Leaving the Harrisons was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. She only had time to leave them a note, because Gavin said they needed to leave immediately.
I am the worst.
How could she put into words what was happening? She couldn't. She just told them how sorry she was, and that she would love them the rest of her life. That was it. She left the letter on their bed, and prayed that they would understand.
"Well, I'm definitely coming with you Corinne." Bria put her arm around her.
"No you're not." Gavin shook his head, "Think again." He gripped Corinne's arm. "Come on Corinne, We've got to go."
Bria pulled Corinne back, "There's no way I'm not coming Gavin."
Corinne turned her head towards Gavin, "Please Gavin? I want her to come. She's my best friend too."
He stared down at her in utter astonishment.
"I am not about to put her life in danger too Corinne. I can't believe you would even consider it."
Bria marched over to Gavin. "Don't you think that's up to me to worry about?" She put one hand on her hip, "Listen Gavin, she's not going anywhere unless I come too."
"No!" Gavin snapped.
"Yes!" She argued.
Bria was so stubborn that arguing with her was costing him precious time.
"Uughhh!" He paced the room and shook his head.
Corinne whispered, "Please Gavin?"
He stared down at Corinne for a long moment. "Fine! You know how I feel about it, but if that's what you really want, then fine. She can make her own decisions but it won't be on my head."
Gavin used Mr. Harrison's old, beat-up truck and set out on Highway 101 to the Muir Woods National Monument.
Corinne felt sort of guilty for taking her dad's truck, but it was their only means of transportation and it had been sitting in their garage for ages. During the drive, Corinne asked Gavin, "How could I be a princess? Do I look like a princess? Of course not. I am a tall, gangly teenager with sand-colored hair, zits, one pointy ear and a small, a small..."
"A small what?" Gavin asked.
"A small chest okay. Is that what you wanted to hear? I barely fit into a 34A. How am I going to be Queen. I'm too young and..."
"Are you kidding me right now? This is what you are worrying about? Let me tell you that it won't matter one bit about any of those frivolous things, Corinne. Worry about the important things, like how you are going to stay alive for example."
"Are you really only a 34A? Wow," Bria said, as she raised her eyebrows.
Ignoring Bria's comment, Corinne asked Gavin, "So, when were you planning on telling me about all this? Was it always the plan that I find out the day before I turn sixteen, or was that your decision?"
"Slow down, Corinne," Gavin was getting a headache from all of her questions. "It was always the plan to tell you close to your birthday, I just didn't know exactly when and how I was going to do it. I never would have thought that you would come close to death and I would have to save your life. That definitely was not part of the plan."
"How come you were allowed to come to Earth? Who decides who comes and who stays?" Gavin sat on that question while Corinne and Bria waited in anticipation.
"The Queen decides in Aladarien. There are only two ways out. People aren't free to jump from one world to the next. The Queen either banishes you or gives you permission. Otherwise, the humans would find out." Gavin continued, "The Queen has ultimate power over the use of portals. She is given a scepter that is passed down from generations. That is why it is such a big deal to become the true Queen. It is a huge responsibility to decide who comes and who stays; it becomes very burdensome."
Corinne pondered what he had said and asked, "Well, how do we know if there aren't Elves here right now?
"We don't. That is exactly why I am here, to protect you. The man in your classroom was Seran Smith. How he found you, I do not know. Luckily for you, he is now out of the picture."
The thought of Gavin piercing Seran's heart made her shudder. "So why did you leave town for a week? I was so worried you were just mad at me and didn't want to see me."
"Are you kidding me? I was mad at you, but that had nothing to do with why I left. I left to Aladarien to discuss your return with the Queen. I was on my way home when I got the message from Bria. Turns out the whole Elven kingdom now knows where you are and they are waiting for you. It's a good thing we left when we did Corinne. We were cutting it too short. You are lucky to have lived this long."
"Hmmph," Corinne sighed. "So all of this time you didn't even have an abusive father? I can't believe you aren't even human. It's creepy." Corinne really wanted to know one thing, "How old are you Gavin?"
He smiled, "Let's see, according to your years, I guess I would be somewhere in my late teens or early twenties."
"You don't even know how old you are?"
"I do... but time is different here on Earth than Aladarien."
"Dang, Gavin, this is freaking me out. I feel like I don't even know you anymore. What else have you been keeping from us?" Bria asked.
"There is a lot to learn, but not right now, Bria. No more questions for a while okay?"
They arrived at the Muir Woods National Monument. They slowly drove up to a dirt road and parked.
Gavin told the girls to grab their backpacks and wait on the side of the road. He then put the truck in reverse and backed up about a hundred feet. The girls were shocked when they saw Gavin racing towards one of the giant redwoods at full speed. He slammed into the tree sending bark and branches everywhere. The whole front end of the truck was crunched up and the airbag had exploded out of the wheel.
"GAVIN!" Corinne screamed.
He hopped out of the truck like it was no big deal.
"That should do it." He brushed off his clothes.
"What just happened? Why did you do that? Are you crazy? You scared the heck out of me." She pushed him.
"People will talk Corinne. They will wonder what happened to you. This will make it seem like an accident, they just won't be able to find the bodies and will eventually give up searching. They'll either think you were kidnapped, you ran away or you were murdered."
"I can't do that to the Harrison's Gavin. This is cruel and you know it."
"Corinne, look at me," he turned her to face him, "you can do this. I know this is hard and I know you feel terribly guilty but your life is in danger. We have to LEAVE. The Harrison's will grieve but with time, it will get better." He grabbed her hand. "Come on, we've got to hurry."
Reluctantly, she went with him. They hiked into the tallest forest Corinne had ever been too. There was so much natural beauty surrounding them; majestic trees, tiger lilies, moss covered rocks, huckleberry bushes, everything. The ferns lined the walkways and a dense fog covered the tops of the unbelievable trees.
Bria was struggling to keep up with her high heels on.
"Couldn't you have brought another pair of shoes?" Gavin said as he helped her over a log on the ground.
She glanced down at her shoes and smirked, "I did. Actually, I brought three, but since I've never been to another world, I thought I would make a good impression. Maybe they've never seen heels before," she said. Gavin shook his head in disbelief and Corinne smiled to herself.
When they stopped at what seemed to be the largest tree in the forest Gavin shushed them. He peered out into the forest,making sure no one was around and then whispered, "This is the portal. The queen succeeded in making a secret portal that the Elves have no knowledge of. Both of you hold my hands. This might feel a little uncomfortable," he said.
Corinne suddenly second guessed all of her decisions, but it was too late. They stepped inside the trunk of the tree and sped through time into another world. Corinne felt as though her body was being squeezed into a bottle. Everything was a blur and she was dizzy. They were traveling so fast that she felt like she was in a whirlwind. Her body kept getting tighter, tighter, and tighter until she thought she couldn't take it anymore. Then they landed hard on the ground of a new world.
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A/N:
Okay so I seriously loved writing the bickering back and forth between Bria and Gavin. Those two just get on each other's nerves.
Buckle up guys, Corinne's about to go on the adventure of her life with all of the fantasy to come- magic, far away kingdoms, elves,queens, wolves, nixies, and some x-men like powers about to be discovered. Woot, woot!!! Who's excited?
Thanks again for reading. You guys are awesome and this whole experience has been pretty amazing. Love to you all.
xoxoxo