The firework display by different coloured spheres had now moved outside the great hall of the recruitment compound. Most attendees were now standing in the large balcony attached to the compound and watching the wonderful show in awe.
Serena was now sitting by herself at her table and could not wait for the night to be over. She was just so disappointed so far with how the night had played out with her horrific date that she did not want to even spend one more minute in the hall. She had been abandoned for a long time now. Most couples were now enjoying themselves at the balcony watching the show except her and a very few number of people who were sitting indoors. There were mainly senior enforcers who had seen the show so many times before. Serena felt completely alone.
She suddenly felt a warm presence close to her. She looked up and the sincerity she could see in his features made her smile. She always admired Zachary. He was an honourable noble. His brother Sean was scary but Zachary and his sister Zelina were two of the most descent and most approachable people she had ever known amongst the noble class.
She heard his musical voice that made her feel at ease " May I talk to you for a minute Serena. Is it ok if I take a seat next to you?" Zachary asked politely.
Serena nodded: " Of course. Take a seat. You don't even have to ask Zachary."
Her response made Zachary very happy. He liked how easy it was to talk to Serena. He could always be himself when he was in her presence. He never had to put up the act as the tough no nonsense taker noble that his brother normally expected of him around Serena. When ever he spoke to Serena he felt as though he could be himself.
Zachary spoke slowly and cautiously " I know you are quite upset right now. But I can explain Serena. I know you saw how Rowlen and Bethany walked out of the ladies chambers, looking cheerful and walking hand in hand, side by side. I know it really broke your heart to watch them accompany each other to the balcony without a glance towards you or me. We are their dates for tonight and they seem to have forgotten us. But I think I am in less shock than you because I witnessed how they were cheating on us."
Serena's eyes widened " What? Rowlen was cheating on me with Bethany and you saw it? Did you confront them? Why didn't you tell me earlier on tonight?"
Zachary sighed " I am sorry I didn't manage to talk to you a bit earlier on about this. To tell the truth, it just happened in the past half an hour. I took Octavian's advice and went to the ladies chambers to see what Bethany was up to. I saw Rowlen on top of her. They were talking about intimacy like young lovers who had known each other for years. I think you shouldn't upset yourself too much if Rowlen seems to be ignoring you now. It is unacceptable by the Ronas etiquette if he approached you after he has just cheated on you. As you know Cheating is frowned upon by Ronas protocols and a temporary break up must be performed until issues are resolved. He must give you space to work things out. Bethany has to be giving me space too. But honestly the reason they are avoiding this part of the room is because they are hiding from your parents. They don't want to be spotted tonight. But I am baffled how they couldn't even hide their affection for one night after being found out cheating."
Zachary's last sentence was truly baffling him. He could swear that he had thought that what had happened in the ladies chambers was an accident but he was now starting to believe that they were truly cheating on him and Serena.
Serena was looking at Zachary with her mouth open. It took her a few more seconds to understand the situation. She asked " What does this mean for us then? We are cheated on by our dates. What do we do?"
Zachary looked thoughtful ; " well for a start, it means that we go to check into the hotel unaccompanied by our dates. They have technically broken up with us. We sleep on it tonight and then move on the next day. I have some nice fruity calming potions in my luggage in the hotel. Maybe you could join me for a few glasses before you go to bed."
Serena smiled. If this was suggested by any other person, she would have thought they had a hidden agenda or wanted something in return. But not Zachary. He was truly honest and sincere. " Of course. I would love to. I say we could go now. I don't see the point of staying until the end of the night. Lets go to check into our rooms now. I am too tired any ways." Zachary nodded and the two young nobles walked to the reception and collected their keys.
Zachary suggested " Lets go to my room first. We will have a few drinks to make us forget our dates and then you go to your room and sleep it off. Does it sound good?"
Serena nodded. She even didn't know why it was so easy to talk to Zachary. His waves of power could be intimidating at times but he was so friendly. It was hard to say no to him too. He just tried to press you to accept what ever he was requesting you to do until you accepted. It ran in the family most likely. Zachary was a less scary version of his brother. Sean had a reputation as the angel faced brute. He always spoke gently and was extremely charming but he was just brutal. The aura of danger that he radiated made every one cower in his presence. Only the other commanders were his match in the intimidation department. There were not many people whom were more intimidating than Sean. Only Xavier and the master himself could give Sean some competition in terms if the cruelty and the powerful intimation waves that they radiated.
They first arrived at Serena's room and dropped off her luggage. Then it was time to go to a more posh part of the hotel to see Zachary's room. As they entered into Zachary's room, Serena's eyes widened. She walked inside and started looking around curiously " Wow. Your room is massive. It's the most luxurious ensuite room I have ever seen. How come you have such a nice room."
Zachary went to open his luggage and grabbed two bottles and gestured for a serena to take a seat on one of the massive sofas in the middle of the large room and he took his seat opposite her as she made herself comfortable on a comfortable humongous sofa.
As Zachary handed Serena a drink he spoke " I guess I get special treatment because my brother is a commander and also a third in command to the master. Sometimes it's a curse to be related to Sean since I have to live up to his reputation. But sometimes it's a blessing I guess. At least I get some nice treatment."
Serena looked thoughtful now as she was having her drink. She suddenly asked " Do you mind if I ask you some personal questions. You don't have to answer of course if you don't want to. It's about you and your brother. Why are you so different? How come he looks so scary but you don't. If you didn't resemble each other so much in terms of appearance I could never guess that you guys were related. To be fair you can throw the question back and tell me I don't resemble my brother Jasper in any way either. But this question had been always baffling for me."
Zachary took a sip from his drink
" Sure. I don't mind answering the question. Sometimes I don't understand our differences either. The best way is to tell you a little bit about our family and then ask you to make your own conclusion on how I may be so different to my sadistic, psycho jerk of a brother."
Serena looked horrified " I didn't mean ......, I didn't mean it in that way. I ...."
Zachary smiled " No it's alright. Every one knows that Sean is a crazy one. Only Xavier is worse than him when it comes to brutality. I have seen enough to know what people think of Sean. Whenever I walk in any room accompanied with Sean, I feel the fearful gazes of people on us. He has hurt so many people over the years. His reputation is well known all over Arkansas for his extremely cruel treatment of the lower and middle class citizens and even enforcers in his division. Even if the enforcers that work under him make the smallest of errors on their jobs, he sends them to target practice execution rooms and if they are lucky he may refer them to the conversion processes. I don't mind your question at all but like I said, you need to know everything before you work out why I am not really like him or even despise his ways of life."
Serena felt sorry for Zachary. He seemed to have a pained expression on his face. For some strange reason she felt like she wanted to go over to him and comfort him with a hug. But she told herself not to. It was not appropriate in her view. She was not that close to Zachary yet.
Serena spoke softly trying to reassure him " I promise that I won't judge you. I am just curious. You don't even have to answer my question if you don't want to."
A worn our smile appeared on Zachary's handsome face " Thanks. But I don't mind. I even find it hard to comprehend my own life. It's nice to share your memories with someone who you know will not judge you. Ok let's start with my childhood. I don't think that you know but I have never met my parents. My uncle and aunt raised me and my siblings until sean moved us out when he became a commander. The worst part is that i have no memory of my parents. It was almost a year after Zelina was born that my parents decided to leave Arkansas for Alaska. At the time I was two and Sean was five so he is the only one who even remembers what our parents looked like vaguely in person. Well later on I found some pictures of them in my uncles house but I consider myself lucky I guess. Those were pictures that Sean hadn't discovered yet and hadn't had the chance to burn. I found those images when i was trying to play hide and seek with Zelina and hid in the basement. The images looked so familiar. i immediately knew we were closely related. I showed them to my aunt who confirmed that those images were truely of my patents. Here they are." Zachary reached into his suites pocket and took out a worn out wallet and took out two pictures and handed it to Serena.
Serena smiled " Keeping photos. No one does that these days. That's the human way. You are quite a rebel Zachary. You do know that the Ronas protocols encourage us to use our magical mental images for such things. Why do you keep photos when you can conjure the image from memory."
Zachary shook his head " Because it hurts."
Serena frowned " But only if someone else pulls out your memories, it hurts. You won't feel a thing if you do it. Then what do you mean."
Zachary spoke " I meant not in the physical way. In a mental way. I miss my parents. I also miss my aunt and uncle. If I conjure those images of my parents, then I would have to see my uncles and aunties house too. You see once Sean became a commander he pressed charges against them that they had neglected us and had refrained from giving us the right to learn the Ronas protocols. I spent hours and hours in his office pleading with him not to get them arrested. In the end he did agree to get their sentence reduced to banishment to the outskirts and he then ordered Zelina and I never to speak about them or ever try to keep in touch with them. You see since he was pressing the charges, he had the freedom to choose their punishment too. It took me weeks to get him convinced to rethink his intentions that involved the dungeons. I was back handed and reprimanded each time too for showing empathy. When i ran out of reasons to convince sean, I threatened that I would run away from home the first chance I get and would take Zelina with me. That set Sean off. He really beat me up badly that day but he realised that I was not joking and was determined to carry out my threat if he hurt my aunt and uncle. I was going to do it if he ever caused our aunt and uncle who were like our adoptive parents to be sent to dungeons."
Serena was shocked " How could Sean even think of sending his relatives to the dungeons. We shouldn't hurt our blood relatives and family unless its absolutely necessary. It's frowned upon by the Ronas customs."
Zachary spoke in a sad tone " So true. But Sean thought it was absolutely necessary to hurt them because his heart is so darkened by hate. The most disturbing part is that Sean never counted our uncle as a relative. Well our uncle is not related to us by blood, you see, he was adopted. But i loved him and his wife, no matter that we had non existent blood connections. The memory of the day that I said goodbye to them haunts me to this day. Sean may have gotten my uncle and aunt a lighter sanction by getting them banished. but do you know what else he did? He burned their house down and made them watch. Zelina and I sneaked out of school that day to see our uncle and aunt one last time, because we knew it was their day of departure. We went to the house to see them but We saw smoke and the cries of my aunt and uncle. We ran to them and embraced them one last time. Sean got really angry but didn't show much emotion in front of his enforcers who were carrying out the burning of the house and restraining my aunt and uncle. Sean pulled us away and got one of his enforcers to return us to school. He grounded us for three months for that. I just couldn't believe Sean was capable of such terrible acts. Zelina and I had alot of memories from that house but now it is all gone up in smoke. That's one of the reasons it pains me to conjure any part from my past memories. So yeah. That's Sean for you. He just always does the extremes."
Serena spoke sadly " I am sorry to hear that Zachary. You must really be devastated with your sad memories. You must really miss your uncle and aunt too. Is there a way you could see them right now. You are now eighteen and your powers are matured. You are surely allowed to keep in touch with who you want now."
Zachary sighed " I wish I could. I miss them so much. But I won't risk it. If Sean finds out, he would kill them. He said he would. My situation is similar to Edwin and Edward. They can't talk to their father because their mother forbids it. He is also banished to the same region as my uncle and aunt. But our similarities in treatment of those we care about is not the only connection zalina and i have with Edwin and Edward. Do you want to know a secret?"
Serena was feeling uneasy now " You don't have to tell me if it is a secret."
Zachary smiled " I trust you though. It is ok. It's not that big a secret. A lot of people know. Your parents might even know about this. You see Edwin and Edwards mother, Alessia is my fathers blood match."
Serena gasped " what. No way? Really"
Zachary nodded " yeah. They were in love and about to get married. My dad asked her if she would accompany him to Alaska to train with the elder tree council and the council of guardians . But Alessia refused of course. That meant that my father broke up with her and got married to another girl he met later on. I am not sure about her origins. Some say she was not an Arkansan but lived here. But never mind. The point is after that they say Alessia turned very bitter and heartless. She also got married shortly after. There are rumours, they only were in love briefly and Alessia's good treatment of him was because she wanted to have children badly. But once she had two super powerful babies, her marriage was on rocks. She eventually divorced the father of her children as you know and got him banished with some custody laws that worked in her favour since she was the more powerful parent. I find it annoying but can you believe it if i say that heartless woman feels protective of me and my siblings? when we used to go over to Edwin and Edwards house to play with them or have a game night, she was extra nice to us. She looked at us almost in a way as though she was our mother. Even though she is not. She is far from it. If any of the kids who were also guests at their house even looked at any of us wrong, she used to react drastically and punish them badly. I think it scared some of the kids to talk to us even. Well what can I say. How can she possibly care for us if the rumours are true that she has sent assassins to Alaska time and time again to track our parents."
Serena had a look of disbelief on her face now " No. Please tell me She is not trying to kill your parents. That is just unbelievable."
Zachary huffed " Well the rumours say that she only wants to kill my mother and make my father watch. There are whispers that she has ordered assassins to bring back my father alive so him and Alessia can live happily ever after. Some even say that ...... That the assassins have succeeded and my father had managed to escape the assassins after my mother was assassinated."
Zachary looked away. He had hints of tears flowing now from his stunning blue eyes.
Serena reached her hand over Zachary's hand and squeezed it tightly " It's ok. Don't be upset. The rumours may not be true. Your parents may be fine. There is no proof. From what I see in you and your other family members, well your genes are quite strong. I am sure your father can take care of himself and your mother."
Zachary wiped his tears and with his free hand and nodded " I hope so. I really want them to be happy. I want them to be safe but they are fugitives. They will be targeted and hunted forever even if they are still alive."
Serena nodded " Be optimistic. They would take care of each other. Try to think of the positive scenarios here. These are just rumours."
Zachary nodded. He suddenly stood up and started pacing around the room. He went to stand next to the window and took a deep breath. " Do you know the worst part of this all? I try hard to convince Sean not to hate our parents too but he just can't forgive them. He has his own assassins after them now. But he wants both of them to be captured alive to .... to torment them. Can you believe it? Sean is just blinded by the need for revenge. I understand why my parents couldn't come visit us. So does Zelina. But Sean doesn't get it. He feels they neglected and abandoned us. You think about it Serena. Any one in their right mind would know that when you leave Arkansas and don't have a good reason to stay out of the borders for so long they would issue your arrest warrant. If my parents had come back they would have been arrested. Not only that, there would have been so much attention placed on their children too as the victims of neglectful parents who left to put their rebel side at ease. I guess they were trying to protect us and give us a good childhood. I loved my early days at my aunt and uncles house."
Serena was listening intently. She also stood up and walked to Zachary next to the window. She stood next to him and took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly " Its alright Zachary. You don't have to say any more. I am so sorry I asked."
Zachary laughed bitterly and turned his piercing haze to Serena. " I haven't even got to the dark days yet. Be patient. My life became hell when Sean moved us to his own home when he became a commander. What can a 15 year old do but watch helplessly. Sean is a Ronas commander. The third in command for crying out loud. He tried to control my life and Zelina's in every way. He controlled who we talked to, who we hung out with, what we did in our spare time, which clubs we joined in school and even which trainers taught us. He even came to school to arrest some of the trainers because he felt they were not teaching us the Ronas protocols properly and told the school a list of names to appoint as new employees. I tried so hard to protect Zelina from his strict regime but I had little success. I tried to challenge his rules at the beginning when we moved in but he became more and more strict and issued harsh punishments to a point that I knew nothing but pain and exhaustion. What could I do but compromise. He did not like me challenge his way of life at all. He put me in my place whenever he felt I was out of line and did not care about how much it hurt Zelina to watch me suffer. You see she was the law abiding one of the two of us. The influence of her friendship with Xanthos made her tolerant to extreme views and ways of life. Sometimes I wish I could just run away from home when we moved into his hell like mansion but I couldn't leave Zelina there at Sean's mercy. I only stayed for my sister. But again things looked brighter when he employed Beatrix. She is quite caring for a governess. She never reported our wrong doings and was really like an older sister to us. If Sean finds out about her leniency, sky is the limit to the pain and suffering that would befall upon her. Poor woman only was doing what she thought was best. "
Serena looked distraught after hearing Zachary's sad story " I had no idea what you have been through. I hope Sean stops his harsh treatment of you and your sister. You guys have been through so much ready as it is."
Zachary nodded " Don't worry Serena. Things are better now. Like I said since Beatrix has arrived Sean is not trying to control us that much and he is much nicer now in general since he sees the impressive academic record that Zelina and I have. You see his biggest fear was that if we ever under performed and couldn't get the chance to be employed by the Ronas army. Now that Zelina and I were selected to serve in the top divisions as potential future commanders, he would be less worried about us somehow embarrassing him and would give us more control of our lives hopefully from now on."
Serena and Zachary were startled as they suddenly heard the warning bell. Zelina put her hand on her heart and spoke " The night time curfew martial law warning bell is a real mood killer isn't it. This means I have to go now. I hope to talk to you soon again."
Zachary nodded " It was nice talking to you. But allow me to accompany you to your room."
Serena smiled " you are such a gentleman. Lead the way then, my knight in shining armour."
The two young recruits started walking to Serena's room hand in hand. Zachary couldn't believe how everything felt perfect when Serena was by his side. Everything was easy. It came natural to him to hold her hand and Serena seemed quite comfortable around him too. But he felt an unexplainable protectiveness towards her too. He couldn't explain why. But again Serena was such a sweet and kind girl. Any one would have wanted to protect her if they met her.
As they reached Serena's room she unlocked her door and turned to Zachary" Here we are. Thanks so much for the lovely drink by the way. Where did you get them. Maybe we should do this again some time."
Zachary's expression suddenly turned to a pained one again " I made the drinks. You see my father used to be a skilled potion maker as well as a skilled fighter. He is said to have met my mother when she was training as a healer and needed help making remedies. He helped her and they had clicked. I guess the passion for potions runs in the family. Zelina's healing talents also must come from my mother. Alexander took her to his division since he saw the potential in her genes as well as her academic record."
Serena didn't know what to say " I am so sorry. I had no idea. Here I was wanting to distract you from all the family talk."
Zachary smiled " Don't worry about it. It helps to talk to someone. You are a good listener for sure. Any ways. See you around Serena. Sleep tight."
Serena nodded " Sure I need it. You have a good night too. Please hurry back. I don't want any patrols to catch you out of hours in the corridors. We may be indoors but they still may arrest you and question you on why you are not in your room."
Zachary winked " Don't worry. They can't catch me. I am fast. Besides you forget I have fighter genes. I can take care of myself."
Serena nodded and went inside her room. Zachary stood outside her room for a few seconds and thought about his feelings for Serena. He couldn't wait to see her again tomorrow. For the first time in his life, he did not cherish loneliness. He enjoyed being in the company of this adorable girl and he couldn't even explain why.