Twisted Souls

Chapter 23

It's a long ways back to the castle, but time seems to fly for me as I journey on. The sun is still casting its radiant light on the forest, so it's easier to navigate back.
I'm not concerned about possibly being welcomed back with hostility. All that matters is that I make this part right. I don't even swing by Sephora's room to check in on Elle and Coxen.
Finally I arrive back where I began. Wasting no time, I give two confident knocks and step back, preparing myself for the usual rejection that often comes with these visits.
I'm starting to wonder if he'll even answer my knocks and after a few seconds, it becomes clear that he's not.
"Xalale?"
I know he's still there and he can hear me, but the door still remains closed. Whatever, I needed to do this before any other problem could be handled.
"Look, I know you're probably upset with me still, for whatever reason I couldn't guess, but regardless of whether or not you're going to listen to what I have to say is up to you." I begin. For the next few words, I step closer to the door and lower my voice slightly. "I'm sorry. I should've said it earlier, but there was...there was a lot going on. But still. I'm sorry and I mean it. I've done something to upset you and I don't exactly know what, but I know how it feels when someone has hurt you and they never acknowledge that. You don't have to forgive me, but I just wanted you to know."
This had to be a record for me. Two apologizes to the same person in a short amount of time. Simply a miracle. But Aelita's words still affect me enough to say all this.
I wait there for a few seconds before my hope deflates fully and I decide to give up. Just as I start to walk away, though, I hear the "click" of the lock and the creak of the door as it's slowly opened.
His look is still cold enough to give a volcano freezer burn, but at least he finally opened the door and not slam it in my face.
"I told you to leave."
"And I gave you a promise and I never break my promises. Now, we have a lot of work to catch up on, so come down to the throne room in three minutes, I'll let you prepare." I don't wait for a response and walk away.
I can always feel him watching me, but this time it doesn't bother me. What surprises me the most is the way everything feels after that. It was like an unspoken agreement. He didn't have to say he accepted my apology and I didn't have to ramble on about it. Everything is back on track- hopefully it'll stay that way.

Even though the exchange in the hallway surprised me, what surprises me more is how easily everything falls back into place. It's like picking back up on a chapter of a book you were reading, because you paused to go to the bathroom.
Xalale grumbles and snaps at me whenever I try to help him, I continue to hold my tongue whenever he snaps at me, and we still make progress.
Neither of us bring up anything thats been happening the last few days. And now with Coxen awake and already acting like his old self, I'm beginning to wonder if I imagined the past few days.
After practice, I'm about to run off, but am stopped by Xalale.
"Where are you going?"
"Um..." I was going to visit Elle and Coxen, but I'm not entirely sure he would want to how about that. But I've fractured our weak trust agreement, so I decide to answer truthfully.
"I was going to check on my friends."
His expression is unreadable, so is his tone as he replies,"I will come with you."
"Uh...ok." I say unsure.
As we venture down the halls towards Sephora's room, I can't help but feel anxious. Every time Xalale and my friends have come face-to-face, it has never once ended well. So it's understandable why a wave of unease is beginning to settle over me. I know how Elle will respond- with fear in her eyes and her skin flushed of color- but Coxen is a wild card.
I hesitate for a moment before letting out a short breath and entering.
Elle and Coxen are chattering quietly on the bed, appearing to be in a light conversation. I guess Sephora must be busy somewhere since I don't see her anywhere. The two of them look up as I enter, giving me a warm look that soon turns sour the moment they spot who's behind me.
Elle does just what I predicted she do as she curls against her brother trembling. Coxen's eyes are filled with so much hatred and fury that I'm surprised the whole room has lit up in flames yet. Xalale doesn't fully enter the room, he leans against the doorframe, expression still unreadable.
"Hey." I try to add in a tone of apologize for catching them off guard with this.
Coxen doesn't break his gaze for a second, but I can tell the question both of them want to verbally ask. "What is he doing here?"
I don't answer their mental question, but try to act natural. "So how are you feeling?"
"Wonderful." He growls not looking at me as he answers.
I feel awful seeing Elle like this, especially in front of somebody who doesn't know who she's truly like when she's not shaking like a scared bunny. There's so much tension in the room, that if you were to light a match, the room would explode like an atomic bomb.
"Well I'll check on you guys later, alright?" I say wanting to end this meeting as quickly as possible.
Elle is too terrified to respond to me and Coxen only gives an absent-minded nod. I take my leave and close the door behind me as we exit.
As we're walking away from the room Xalale doesn't say a word to me. I hope he never ask to do that again. That was like watching and testing to see if a nuclear bomb was actually a dud or the really thing- without any protection from the possible blast.
The awkward silence becomes too much for me after a little while of walking without saying a peep to each other.
"What does your name mean?" I ask randomly.
Not missing a beat he replies in the same unreadable tone, "Valiant."
"Oh."
"But if you're from a different region, it means his mother's pride."
"That's interesting."
Back to dead silence. I realize I have no idea where we're going, but I honestly just think we're just aimlessly wandering the halls.
"What does your name mean, Mallory?"
"Unfortunate, ill-fated." I say glumly. My name could not be any more precise if it tried.
We walk in silence a bit longer before I decide to this is where we should part ways.
"I'm heading back to my room." I inform him.
"Fine. I will see you at dinner."
As I start towards my room, I couldn't help but think that something was on his mind. I didn't want to intrude, but it nawed at the back of my mind until I begin to turn around to ask a question. But he has already disappeared down the hall.

I take a quick nap once I return to my room. I was planning for it to last longer, but I'm disturbed by a feeble knocking at my door.
The person doesn't wait for me to call them in. Peeking one eye open, I realize it's only Shaykh, who's busy setting my evening dress down and preparing things.
"Sorry for waking you." She says once she notices I'm up.
"No, no, no, you're fine. What's going on?" I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
She hurries about, as jittery as a squirrel.
"Nothing is wrong. I'm simply setting things up for you." She responds. "Unfortunately you will have to prepare by yourself for dinner. I have some things that need to be taken care of."
"Oh. What for?" I ask, more awake now.
She stops to look at me, slightly puzzled at my indifference.
"The king's twentieth birthday. It's a very important age, you know."
If I wasn't wake now, I was definitely more aware after hearing that news.
"Twentieth birthday!? When? How far from now?"
She gives me a concerned look, but answers,"Three days time."
"Three days. The world is going to end in three days." No. I didn't even have three days to save him. The eve of his twentieth birthday. Two days.
I'm sure I looked like I was about to hurl in the middle of the floor. Shay stops her preparations and slowly comes over to me.
"Mallory, are you alright?"
"No."
I climb out of bed and am amazed that my jello legs still function. Piecing my mind together, I run a hand through my hair.
"Mallory?" Shaykh is still giving me a concerned look.
I wave my hand and make my way to the door, but stop halfway, rethinking my plan.
"Ok, Mal. Things have been going fine so far- too perfectly to be honest- but you need to slow down and take a breath. Everything will be alright."
My heartbeat gradually begins to slow down, back to its regular pace. I turn around and give Shaykh a reassuring smile.
"There's just so much going on right now." I explain as I sit on the edge of the bed.
Shay gives me a sympathetic nod and settles down next to me.
"I understand. Remember that these times don't last forever and some day they'll be bittersweet memories. It only makes you stronger in the end."
"Yeah, but what kind of forever? The one where you can actually look back on, or the one where everything is destroyed and you aren't alive to reflect on these times? I bite my lip, but nod understandably.
With that, Shay stands up and heads toward the door, regaining her fanatic energy back.
"Everything will work out fine for you. I'm sure of it."
She closes the door behind and slowly I get up to prepare for dinner. Yes, I was ready for this nightmare to be over, but thinking ahead to the possible future seems difficult. Maybe I'm not thinking on positive thoughts. But I have to keep a level head about all this.
'These times don't last forever and some day they'll be bittersweet memories.'
Yes bittersweet indeed, but how sour will the aftertaste be?

Even though my heartbeat has slowed down since getting dressed, my mind hasn't shut up once, and it's driving me crazy. Dinner barely registers with me, neither does anything around me. All I can think about is, "Two days, only two days."
I'm such in a fog that I don't even hear Xalale calling me until he grabs my attention in the hallway.
"I'm sorry, I was just thinking." I mumble, mostly to myself.
"About what?" He ask.
The shadowy darkness masked half of his face, but the moonlight still revealed his icy blue eyes.
"Nothing." I whisper, my voice catching a little.
Suddenly, like an unexpected tidal wave, an overwhelming sadness took over me, washing every emotion away playing in my head. I don't even know where it's coming from- the stress or the pressure or homesickness- but I was losing control of myself. Tears begin to burn behind my eyes and I'm afraid if I tried to speak, my voice would break, giving me away. I'm hoping the shadows have engulfed me enough so he can't read my face.
"I'll escort you back to your room." He says.
"No." I manage to choke out. "I'll walk by myself."
I hurry away before he can comment on that. I'm relieved when he doesn't follow, but when I passed him, I caught a whiff of him.
This only adds insult to injury, and my eyelids feel seconds away from overflowing with fresh, salty tears.
I want to go home to the woods, I want to run through the forest and smell like home again.
My episode (if we could call it that) is ending by the time I arrive at my room, and now slipping out of my dress and climbing under the covers, I feel like an idiot.
"What is wrong with you? Pull it together. That's it. That's the last time I cry here. No more useless tears, they won't accomplish anything."
The last thing I do before drifting off, is check on my necklace. The sight turns my stomach- it's almost completely stone.
Two more days. Keep it together for two more days.