The Golden Core | Secrets of the Core #1

Chapter One - Part Four

"Winter!" Summer yelled. He ran after her, but she didn't bother to look back. She knew he'd catch up.

Winter bolted towards the castle as quick as she could, but she wasn't going fast enough. Pushing her way past the witches and wizards, she could see the large point of the top of the castle in her view. Her legs picked up faster, even though she was running out of breath and wanting to stop, nothing would make her.

She finally made it to the sidewalk, jumping up the stairs to the front door, almost missing a step when her foot just barely touched the edge of it a bit too fast. She fumbled with the doorknob, twisting it too hard to the left and the right, her hands shaking as she tried to make it inside. "Come on, come on!" she exclaimed.

"Calm down, Winter! What is going on?" Summer asked as he finally caught up, almost out of breath.

"It's Father! Something's happening! We have to get inside."

Grabbing her shoulders, Summer said, "Well, I can tell you right now, you're not going to get inside if you don't calm down a little. Just relax. He'll be fine."

"I can't relax, Summer! Mother said he needs me. This is important." Dropping her hands to her sides, she sighed. Winter lifted her arm to rub the hot drips of sweat off her forehead as she groaned. She inhaled, once again grabbing the doorknob in her hands, twisting it to the right. Hearing the slight click, she pushed the door open and rushed inside, even though Summer told her to calm down. She couldn't.

Father was lying on the floor of their living room as her mother held his head up. With no time to figure out what happened, she ran over to him, kneeling while placing her hand on his forehead. "Father, Father, I'm here, what do you need? I came as quick as I could."

Winter only heard his slight breaths when she looked up at her mother. Summer was standing next to her, his eyes on Winter. Her mother placed a finger over her lips, shushing her daughter when the King began to speak. "W-W-Winter, c-come quick."

"I'm here, Father, I'm here."

He slowly moved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a gold bracelet. He lifted it up just a little before he lost all his strength and the small piece of jewelry tumbled to the ground. Winter picked it up and asked, "What is this?"

Her father inhaled a huge breath before he spoke. "That...That is your bracelet. I want you to wear this as often as you can."

All of its features shined brightly at her. It was simple, filled completely with gold. There were no major designs, but she loved it anyways.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"You're not ready to understand what it's capable of now, but when the time comes, you will know."

Confusion was written all over her face as she held it tightly in her hands. Needing to listen to her father was important, but why tell her this now when he had his whole life to tell her?

"Put it on," he said. "I promise you, you'll understand when you're ready."

She put it around her left wrist and pushed the two ends together, hearing a click as it fell, making it tight. Winter did her best to smile, the corners of her lips moving up, but all she could do was look directly at him. "I'll wear it always, Father."

He smiled, moving his hand on top of hers before taking another breath. "There's something else I need to tell you, but I don't have much time."

"What is it?"

"You probably don't remember this." His hands shook, but he relaxed before speaking again. "I know we don't talk about it hardly at all, but I just want to make you aware that you might be cursed, Winter."

"Cursed? How am I cursed?"

"Just remember the story we've always told you about the cup."

Both of her parents always explained to her the story of being at the dinner table when she claimed to have found a red tint in the liquid, but no one believed her. How could that make her cursed? She couldn't understand how a color had anything to do with that, but as she was about to ask a question, the brightness by the ceiling caught her eye.

The shape of a circle was there in front of her, beaming the color gold. Winter knew what that meant. It was her father's core, which only close family members could see, but there was something strange she had never seen before.

The color was draining slowly. It was this that made her realize what was going on.

"Please, Winter. Stay safe and just know that I love you very much," he spoke to her as tears ran down his face.

"Father no, you can't go! Let's take you to the medics! They can help!"

He struggled to take a breath. "There's no time for that, sweetheart."

When she heard her father's voice, she sat next to him and held his hand. Tears stained her face, a few more rolling down her cheek, making her bottom lip quiver slightly when she spoke. "Please, we have to. I need you!"

After she said those words to him, she felt the strength from holding his hand slowly leave. He was looking directly at her as he breathed his last breath, falling limp.

Winter screamed, "No! You can't leave me! Don't leave me!"

Her mother was crying, lying next to the other side of her father. By now, Summer was kneeling next to Winter against their father. Small tears fell from his eyes as he tried to wrap Winter in a hug. She watched her mother shake, but when her father didn't respond, Winter broke into pieces. Everyone around her disappeared. It was just her and her father. She climbed on top of his chest and hugged him, shaking so much that it felt like a tiny earthquake. She closed her eyes, but that didn't stop the tears from falling any sooner. They fell faster the more she cried, but she opened her eyes once again, to see him. Raising herself up, she looked down, placing her hand over her father's heart when she realized how much her tears stained his clothes. He never would've liked that, but she didn't care.

As she laid on top of him, she glanced up toward the ceiling, realizing that the bright light that was once shaped in a circle, had disappeared. Her lips twisted into a frown as she closed her eyes once more. Maybe if she closed them, he would be awake again. Although, deep down, she knew that couldn't happen.

Her father left her sooner than she ever imagined, never realizing how much she really needed him.