by J P Anderson
"Alister I can't stop thinking about Alison since she came here, the look on her face when I said I wouldn't marry her, the horrible note saying 'don't try to find me', I loved her more than life itself and I let her go, and blamed you for it."
"Acruz is planning to kill Andria and Genevieve; you know it I know it Genevieve knows it why are you still letting this marriage happen?" Alister demanded completely ignoring perhaps the first and last real emotions of regret coming from Henry.
"If you don't find proof that he killed Alison and is indeed planning what you think he's planning I can't just can't simply ruin our agreement and risk having a war." Henry yelled.
"I hate Acruz as much as the next guy but that would be suicide." Henry concluded.
"There you go again, picking your country over your family. If you hate him why sign the agreement to marry your daughter off to him?"
"It's something you couldn't understand," At this point she stopped listening. She was reached into her pockets to see what was in them. Apparently these were still her cloths, just altered into a dress by magic. She closed her eyes and wished for her own cloths back. She opened them and saw commando boots and camouflage pants. She reached into her pocket and retrieved; the note from her mother, ten cents in pennies, her locket and something she did not expect, her crappy prepaid phone, and it was on, like working on, weird, she looked at it closer, did it have bars? Certainly not, that would be impossible, but she did have sixty messages from earlier today. All from Peter asking her 'where she was' 'why wasn't she at the adoption agency', they were all the same. But the last one scared her. It said;
"Genny baby you know I love you please don't do this I know your mad that I'm moving to California for college but you can't just leave without any word, that's way worse than what I'm doing, please call. Please." He sounded so desperate and sad it made a huge twinge in her heart for:
Leaving without a word.
Completely giving no signs for said abandonment as of yet.
Probably never talking to him again.
Man I'm a atrocious person. Maybe I could go back and explain to him that I was starting a new chapter of my life in…Canada…Okay maybe not Canada but somewhere I know he will never go…like West Virginia or something…I will think of the details later but that's what I'll do, I'll simply tell him I found family out of country and that will be the end of it, and then he wouldn't call the brood squad to come find me. And then the most random thing crossed her mind, where was my bag, with everything I own, where was it…Andria's room.
…
Approximately twenty minutes later she finally found the door that belonged to Andria not the other three hundred or so that she had opened only to find someone in them that didn't look like her or a closet. Finally, she thought. She opened it; there Andria stood with her black long curls and nightgown with Joshua. They were talking. She knew she shouldn't it was sister rule number 1, Thou shalt not spy, but she had to.
"Are you lying to me, because if you are Andria, that would be a right foul jest."
"I am not lying, it came from Alister himself. He said all I had to do was just go with it, and he would do the rest, he just needs to know that he has your loyalty." she told him. Joshua paused, weighing his options.
"If you trust him, I trust him." she ran to him, wrapped her arms around him and he kissed her, long and hard, taking a breath only to go at it again.
"Scandalous." Gen couldn't help resist muttering. Andria turned her head to the sound of the grunt and locked eyes with a kneeling (Aka spying) Gen. Andria's eyes got a big as pizza saucers. She threw herself off Joshua, much to his dismay, and began to speak.
"Hello I was actually meaning to speak with you please come in." she offered, sitting on her bed motioning in no real direction.
"D-did you see a black messenger bag? You know actually I think I should come back later I can see your busy." Nudging her head in Joshua's direction and then slowly backing out.
"Sit!" Andria ordered her voice cracking. A bright red faced Joshua too tried to escape but she merely had to stare at him before he looked down and sat on the bed.
"Oh yes," she said nonchalantly and handed the balled up bag to Gen. Gen hesitated and then smiled nervously and shrugged, doing her best to pull off a clumsy childish smile, which turned into an awkward mumble and a fumbling mess of hands and crooked smiles.
"Please sit I want to know everything about my new sister." Andria almost whispered in a sweet pleading that she knew she could never pull off, like a little girl, an innocent, beautiful, child with hoping, sincere eyes. Gen was the exact opposite, clumsy, loud and blunt. She would rather barrel though the "Joshua and Andria" conversation head on, but her sister was going to dance around it for hours. She smiled with a mixture of excitement and fear at her obviously crazy twin sister and sat next to her. Joshua sat next to her. She could see that he wanted to but he didn't dare touch her thigh to comfort her. He just sat staring straight awaiting his death sentence with his palms rubbing together nervously.
"So, why were you smooching on the hired help?" She asked when her sister didn't automatically go into story mode. Andria immediately slapped her hand on Gen's knee and the other one on the other and pierced her lips together, her eyes watering as if by cue. I bet that sells them all, not me sis.
"Please don't tell anyone!" she gushed, squeezing Gen's hand extra hard.
"He will be hanged!" Joshua ran to Gen's feet and threw himself on his knees, astonished she sat back away from both of them practically attacking her.
"Please Miss. Genevieve, I love your sister, and she is marring another, I don't think I should also half to bear the thought of treason."
"Of course, y-yes, I mean I wouldn't tell anybody." Andria smiled and Joshua sighed in relief and got off one knee as if he had been shinning his shoe instead of groveling.
"Maybe Joshua should leave...it's almost nine." Gen suggested.
"Of course." he said running to the door, then turned.
"Till tomorrow my love," he blew her a kiss and left. Must control gag reflex.
"Tell me about your life, what's Earth like? Are there really trees tall as Aldura," she went on about people that were small and a ridiculous description of a car,
"Yes there are things called skyscrapers because they are forty or fifty stories tall, and cars that can go hundreds of miles per hour, and things of that nature. But this place is way better than that." Her owns astonished her as she realized that she was telling the truth. She did believe this place was better; it was like falling back into the middle ages but with better cloths. With people she could identify with, family, and even possibly a little romance. She then thought of something that almost made her cry. She couldn't stay here without Peter. Her life had always included him and it just didn't feel right without him here.
"And what did you do on Earth before you came here?" Andria asked nonchalantly.
"Lived in an orphanage for eighteen years stole to survive, went to high school, things of that nature," Her eyes got real big again, obviously she never heard of the rustic side of the street before and Gen was practically queen of. She thought of all the things she had left behind on Earth and thought of Peter and Sydney, and then she thought, that's all that tied me there, my ex-boyfriend and a girl that was my best friend that now lives in Kansas with a lady who has way too many cats. Here in Akadia I am a princess I have a great guy (not yet, well sort of, I don't really know what we are, God I'm really messed up) a father a sister and a brother. Why would anyone leave, or pick Earth over this place. She blinked and her sister was staring at her.
"What about you and Alister?" That quite frankly shocked her. What about me and Alister? How dare her! What about you and Acruz and Joshua. Huh Huh! Ask me about my love life when your double timing with a ring on your finger.
"What do you mean?" Gen asked with more coyness than she originally hoped to portray.
"I mean, I saw you guys walk in together and he pulled out
your chair, my husband to be didn't even do that." she stated leaning forward. Gen definitely wasn't an OMG spill, kind of girl but she tried her best of it for her sister, who obviously would always ace her gossip test.
"Well I don't know, I like him and everything I haven't known him very long at all so it's a little ridiculous to even be thinking about a relationship."
"Whatever you say." she said with a coy smile. Gen tried to change the subject.
"Uh, what about you and Joshua!" Gen finally spouted.
"Well he is really great, but I could never really be with him, I would always be afraid for him, he would be killed if they found out we were more than, a princess and her help."
"What does he help you with Andria?" She asked making a joke pervert extreme, Jason MaGee A.K.A Peter's comrade automatically making him her comrade, would be proud of.
"You know what I love about Earth?"Andria asked, slyly changing the subject again.
"What?" Gen asked actually intrigued for the opinion of the only human that had never actually stepped foot on Earth.
"I think it's magical, I would love to go there, it seems like there is a lot less fighting and marriage arrangements and things of that nature."
"Sis, people for ages have been trying to escape from the clutches of their problems by running and none were successful, it's like trying to hide from the mafia. Not that it shouldn't be done, because it shouldn't be done, it can't be done." Wow, way south analogy, she doesn't even know who they are.
"I understand that you shouldn't run away from your problems but it is awfully tempting on a count of I'm pretty sure Acruz would rather kill me than have me be his wife." If you only knew how true your words are dear naïve sister.
"Too true, actually other than getting my bag I wanted to warn you about Acruz, I think that's just what he's planning." She didn't look shocked or worried, she didn't even react. She looked like Gen when she was thinking of a way out, which in this case is exactly what she needed to be doing.
"Andria…Earth to Andria." Realizing how completely useless that saying was. She looked at Gen and confirmed what she already knew.
"I can take care of myself, but thank you." she paused, perhaps even for dramatic effect.
"I've got a plan to kick his butt." Yup, that proves it. She's definitely my sister. Gen stared to giggle, then her giggle turned into a laugh then Andria stared to giggle then she stared to laugh and for some odd reason they were rolling on Andria's bed laughing hysterically. After about three minutes the door creaked open and smexy Alister Grey stood in the doorway.
"I'm here to show Genevieve where she will be staying, but continue please," Men…unfortunately the same no matter what planet your on. She looked at Gen with a look that was a mix between 'ooh I wonder where that will be' and 'man this is some really bad cheese', which Gen fondly came to know as Andria's 'look who it is' look. Gen giggled at her 'look' and got up to find where she would rest her head with the totally gorgeous elf. She could feel the grip of adolescence tug at her soul as she strolled down the hallway.
"So," she said biting her lower lip wishing he would hold her hand, then thinking again of how much she was acting thirteen. He smiled and half laughed. I think he had heard that. Then he did something that surprised even the New Yorker who had seen it all. He held her hand, such a simple gesture made her want to hold her stomach to hold in the butterflies. Calm down Gen, this isn't professional. He smiled again and twirled her like a ballerina. They don't make guys like him; if they did I would have sixty.
"I think one of me is enough for everyone." he said now holding both her hands. They stopped walking and she was facing him stared into his eyes and could feel herself leaning closer.
"Alister Grey what a pleasant surprise, I haven't seen you in forever," Alister didn't look back or even let go he simply stared.
"You always did strike a conversation at the absolute worst time…it's a talent really." He let go and turned and she saw Acruz close up for the first real time standing only feet away from them. He was so, for lack of better word, pointy. Razor sharp, everything. Pin straight hair exactly to the tips of his wide strong angular shoulders. His jaw was almost a ninety degree angle it was so sharp. His teeth were straight and white and his chin went to a point with a slight dimple. His nose was large without being ridiculous and created yet another angle on his face. Finally, perhaps the most noticeable feature on his face was his eyes. A piercing blue that was such a clear blue you could swear it was a picture from a clear day. His devilish thin lips were curved as Gen gulped and her face became hot, as if someone turned on the heat.
"Miss. Grave I hear your quite the little Adventurer, don't you think it's about your bedtime." He said but that's not what his eyes said. They didn't shift off of her nor did they fog over with the vague chatter, they were intent. Gen could feel Alister's grip tighten on hers as her hand got uncomfortably hot and she released.
"What brings you all the way over here, this hallway is for family and friends only, are you lost?" Alister shot back in both their defenses, as if she needed defending. She felt like she should say something, anything. But she, perhaps the first time in her life, didn't trust her own mouth to work. Instead of turning and running, like she sincerely wanted to do, she just stood straight and stared into Acruz's eyes as he turned the table to her; the bullies always go for the quiet and out of place, bastards. She had an eerie feeling he was smothering her, and she couldn't escape as his eyes and couldn't look away. She heard a scream and suddenly she was on the Earth side of the portal. Darkness enclosed the scene with even more eeriness. Men on black horses with midnight cloaks were on standing in a wide circle around a too familiar seen. Holy crap, he has somehow taken me back to the night my mother died, and my sister and I were born.
A black cloaked man jumped from his contrasting white horse and stepped closely by her side. Gen's mother was on her knees, blood pouring from her head like red tears down her face. She was so pure, even in a time of such unparalleled doom she was still radiant. He crouched down and held her chin with his black, leather gloves. Slowly he pulled her head up so she looked him straight in the eyes. He leaned to her side and whispered something into her ear. Then with a jolt Genevieve fell into a blurry swirl of colors. In an instant she went from spectator to the main participant because now, Gen was seeing the scene through Alison's eyes. Genevieve had no idea how it was done but she was in the middle of circle of Black Riders. He held her chin with his bended pointer finger. She could even feel the blood coming down her face but not the pain. He leaned into her so than his lips were inches from her—err—Alison's ear and whispered.
"Watch your back because I will wipe your entire family from the face of Akadia…" And the knife pierced through her and she could faintly hear.
"Good riddance Earthling" As the knife twist bringing a new wave of pain through her forcing her to open her eyes in shock to see Acruz on the ground and she was lying next to him. Alister was standing above them, blinking in disbelief as if he'd just seen the queen of Sheba.
"Damn." Gen said thinking of nothing more accurate to say, looking from Acruz to Alister.
"What did you see?" Alister said seeming to understand what happened even though she had no clue.
"I—I saw Alison die. B—But I was her somehow." Gen felt her belly where he had stabbed her, nothing to speak of, no blood, no knife, no pain, just a little bump from a little too many cheeseburgers and an inny-belly button with a black rose belly button ring.
"You guys had a huge staring fit, he was smiling but then abruptly stopped, then you screamed out and you both fell to the ground."
"Dang" she repeated unfortunately not witnessing this awesome mental butt kicking.
"What it looks like to me is he tried to scare you and then was somewhat thrown off by all the power you showed."
"Power?" she asked leaning back on her forearms looking up.
"Yes power, it takes loads of it to become someone else in someone else
's vision." Alister said vision and not memory, she noted for no particular reason.
"Oh," she whispered then with horror she thought. Oh shit, what happens when you hurt the prince of a country, whatever it was it wasn't good and it probably involved a noose.
