percent of my heart might forever be unavailable to anyone.
We arrived at the airport in West Columbia much quicker than I would have thought. The tickets must have been really expensive because we didn’t have to wait in any lines and were rushed past the baggage check. Within five minutes of arriving, we were all seated aboard a small plane and in twenty minutes, we were lifting off.
“Man am I glad we’re outta the woods,” breathed Nathan from the seat immediately to my right. He caught me staring at him. “Sorry," he followed. "I didn’t mean it like that."
I turned back to the window, stared down at the vast green forests, and yellowed fields. When my mother and I moved here, it had seemed like the land that time forgot. I couldn't believe that she was making us live out in the middle of nowhere. Any semblance of civilization was miles away. There were only those fields and trees to look at on my way to school, and I just knew that all of my classmates would wear overalls and be missing teeth. Yet, my time here was the happiest of my life, even with the rules I was too stupid to understand. I closed my eyes and pictured my mother's face. I thought about the good times, and despite being in the overwhelming minority, there were some. She had finally got me hooked on soap operas this summer; we would take turns shouting at Billy for cheating on adorable Bethany, as though they were people we really knew. She refused to believe that I was the lost cause in the kitchen that I constantly proved myself to be. I totally owned her in Monopoly...
I missed her. That and the guilt seemed to be the only emotions strong enough to penetrate the emptiness. She had been willing to lay down her life for mine, and that trumped everything else. I laid my head back into the seat and closed my eyes. “I love you mom, and I'm so sorry.” And in that moment, again fighting tears, I decided that no matter what the future held for me, I’d be my own woman and make my own decisions, just like she would have wanted. I just prayed that she was out there somewhere.
The sun was setting when the plane finally touched down, defiantly hurling up streaks of purple and orange as the night pushed it away. Like something out of the movies, a man stood waiting for us in the lobby with a large sign that read “ANASTASIA.” He led us outside where another large black SUV was waiting. As Duncan and Nathan loaded my luggage into the back of the truck, I caught the man staring at my eyes. He looked away, and then sheepishly turned back and bowed.
“I’m sorry ma’am, haven’t ever seen a grey-eyed heir in person.”
“It’s okay,” I said again.
I was silent for most of the ride. I probably should have been nervous, but I wasn't. I certainly had reasons to be. What if my grandmother hated me? Then I'd leave. What if plain old me didn’t fit into this strange world of witches and royalty? Then I'd leave. What if this whole thing was going to be one big disaster? Again, I'd leave. I didn't owe my grandmother anything.
As we merged onto the interstate, a sudden calm fell over my body. It felt good. I took a look around the truck and found Nathan looking entirely too innocent to be trusted. I mouthed a thank you and he grinned.
By the time we had turned off the interstate, the night had completely settled in. It was blue and cloudless, and the brilliance of the twinkling sky gave me something else to focus on. But that was only for a short time. As soon as we passed the small sign that read “Welcome to Brighton,” I had an entirely new set of wonders to look upon. Huge mansions began to flank the thin two-lane highway. Sweeping grounds—much better suited for Hollywood than any part of Massachusetts I thought—swept into and out of view behind large gates. Expansive gardens were all lit up and looked like rainbows laid flat against the ground. I could only stare, while everyone else in the truck got their enjoyment from watching my reactions to the estates, each one seeming to top the last in sheer extravagance.
The truck began to slow. Now I felt nervous. The driver clicked on the inside lights of the truck and found me in the rearview mirror. “Welcome to your new home, 'The Gardens of Wintre.'”
The truck turned onto a paved black driveway that twisted out of sight. Flanking the driveway were high bushes, all squared off at the top, which blocked all views of the grounds. We followed the driveway, listening to Duncan go on about how excited everyone would be to meet me. Once we reached a small part in the tall hedges, the truck came to a stop. A silver-barred gate guarded a thin granite walkway that twisted out of sight, too.
The driver hopped outside of the truck and rushed to my door. He pulled it open and bowed again. “After you, princess.”
I stepped shakily out of the truck, and waited nervously for Duncan and Nathan to join me. They didn’t move.
“Only a member of the family may enter through this entrance, ma’am,” the driver explained.
I glanced back into the truck at Duncan. “You’ll be fine,” he assured me. “She’s expecting you.”
I gave him an unsure nod and then turned for the gate. The truck moved off down the lane and I was alone. Taking deep breaths, the thought occurred to me that the gate might be locked, that I could be stuck out here looking silly for hours… Thankfully, it opened by itself after only a few seconds of worrying. I took one anxi
ous step at a time until I was close enough that I could lean my head around the bushes. What I saw took my breath away.
It was beautiful. Beyond beautiful.
And enormous, seeming to stretch on forever. What seemed like a hundred pillars separated even more windows, and the way the ground lights hit the glittering white surface of its exterior, it was as if the very building itself was glowing as bright as any star above.
Once I remembered where and who I was again, I started down the thin walkway that led up to the building. As extravagant as it was, it was even more intimidating, and I spent the entire trip up to the arched entrance staring at my own two feet.
I stood in front of the large glass door in silent awe before another fear took root. Was I supposed to knock? I didn’t see a doorbell. I raised my hand to knock but quickly pulled it back down. I was not going to be the idiot who knocked on a glass door. Thankfully, just then, a figure emerged on the other side. The door slid away and a kind-faced old woman smiled tenderly.
“My dear Anastasia, welcome home.”