by Jen Weddle
Chapter 18
My father greets us at the gate with a smile.
“Where’s the fancy new dresses ladies?” He inquires.
“Funny thing, we went to see a fortune teller instead.” I say scornfully. My father’s jaw drops and he looks pointedly at my mother and Grandmother. “Also, she said I most definitely have two Soulfires.”
“I told you not to go there… until we knew for sure.” He replies.
“Well now we know for sure that it’s true.” My mother answers hastily.
“So now what? Do we take her to the Elders?” My Grandmother asks.
“No. They can’t know, we’ll have to take care of this ourselves.” My father replies.
“Hello. What are you people talking about?”
“Nothing.” They all reply in unison.
“Fine.” I answer exasperatedly.
I walk away from them as they continue to speak in encoded languages and words that only they can understand. I despise secrets, especially when they’re about me. The guards with the tall funny hats watch me suspiciously.
“Excuse me for my existence.” I spit out.
They stand in silence, their gazes remain focused and forward.
I sneak into the back because I’m secretly afraid of the Hellums, and I definitely don’t want to end up unconscious for a few hours again. I like being aware of things, and as strangely adorable as those giant beasts are—I’d rather stay away.
I spot a man sitting on a bench kicking at thin air and talking to no one in particular, he’s sitting in front of the palace’s back entrance so there’s no way to get around him. I can’t tell if it’s Riley or Theo… but I’d rather it be someone else—anyone else. My ability to handle annoying things is at an all-time low at the moment.
The boy peeks up and I see that it’s the same golden eyes from the forest. Riley…of course—he would be the weird man on the bench talking to no one.
“Who are you talking to?”
“The wind.” He replies.
“No…really?”
“Honestly. I was trying to deliver a message home so I was telling the wind to deliver it for me.”
I lift my eyebrow in suspicion and plop down next to him. The tension between us fills the air like a bout of static electricity ready to burst and shock everything in its path.
“Do you miss home?”
“Yes.” He replies looking down at the ground and then watching his feet move back and forth. “I miss my little brother the most.”
I look over at him to see his eyes have grown wide and innocent.
“What do you do for fun?” He asks.
“Fun…” I trail off. “I like to dance.”
“I would have never guessed. Would you like to dance, Princess?”
“But there’s no music.” I reply. He takes my hand and places it on top of my head.
“Use your imagination, music is all around us if you listen hard enough.”
He takes one hand and places it around my waist and takes the other in his hand. The sunlight casts a silver glow in his eyes. He whispers something under his breath and Fly Me to the Moon begins to play. The music is made by the frogs and the bugs and the grass and the birds and the wind. I smile as he spins me in circles, we spin rhythmically to the music as thousands of fireflies join us and the sun sets in the background.
We dance completely in tune with one another. He takes a step left and I follow instinctively. We can’t take our eyes off of each other. I want to fall to my knees from the pure magnetism and heat his body exudes. I follow his steps leaning closer and closer until are noses are almost touching. I can see his wide eyes—full of hope and longing. I feel his hot breath against my cheek. His hand is wrapped tightly and securely around my waist making me feel protected.
An instant later, we’re kissing. The fireflies bob in midair. We hold each other so tight that it almost hurts, but I couldn’t imagine letting go or being in another place in time.
It’s everything I had hoped it would be.
He kisses me with such ferocity and intensity that I feel like I might black out from the lack of oxygen. If he leaves though, I could crumble into a million pieces. The song ends and he slowly pulls away from me. His pupils dilated and his eyes wide with intrigue.
“Thank you.” He whispers.