by Lana Davison
“This Holly is becoming a problem,” Maurice said to Catherine.
“Yes, we didn’t anticipate this at all,” Catherine agreed.
“We will need to get her eliminated.”
“How?”
“I’ll discuss it with the Royal League and get someone on it. Then and only then will he stay here on Avalon willingly. We cannot risk our future King stepping down to resume a life on Earth. He has responsibilities.”
“I know,” Catherine agreed.
Leo moved his head from the door and stood up straight, his eyes wide. They were going to have her eliminated because of him. Time was of the essence, he had to find a way back and now.
Leo jogged back to his room trying not to look panicked and got a box of maps out of one of his drawers. He had studied map reading and learnt to sail with his father. He found a map of Avalon’s oceans, collected all his books and his own personal notes on navigation and placed everything he had on his bedroom floor in full view. He had been to Earth with Ryan and the two of them had travelled there on one of the Royal Family boats. Leo had assisted Ryan with the navigation; now he would have to draw on that experience and find a way to get back to earth on his own.
Having planned most his trip and drawn out his voyage on the map, Leo looked at his watch. It was just after midnight, a good time to leave the palace. He would take very little with him, a backpack, with the maps he needed, a jacket and a little food and water. He was good at sailing, years of experience sailing with his father who had taught him everything he needed to know. Leo felt confident about making this journey on his own. After all, he had no other option.
Leo would not be able to leave the palace the traditional way, instead he would have to sneak out, without being seen. He knew exactly how to do that; as a child he had planned spy games with the security staff on the grounds, he had asked the head of security to watch the monitors and see if he was able to get by without being caught on screen. Security had shown him how the cameras and monitors work; when the camera views changed. Leo drew back on those memories of his spy games and hoped the cameras hadn’t been changed and the systems remained the same.
Leo chose his clothing carefully; beige chino jeans and an olive green t-shirt; this he hoped would be the best colour to camouflage him as he entered the palace garden, which in turn was surrounded by woodlands. With his strength and speed, he could move through each area quickly. With his knowledge of security procedures in the palace, he should be able to get out unseen.
He opened his bedroom door, looked outside and clocked the camera and the angle in which it pointed. If he ran now, he could make it to the end of the long corridor before it spotted him. At the end of the corridor he watched the camera move and then made his way down the large hall, being as quiet as possible. A left turn and down another corridor to the top of the stairs. There were two cameras circling this space, a rotating camera discretely placed on the chandelier, the other on the wall of each floor. He had to make his way down four levels and had to be fast, calculated and quiet. He might come up on the security screen as a blur, but he couldn’t afford any attention being brought to himself. If anyone caught on, they would watch him like a hawk; it was easier for him to make a clean break now, when his movements were not being watched. He had dutifully and stupidly waited for an answer on Holly and now none of it mattered. They had lied to him and her safety was his responsibility and only he could now protect her from the Royal League.
He wondered if she would forgive him and have him back? He could only hope. He didn’t deserve to be forgiven, but he had to try. No matter, he would protect her until the day he died, he owed her that much. This wasn’t Holly’s fight, it was his.
He reached the bottom of the stairs and placed his back flush to the wall as the camera rotated the space. He ran down another corridor, took a right and entered the small dining room. Leo sped across the room to the double doors and opened them and quietly stood at the far corner of the enormous palace kitchen. He took a deep breath and considered his next move. The camera remained stationary in the corner. He considered blacking it out, but this would only bring attention to the kitchen area and might raise alarm bells. He had to think outside the box. Leo took a deep breath and sped to the locked kitchen delivery door which led directly onto the gravelled drive. He could break the lock easily. Leo counted to three, ran across to the delivery door and crushed the lock with his hand. He stood and looked at the lawn in front of him.
Time was of the essence now and this was where it would get tricky. If he was going to be seen outside, it would be here. He sped across the 200 metre plush lawn and through the 500 metre garden, full of the most beautiful foliage and hedge maze. Leo knew how to get through it with his eyes closed having played in it as a child. He was quick. He looked at the two metre concrete wall and walked towards the corner joins, jumped up, his hands touching the top. He pulled himself up and over then jumped to the ground. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the woodlands in front of him then began to jog, trying to reserve a little energy. It would be a long night.
After two miles Leo kicked up his tempo and raced through the ten mile woodlands until he reached the open road. He stopped for a moment, took a few mouthfuls of water and wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand. He calculated about another twelve miles to run until he reached the marina. He started out with an easy jog again, then broke all running records ever made using his ability to get him to the marina the fastest way possible, with super speed. He could beat any train, plane or automobile when he wanted to.
The marina gate made out of cast iron was dead bolted, so Leo looked for another way to get in. He jogged down to the far end of the gate and put his two hands on either side of the cast iron poles, took a deep breath and pulled them apart until he could fit his body through the space.
He climbed through and pushed the poles back to their original shape, so that no one would detect a break in. Leo walked to the jetty where his father kept several boats. He would use the boat he was most familiar with; the luxury yacht his father told him would be his one day. Leo took a brief look at the boat; she looked good, well maintained and as stunning as the day he had first seen her. He smiled and turned to walk to the marina office. The door was locked as expected, so Leo pushed the handle down and pushed his body hand at the door. It opened immediately. No alarms – lucky. He walked a couple of metres and opened the door to the front office and continued until he reached the green key cabinet on the wall. He opened it and took the key for his boat and closed the key cabinet. By morning they would realise the boat was gone, but by then it would be too late. He closed up the best he could and jogged over to the yacht and climbed aboard. He released the ropes, pulled up the anchor and navigated his way to the open waters. Leo got the maps out and placed them in view, so he could use them as a reference even though the boat was well equipped with modern technology and navigation tools. He set a route to the vortex Sudden and tried to relax a little, for once he got to the vortex he would have to be alert.
Leo continued for hours following his navigated route until he saw the vortex up ahead. He noted the time on his watch was 4am. He was tired but his adrenaline began to kick in at the sight of the water wormhole. He eased the boat forward taking it carefully into the funnel, trying to avoid it being tipped over. He had watched Ryan carefully and tried to imitate the same easy move into the vortex. The boat began to spin, starting off slowly. Leo turned the engine off and let the vortex do its work. The boat spun faster and faster as it moved down the funnel like an ice-skater spinning on skates. He held on to the wheel keeping it steady, awaiting the drop to the ocean on Earth.
Bang… the water splashed up around the sides of the boat. Leo laughed out loud. Not only was that fun, it was fearful, and he had done this journey on his own. He was now closer to Holly than he was to Avalon. His heart pulsated fast at the thought of seeing her. He cranked the engine and began the long journey to Warshire.<
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Chapter Twenty-Four
I relaxed my body in the bath and began to feel a little excitement about life again. Tonight I would wear my formal dress to my graduation. I thought about the last few years and tried not to consider Leo at all. Instead I thought about Henry, safe old Henry, my graduation partner and now a kind of boyfriend, his intentions were clear. I had waited way too long for a guy who didn’t even have the decency to send me a letter, a short note to explain why we had left me. I guess in some ways, I was mostly upset with the way Leo had done things, he didn’t end it right but left, leaving others to do the explaining. What a fool I had been all along.
I grinned at the thought of Henry. He might not thrill me in the same way Leo did, but he wouldn’t mislead me in the same way Leo did either. Maybe I would give myself to him tonight if the opportunity presented itself. Perhaps if I did I would get rid of this crazy idea of saving myself for Leo, someone who didn’t exist in my life anymore and never would. Henry was my two out of three, like the song goes. I want you and I need you but there ain’t no way I’m ever going to love you. But that’s not a bad thing because I would never love anyone again. Leo had ruined love for me. He hadn’t loved me enough to come back.
The bathroom smelt of my lavender scented candles. I took a deep breath, smelt the aroma and touched my face to see if the facemask I had applied had hardened - almost. What I sight I must look right now!
I looked forward to the new year and starting my medical degree at UCL. I wanted to help people, just like my father. This would be a good way to use my healing ability. After all, why have an ability if you are not going to put it to good use. I would have to be careful though, I didn’t want all my patients thinking I was some sort of miracle worker. At lot could happen between now and then anyway. I might decide to go into medical research or psychology, forensic science, pathology… The choices were many.
“Holly, Henry’s here,” Sara shouted some thirty minutes later.
“I won’t be a moment,” I replied, looking at my watch. He was ten minutes early. I put my dress on and fastened the thin strappy sandals onto my feet. I felt like something was missing, um… yes, my purse. I quickly put my hair comb, lip-gloss, driver’s licence and some money into my green clutch and made my way carefully down the stairs. I certainly didn’t need to fall and break my ankle nor my neck.
As I approached the landing, I received a wave of gushes from Sara, Stuart and Henry.
“You look stunning,” Sara announced first.
“Thanks.”
“Absolutely gorgeous,” Stuart continued.
“Beautiful,” Henry finished.
“Thanks.” I blushed at the compliments. Something I would never get used to.
The sun shone in through the windows and I realised how unbelievably lucky we were to have good weather for our graduation. Summer time in England could mean anything, but today was definitely a hot summer’s night and just put everybody in the very best mood.
“You have to let me take some pictures,” Sara said with the camera already hanging off her neck.
“Do I have to?”
“Yes, absolutely without question.”
“Come over here.” Sara ushered me over in front of the window for a photo. I smiled and let the painstaking photo-shoot begin. “I think we should get one of the both of you on the front lawn.”
Sara opened the front door and I saw the limo waiting for us out the front.
“Henry, wow.” I gave him a hug.
“Well it was going to be a horse and carriage, but I would have had to pick you up two hours earlier.”
“This is great. I’ve never been in a long limo.”
“You should check out the gadgets inside.”
“Here’s a good spot.” Sara pointed to where she wanted the two of us to stand. She took one of me on my own, then with Henry behind me, to the side of me and then she had him embracing me. I wished it could be over. “Thank you, I’ve got enough now.” She said squeezing my shoulder and smiling at the same time. Sara knew I hated my picture being taken.
I walked carefully down the driveway to the Limo. Henry opened up the door for me. Sara crossed her arms and held onto her necklace and shoved Stuart in the side. “Look at our Holly, isn’t she beautiful?” she murmured.
“Yes,” Stuart nodded. “She is certainly that.”
Inside the limo Henry pulled out a bottle of champagne in a bucket of crushed ice.
“I think we need to celebrate in style,” he said as the limo pulled away and drove towards our school.
“I think we should,” I nodded.
He popped open the champagne, careful not to get any on his suit or on my dress.
“You look great in your suit, Henry.”
“Do you like the green cummerbund? I think it matches your dress.”
“Perfectly,” I agreed.
Henry handed me a glass of champagne and I sipped on it giggling at what a fabulous night we had in store. “Everyone is going to want to go out afterwards, the weather’s too good not to.”
“True. I’ve got the limo all night, so we can take a few into town with us. Where should we go?”
“We could go to Deep Purple or Night Owl.”
“Sounds good,” he nodded.
The limo pulled into the school and we collected the half full bottle of champagne and brought it to the front lawn where drinks were being served.
“Can I get you something?” the waiter asked.
“A couple of champagne flutes please,” I said.
“Just the glass flutes?” he asked, looking puzzled.
“Yes please. We have a bottle of champagne.” I showed the waiter the bottle.
“Only two glasses?” The waiter asked.
“Actually four,” I said as I caught sight of Emily walking towards me.
“You look stunning,” I told her, “I love this colour on you.”
“You look beautiful too,” she said. “I love your dress.”
“This old thing,” I joked. “Here.” I handed her a champagne flute. “Follow me,” I said leading her towards Henry who was still holding the champagne bottle.
The buzz was definitely in the air, everyone looked wonderful in their very best clothes and massive end-of-year-party smiles. Our whole year was legally drinking alcohol together for the first time.
Henry poured the champagne. The bubbles were starting to go to my head as I was giggling with the spirit of the occasion. Henry’s confidence grew too, as he confidently placed his arm around me and held me in close. I enjoyed his embrace, believing my two out of three was my safe bet all along. He lent down and gave me a small kiss on the lips. Emily noticed saying, “You guys look good together.”
“Henry’s great,” I agreed giggling.
We mingled a little and were then ushered into the marquee to find our seats around the table. More drinks were served, but I held off for a while, feeling the effects from the champagne. The food was served on time; we ate; we danced, and listened to a few speeches about the future. As people began to leave, Henry and I gathered a few of our close friends into the limo and drove into town not wanting the evening to end.
We all sat in the limo singing along loudly to Henry’s music. He had made a playlist for the night. The driver dropped us outside the Night Owl night club and told Henry to call him when he wanted to go.
“I’ll take you home later,” Henry said to me.
“Thanks,” I said.
The bouncer steered our group inside the club, each of us paid our £5 and went in.
“You take everyone over there, near the dance floor and get a table. I’ll get the drinks,” Henry whispered.
We took a booth right in front of the dance floor which was amazingly empty given the night club was rockin’ now. A couple of the guys sat down and Emily and I took the opportunity to hit the dance floor. We danced to our songs, and sung out the tunes to each other, laughing the whole time. Emily clocked Henry returning to
the table with a couple of bottles of champers and suggested we have a quick glass.
Henry poured me another glass of champagne. I drank it down far too quickly, drinking it like water because I was thirsty. He filled another flute for me and I downed that as well.
“Come and dance with me,” he said.
I happily returned to the dance floor. I felt so happy, everything was perfect and I didn’t have a care in the world. Henry pulled me in close and put a hand on my cheek and kissed me. I smiled and he knew it was safe for him to continue, at least while I was a little drunk.
“I don’t like this song,” he said finally. “Let’s go back to the table.”
“I love this song,” I said. “I’m staying.”
Henry nodded returning back to the booth next to the dance floor and left me to dance. I was happy. I danced and I danced, not even noticing the pain in my feet from my new shoes, something I would probably regret in the morning.
I stopped for a moment and collected my clutch to take with me to the bathroom. Henry caught me as I walked past, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards him. He planted a kiss on me.
“I’m off to the bathroom,” I told him.
“OK.”
I walked through the dark club and found the ladies toilet; the queue was long, but I had no choice but to wait my turn. I looked around while I waited, looking at nothing much, just people watching. I shivered all over, as if I had a sixth sense of someone watching me from afar, but a second glance around told me the alcohol had made me paranoid.
Eventually I returned to our table and hit the dance floor again, this time with Emily. We pushed our way to the middle and continued our silliness, singing out loud to each other, like we had done so often in dorm when I started boarding. Everything felt perfect for once, I couldn’t have asked for a better night. I danced, and danced closing my eyes as I spun around freely, feeling ever so light headed. Suddenly a pair of strong arms embraced my waist, and spun me further, towards the back of the dance floor. I laughed, enjoying being spun like a small child might enjoy being twirled around by their parent. Then I felt lips gently landing on mine; a perfect kiss I thought, my eyes still closed. Henry has either got much better at this or the champagne has completely changed my view of everything. I opened my eyes, to find Leo smiling down at me.
