Asher did his best to avoid this side of town. The white picket fences, the victorian pillars that lined the porches, the balconies with the elegant patio furniture lined with gold iron, and floral pillows all served as reminders of things that he had never had. Things he would never have.
It was silly. Asher got memories of his past life, some knowledge of his power, and fought an evil general of another world, and here he was worried about being on the rich side of town. He knew that he was being ridiculous. Elle couldn't help her upbringing just the same as he couldn't help his.
But this wasn't supposed to be his upbringing. This life, the one that he had with his mom was not supposed to be his. He was a Glorian. He was a Glorian that now had several attachments to a world he would eventually have to leave.
Of course, no one said that he did have to leave. He only assumed that that was the end game. How could he be the guardian of another world if he wasn't physically in that world? What would he tell his mother? How would she respond that the only person that she had in this world other than his shitty stepdad was going to have to go away forever potentially?
"We're almost there."
Elle's voice snapped Asher back into reality just as they turned into a culdesac. Whatever Asher was envisioning before, he wasn't ready for what waited for him as they drove down Elle's street.
His eyes lingered as they passed by castles disguised as suburban houses. Houses that seemingly stretched for miles lined the street. Each one is tucked behind iron gates with shiny locks. Vines crawled up the sides of the grey brick and balconies stretched across the front. He counted the fancy fountains as they passed shaking his head at each one.
"Woah," Selena said from the passenger seat.
Asher knew that Elle was rich. The mayor's kid had to be, right? Didn't matter if the town was densely populated or like Saffron's small band of people, the politicians were always stacked. So when the car pulled up to the biggest house on the street he tried not to show his surprise.
The house was beautiful. The long cobblestone entryway that led up to the patio had five stairs to walk up. Four tall white pillars that looked as if they'd touched the sky were outlining the edge of the patio. The house itself was gorgeous. It was made of red brick and a grand cherry wood double door. At the top of the door was a beautiful glass window that would put church-stained glass windows to shame. The design was intricate and looked as if a vine was cutting the window into three equal parts.
If this was the outside of Elle's house, Asher felt a twinge of jealousy thinking about what the inside would be like.
Elle abruptly stopped the car and jumped out of the driver's seat. She ran along to the back of her father's 2021 blue Dodge Journey and popped the trunk revealing a passed-out Judah.
"We can put him in my room," Elle said. She looked at Jayden and Asher expectantly and they took their cues to get out of the car and help Judah into the house. "Selena, why I show them to the room can you stay downstairs and be on the lookout in case Gedeon decides to make a comeback?"
Selena nodded and Asher grabbed the top half of Judah while Jayden grabbed his legs. A soft groan escaped Judah's mouth and Asher felt relieved that he had shown some sign of life. He was almost jealous that Judah was passed out. Everything moved so fast today, he felt as if he could sleep for years.
They walked up the cobblestone path. Elle opened up the front door of her house and Asher was awestruck at what was before him. There was a spiral staircase made of white marble winding as tall as the high ceilings, a crystal chandelier that seemed to drip diamonds, and in the very center of the room placed boldly in a gold frame was a hand-painted portrait of the family. The bright colors added a pop to the otherwise pristine white room. Asher's eyes fell below the painting to a table with a gold trinket that he was sure cost more than both his mom stepdad'sad's cars combined.
"Follow me," said Elle quietly as she took the first step up the marble stairway. She walked quickly, and Asher and Jayden attempted to keep pace, but Judah wasn't exactly light, and he was completely limp as they carried him up the large stairs. It felt like it took years for them to finally reach the top of the stairs, and when they finally did, Asher took a deep breath and looked at Jayden.
"We had to pick the biggest house to carry this big lug though?" Jayden joked at Asher who chuckled.
He had vivid memories of the time that he and Jayden would spend together in Glorianna. They were the best of friends in that world. Now, they couldn't be more different. Did Jayden have the same memories of them? He didn't know how to ask. He wasn't sure he wanted to.
For years, Asher had been able to hide his self-doubt. Him being the only person to know of the struggles he faced when he looked at himself in the mirror. Sure, he tried to play it cool, but what he saw was a kid that was going..well nowhere. He was supposed to believe his best friend back home is the kid that has every available opportunity coming his way?
"Elle are we almost there?"
Elle rolled her eyes and opened up a door at the end of the hallway. The boys grunted and fast-walked down the hall and rounded into the room, which was nothing like Asher had expected. He had expected to see pink walls, and maybe some stuffed animals, but instead, Elle's room was decorated with black walls. Band posters, specifically All Time Low, covered the perimeter of the room. A queen bed with dark black wood for the frame sat in the middle of the room against the back wall, and two nightstands lined on either side.
At the end of the bed sat a large black trunk, and on the side far side of the room, two dressers with a giant mirror stretched across them sat. Galaxy design was painted on the ceiling and pictures of random moments from her life were scattered on the walls in between the posters.
"You can just set him on the bed."
"This is not what I was expecting," Asher said out loud. He was impressed. He thought he had Elle figured out, but clearly, there was more to the Mayor's daughter than met the eye. He made a mental note to stop calling her princess.
"Sorry, it isn't the throne room I'm sure you were expecting," Elle joked as she walked over to her dresser and pulled a blanket from the bottom drawer. She walked over to the bed where Judah lay and took his shoes off. She then covered him with the blanket and motioned for the others to follow her out of the room.
"Today was crazy," she said. She led them back down the hall and to the grand stairway.
Asher felt his phone buzz, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Chantel was calling him. He looked at Elle who pointed to a room right before the stairs. "That's a guest room. Come down when you're done."
She and Jayden left, and Asher walked into the guest room she had pointed out. This was much closer to what he expected when he thought of Elle's house. The walls were emerald green, and this room was decorated with all kinds of gold metal. Gold bed frame, gold picture frames, gold everything.
Asher once again felt out of place.
He answered the phone and placed it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Oh my god, you're okay!" Chantel cried. Relief dripped off her voice and Asher could swear she heard her nose sniffle as if she had been crying. "I heard that the school was destroyed. I can't believe that happened! The news said they tried to look at the security cameras but everything was black. I just needed to know you were okay."
Asher felt weird. Things had been tense between Chantel and him since he fought off the Harplie at her apartment. Sure, she believed that some weird shit was happening to him, but they still never defined what they were. Were they just a random hookup, or was there something more there?
Before, Asher would have told anyone who'd listened that he wanted more with her. Now he wasn't so sure. Not because of anything Chantel had done, but because there was so much going on in his life. Was it fair to lead her into this? Who even was he? Was he the kid that ended up on the wrong side of the tracks or was he Brennen the wasuperherohero from Glorianna?
What if he didn't come out of this alive?
"I'm okay," he said to her. He wished she was here in front of him. Because while he didn't know if he should be with her, he knew that he wanted to be with her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her waist. To smell her strawberry shampoo and squeeze until he felt like the world made some sort of sense again. "I miss you."
He said it before he even had time to think. No matter who he was, or what the outcome of this inevitable battle will become, he knew that one thing at this moment was true. He missed her.
"I miss you too."
Butterflies erupted into his stomach. Those three simple words from her were a beacon of hope. Like he had been stranded at sea and suddenly saw a beam from the lighthouse. Every negative thought he had. Every struggle he faced today melted away.
"We can talk soon, Asher," she said into the phone. "I have a midterm in half an hour. Maybe we can get together this weekend?"
"Sounds like a plan," Asher said.
"I'm glad you're okay," Chantel clicked off the phone after a comfortable silence, and Asher was left alone in the green room. His beacon was now gone.
"You're entirely too hard on yourself."
Asher yelped and turn around to see Elora sitting on the golden bed. She looked sad as she watched him, and motioned for him to come to sit with her. "You were like this even in Glorianna. You were always fighting with yourself over what you should do or deserve. Why is that?"
Because when have things ever worked out for him? Maybe when his mom and he got evicted from the only good apartment they ever owned. Or the time his mom had to sell the car to pay for groceries and other necessities. Maybe it was even the time that his father walked out on him and his mom.
Or were they even his parents?
The point is, life had always pushed Asher down, and he grew tired of falling.
"You're more important to this cause than you know. I know everything seems to be moving so fast for you guys, but for us, in Glorianna, it's been a slow burn of seventeen years. We've fought tooth and nail to hold onto the hope that one day you'd find us and save us. All of you."
"I never asked for that responsibility," Asher said as he shook his head. "I didn't ask to be chased down by monsters and almost die in a high school. I didn't want to reconnect with these people who've had a cushy life and everything neatly handed to them-"
"That's not fair, Asher," Elora interjected.
"It's the truth! Out of all of them here I had the worst hand possible, Elora! Why did I have to deal with everything I went through while Elle lived in a castle? Selena lived the life of luxury until this very moment. Jayden is the school superstar. Judah is just liked by everyone."
Asher felt exasperated, and tears began to well up in his eyes. He hated to cry, but he couldn't help it. He felt cheated. It was one thing to accept the life he was given when it was the only one he knew about living. It's another when he realized that he was sent here and placed into this world by a spell. A spell that could have made him a millionaire, or given his mom a better life than what she had.
"Every one of you has your struggles," said Elora. "Life isn't always able to be compared by what people see on the outside. Just because someone chooses to hide what happens behind closed doors from the public doesn't mean they haven't gone through a lot."
Asher rolled his eyes as a tear fell down his cheek. He quickly wiped it and looked at Elora. "I just wish none of this would have happened. I can't even process what's real anymore."
"I can't imagine," Elora said. "But sitting here and feeling sorry for yourself is only going to make things worse for you. You either take the life you've been given and change it to your liking or you sit here and flounder. Either way, you have to decide."
Asher stared at the wall and blinked his eyes until the tears were no longer there. He knew Elora was right. Her being right didn't mean he could just turn his feelings off though. This was not going to be an easy ride.
But he knew it was one that he needed to get on.
A knock at the door caused him to turn his head. Elora vanished instantly, and Jayden walked into the room. He looked awkward and cleared his throat without looking at Asher. "Hey, we are making a plan for training if you want to join," Jayden said.
He was turning to leave the room when Asher cleared his throat. "Jayden?"
"Hmm?" said Jayden as he turned toward him.
"I know this might seem weird given the situation, but if you ever need anything, or ever need something to get done, I have your back. I don't know everything you remember, but...there's a history there. We were boys back in Glorianna."
Jayden smiled and nodded his head. "Same goes to you, buddy." He swung the door open wide and motioned for Asher to follow. "Now get your ass up. We got a bad guy to defeat."