by J Rose
“It’ll be okay. I’m sure you can work something out,” I whispered.
“I wish I had two choices like you. Maybe the other one would be better,” she said.
“Or he could be worse,” I said to her, causing her to crack a smile.
“What are you going to do?” She asked sniffling.
“I don’t know.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked her.
“For now. I’m not really talking to him. But I know that I can’t let this get to me. So I’m going to do to him what he did to me,” Jane said.
“What is that?” I ask her. She doesn’t say anything nor does she get a chance to do so because the door opens and Parker is standing there. The look on his face is calm but his eyes show concern, maybe fear, as he speaks.
“It’s time to go to the council.”
#
(Parker)
I could see it in her face as soon as I’d told her Maxwell was also her soul mate. Confusion, Fear, Terror, for a moment I was again taken back to the moment of that fire. It had been a long time since then and I realized she no longer looked at me that way. Maybe there was fear of the unknown but the way she was looking at me now, thinking of him while she shook, I knew she was terrified of Cray. Everyone knew who he was, the tyrant he’d become and if she chose him I had no doubt in my mind he’d only bring her pain.
“But then-”
“I’m also your soulmate,” I said to her, knowing this what she wanted to be answered. There was only more confusion in her eyes and so many questions that seemed to cross her features. I knew simply because they were most likely the same questions that ran through my own head.
“Lyric,” I call out to her and though she meets my gaze, it is almost like she is in a trance of fear. Even if she’s aware of what was going on it almost seemed like she did not believe it. I could see tears in her eyes from the fear and as much as I wanted to comfort her, I knew it would be out of the question. With me being who I am in her eyes it was impossible. I can see her begin to fade. That blank look from five years ago comes back and I’m afraid myself.
The last thing I ever wanted to see on her face is that look of being lost, fragile and beyond repair.
“Lyric,” I speak once more, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her lightly.
“I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve never heard of anything like this but the council’s intervened,” I explain to her. My words are meant to comfort her but, they have no effect on her as she does not relax.
“I’m defective,” She whispers softly, unaware that she’s spoken out loud or that her words are like a knife to my stomach.
“Nothing’s wrong with you,” I tell her, though I want to tell her so much more.
I want to tell her how perfect she is, how beautiful she’s always been. How sorry I am for everything I’ve done to her and if I could take it back I would. I knew this wasn’t her fault. Maybe this was a cruel way of fate and Karma mixed together telling me I didn’t deserve someone like her. But why him? Why Cray? Why someone that I knew would hurt her so much. Thinking of her with him was something that made it difficult to breathe. If she chose him, however, I knew I would have no other choice but to back off. However, whatever the councils' decision would be our fates, that much I was aware of.
“Listen to me okay,” I tell her gently.
“Tomorrow we’re going to travel to neutral ground and we’ll meet with the council and we’re going to know what to do. For now, try to get some sleep okay. I have to go talk to my father and handle some things. I’ve put someone to guard your door his name is Oliver. He’ll take care of you if anything happens,” I assure her. She doesn’t say anything and though I tried to calm her with my words, I knew they’ve done nothing for her. There was still that fear in her eyes as I looked at her.
“There’s still me,” I wanted to tell her.
“I will also protect you. Give my life if I have to because I love you,” I wanted to say, but I knew she’d think nothing of my words. How would she? If my previous actions hung over my head. Though I wanted to stay with her to comfort her, to try to ease some of her pain and share her worries I knew it would be no use. She wanted to be away from me. Had she asked me to stay I would have complied, but she doesn’t say a word to me. Instead, I leave the room closing the door behind me.
“Sire,” Oliver speaks as he stands outside Lyric’s door.
Oliver was the best ranked Nova officer in our forces and though I trusted him to keep Lyric safe. I wanted to stay and take care of Lyric myself but I was injured and there was not much I could do for her. I had been useless to her for such a long time really, what sort of safety could I ever offer her when she feared me?
“I shall guard her with my life,” Oliver says and though that should bring some ease to my own worries it doesn’t. I didn't know how much time I had left with Lyric. Would she choose me in the end? How much more of this chaos could she possibly handle.
#
It’s dark here. I can hear voices outside. Laughter. Her laughter. There’s music coming from the other end, though I try to move the clinking of metal stops me and I realize my feet have been chained down. I struggle to break free and the room begins to flood at a quick pace. Faster and faster the water rises until I am deep under murky water. The lack of air makes it harder to breathe. My lungs begin to feel like they’re going to burst while my head pounds in sync with my heart. I can feel myself sinking, fading away with the lack of air.
“Not yet Parker you can’t give up just yet,” I hear someone say.
Just like that, there is light. A pink small orb is lighting up the room and I can see a floating key. Trying to stay awake and keep my focus I fight the darkness trying to pull me in and reach for the key. I swim down and try to unlock the chain from my foot but it doesn’t seem to fit in the keyhole.
“The door,” Angel speaks before I swim toward it and place the key in the keyhole and turn the key. The door opens with a harsh push after that, letting the water burst out like a flooded damn. The harsh current of the water only pushes me past the door and toward the other room as the water pours out until it drains away. Somehow, the chain around my feet is gone. My clothes are miraculously dry as am I. The room or rather the hall I am in I recognize from my own house. This hall leads to the ballroom I realize, distinctly I can hear a soft melody playing which whispers across the hall.
Making my way down the door to the ballroom I can hear the music getting louder as I approach. Opening the doors, I see Lyric standing there along with dozens of guest all in formal attire, that’s when I notice him with her. She’s smiling at him, at Maxwell. He smiles back. His eyes portray malice as he takes her hand in his and guides her toward the middle of the ballroom. They begin to dance and her eyes are shining with love and happiness that I have never once seen.
Our friends, the council, my own father, everyone is celebrating with her and I don’t register why they’re here until I look closely at her. Lyric is in an elegant white dress and there is a ring on her finger. My heart plummets when I realize what this is. Lyric has married him.
She has chosen him as her soul mate. She has chosen to love him.
“Lyric!” I call out to her but my voice doesn’t seem to reach her ears and no one else seems to hear or notice that I’m standing there.
Water then begins to fill the ballroom suddenly, a large current seems to be coming and no one but me seems to notice. Just like that they are all carried away by the current and I find myself trying to swim against it looking for Lyric who is gone now. When the water is gone, I am standing in the forest once again like many of my dreams. Floating in the murky dark water Angel continues to do backstrokes.
“Why do you keep showing me all this?” I ask her in frustration.
“It’s not me,” She speaks.
“That’s just your imagination running wild. I just bring you here afterward,” She says.
“Why?” I ask her
.
“So that you know those are your fears getting the best of you, not your reality,” She says, before coming out of the water. Somehow she’s completely dry and simply sits by the tree as always hugging her knees close to her.
“Aren’t you going to sit with me?” She asks offering me a smile. Sitting next to her, my back rests against the tree as well, Angel sighs. She closes her eyes and looks up at the sky before once again turning to look back at me.
“You know,” She begins, her voice soft.
“You and Lyric are much more alike than you two think,” She says, resting her head on her knees now, a peaceful smile on her face.
“You shouldn’t worry so much about an outcome you can’t control.”
“How can I not? I’m going to lose the person I love,” I tell her, causing her to smile lightly.
“Why are you so sure that’ll be the outcome of tomorrow? Don’t you trust the stars?” She asks.
“The stars gave her two soulmates,” I tell her.
“No. They gave her two mates. Two people to choose from. That doesn’t mean they’re both her soulmate,” She says.
“I don’t under-”
“Have you ever taken a really hard test?” She interrupts and I find myself nodding at her before she continues.
“When you have multiple choices, there’s always at least four answers. When the question is too hard, you do the process of elimination. You know. Deciding which are the most unlikely and you usually end up with two answers,” She says.
“The stars have eliminated all the unlikely stars, the ones that are completely wrong for her only leaving two of them. Like a really hard question in a test. The two answers that are left. One sounds like the real answer and the other one is the answer. The real question isn’t which one is the right one. But can I pick the correct answer,” Angel says.
“So what does that mean for her and I?” I ask.
“There’s two mates. One is right the other is wrong. One is her soulmate the other isn’t. You can’t know what she’s going to choose. And you can’t be sure you’re the right answer either,” she says.
“But I-”
“You can just hope you are and that she chooses you,” Angel says.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I tell her.
“It doesn’t have to make sense it just is. That’s how love works,” She tells me.
“Then why don’t you just tell me who she’ll choose?” I ask and she laughs lightly.
“She asked the same thing,” She says to herself shaking her head before turning to me again.
“I can’t answer that for you Parker. I’m only here to make sure you are headed in the right direction,” she says.
“And when we do?” I ask her.
“Then can you go where everyone else does after they-”
“Not yet,” She speaks cutting me off.
“Not until that feeling is gone,” She says, her eyes sad and mixed with confusion.
“What feeling?” I ask her.
“Waiting…”
#
The next morning brought nerves for everyone. We were traveling to meet with the council to decide our fate. I could tell everyone was on edge that morning because of the tense atmosphere that felt suffocating. Whatever it was the council had decided would be our fate. It was clear to everyone that it would not only affect Lyric, Maxwell and I but both Kingdoms.
“This is driving me crazy. How is the council going to fix this?” Crystal spoke pacing in the living room.
Everyone had tried to have breakfast that morning, but it seemed not even the King could eat with the tension in the room.
“They are wise people and are unbiased to either kingdom,” My father spoke, though I could have sworn he muttered the words unfortunately under his breath.
“They’ll pick you right Parker?” Crystal asked her eyes filled with worry.
“They won’t let her go with that monster right?” She asked again. Though I wanted to confirm what she wanted and what I hoped, I knew I couldn’t. How could I if I myself did not know what the council would decide?
“I can’t live with this worry,” Crystal said before looking at me and blushing with embarrassment at what she had said.
“Sorry. I’m being insensitive. You must be feeling worse,” She says, but I simply offer her a forced smile as the doorbell rings.
“I’ll go get that,” Spencer says, walking off to the door.
“Is she still asleep?” Crystal asks, worry and stress completely showing on her face and I wondered if I was reflecting the same thing.
“I didn’t want to wake her up yet. She didn’t take the news that well,” I tell her.
“How is she?” Turning I see Brad standing there an awkward look on his face. Next to him, there is a woman with short dark hair and green eyes staring back at everyone, a look of concern on her face.
“How is she?” She asks again.
“I’m sorry I-” Brad begins, but she cuts him off quickly and coldly.
“Is Lyric alright?” She asks.
“She knows Lyric from-”
“We’re friends. We have been for five years. My uncle is on the council. We traveled here together,” she says. As she speaks she seems to be glaring at everyone almost defensively as if no one would believe her words unless she emphasized everything she said.
“We heard what happened yesterday. How could the Cray’s make it past the guards of Nova?” She asked angrily.
“They had the council approve their entrance but Lyric. She’s okay for now,” Crystal speaks up and the girl visibly winces.
“Damn it” She mutters to herself.
“I’m Crystal by the way and this is my mate Spencer,” Crystal says, extending her hand out to the other girl
“Jane. Jane Black,” The other girl says, shaking Crystals’ hand before turning to me.
“I’m Parker, Lyrics’-”
I don’t have to finish to know that she knows who I am because her eyes grow angry for a second. Jane is looking at me in the same way Crystal once did. With hatred and anger.
“I know who you are,” She interrupts. Though she doesn’t elaborate I know Lyric’s told her everything about her past.
“Can I see her?” She asks me.
“Come on. I’ll take you to her and we can discuss some things, put you up to speed,” Crystal tells her, leaving with the girl and heading upstairs.
“Son,” My father speaks up after a few moments of silence.
“Spencer and I will go check on the guards. For now, just try to relax,” My father says, though he and I both know that’s impossible.
“Come on son,” My father tells Spencer, who offers a tight smile and leaves with my father, leaving Brad and me alone.
“Sorry about my mate. She’s pissed at me,” He says awkwardly.
“She’s intense,” I tell Brad who cringes at my words.
“I know,” Brad says.
“What’s up with her? She’s only been here a few days?”
“I didn’t want her here. I’m not ready to settle down yet,” he says.
“She was supposed to be here six months ago.” At his words, I realize what this was.
Brad and I were always the ones that cared less about soulmates. Being mated, it all seemed so suffocating back then. It had also been the cause of my stupidity with Lyric. Had I known the consequences all this wouldn’t be happening now.
“Six times? You were fined by nova law six times?” I questioned him.
“The first three were completely on accident. After that I just. Figured I could extend my single life just a bit more but I didn’t think she’d be this pissed at me,” Brad spoke.
“I don’t blame her,” I tell him.
“Then again. I’m not exactly the right person to judge.”
“Isn’t Lyric pissed at you for this too?” Brad asked.
“No,” I tell him. With everything going on Lyric and I hadn’t really discu
ssed anything that had not involved her safety. I hadn’t realized that she knew of all my… escapades. I had never been caught, and I had always been careful about what I did and with who. Back then I was different, but I was well aware Lyric had seen and probably heard rumor about me and various other girls at school. Now, however, things had definitely changed. Then again ... Would she even care at this point? Probably not. Things had turned out like this and I realized that this was simply another nail in my own coffin.
CHAPTER 11:
THE COUNCIL
(Lyric)
“It’s time to go to the council.” His words had rung in my head sinking me into an abyss that I could not get out of. My stomach churned my heart plummeted and my head seemed to spin. I felt so sick and the air around me seemed to lack.
“Lyric,” Jane called out to me in concern.
“I’m fine,” I managed to say to her, offering her a weak smile before turning to look at Parker who was standing by the door.
“Okay,” I heard myself say.
“She needs to get ready give her a few minutes,” Jane spoke for me, and at that moment I felt thankful that she was there. Mostly because the words that were coming out of my mouth didn’t really concede with the way my mind was processing things.
“Okay. I’ll wait downstairs,” Parker said, closing the door behind him and leaving.
“Lyric,” Jane spoke taking my hand in hers.
“You need to be strong for this okay. I know it’s a bad situation but. Things are going to work out. You just need to have faith,” Jane said.
Faith? How could I have faith? Parker? Or Maxwell? What kind of choices did I have? Bad or Evil. This was not something I wanted.
“I need to go get ready,” I heard myself saying to Jane before she got up to leave only offering me a sympathetic smile, but I knew what it was. Pity. That look that I hated to get was now back. I never wanted to have anyone look at me that way again but for the past few days, that had been the look that was directed towards me. The walls began to spin again, my heart accelerated and I could feel the nasty bile rise up my throat. Running to the bathroom I threw out the contents of my stomach. The more I thought about my problems the worse I continued to hurl until there was nothing left and I was left shaking trying to collect myself.