Oaken

by Melody Robinette

  “I’m Drake McMurtry,” the dark-haired boy said, flashing her a smile.

  “Autumn Oaken.”

  “Oh, I know.”

  “You were in my Lit class weren’t you?” she asked, recognizing him as one of the book haters.

  He rolled his eyes. “Yes. That class sucks, huh?”

  Autumn shrugged. “I like it, actually.”

  His face fell at this. “Oh, well, yeah… It’s pretty cool.” Autumn sent him a confused look and he cleared his throat nervously. “So, what elective are you taking?”

  “Elective?”

  “Yeah. Sports, Art, or Melodies?”

  Autumn frowned. She hadn’t thought about electives. Well, Sports was out because running was the only physical activity at which she hadn’t failed miserably. Art was no good either unless it was an art class of strictly stick figure drawing. That left Melodies.

  She hadn’t sung anything in a long time—not since her parents died. Autumn and her father used to write songs together. He was amazing at playing the guitar and had the most beautiful voice. Autumn could sing reasonably well, but her voice was nothing compared to his. When he died, she stopped singing and writing songs altogether. It was just too painful.

  “Er…Autumn?” Drake said.

  Realizing she had been silent for quite awhile, she said, “Sorry, um, I guess I’ll be in Melodies.”

  “Oh. You don’t like Sports?” He sounded disappointed.

  “Not really. I just like to run.” She felt like running now. Away from Drake.

  Yet another boy materialized on Autumn’s other side so that she was now sandwiched between the two. Drake seemed somewhat put off by this.

  “You’re Autumn Oaken, right? I’m Bryan Thomas.”

  “Hi,” Autumn said, not even bothering to introduce herself.

  “So you don’t know your Power yet, huh?”

  “Nope.”

  “I bet it’s going to be something awesome.”

  “We’ll see, I guess.” These guys were starting to annoy her.

  “I bet you make the Warriors for sure,” Drake cut in.

  “Why do you think that?” Autumn asked.

  “Well, you’re a royal,” Bryan said.

  “Yeah, they pretty much have to make you a Warrior,” Drake added.

  Autumn glowered, flashing Avery a “please help me” look over her shoulder and he immediately jumped in.

  “Can I speak to you for a second, Autumn? It’s about, er, official castle business.”

  “Of course. Sorry, guys, it was nice talking to you,” Autumn lied. The two boys walked away looking disappointed. When they were out of earshot Autumn sighed and said, “Thanks for that.”

  “You seem to be as popular as your brother,” he said. “Only with a different audience.”

  She made a disgusted face. “It sort of makes me miss being invisible.”

  Avery shook his head as he said, “I doubt you’ve ever been invisible.”

  When they arrived at Arbor Lake, Autumn and Avery took a seat on the sandy shore. Crystal was busy using her Power to freeze a section of the lake for the boys to play what looked like the Underground version of ice hockey and Luke was, of course, prowling around a group of girls, cornering his prey.

  “I did have some official castle business to tell you, actually,” Avery said.

  Autumn drew patterns in the white sand with her finger and said, “More bodyguards?”

  Avery laughed. “No. Olympus has arranged for you and Luke to have dinner with him tonight. He wants to personally go over the rules of Arbor Castle.”

  “Rules?”

  “Yes. It’s mostly about secrecy and behavior. Things go on in Arbor Castle that aren’t to be discussed outside of the castle grounds. All of the castle workers were given a set of rules when we first came to the castle too.”

  “How long have you been working at the castle?” Autumn asked.

  Avery stared across the vast lake, but it seemed he was seeing something that wasn’t there, a memory perhaps. His gray eyes hardened as he said, “A few years.” Autumn watched him expectantly, waiting for the story behind why he started working there in the first place. She was very aware of his close proximity. It felt as if some sort of magnetic force was connecting them. Suddenly the connection broke when he stood and said, “You should get back to the castle. You’ll need time to get dressed for dinner. I’ll go tell Luke.”

  Autumn watched him go with mixed feelings and wondered what she had said to make him put up his ever-present walls once again.

  AVERY walked away from Autumn with a jumble of thoughts and feelings coursing through him. His skin still tingled from sitting so close, though not close enough, to her. They’d barely known each other two days and she had already managed to break through his walls more than he would like. There was a reason he didn’t ever let girls in. They asked too many questions. They wanted to know everything about everything. And he didn’t want anyone to know everything.

  The difference with Autumn, though, was that he wanted to know everything about her too. It wasn’t because she was a princess—it was in spite of that. When he’d first heard that the prince and princess of Arbor Falls would be returning, he had been expecting two bigheaded, stuck-up, spoiled brats. To his surprise, they were none of these things. Autumn especially. She was endearing and selfless, smart and beautiful, though she didn’t seem to know just how beautiful she was.

  Not to mention that intense feeling he had in the pit of his stomach every time she was near. What was that?

  “Hey, Luke!” he called. Luke was entangled in a passionate embrace with yet another girl.

  The redhead came up for air, giving Avery a “this better be good” look.

  “You and Autumn are having dinner with Olympus tonight. You should probably start getting ready soon.”

  Luke looked regretfully at the girl he was kissing and said, “I guess I’ve gotta go, Babe. I’ll see you later.”

  The girl watched him go with a frown on her face.

  “You seem to be making friends easily,” Avery said, chuckling.

  “You have no idea, man. I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven. I’m just glad my sister isn’t making friends the same way I am.”

  Funny. Avery had just been thinking the same thing.

  The Rules

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Can’t breathe,” Autumn said as Crystal laced up her corset.

  “Sorry.”

  “Tell me again why this is necessary?”

  “Dinner with the king is a tremendous honor, even if he is your grandfather. And, as the princess, you are expected to look presentable.”

  This was the longest it had ever taken Autumn to get dressed in her whole life and she was not particularly thrilled about it. The gown Crystal had picked out for her was yet another masterpiece from her dresser. It was a delicate yellow with elaborate, swirling designs covering the bodice and an elegant off the shoulder neckline.

  There was a knock on the door and Crystal rushed into the living room to answer it. Autumn followed as well as she could in the gown, emerging in the sitting room to see Luke and Avery standing in the doorway.

  Luke looked at Autumn in surprise and said, “You clean up nice, Rose,” as he walked into her branch and plopped down on her sofa. “Though, you look even more uncomfortable than I am,” he added, tugging at the collar of his old-fashioned frock coat.

  Autumn laughed uneasily as she glanced at Avery, who was looking her over with a conflicted expression. Their eyes met and he looked quickly away saying, “I’ll take you to the king’s dining quarters if you’re ready.”

  Olympus’s dining quarters branched off of the throne room. As Avery turned to leave them at the door he finally looked at Autumn. His gray eyes brightened when they met hers and Autumn’s stomach flipped like she was going down a steep hill on a rollercoaster. He smiled crookedly at her and walked away.

  Autumn watched him go until Luke sa
id, “You coming?”

  Olympus’s dining room was even grander than the one upstairs, and also had a remarkable sparkling chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.

  When they entered, Olympus’s face broke out into a wide smile. “Ah, children. I see your transformations are nearly complete. Please have a seat.” He waved his hand to the two chairs sitting across from him. There were only three seats, spaced equally apart so that they formed a sort of triangle around the circular table. “I apologize for my absence. I have many duties outside of this castle.”

  “We understand,” Autumn said, taking a seat.

  “I expect young Mr. Burke has informed you of the purpose of this dinner?”

  Autumn nodded and Luke said, “Yes, sir.”

  “Very good,” Olympus said as a waiter dressed in white approached the table. “I will have the dragon filet, please.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” The waiter turned to the twins expectantly. Autumn hadn’t even looked at the menu, so she glanced over it and ordered the first thing she saw, which was some sort of fish. Luke ordered the pasta dish.

  “No dragon?” Olympus said in surprise. Autumn and Luke shook their heads trying not to look too disgusted. “Oh, you must try it! It is delectable. Bring three plates of the dragon filet, George.”

  The waiter nodded and left the three royals to place the order. Autumn tried not to be annoyed, even though she hated when people ordered for her. She knew Luke felt the same way, but he also kept his face impassive.

  Olympus didn’t seem to notice their uncomfortable silence and spoke again. “The rules of the castle are quite simple and easy to follow,” he began. “However, they are of the utmost importance and I expect you to follow each and every one of them, understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” the twins said together.

  “Very well. Rule number one: Any business or information you see or hear is forbidden to leave the castle walls. Even if it’s me telling you that my favorite color is red.”

  “Is it?” Luke blurted.

  “No, it’s green actually.”

  Autumn smiled at this small thing she and her grandfather had in common.

  “The second rule,” he continued. “You must always look and act presentably. Everything you do reflects on the royal family and, as the prince and princess, you will be representing the royal elf kingdom whether you mean to or not. And, lastly, rule number three: You must not become romantically involved with any of the castle workers, for they are your subordinates. You may befriend them as you wish, but any more than that would be deemed inappropriate.”

  Autumn felt her face fall at this and her stomach twisted uncomfortably as Avery’s face floated to the surface of her mind. Luke clearly noticed his sister’s sudden mood change and shot her a quizzical look.

  “There is one last thing. Not a rule, but a request from a grandfather to his grandchildren. I recommend that you do not go looking for trouble. If you are anything like your father then I know it is probably pointless to ask this of you. Vyra has taken your parents from you, but she has also taken my son. I assure you I am doing everything in my power to seek justice.” Autumn’s expression darkened to match Luke’s. “However, if you become Warriors, you will be required to look for trouble. I assume you will be taking the Test?”

  Autumn and Luke nodded.

  The food arrived, effectively ending the rules discussion. Autumn was surprised that the dragon actually had a pleasant, smoky taste. It was similar to regular steak, but richer in flavor. Luke practically inhaled his own. Olympus spoke openly and honestly with the two of them, inquiring about their classes and magisters. Autumn almost made a comment about Magister Monroe, but decided against it as Olympus began to regale them with tales from when their father was in school.

  She found that she liked her grandfather very much. He was funny and clever, traits her father had possessed. Sitting with Olympus reminded her of the times when her father would tell a tale of his college days around the dinner table. Now she realized that he only ever told college days tales, seeing as how his childhood was spent in the Underground and, for their safety, he obviously never mentioned this fact.

  At the end of the night Olympus wrapped them in one of his bone crushing hugs and ushered them through the grand oak doors. As they made the long trek up the winding staircase, Autumn stared at her feet, replaying the third castle rule over and over in her head.

  “What’s with you?” Luke asked, playfully punching Autumn’s shoulder.

  She shrugged and said, “Nothing.”

  “Rose—”

  “I said it’s nothing, Luke,” she snapped. He looked taken aback. “Sorry. I’m just tired is all.”

  The dining room was empty when they passed by and Autumn was yet again reminded of Avery as she glanced down at their usual table. Luke bid her goodnight at his door and she climbed up the stairs to her own.

  Somehow, Autumn managed to get out of the corset gown without help before running herself a bath in the great claw-footed tub. Slowly sinking into the hot water, Autumn tried and failed at vanishing that third rule from her head. It was no use lying to herself. There was some sort of connection between her and Avery that she couldn’t explain. She’d had crushes on guys tons of times before, but this felt different somehow. Letting out a groan, she sank under the water, hoping that it would pull the unwanted thoughts out of her head.

  Victor Lavigne

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The next day Autumn made a real effort to avoid Avery. Luckily, she didn’t have class with him on Tuesdays. Unfortunately, this meant she had to make up excuses to keep her away from him, like leaving her bag behind on purpose so she could rush back to her branch. She was the last one to arrive to her Laboratory class and found that the only empty station was the one beside Victor Lavigne, which didn’t surprise her. For reasons unknown to her people were afraid of him.

  He smiled warmly at her as she set her book bag down beside his.

  “So, what is this class exactly?” Autumn asked.

  “We learn how to make different draughts and salves and discuss how different herbs and fungi react together.”

  “Like witches?”

  Victor chuckled. “Not really. Witches brew potions. There is no magic in what we do. What we learn here is not so different from Outsider apothecaries.”

  Coach Holt, the Laboratory magister, walked in then. He was a tall muscular man with a shaved head. Along with teaching Laboratory, he was also the leader of the Sports elective. It wasn’t difficult to tell that teaching was a distant second to his true passion.

  “Get your behinds in your seats,” he said to the students who were talking to their friends or leaning on someone else’s station. After taking roll, pausing for a second on Autumn’s name, he handed out a sheet of step-by-step directions with the words How to Make a Nausea Draught printed in bold across the top of the paper.

  After barking at the class to get started without any further instructions, he proceeded to sit behind his desk, propping up his feet, and pulling out what looked like some sort of Underground sports magazine.

  “Is this for making someone nauseated or for curing nausea?” Autumn whispered.

  Victor laughed. “Curing it. We don’t actually do anything that doesn’t help or heal. That’s the job of a warlock.”

  “Are there really warlocks down here?”

  “There are warlocks in the Underground, but not in Arbor Falls. They live in Onyx Forest.”

  “How about giants or trolls or werewolves or leprechauns?” Autumn asked, remembering what Luke had said.

  “Giants live in the Magnus Mountains, Trolls live in the Pravus Caves, Werewolves don’t live in the Underground, and Leprechauns live in Rainbow’s End.”

  Autumn laughed at the last one and said, “So all of the magical creatures are segregated then?”

  Victor began chopping up a plant that resembled a large beet. He pushed a tray of some sort of grassy substance towards Autumn a
nd instructed her to do the same before answering her question. “Yes, we are. We don’t cohabitate.”

  “Why not?”

  “We—er—don’t really get along.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, one reason is that we’re all too different. One year the leprechauns and the trolls instigated a war against each other. The elves arrived to settle the dispute and to bring peace, but this offended both the trolls and the leprechauns—cousins of elves. So they attacked the elves as well. Then the giants and the ogres got involved because they just love a good fight. Then the warlocks, centaurs, and even the vampires joined in. That was the first Underground War. After all the magical populations began to dwindle drastically, Orpheus Oaken—the Elf king at the time—had everyone sign a truce to agree to live separately and in peace.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  Victor added the deep purple substance to the pot and the grassy piles from Autumn’s chopping board, pouring in various quantities of different liquids. The directions said to stir the mixture fifty times slowly, let it come to a boil, then have it sit for fifteen minutes. Victor stirred the mixture, his muscles contracting and relaxing with every turn. He looked up at Autumn and she blushed, realizing that she had been staring. She focused her eyes on the remnants of the grassy substance on her chopping board.

  Victor seemed so genuine and nice. A little shy, maybe, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Autumn still couldn’t figure out why everyone feared him, or why Avery and his friends hated him. She decided it couldn’t hurt to ask a couple of innocent questions to figure it out.

  “So…” she said. “Who do you hang out with at lunch and after school and stuff?”

  Victor’s expression fell. He was silent a while before saying, “No one.”

  “No one at all?” Autumn asked. Victor shook his head. “But why?”