My eyes peeked to find myself slumped upon the willow. Feeling dazed and hazy, my view slowly came back into place. I saw someone—a guy—remove the duct tape from my mouth. My vision cleared and in front of me stood Ivan; his face slackened; his brow furrowed—eyes darting about in concern as if he were searching for a place to hide.
"YOU!" I stood up and struggled to maintain my balance. With a trembling finger I pointed at his face.
"You are the one who attacked me. What on earth is wrong with you?"
My normally calm and pleasant demeanor immediately converted as my face contorted in an all consuming anger; nostrils flared, eyes flashed, my mouth quivered; slurred words that were unintelligible spewed out like a volcano releasing its pent up emotions into the darkness.
He released a stone block of tension as his face filled with relief. "Prinkípissa, thank the gods you're alright," he said, reaching out to her.
"No. Don't touch me! Ugh, I can't even look at you," my eyes rolled in disgust. "I can stand up myself thank you very much." Although, just my luck I tumbled to the ground like an idiot. My honest and bewildered eyes gaped up at him, abashed and aghast. He stared at me blankly for a moment and then daintily laughed.
"Look, Prinkípissa, I'm not the one who attacked you. I actually saved you from that—thing. There's a lot to explain, but I need trust and patience."
"What are you talking about? Saved me? Wait, am I still knocked out?" My eyes darted around, laughing, but from fear rather than amusement.
He sighed. "Miss Emilia. Listen. Things might not make any sense right now, at all, but you have to trust me," he gazed up at my presence, "Why don't we sit down here and talk it out. I just simply need you to listen. You know miss Catherine would want you to." He obtained a sly, furtive look to his face....as if he was concealing something from me.
How does he know about Catherine? The curiosity and fear swirled around me anxiously. In hesitation I sat beside him. Come on, he knew my aunt's name. It's always been a struggle for me to find trust in others. Besides, Catherine did tell me to go along with....anything. Although part of me suspected he's some sort of stalker or kidnapper.....I just had this—feeling I should trust him. I've got nothing to lose. I usually doesn't go with this, but you know what they say: always trust a gut feeling.
We both sat beside the old willow tree. He examined me, and then trailed his eyes out into the distance softly chuckling.
"What?" Em said irascible, but concerned.
"It is a burden how I was chosen for this task. And the rumors are true. You are quite a fine lady in person if I say so myself. Don't get the wrong feeling though, Madame. Plus I'm the least convincing. You're not going to believe me, Miss." His glassy eyes stared right through mine, clearly revealing the distress shielded behind his eyes, just waiting to bail out altogether.
I blushed at what he had said. He did call me a fine lady.... I can't help it; I feed off of compliments. I'm like puppy, constantly needing attention. But the good kind of attention. Nope scratch that, that sounded awful. Man, I swear sometimes I just can't express my thoughts without sounding arrogant or annoying.
But anyway, for a put together kind of guy, he truly was torn.
"Look, I won't judge. I'm giving you my trust." Although deep inside I only had a tad bit of trust conserved for him.
An earnest expression overtook his face, "Ok." He once again looked out into the distance nervously. "First, you don't live here. You live in Emelonia. You're part of this royal family—Prinkípissa Accalia. You were brought here in hiding—from the Skotádi. Mostly the Zervas fam—"
"—What?" I glowered at him suspiciously.
"Woah, woah, woah. What is this? What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded, aggravated. "You're saying Im really a royal that lives in some other country? I must still be knocked out..." I said, rottenly.
"I. Said. LISTEN!" He rubbed his eyes in annoyance, his hand just as pale as the rest of his body. He was so pale he could pass as a vampire. He looked up at me. "I apologize greatly, miss—υπόσχομαι. I knew you wouldn't believe me. I get it; it's all sudden and absurd....Just stay here. I can prove it," he said.
I rolled my eyes and burst out into obnoxious laughter.
He sure is stubborn. Can't wait to see what this idiot has to prove. This is all nonsense, right? Right? Guys........?
He got to his feet and held his hand out in a fist. His hand gradually lifted up, as a purple—who knows what it is—swirl whirled around like a violent hurricane. In the very middle it was pitch black, and around it was a purple and blue hue with twinkling stars. The outline of the swirl was a purple wispy smoke. Still holding the swirl, in a flash of time, he flicked his hand in and out which expanded it, until it was the size of a human being.
"What the—" I stopped, mouth hung open. Walking up closer, I poked my hand through it. "Is this....real?" I asked. He just stood there, smiling.
Come on, Em, snap back to reality.
"You're mind tricking me. This has to be fake. What did you inject me with?!"
He stared at the grass and laughed as if I were a naive two year-old. "Still not convinced, my dear Prinkípissa?" He eyed my necklace around my neck.
"Hand me your necklace."
I looked down at my beloved necklace and held it tightly. Catherine bought this for me from New York City. It means the world to me. It reminds me that even through rough times she is here for me and loves me to death. Inside it has something from my mother I am not to open until I leave for college. I was always so impatient to open it up. I let out a sigh and let it go to un-clip it. When I did, I hesitantly and reluctantly reached it towards him.
He snatched it.
"I wouldn't be crying about one poor silly necklace. In Emelonia, you have thousands, more than three jewelers combined," he smirked. What Ivan didn't know was that I would profoundly trade millions of the most sterling, elegant necklaces for this one. This is one of the things Ivan just didn't understand. It was just "the same old stupid necklace" as Abby would say. Then, before I could comprehend what was about to happen, he just—without a heart—tossed my only record of my mother into a pit of darkness. I watched as it slowly faded away in the distance, my body as still as stone. It was truly astonishing. But, I had to remember it is just a necklace...isn't it?
NO, OF COURSE IT ISN'T.
That's my mother in there!
"What!? I—"
"Prinkipíssa, please. Just let us sit down and talk." Without hesitation we sat back down under the willow tree and conversed.
"As crazy as it sounds...I believe you." I rolled my eyes, "but come on, you couldn't take my pencil from my backpack or something? That necklace had something from my mother in it!"
Ivan's face looked serene and reassuring.
I signed, "just tell me anything else I need to know." As weird as it was, I didn't know what to do anymore. That portal—was real. I saw it with her own eyes! My cherished necklace vanished into a pit of darkness. Confusion was springing from every corner of my mind, like it always was. It felt as if my mind was a puzzle, finally fit together, and Ivan were the little two year-old, smashing my mind, allowing the pieces to disconnect and fall. I never thought that magic or whatnot could really be possible. (I always wished it was). And now it is? Was it always hidden from humans? I was still contending with myself whether what I saw was real or just an illusion. I was desperate. I want answers....no matter how strange.
"Like I was saying, you are actually Prinkípissa Accalia of Emelonia. You are one of the mages of the royal family. Prinkipíssa is another way of saying what you would call "princess" in English. It's Greek," he explained.
"Alright, but what about the whole hiding from a family—why am I here?"
"Yes, exactly. You were brought here on earth by Aunt—Miss Catherine—to hide from a.....family. Nice lady. She was kind enough to waste two whole human years on Earth living a whole lie just to hide you. She knew we would find you soon enough."
"What do you mean family?" I asked.
"Look, the Skotádi is quite complicated. They'll be explained—later."
I looked up at him. "And wait, is Catherine a so-called mage too?"
"Kind of. She was more of an enchantress; she uses spells rather than magic from the body. A lot less than your mother ever was, but she still had a lot of powerful blood in her. Unlike your mother, she had specific powers in healing."
Catherine is the twin sister of my father. It explains the likeliness of me being a twin, for it runs in my father's family. If Catherine wasn't as powerful as my mother, I figured my mother was probably the one in the royal family line.
I took a moment to take in all the information that was being thrown at me.
Like wow, this guy really sounds like a textbook. And healing powers? Sounds like a dream. Imagine being able to heal people's wounds with the wave of hand, or being capable of tending all kinds of injuries...and how about...bringing people back from the dead! Unreal....
Reviving people from the dead lead me to think down a darker path—my family. My mom, dad, sister, uncle....were all "in a better place" as Catherine once said. The thought of this left an aching whole in my heart that could really use a little fixing. Back on topic Em, or was it—Accalia? Whatever.
"And I'm guessing the guy who—attacked me—was part of this Skotádi?"
He looked down, almost terrified.....Like a ghost just scared the living crap out of him. "Yeah....I don't mean to frighten you but you could have been killed. Especially that certain guy. He, like many of the Skotádi, have wanted to kidnap you and your sister for years. But, I won't get into that now."
How comforting....
"And wait, why do you say Catherine was an enchantress? Is she ok!?"
"She's fine. She will be discussed later."
UGH.
"And then you came along to save me from him and bring me back to my home?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that, but sure. We didn't even know you were here until the Skotádi left the portal open to earth. I, being one of the most educated on this peculiar planet, and probably the one most likely not to destroy the city, have been assigned to find you as soon as possible. I am an assigned guard—protector. My life depends on yours only. I had to sign a contract and all.....But let's not focus on that now.
"Wait. I've only been on earth for—what was it—two years? How is that possible? It's seemed like ages and I remember all of my memories."
"Another thing I don't want to get into too much detail yet. But basically, Aunt, excuse me, Miss Catherine used some enchantments to fool you so that you would think you have been living here for years."
"My whole life......WAS A LIE?"
I could feel anger exploding out of my body. All the pain, suffering, happiness, memories, love, hope; it was all just an illusion? As emotional as I was feeling, I finally realized that this was exactly what he was trying to do: convince me I've been living a lie. That's one of the hardest things to do. All your life you are exposed to something that you believe to be true, and then someone tries to tell you otherwise. He sure had a hell of an amount of questions to be answered later.
"I know you are probably feeling quite jolted, maybe even a tad uneasy, but do I finally have your trust to go back to Emelonia?"
This was it.
Was I finally going to believe this guy? The guy I literally met earlier today. Was I going to give my trust to a stranger who claims I lived somewhere else in a world of magic and royalty? I don't give trust easily. I gazed at his face and then the portal.
"Through the portal?"
"Through the portal."
Was I going to let myself sink into what is believed to be a portal to another world, a whole other dimension? Was I going to allow myself to forget this world I have lived....well thought I lived, my whole life? Escape reality and jump into a whole new level of fantasy....alright. This is getting too deep even for me to process. But then, it clicked.
"Yeah. You have my trust."
With my Aunt leaving, what do I got to lose?
He held his fist out at the surface again, politely reaching his hand out to me. "Shall we go?"
I looked back and stared worriedly. Sarah....Catherine....I quickly turned my head back around with determination and strength.
"We shall."
And that was only the beginning
A/N
Thanks so much for reading! Please follow to be updated on this, it only gets better from here. ;) I love votes/comments/etc so please keep them coming! -Vic