Chapter 25
Someone puts their cold hands over my eyes and mouth making me jump awake. I scream in a panic and whirl around to see who woke me from my nap. Blair stares at me her blonde hair bouncing wildly about. She hands me my clothes looking down sheepishly.
“Blair. How did you find me?” I gasp. “I thought I was going to be stranded in Ohio and that Mathew would surely find me.
“I-I tracked you.” she stutters. She puts her hands at her sides looking at me with a confused expression. “Everyone at the palace thinks that you're a traitor, they found out about Mathew being your father.”
“A traitor?” I shout angrily, kicking the dirt and leaves around us. “I'm not a traitor, I barely escaped from Mathew. He used some kind of spell to try to drown me but I managed to get out alive.”
Blair stares at me silently. Her lips are pursed and she looks at me with a look that I have never seen on her beautiful face before. It's compassionate and lovely but frightened and confused.
“I'm glad you're okay.” she says barely audible. We stare at each other silently, sitting across from each other on the green bench. The wind has started to pick up and I pull on my clothes which are still a little damp, but manageable.
“How did you find me anyways?” I ask. It hadn't even occurred to me that she would have had to use a teleportation device to reach the human world, and then she would have somehow found a way to locate me.
“I've been training as a Tracker for the kingdom. I'm getting really good at it.”, She replies with a certain note of sarcasm in her tone. She takes my hand into hers and gently rubs circles into it massaging it and staring out in front of her. “We need to go. I sense that there may be another presence nearby.”
As soon as the words escape her lips, we hear the sound of snapping twigs a few feet behind us. She holds onto my hand tightly and we're being transported somewhere far away from here. I can only suspect that she is using the device to transport us to Newhollow, but when we land on a secluded beach with only the sounds of waves and the gentle squawks of seagulls I know she has chosen a place in the mortal world. Elves very seldom visit the mortal world, but if they do visit it's the ocean they come for. We have one body of water in our own world and that is the Dark Sea. The sea fits the name perfectly with its dark, murky waters and horrible, ancient creatures. Blair looks into my eyes and then she smiles at me.
“I've never been to the ocean; I thought it would be a nice place to visit with you.”
After that it's silent for awhile, we sit on the grainy white sand and I hold her in my arms. I rest my chin on her head and inhale the salty, refreshing air around us. I've never been so close to the ocean before, even though I've come to the mortal world often. I stare at the vastness before us, and think that it's a lot like my own relationship with Ali. She's so close to being mine but yet she's so far away, then I remember who I'm holding in my arms at the moment and it makes the situation more complicated.
“How long have you known about this?” I stand up, infuriated and my hands flail around hopelessly.
“I just had the vision, Ali. I promise and I came to find you right away.” he answers and I can sense that he is telling me the truth. I stand dazed for a few minutes deciding what I should do next.
“Riley, I have to go. I have to go now.” I say solemnly, sounding braver than I feel. I sprint for the garden exit and try to get a head start but I know that Riley is right behind me. I can feel the grass beneath my bare feet and it tickles my skin. It feels strange, but familiar and the next thing I know I'm lying on the ground with Riley beside me.
“Why can't it ever be easy with you?” Riley asks pounding his fist into the ground. “Why can't you act like all the other girls and just listen to me?”
“Because I am not like other girls if you haven't noticed. I don't drool at the sight of you and I don't obey you when you're wrong. We shouldn't wait another minute if Theo is in trouble, he could be hurt.” I answer. Riley sits up and I do the same and we sit across from each other, staring into the distance confused.
“I don't know what to do. I can't miss my sister's wedding, but I can't let you go alone. It's too dangerous out there.” He says. “I wish you weren't so stubborn.”
“Well I wish you weren't so stupid.” I say snidely. He surprises me with a long, passionate kiss and it silences me. It also confuses me but I'm quiet for a little while.
“Don't you feel anything when I kiss you like that?” he asks. I fold my arms across my chest and try to look serious but my stomach is turning and my heart is fluttering around. I want to scream at him, but I want to kiss him again. How am I supposed to answer this simple question? If I say yes then he will never let me live it down and I will be destined to become the next Mrs. Princess Werewolf, but if I say no then I'll just be lying to him.
“No.”, I blurt out, without a moment’s hesitation. I cover my mouth with both my hands and curse myself for being so impossible.
“I won't kiss you anymore.” he says hopelessly as he stands up and waits for me to follow him. We walk back in silence to the castle as I admire the blooming flowers around us; he walks sulkily staring straight ahead. We reach the castle's iron front door and he pulls it open effortlessly waiting for me to go in first. I walk in front of him and enter into the most chaotic scene imaginable. People are running around frantically waving their arms and yelling demands all over the place. I take a deep breath and try to find some solace in the mess that has become the great hall. I find Helena in the center of it all sitting in the queen's throne with a large notebook frantically scribbling something down. I walk over to her because she is the only face that I can recognize other than Riley's and he isn't exactly talking to me at the moment.
“Hi, Helena!” I shout, hoping that she can hear me over all the noise.
“Ali! Just the girl I was looking for,” She answers looking up from her notebook and putting the pen behind her ear. She beckons me over and points to the throne opposite her and I walk over and sit next to her in the king's throne; it makes me feel awkward and out of place. “A throne suits you well. Maybe one day you will be the one to help rule the kingdom.”
I look up surprised and she looks over at me admiringly. She yells for one of the servants and he rushes to her side. He's a tall, lanky man with pointy ears and sad eyes and a greenish hue to his skin making him look almost reptilian.
“This is Alison. You will need to fit her for a bridesmaid dress because I am short one. Can you handle that, Ben?” She questions without looking up from her writing.
“Yes, madam.” he answers in a hissing voice, pronouncing the “s” with a lisp. I look over at Helena hoping that she is joking, but she never looks up and Ben stares down at me impatiently so I follow him to the library where I was earlier.
Blair turns around to face me and she has a serious look in her eyes. I can tell that something important is on her mind but she doesn't know how to talk about it.
“What's wrong?” I ask, trying to keep her calm.
“You wouldn't lie to me, would you?” she asks nervously.
“No, of course not, you've been one of my best friends since we were children. I wouldn't dream of lying to you.” I answer honestly. She looks relieved and she rests her head back on my chest.
“Do we have to leave?” She asks seriously. “I wish we could stay here forever. I wish we could stay here where you didn't have to have a soul mate and I wouldn't have to have my heart break every time I watch you together with her.”
I let her go and sit in front of her. I take her hands into mine and look seriously into her eyes. “Blair, we aren't meant to be together. I'm supposed to be with Alison. We had a connection and that is the way that our world works. I can't just choose you, you're my best friend.” I wipe the tears away from her eyes and we sit silently listening to the wave’s crash into the sand.
“Thank you for your honesty, Theo.” She sniffles and wipes th
e tears away from her eyes. “I know that we're only meant to be friends but it's so hard watching everyone else find their soul mate and I am all alone.”
“I know it must be terrible having to watch everyone find someone but one day you will be happy and you will find a guy that will treat you exceptionally. You deserve that much, Blair.”, I say truthfully feeling that she deserves the best. She nods her head in agreement and smiles hopefully at me.
“You always know just how to cheer me up.”, she answers. “I hope that one day I find a boy that's as nice as you are.”
“I'm sure you'll find him one day.” I answer.
“Well should we get back to Alison?” She asks.
“Yes!” I shout with glee, feeling that I have spent too much time apart from my love. Blair looks down furiously, jealousy obvious in her eyes. She takes my hand and the world turns black. We swirl around in circles with only the sound of the wind around us and collapse on a bed of pink roses in front of a large castle.
“This is Elacia, and Ali’s mother said that I would find Alison here and that I was to return her home safely.” Blair says sounding very upset. I follow her to the large iron door and we stare up in amazement. This is nothing like any castle that I have ever seen; although, I have only seen Newhollow's white modern palace but this is a storybook castle. It towers over everything else and you can hear the crashing sea beneath us. Blair takes ahold of the large lion-head doorknocker and begins to knock. Someone pulls the door open with a loud creak and stares curiously at us.
“How may I help you?” the large woman behind the door asks.
“My name is Blair and this is Theo, we have come to return Princess Alison to the Kingdom of Newhollow.” Blair answers promptly. I stand quietly by her side as the woman looks us up and down and then moves to the side to allow us into the castle. The noise that was evident before we knocked on the door has now ceased and every eye is on us. Riley stares at me from across the room. He clears his throat.
“Everyone back to work. My sister is getting married tomorrow and you have a lot to do for the wedding. These are just some friends from Newhollow.”, he says as he takes a few long strides over to us. I can see the hatred in his eyes but there's also something else. Relief. Why would Riley feel relieved to see me though? He takes Blair's hand and kisses it as he bows down, and then he shakes my hand. I try not to show my amazement but it must be written all over my face.
“Ali and I were afraid that you had been trapped by Mathew.”, He says.
“Me? Trapped? Never.” I respond looking at him quizzically. We stare trying to prove who the bigger man in the room is. I obviously win, but Ali pokes me with her pointy elbow and I blink losing the competition. Damn, I think to myself. I will beat him and win Ali's heart though.
Adventure Awaits