by Jenna Lee
We each just let our emotions show in different ways. Harlan had to keep himself on the mission, to keep himself busy. Declan was the same, but he thought more logically, and would be mustering up a plan in that smart head of his.
Thinking of her, I imagine seeing her in the forest with the sun radiating off her beautiful long dark hair. I bet her crystal blue eyes will glisten in the sun and be even more breathtaking than normal. I let out a little sigh just thinking about how beautiful she is. Harlan punches my arm, jolting me out of my little daydream.
"Do I even want to know what you were thinking about?" he asks, raising his eyebrows at me.
I shrug my shoulders. "Nah, nothing you need to worry about, bro," I say, as I lower my head.
We drive nonstop for what feels like hours, until we reach the area where we know she headed. We come to a crossroads and decide to take a left; our instincts tell us she went this way. Don't ask me how we know, we just do.
We can sense her and know roughly where she is always. It is such a relief to know that we are heading in the right direction. A short time later we pull up to a quiet parking lot with just one car in the park, and that car happens to be the one we are looking for. We all let out a breath of relief that we have found her, well not yet, but at least this is a start.
We are coming for you my Princess, and we will find you.
Chapter 10
Dara
I take in another deep breath, letting the fresh air fill my body. My eyes close on their own and for a moment, I relax taking in the blissful feeling that spreads across my body. This is exactly what I need, I don't for one second regret my decision to leave and come here.
I have been walking for a good hour, taking in the terrain, working out the best place to catch a few hours of sleep. I am so exhausted after having no sleep all night, I don't think I can walk for much longer.
I divert from my current path and head down a little slope that leads to level ground. I find a huge gumtree and put my stuff down next to it. I pull out my sleeping bag to lay it down against the tree. Laying down on it, I let out a huge sigh and shut my eyes, instantly falling asleep.
I wake startled, looking around wondering where the hell I am. Finally, everything from the night before comes rushing back to me. Oh yes, I am in the Dandenong Ranges, sporting a weird as fuck tattoo on my back.
I stand up and stretch out, feeling a lot better after a few hours of sleep. Just what I needed, it’s given me an energy burst that will help with today's hiking. The sun is high up now, shining through the trees. It really is beautiful here. Australian native trees surround me at every turn. Birds are out singing, enjoying the sunshine. I even spot a kangaroo jumping through the forest up ahead. I better stand clear of him, not wanting to get beat up by a kangaroo. No way, not today, thank you.
Feeling hot, I remove my jumper and chuck it into my bag. Zipping up my sleeping bag takes some time, but I finally manage to attach it to my bag. After stretching out my body, I head off walking along the trail, taking in the atmosphere.
I hear a branch snap to my right and I quickly run to the closest tree and hide behind it. No one ever comes out this far, which has me freaking out. I take a peek to the side of the tree, but I don't see anything or anyone. Odd.
I do a 360 turn and movement catches my eye, out to the right. I sink further into the tree and focus on the area, where I see movement. At first, from this distance, it just looks like a flock of birds, on closer inspection I see a group of people. I can't make out what they look like being so far away and I don't plan on sticking around to see who it is.
I spin around and start walking down the track at a fast pace to get away from them. I really hated sharing the forest with anyone. I know it sounds selfish, but I liked being the only one out here. I seriously hated sharing anything with anyone. I had always been like that. I hear the group approaching me fast, I turn around to see them running toward me.
That snaps me out of my thoughts and I start to panic, starting to run down the hill while trying to keep my balance. I miss the huge stump in the ground and I trip over it, before I start rolling down the hill, gaining speed. After rolling for a good few minutes, I smash into another stump that abruptly stops my fall. I lay there in a heap, trying to catch my breath, I try to sit up, but I can't move my body.
A shadow appears over my body, and I try to shrink further behind the trunk, hoping it covers me while I close my eyes. Trying to hide.
"I can see you, Princess, no need to hide from me," the voice says.
Wait a minute, I know that voice. I open my eyes to see Blair leaning over me. I instantly break into a smile, thankful it's him. I try to sit up, but I still can't manage to do it.
"Don't move your pretty little body. You would be very sore after that stunt you pulled," Oliver chuckles, joining Blair.
They are both still very much twins, which I am grateful for. When I first noticed yesterday, I wasn’t sure if I was tripping balls, or if I was seeing double. I can, however, tell them apart; looking at them, Oliver has a scar that runs behind his ear. That’s literally the only difference by looking at them. But once they talk you can instantly tell who is who. Where Blair is sweet, Oliver is cheeky. Perfect combo really.
Oliver puts his hands under my head and body to lift me up to a standing position. Once I have my bearings, he lets me go. I wobble a little, but I quickly regain my equilibrium again. I look around and see the four guys all standing around me in a protective circle. Which seems to be the norm, so I’ve noticed.
I give them a little smirk then I get down to business, "Okay, someone better explain to me what the fuck is going on. How the hell did you find me in the middle of nowhere? Are you physic or something? Start talking and don't leave out anything!" I say raising my voice, while throwing my hands around in frustration.
The guys look at each other, as if they are having a silent conversation in their heads. I know that is really unlikely, but it seriously looks like that is what they’re doing.
Harlan steps forward and begins, "I am really sorry for the way everything has played out Dara. It was not meant to go like this, but there is no easy way to say this. So please, keep your mind open and listen to the full story before you run away."
He lets me take that in and waits for my approval before he continues. I nod and say, "Okay come on, I don't want to wait another second, tell me already."
He looks at all the guys and they all nod in approval. Harlan continues, "Okay, so my brothers and I are not from this world. We come from another world called Silvia. I believe you have been dreaming about our world, for some time now. You lived there and were born there too, of course you don't remember as your memories were taken from you. When you were ten you were taken from us and sent to Earth. Your father made the decision to take away your memories and let you live a better life on Earth, until you were ready to come back. He did this to keep you safe, he put a spell on you that once you turned twenty-five it would activate. The tattoo on your back is very real, it is part of the spell. You see, you're very special, Dara. Back in Silvia you are a royal princess, your mother and father were King and Queen.”
I put my hand up stopping him from continuing. My head is spinning a million miles an hour, trying to process all of this. I sit down on the tree trunk and catch my breath.
“My parents are the king and queen?” I ask, leaving my mouth hanging open.
Everyone seems to stay quiet and Harlan clears his throat and says, “They were. I am sorry, Dara. Your parents are both dead. They were killed by your crazy uncle.”
I let out a little gasp and stare out into the trees. I just find out who my parents are and then find out they are dead. Just my luck, my hopes of meeting them goes out the window.
“Tell me what happened,” I say, trying to stay strong in front of the guys. I can’t lose it, I tell myself, not yet anyway.
Harlan continues, “So, your father sent you away after
the tragic death of your mother, Queen Marissa. He was so worried about your safety that he decided to send you to Earth to live a safe normal life until it was your time to come back to us.” He gestures to the guys.
I tuck a strand of my hair out of my face and ask, “So, how do you guys fall into this story? Why are you here trying to rescue me?”
Oliver lets out a little chuckle and says, “Princess, we have all known you since you were a little baby. Our families were close friends. We were brought up to be your protectors, your warriors. We helped keep you safe when you were younger. Once you were placed on Earth, we still kept a close eye on you. We needed to make sure your uncle didn’t find out where you had gone and follow you here.”
I look up at them, and as crazy as it sounds saying this, I believe them. One hundred percent. I told you I was crazy, who in their right mind would believe four complete strangers? The thing is though, they don’t feel like strangers. It all made sense now, why I felt so comfortable around them. Why I felt like I knew them.
“So, let’s just say that I do believe you for a second, how do you explain the tattoo? Why did it appear, what does it do?” I ask, gesturing to the big tattoo in question on my back.
Declan speaks up, surprising me, as I have noticed he is usually the mute one. "Can you show us your back? Just so we can confirm our suspicions? We don’t know exactly what it looks like but we had an idea,” he says.
I lower my eyes to the ground and tug up my t-shirt, facing the opposite way. I hear the guys gasp, surprised at what they see. I quickly lower my top back down and turn to face them.
"So, what is the verdict?" I ask, putting my hand on my hip for some extra attitude. Harlan clears his throat and takes charge yet again. I made a mental note to myself: Harlan needed to come down a few pegs and I was just the right person to teach him.
"Okay, so first, it is beautiful. The three vine circles are very special, and they are there for a reason –”
I put up my hand, interrupting Harlan mid-sentence. "What on earth would they be there for…please explain?" I ask, giving them a confused look.
Oliver bursts out laughing, covering his mouth. "Oh Dara, you are in for it now. No one ever interrupts Harlan.” Oliver says, while clapping Harlan on the back.
I roll my eyes at Oliver’s outburst and motion for Harlan to continue.
"As I was saying, before you so rudely interrupted me. The three circles that go down your spine are empty for a reason. The only way we can defeat your uncle is to find the missing stones. By the looks, they will fit in those three circles on your back. To our knowledge, you are the only one that can find the stones and retrieve them. It is said that each stone will give you a power that will help with defeating your uncle. Only you can defeat him, Dara. Only you can find the stones. Of course, you will have our help. Just before your father died he came to us and told us that you will need our help upon your 25th birthday. He mentioned that he scattered the three stones throughout Silvia, so that your Uncle James couldn't find them. If they get into the wrong hands it could be the end of our world as we know it. Your mission is to retrieve the three stones and defeat James once and for all. Then you can take your place as the rightful Queen of Silvia."
I stand there with my mouth hanging open, frozen in a state of shock, and then to my own surprise, I let out a huge burst of laughter.
"You're joking, right? This is all just a dream and I will wake up and everything will be back to normal. I am a nobody, a normal girl with a normal job. You are all insane and I will not fall for your cruel jokes. Me, a princess? Destined to become a queen? After finding these mystical stones you speak of? Yeah right. Thanks for the story guys, but I am out of here," I say and turn around and start sprinting down the trail.
Trying to watch my feet to make sure I don't trip on any stumps, I hear one of the guys cursing and then I hear them all coming after me. Shit! Come on Dara fasten the pace, let’s lose these weirdos. I take a sharp right, then left and continue down the hill. I am so focused on looking at the ground that I run straight into something extremely hard and bounce off it and onto my arse.
"What in the fuck?" I question and look up to see Declan standing there.
He reaches down for my hand and pulls me up to stand.
"How the hell did you manage to get in front of me like that?" I question, in a state of shock.
He smirks and says, "Never you mind about that, Princess, I'm not giving away my secrets just yet."
The smarty pants, I think, but it sure is nice to see him smiling.
"Okay, just give me some space. I need to process all of this shit you just threw on me," I say, stomping my foot down like a drama queen.
If I am supposed to be a princess, I sure as hell better start acting like one.
Chapter 11
Dara
I stand there at the bottom of the hill facing off with Harlan. Who has decided to stand in front of me blocking my escape. Arghhh! Why does he have to be sexy as hell? I can't concentrate, I need some space.
"Will you quit looking at me like that?" I say, rolling my eyes. He just smirks and motions for me to sit down on a tree that has fallen down. Like he knows what I need. I huff and walk over to the tree, spin around and plonk my arse down.
I put my face in my hands and try to process all of this shit the boys just threw at me. Me a queen? Even a princess? Of a whole other dimension? How could I even for a second believe what the guys were saying? My head hurts, I am trying to fight off that little part that keeps saying trust the guys, believe them, they will guide you. What the hell do I have to lose?
I wish Kayla was here, she would be able to tell me the truth. Should I trust them, or should I run for my life and get out of here? I hear gravel crunching and I look up to see they have moved closer. Oliver is leaning up against a tree, looking calm and relaxed. Blair is where I left him standing, still giving me space, but the look on his face is full of concern for me. Declan is sitting down leaning against the tree opposite me, looking like he has a million thoughts running through his head. And of course, Harlan is pacing back and forth, most likely wanting to get moving. As if I am just a burden to him.
Each one of them has their own unique personality, but together they work as a team. And it's in that moment that I make my rash decision; I know I must trust them, to believe every word they have said. I’ll go to Silvia and see what is in store for me. I mean, I don't have much going on for me here, do I? What do I have to lose?
The only thing I will miss is Kayla. How could I leave her? She is my other half, my sister. "Okay, what if in some fucked-up way I believe your story and I want to come to Silvia?" I ask, snapping everyone out of their daydreams.
They all stand up and come closer to surround me in a circle. I notice they tend to do that. It must be a Silvia thing.
"I promise you Dara, we will protect you. It is our job to make sure you are safe and protected at all times," Harlan says, putting his hand on my shoulder. I let a little smile creep across my lips, but quickly drop it not wanting to show him the effect of his words.
"I still think what you told me is crazy, I won't truly believe it till I see it with my own eyes. But before we go, can I get Kayla? Can she come with us?" I plead, looking up at them.
They all give each other a look like they are having their secret silent conversation again. What was with that? Were they psychic? I make a mental note to ask them later.
Blair clears his throat, "Sorry sweetie, she won't be able to make the trip to Silvia. Only those from our world can handle the travel between the two worlds," he says, looking to be sincerely sorry.
Why did he have to be so sweet? I was here fuming that Kayla couldn't come but Blair just takes one look at me and makes it subside. Of course, they chose him to tell me the bad news. Ah stop it, I shake my head trying to stay angry.
"What do you mean she can't come? Why? how do we get to this Silvia place anyway?" I demand.
>
Finally, Declan speaks. "To get to Silvia we travel by portals. They only open once a week, when Silvia’s power is at its highest. It stays open for one day only 24 hours. If you don't make it through you have to wait another week until it opens again. The portals only open in a forest like this one," he explains.
Silvia’s power? I wonder what that was about. "Okay, we will get to the Silvia power thing soon but first off, when is it open again?" I ask.
"Fortunately, it is tomorrow, so we will have to hide out around here until the morning," Declan confirms.
"Ah, okay? So, what do you expect us to do until then?" I question. I know what I will be doing, I guess the guys will just be following me around?
"We will make camp tonight then we will fill you in with how Silvia works. I know you have had enough information for one day, we don't want to overwhelm you too much," Harlan says.
"No fucking shit! My head is already completely blown with information to process. It may take a while, so yes, let’s make camp," I say, walking away to find an area to set up. I hear footsteps behind me, so I presume they are following my lead.
I bet Harlan would be hating that. From my observations, he just loves being in charge. I snicker as I'm walking, oh boy does he have a rude shock coming for him. I am as independent as they come, and I don't take well to orders. I haven’t followed them in the past, and I am not going to start now, just because he’s all high and mighty. I see a big standoff happening between us sooner rather than later. Bring it, bitch.
After walking through the forest for a few kilometres, I finally find the perfect spot to set up camp. A flat bit of land that has a dozen trees surrounding it for protection. Lush green grass will make the perfect camping ground.
"Alright, this is perfect, let’s make camp here," I gesture to the space around us. The guys nod in agreement and each one checks out every corner making sure there are no threats.