The Star Children's Destiny

Chapter Twenty-eight

It was now dusk outside and the stars were just beginning to make an appearance. The wind blew, moving Aletta's two-toned hair away from her face. Her eyes had gone back to the same greenish-brown that the eighteen-year-old was accustomed to seeing. As they walked back to town to the transporter, Ethan was bombarding her with questions about the world that he had just begun to learn about.

"So why do your eyes change color?" he asked, having been curious about it since the incident at school.

"Because in order to live with humans, I have to look like one," Aletta said with a sigh.

"Huh?" he asked, not understanding her response.

Aletta cast a side-glance at him, which turned out to be a glare. "Don't you think that people would be a little wary of me if they saw the true form of my eyes? I look like a cat. And if someone got me mad I think that they would freak when they actually went from blue to violet.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hit a touchy subject. Now about my wings--"

"Let me tell you something before you finish that thought and I forget it. The first time that you go Neiku, it will feel like the worst day of your life. It will hurt like a bitch."

Ethan stopped walking and stared at her still-moving form. "Why would it hurt, and how bad?"

Aletta stopped, but didn't turn to face him. "It hurts because your body needs to change to accommodate your new abilities. And about the pain... let's just say that it's bad enough to make you think you would rather be dead. But it will pass in a moment. It always does." She paused. "You coming?"

"Oh, sure," Ethan said, having not realized that he stopped. "When did you first transform?"

"I was four. The first time I went Neiku, I screamed my throat bloody, I nearly threw up, and after it was all said and done, I passed out and didn't wake up for about a day and a half. Yet I still believe that it was worth it. After that, my agility, endurance, speed, strength, and stamina rose tenfold of what it was before; royal blood will normally go up about the same. No one else's will ever go up like that, though."

"Why?"

"Because royal families need to be strong in order to protect their kingdoms," Aletta said in an amused tone. "You do have a kingdom to rule over and protect now."

"No, that's not what I meant," Ethan said in an exasperated tone.

"Then what did you mean?" Aletta asked with a small frown.

"What he meant was, how did a filthy little half-breed like you get so much power?" someone spat.

Aletta instinctively jumped in front of Ethan and got into a fighting stance, not caring what form she was in or even how she was going to fight with no weapons. All she knew was that she had a responsibility to protect him.

A Neiku stepped out from behind the tree nearest to the pair. He had a brilliant shade of lemon-yellow hair and matching eyes. His wings, which were a pale yellow trimmed in silver, were wrapped around his shoulders like a cloak. A sword was strapped to his side and the four-foot blade was gleaming with the colors of the fast-disappearing sunlight.

"What do you want, Merik? Did you just happen to be here or did you come here to start trouble again? If so, I could go to the Elders right now," Aletta said with venom practically dripping from her voice.

Merik just smirked. "I want your head on a silver platter, for ne. Other than that, I just came here to see our newest Neiku and Prince."

"You've seen him, now leave," Aletta ground out.

Merik's wings flared out angrily while Aletta's eyes turned into the normal blue, then to violet. Merik reached for his sword and was about to attack the sixteen-year-old when a glaive came out of nowhere and knocked the blonde's sword out of his hand. The glimmering blade flew through the air and embedded itself about a foot into a tree about halfway up the trunk. The shocking thing was that the tree was twenty feet away. Merik followed the glaive with his eyes and was a little shocked to see that Ethan had thrown the glaive. The Prince of the Neikus caught the glaive and put it in its sheath on his waist.

"I suggest that you leave her alone if you want to keep your head on your shoulders," Ethan said, his eyes narrowing.

Merik glared at Ethan before flying up to get his weapon. "This isn't over, you little half-breed bitch," he said before flying away.

Ethan turned to his somewhat shocked girlfriend. "What was up with Sunshine?"

"Sunshine?" Aletta blinked. "Oh, you mean Merik. Well, let's just say that he is one of a few who hate me for what I am."

"Is that why he called you a half-breed instead of by your name?"

"Yeah," she said sadly.

"Why does he hate you so much? What did you do to him?"

"It's not what I did. It was something that my Father forced me to do."