by Darby Cupid
Linda turns to me, mid eye roll. “What about you?”
I look down at her expectant face and realise she’s hoping that we can do something together. “Why don’t we go for a little walk?” I suggest, holding out my hand for her to take.
As she slips down from the stool, I accidentally meet Sera’s eyes. I can tell she knows exactly what’s going on and I feel downright rotten. I look away as I lead Linda through the door, closing it behind us.
Once we’re outside, we wander down the lush, manicured gardens towards a little white bench. Putting my hands in my pockets, I kick lightly at the grass. “You know, back home the grass is purple.”
“Really?” Linda raises her eyebrows. “What colour is the sky?”
I smile. “Green.”
“Oh, come on. You’re winding me up.”
“No, really!” I hold my hands up. “And we have three moons. They’re enormous compared with yours.”
“You’re really excited about going back, aren’t you?” Linda sits down on the bench and squints up at the bright blue sky. There’s not a cloud to be seen, which is excellent news for our trip later on today.
I sit down beside her and take her hand. “I am. I need to find out if my father is still alive and what happened after my mother and I were taken.”
“I understand.”
We sit for a moment in silence, listening to the chirping of the birds as they flit amongst the branches beside us.
“Linda?” I start.
“You want to talk about the kiss, don’t you?” She cuts me off. “Don’t worry. It’s fine.”
I freeze, a mouth full of excuses and apologies ready to unload.
“Seriously,” Linda continues. “Don’t worry about me and my heart. We had an intense couple of days, and yes, you’re super-hot, but I’ll carry on living after you’ve gone.”
I stare at her in disbelief for a moment before laughter erupts from my lips. Of all the ways I thought this conversation would go, this is definitely not one of them. It takes a minute or two for me to regain control, my sides aching. I wipe a tear from my eye and shake my head. Beside me, I notice that Linda’s cheeks are tinged with pink as she watches me.
“You’re incredible, Linda.” I exhale and shake my head. “In another place and time, we might have had a really good thing.”
“Yeah,” she smiles ruefully. “It could have been awesome.”
Even though she’s making light of it, I know she’s upset. Of course, she is. I used the spark of chemistry between us to lead her on. To… I find myself trying and failing to grasp a decent reason. To get back at Crystal? Why? Why would I want to do that? To make her jealous? What would be the point in that? Maybe it was just to feel something – anything – that wasn’t hate, anger or fear.
“What are you going to do with yourself today then?” she asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
I shrug and drape my arms over the back of the bench. “Nowhere to go, no one to see.” I pause, looking at Linda out the corner of my eye. “You know, I’ve never actually been to the cinema. Do you want to see a film? As friends?”
“Sure,” Linda smiles. “Why not?”
We stand and walk in comfortable silence towards the bus stop.
“You’ve really never been to the cinema? In all the years you’ve been on Earth?”
“Excuse me,” I protest. “I was enslaved by an evil fake-uncle. Do you really think he let me go to the cinema?”
“Sorry.” Linda looks mortified.
“It’s okay,” I wink. “I’m ‘super-hot’, so I can handle it.”
As Linda groans and covers her face, her blush bright enough to be seen from space, laughter bubbles in my throat once more.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Crystal
Hauling the heavy backpack onto my shoulders, I follow the others to the door. Everyone else has bags filled with snacks, blankets and useful supplies. Mine is filled with memories.
Everyone suggested or offered things for me to take back to Starlatten to remind me of Earth. I’ve got clothes, books, magazines, trinkets, a shell, cinema tickets and a leaflet from the zoo, to name but a few. During my morning with Dylan, we used something called a ‘photo booth’. One of the strips of pictures it produced are wrapped up in his sweatshirt, which he said I could keep.
Jordan took a photograph of all of us together and printed it on a computer at Sera’s house, who then used one of the many frames in her bedroom to put it in. I think it might be one of my most favourite things I’ve ever owned. I joked that it was all going to be a bit unnecessary if this was all just a dream. Now, as we prepare to leave, it seems final, with everyone encased in sombre silence.
As we trudge down the road towards the bus stop, the weight of the bag on my back grows heavier with every step. It matches my heart.
The bus ride to the bottom of Huntingdon Pike seems to take forever. Linda and Jaik chat easily about the film they watched earlier today on the seats in front of me, while behind me, Eddie, Sera and Jordan talk about how they’re going to spend the rest of the summer holidays before returning to school. I smile as I hear Jordan discussing a possible switch to astrophysics and astronomy. Doctor Oakstone would be proud.
Dylan sits next to me in silence, squeezing my hand every now and again with an encouraging smile. Although I smile back, my heart is numb. It’s not that I don’t want to go home, it’s just I don’t want to go back to a home that’s potentially in tatters. A home where I won’t be Crystal, but ‘Your Majesty.’
“Right!” Jordan stands as the bus crawls to a halt. “This is us!”
I file off with my friends, finding myself standing at the bottom of a hill so huge, I can’t see the top. The sky is a clear expanse of warm sapphire, its perfect surface marred only by the blazing golden sun. Squinting up at the tall trees, the huge leaves shuffle in the breeze like waving hands and I close my eyes, the summer sun warm on my face. I desperately try to commit everything to memory. Just in case.
“Are you ready?”
Opening my eyes, I find Dylan watching me. I nod but I can’t bring myself to smile.
“Right, people. Let’s go!” Eddie declares and he marches off up the dirt path towards the trees.
After two hours of steep twists and turns, towering boulders and small paths over babbling brooks, we round a corner to find ourselves staring at the summit. A steep path of uneven rocks leads up to a small stone building at the top of a tall slope. Several walkers mill around, taking photos of the view.
“So, do we go up?” I ask, a little breathless from the climb.
Jaik chews his lip, frowning as he scans the surrounding area. “Yeah, I think we should go up and see what it’s like up there. We can make a better decision then to decide where the best place to lie low until dark is.”
“I agree,” Jordan says.
Eddie is already marching up the path. “Come on! Final stretch!”
I have to press my lips together to stop from calling out for him to slow down. Why are we racing ahead? The summer sun is already lower in the sky and I find myself out of breath by the top of the steep, stony path.
It’s all forgotten, however, as I straighten and look around me. I can see to the horizon in every direction; small villages, large towns, huge metal buildings, farms and even mountains in the distance. Roads weave in and out amongst the expanse of green, the vehicles like small insects crawling through the undergrowth.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe. “I didn’t think we’d climbed this high.”
“Deceptive isn’t it?” Jordan inhales deeply. “Just imagine the view from an actual mountain! Huntingdon Pike is only 360 meters high. You’d need to almost double that to classify as a mountain.”
“You always know how to spoil a moment with science, don’t you?” Eddie laughs, clapping him on the back.
“Geography, actually,” Jordan mutters.
Jaik shifts the bag on his back and surveys our surroundings. “I th
ink we should head to those trees down the other side.”
I follow his pointed finger to a cluster of trees further down on the opposite side to the one we’ve just climbed. Walkers are sticking to the path, so once we’re in the trees, we should be quite hidden.
Long grass and hidden holes make the climb to the copse of trees trickier than we anticipate, but soon we find a clearing and begin spreading out the groundsheets and blankets.
As everyone settles down and starts chatting, my attention is drawn back to the way we came. It feels like such a waste to be hidden in the trees when such a spectacular view is nearby.
“Would it be okay if I went back up to the top to see the view again?” I ask.
“I don’t see why not.” Dylan stands from where he’s been straightening the blankets. Tilting his head, he studies my face as if looking for clues. “Can I come with you?”
I blink, as if him not coming would be an option. “Of course.”
Together, we hike back up the steep slope to the old stone building, where I run my fingers over the names and numbers carved into its surface.
“What do these mean?” I ask.
“They’re names and dates of people who’ve been to the top,” Dylan explains, running his fingers over some particularly ornate letters. “You’re not supposed to, but a lot of these are really old. Vandalism laws were a bit different a hundred years ago.”
I nod, pretending I’ve understood half of what he’s just said. Choosing a grassy spot by the side of the building, I sit down and look out at the rolling hills. The orange sun is lower still and the breeze is already colder than when we started our climb. Reaching out I take Dylan’s hand, bringing his fingers to my lips.
“Thank you,” I say with a sigh.
“What for?”
“For everything,” I smile. “For finding me. For helping me. For… everything.”
Dylan leans over and presses his forehead to mine, closing his eyes. “I’m so sorry, but I’m really hoping it was a dream.”
“Me too,” I admit.
“I’m sorry you can’t go back to your life the way it was,” he murmurs, stroking my cheek. “I’m also sorry I made it all about me when you told me how scared you were about going back.”
Shaking my head, I squeeze his hands. “Stop apologising. It was a ridiculous day. Besides, you’ve more than made up for it by listening to me talk about it all day today.”
It really has been another perfect day. Dylan took me to some nearby gardens to show me different types of flowers and plants. We sat in the sunshine and talked for hours about our past, present and the hopes and dreams for our futures. As we discussed our mutual fear of the future and the forces dragging us towards it regardless of our wishes, I felt closer to him than ever. We would have forgotten to eat, if it hadn’t been for the loud rumbling of his stomach.
“Crystal?”
Dylan’s voice brings me back to the present. “Hmmm?”
Taking my hands in his, he shifts his position so he’s facing me properly. “I know it’s only been a week, but it’s been the most incredible week of my life. I honestly can’t see how anything will ever come close to this again.”
I open my mouth to speak, but he shakes his head before taking a breath and continuing.
“If it wasn’t a dream and you really are being whisked away across space and time tonight, this will probably be the only chance I have to say this.
My heart beats simultaneously in my stomach and my ears. I study his face; his eyes flecked with brown and copper beneath thick dark lashes. The way his hair always seems to fall forward across his brow in soft strands of gold and bronze. His cheekbones, straight nose and strong jaw. Those lips. I swallow, my mouth dry, as he reaches out and caresses my face, his eyes fixed on mine.
“I’m so lucky to have met you and I’m honoured to have been able to spend the time that we have, together. I love you, Crystal Akinara. I love you with everything I am.”
My heart explodes into a galaxy of stars and I smile, crimson cheeked, as a tear trickles down my face. “Oh, Dylan. I love you too.”
I put my hands over his and hold them against my face, closing my eyes to savour their warmth. When his lips brush mine, I relish every soft, tender touch, knowing it might be our last.
When we finally pull apart, I gasp. Ribbons of pink, orange and yellow are strewn across the sky as the sun blazes low on the horizon. Dylan wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close.
“I’m afraid we need to get back to the others,” he sighs into my hair. “It’ll be dark soon and they’ll be stressing.”
We both know who he means by ‘they’ and I know he’s right. Reluctantly, I stand and brush myself off. Above us, I notice the first pinpricks of light appearing in the sky. As we make our way back to the hidden clearing where everyone is waiting, I glance back one more time at the horizon to see that the sun has all but disappeared.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Crystal
There’s no moon tonight and the darkness wraps itself around us like a thick blanket, blinding us and muting our senses. All the walkers have gone, and lights no longer bob up and down the hill. We sit in darkness, whispering nervously as though the woodland creatures might hear us. Jordan recommended we sit in darkness, as any light might draw unwelcome attention from people called ‘rangers’, who might want to see what we’re up to.
I sit facing the stone building in the distance, even though I can’t really see it anymore. It’s been dark for quite a while and the tiniest flicker of hope is beginning to burn within me that it might have been a dream after all. I squeeze Dylan’s hand and he squeezes it back. Jaik is pacing somewhere behind me, cursing intermittently as he collides with branches or inhales bugs.
Linda gasps a millisecond before I see it. A bright light flashes for the smallest instant at the top of the hill. It reminds me of the flash on Jordan’s phone earlier today when he took our picture.
“Did you see that?” Linda hisses.
I nod, forgetting it’s too dark to see.
Eddie feels his way forward to where I’m sitting. “Is that them?”
“I don’t know?” I murmur, squinting in the direction of the flash. I think I can see something moving, but it’s hard to tell.
It is safe to show yourself, Your Majesty. We are waiting.
As the voice from my dream fills my head, the tiniest whimper escapes my lips and I close my eyes. My stomach is full of rocks, pulling me down into the ground, filling me with darkness.
“What is it?” Dylan whispers. “Are you okay?”
“It’s them.”
Jaik crouches down beside me and reaches for my elbow, shaking it gently. “Did they send you a message? What did they say?”
Legs shaking, it takes all my resolve to clamber to my feet. “They said they’re waiting for me.”
“Have you told them about me?” Jaik asks.
I shoot him a withering look through the darkness. “It hasn’t exactly been a two-way conversation.”
“Crystal?” Jordan calls out in a whisper as the rest of the group begin to rouse to their feet. “Perhaps it might be an idea to explain that there’s a few of us. They’re probably only expecting you.”
I close my eyes and send the message.
I’m on my way. I have a few friends with me, as well as Jaik Bazanat of Galeania.
“What did they say?” Eddie asks after a few seconds of tense silence.
“Nothing.”
“Perhaps they’ve gone?” Dylan makes no effort to hide the hope in his voice.
We are ready, Your Majesty. Please approach with your friends.
My hands pat the ground, searching for my backpack and I haul it on to my shoulders. “They say it’s okay. It’s time to go.”
Adrenaline and curiosity push me forward up the slope towards the stone building, which stands like a black void against the night sky. As we draw near, I can just about make out three figures. I know w
e’ve been spotted as two red lights begin to shine.
Growing steadily brighter, they illuminate the surrounding area with their soft glow, just enough to allow us to see that the light is coming from amulets around the necks of two Dyja. They stand, distinctively tall in their deep red robes, behind a smaller dark-haired man wearing black military attire. I don’t recognise him.
As soon as they spot me, they drop to one knee, one hand raised with fingers splayed in the traditional Starlatten greeting. I’ve seen this many a time when my parents attended events. I almost look around for them out of habit. The only person who’s dropped to their knee for me is Jaik, and he was half joking. I squirm, deeply uncomfortable and will them to stand up.
“Your Majesty.” The man dressed in black lifts his head to address me. “I cannot express our relief and happiness to find you safe and well. I am Commander Risiki, Commander in Chief of the Royal Guard.”
I clear my throat. “Please stand.” I’ve never heard of Risiki and senior positions within the Guard are held for decades. I wait until all three are standing before asking, “What happened to Commander Cobbat?”
Risiki bows his head. “We lost a lot of people in the attack on the Galastasia, as you know.”
I mentally kick myself.
“We are just relieved to have located you, Your Majesty.” Risiki smiles. “Starlatten needs you more than ever.”
It’s still there. I’m surprised at the wave of relief that washes over me. I have a home to return to. Maybe things aren’t as bad as I’ve imagined.
I motion for Jaik to step forward. “Commander, this is Jaik Bazanat of Galeania.”
“We believed you killed by rebels,” Risiki offers a small bow.
“Well you believed wrong,” Jaik replies, his voice dripping with accusation. “My mother was killed, but as you can see, I’m very much alive.”
“We are very happy that you have managed to make the Queen’s acquaintance so that you might find your way home,” Risiki nods. “Your father will be most pleased.”
I gasp. Jaik looks at me and smiles.