by Julie Eads
Coughing, I nearly choked and through a raspy voice managed to tell her that Declan and I weren’t a couple, which seemed to change the tone of the mood by a landslide. Sitting back against the couch, the only thing she said was, “Oh! I am so sorry. I thought that you were; my mistake.”
It seemed that somehow I had offended her yet had no clue why. I realized that if I wanted a lasting friendship with Taya then I would have to be honest with her; as I had been with Katelyn. Not that I was trying to find a replacement for my best friend as there would never be another one like her, but I did long for the companionship of someone else my age.
“Why did you go all quiet?” I eventually asked her.
“It was just that I was so excited for both of you. Now I feel like an idiot that I jumped to the wrong conclusion,” she said, “I don’t have very many friends, and I was afraid that I had made you mad.”
Sitting silently for a minute I felt a tug at my heart. I also felt for Taya as not having friends really took a toll on someone, which only made me want to be her friend that much more. “It’s not a big deal, I promise you,” I laughed playfully and standing up I changed the subject by asking her which guardian we were taking with us on our shopping spree.
With relief in her eyes she also stood and shrugging her shoulders replied, ‘I have no clue; I guess it’s whoever is willing to go with us,” and we laughed together at the thought that a guardian would be eager to go girlie shopping.
“Well, let’s go down to the guard station, and see who will volunteer; shall we?” I asked, and with a nod of her head we made our way down to the gate.
Chapter 10
As we arrived at the gate we discovered Declan standing on duty with Eirnan. As soon as I saw him the butterflies started fluttering, and I could feel my palms begin to sweat; which is undoubtedly gross.
“Hello, ladies.” Eirnan was the first to speak as he gave us a respectful bow. Taya giggled, and replied with a simple ‘Hi,’ whilst Declan stood frigidly for a moment before finally turning to me and smiling. I was almost knocked off my feet and straight onto my butt. For some reason I hated that he had this effect on me.
“Are you not supposed to be getting ready for your party tonight?” Taya asked Declan, thankfully filling the silence that was beginning to become awkward.
Although Declan didn’t take his stormy eyes from mine he managed to shake his head and shrugging his shoulders said, “Yeah I suppose, but there really isn’t much to get ready. I am only turning a year older.”
I couldn’t take his weird behavior any longer; it was eating me alive and so, before I could change my mind I blurted out, “Can I please speak to you for a moment?” Surprised he nodded his head then followed me part way along the path back towards the castle, stopping midway when I did. As soon as we were out of ear shot I screeched, louder than I had wanted to, “What is your problem?” He just stood there for what felt like centuries, and when he finally spoke he just told me that nothing was wrong, that he had just been too busy.
Shaking my head I could feel the anger burning through me. “Oh no! Don’t do that, don’t lie to my face!” I commanded; my face burning hot with annoyance. I liked him and had thought that we had really had a shot at some sort of a relationship, but if he was going to act this way then maybe I was wrong; maybe everyone was wrong about us being soul mates.
“I have been busy.” He finally countered; surprising me by saying, “It’s just I can’t shake off this odd feeling I get when I’m around you. I’m scared, okay! I am not even eighteen; I haven’t even chosen my animal that I will be transforming into tomorrow night! And!” He stopped mid-sentence as he now seemed to be screaming, throwing his arms up and about in an effort to convey his emotions. Continuing in a rant, he declared, “I have people telling me that we have the shine, that we are soul mates. But it’s just that….,” and his voice trailed off before he continued in a lower tone of voice, “It’s just that I don’t know if I am ready to have the responsibility of being your soul mate, on my shoulders.”
Stepping back I felt my stomach knot; it took all my strength and control not to burst into tears. “You don’t want me?” I whimpered out, sounding more childlike than I had in years.
Declan hung his head low. Then running his hand slowly through his thick black hair he said, “That is not what I said. Of course I want you.” And he went on to explain, “I want you so badly that it hurts me; my heart and my mind, hell my whole existence on this earth yearns to be with you, to have you wrapped snuggly against me forever.” Pausing to take a breath he continued, “But what if I can’t make you happy? What if I hurt you or lose you?” As he said this he looked defeated and was hurting; as much as I had moments before.
Stepping closer to him I placed my hand through his. “I don’t know that we will never hurt each other. I can’t guarantee that we won’t lose each other someday but, we will never know anything unless we give it a try,” I said as I lightly squeezed his hand. Smiling at him I felt comforted by the fact that he felt just as frightened as I did.
Looking down at me Declan bent and kissed my cheek, before saying something I will never forget. “I do want you, and I am sorry for being such a jerk,” he said as he ran his hands along his jeans nervously. Then he continued, “To be honest I just can’t lose someone again, not like I lost my father. It nearly ripped me apart and left me with a tough shell exterior as my family needs to depend on me; but inside I am truly a mess.”
Pulling him into a hug I couldn’t believe how his pain echoed mine. We were both broken and hurt from losing people we had loved. Suddenly I realized that Willow was more right than I had thought; Declan and I were made for each other. We felt everything alike, even down to the way we handled our pain.
After he had whispered sweet nothings in my ear, and apologized over and over again we made our way back to where Eirnan and Taya stood patiently waiting with silly smiles plastered across their faces. Both their eyes settled on Declan and my hands wound tightly within each other’s and they grinned. Then Taya jokingly bumped into my side, and wiggling her perfectly plucked eyebrows said, “That was quick,” and she smirked, causing me to smile. “I am so happy you guys have worked it out though,” she stated with genuine concern in her voice. It was at that point that I knew I had made a good friend.
It was hard for me to leave Declan behind, but he had much to do before his party later that night, as had I. Doing my best to remind myself of the task in hand and to keep my mind busy, I made my way through the gate with Taya and our guard for the day, Eirnan. Fortunately I managed to sneak one last peak at Declan, who was looking after me with a brilliant smile shining on his face.
Taya wrapped her arm through mine and we followed Eirnan to an old warehouse not far south of the castle, the place I was growing more and more accustomed to calling my home every day. As we approached the warehouse Eirnan stopped us abruptly in our tracks. He held his hand up, telling us to stay where we were as he needed to do a perimeter check; “Just a precaution,” he reassured us. Taya rolled her eyes, and giggling lightly she elbowed me in the side.
“Protectors,” she said, laughing in a childlike banter, which was prematurely cut off as we heard a loud rustling noise, as if someone was in the warehouse. My body grew rigid, and I saw Eirnan tense his muscles as he took a deep breath, readying himself for what, or who, was inside the building. Quickly he instructed us to hide in the nearby trees, and if anything were to happen we were to run to the castle fast and not look back, no matter what happened. My chest was in knots, as I felt constricted. I couldn’t allow someone to lose their life protecting me but, I also knew that if I didn’t obey Taya would most likely stay beside me, which could result sadly, in all our deaths.
Quickly I assured him that we would do as instructed, and satisfied he turned to open the door to the warehouse. I readied myself to bolt towards the trees with Taya in tow, when suddenly a white fox came trotting out of the warehouse. The poor thing appeared
frightened and after looking in my direction for a moment it turned and quickly ran into the woods. It was by far the most elegant and beautiful creature I had ever seen. Even as the fox fled from what it must have believed to be some harm it still held its head high and handled itself gracefully.
After the fox had gone Taya brought me out of my thoughts by letting out a rush of air that she had clearly been holding in. Eirnan continued looking around; all the while keeping a watchful eye until he was assured that the animal had been the only intruder. Once Taya and I had him completely convinced that we were okay, he led us into the warehouse which I discovered housed about a dozen cars.
Choosing a set of keys from a bowl lying on a plain white shelf Eirnan pointed to a black and sleek BMW M3. I had never been a big car enthusiast but I knew a beautiful car when I saw it, and as I looked around I was glad that he had picked that one. Looking around I saw it was surrounded by other normal, everyday family cars, such as a Toyota Camry and a Ford Focus. I am sure they were all really good cars but perhaps not something a teen princess would want to be caught out in whilst out cruising town. Somehow I couldn’t help but smile at the thought, laughing to myself at my inside joke. Also I felt I would never get used to being a Princess; no matter how hard I tried.
Once we had all climbed into the car Eirnan drove us away. We moved through the slippery valley hills before turning onto a small hidden path that led to a winding gravel road. That was when the thought hit me, “Why are we driving?” I asked, “Why can’t we use the same portal that Knoll and I used to return to the valley?” Despite myself I felt stupid by asking the question, as if the answer was obvious. If it was then Taya and Eirnan showed no signs of it being so.
“Well Mina,” Eirnan started to explain then quickly stopping himself. “Is it alright if I call you Mina?” he asked, ashamed at how unprofessional he was being.
Trying to stifle a laugh I simply told him it was alright. “Regardless of what our places are in the castle, in my eyes we are all people and therefore are all equal,” I concluded.
Both Eirnan and Taya looked to me with looks of utter surprise spread across their faces. They didn’t say anything but I could tell that what I had said had them both lost in their own thoughts. After a few moments Taya seemed to snap out of it, responding to my previous question and said, “We can’t use the portal because it takes a lot out of the healer that has to open it.”
“Willow?” I said aloud; more to me than anyone else, but they both shook their head in agreement.
Taya continued by explaining, “That is why she is so young, yet appears to be old. Pacu magic is a wonderful gift, but to the one who has its control, it can definitely be a curse.”
Swallowing hard, I suddenly realized that my sister Maggie would eventually take Willow’s place and that filled me with more anxiety than I had ever expected. I really liked Willow, she was a wonderful person, but she also lived by herself, in a sad life by always mourning the man she had loved and lost. That was something I didn’t want Maggie to become. For the first time I wondered if my sister had really wanted to be a healer, or if her fate had been decided upon at birth, as mine had. I made a mental note to ask her someday; or at least when I worked up the nerve that was.
We had been following the dirt path for about forty minutes when we finally reached a small cobble stoned town that looked as if it belonged in an old time magazine. There was a small bread store on the corner, a fresh fruit and vegetable market and a few shopping stores that had names even I couldn’t pronounce.
Eirnan quickly found a parking spot, parallel parking behind an old beaten-up truck. Then turning towards us he said, “Ladies; it is a small town, but there are bad people here just like any other place. Remember I will be with you from here until we leave.” The idea of being baby sat all day long was something I didn’t like. I had to accept that Eirnan was just doing his job, so Taya and I reluctantly agreed to his rules as we made our way to the first shop that housed clothes and other miscellaneous items. I had a task at hand plus I needed to find the most perfect gift for Declan, as well as finding lovely dresses for Taya and myself.
After going through stacks of CDs of groups I had never heard of, piles of lame greeting cards and tacky looking stuffed toys, I eventually found the perfect gift. It was a sterling silver band that had a carving of two white foxes nestled together against a backdrop of a forest which circled the rest of the band. Its beauty was breathtaking and the workmanship that had gone into the simple ring was truly a piece of art. Although I would have to buy a dress from another store, I was glad that I had found such a beautiful gift. Yet the sense of irony I felt was amazing by the very fact that I had just seen a white fox less than an hour earlier. It felt as if the ring had been made just for him. Strangely I had often heard stories of jewelry calling to people, but had always thought it was a way for people not to feel too guilty about their frivolous spending. Until now I couldn’t have explained it, even if I wanted to but I understood that it now didn’t matter how ludicrous it seemed as it was ideal.
Going to the front desk to purchase the ring I was informed by the clerk that all the rings in their store came with a free engraving. I pondered for what seemed like hours, leafing through old sayings, as well as new ones in different languages to find something that would be appropriate. Finally, I came across, ‘A chuisle mo chroí.’ Its meaning in Gaelic was clear, ‘My pulse, my heart,’ and I thought, ‘how beautiful it sounded.’ With the way that Declan made me feel I knew the meaning was very apt and ideal. Unbeknown to me, although I later discovered it, the Pacu knew a wide variety of languages, so when I showed Taya the ring she gasped and squealed with delight, exclaiming, “It’s beautiful.”
Once the shop keeper had completed the engraving he wrapped it in a beautiful, natural green, starched paper and tied it with a light green ribbon to match. As we left the store we headed to a shop across the street where Eirnan, Taya and I enjoyed a cup of coffee, sitting at a small wooden coffee table where we discussed mediocre things such as the weather and scenery. As we sat there chatting it suddenly hit me that poor Taya didn’t have a date for Declan’s party that night. “So Taya,” I said, trying to sound as casual as possible, “Who are you going to the party with tonight?”
Her face turned stark white and for a moment she sat silent. Just as I was deciding whether to apologize or not she replied, “I thought about going alone.” Her answer was quiet and simple.
As I fumbled for words to make the conversation less awkward, Eirnan spoke up. “There is nothing wrong with being independent,” he announced a broad smile on his face as he obviously tried to lighten the mood. “Anyway, I will be there alone so maybe we can hang out together if you get too bored,” he stated matter-of-factually. The suggestion must have pulled Taya out of any depression she had been experiencing as she finally agreed to meet up with him at some point; if she hadn’t found anything else to do. I admit at being grateful for Eirnan's interruption, yet I couldn’t help wonder if he had made the offer for his benefit, Taya’s or rather mine.
Having finished our coffee we headed towards another store that had a number of beautiful dresses in their display window although they looked a little too fancy, so I secretly hoped they would have something a bit simpler. Having agreed to help Taya pick her dress first, this proved to be a harder task than even I anticipated. Unfortunately she seemed to have a limited choice due to her lovely curves, which made me want to have a rant at the designers as I felt she deserved better treatment than she was receiving. After trying on dozens of dresses that my grandmother wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing, we finally decided on a soft pink, floor length gown that had a symmetrical neck line with a beautiful white shawl that wrapped gracefully around her shoulders.
At one point I almost decided to go to another store to purchase my dress because of the way the staff had been snearing at Taya. She was a beautiful woman so why couldn’t they open their eyes and look past their superficial
mind set and change their distorted views on what beauty was, I just couldn’t understand. By the time it came to my dress I had it down to a choice of three.
It was between a lavender one that hung just above the knees, complete with a plunging neck line. I didn’t know if I was comfortable with it or not. Then there was a black and white cocktail dress which was covered in fine lace. However, the one which caught my eye was a simple black gown, being floor length. It would have looked plain if not for the amazing detail as the dress had long sleeves and was covered with beautiful black lace which cascaded down my slender arms, making me feel very classy. The neckline was heart shaped and my bare skin showed just beneath the over laid lace where the black satin should have sat. It was modest, yet breathtaking at the same time. As soon as they showed it to me, I knew immediately after trying it on that it was the one for me.
As the day drew to a close we quickly made our way back to the car, not realizing that we had spent so much time in town. The time displayed on my watch showed that by the time we got back we would only have a few hours in which to get ready. Eirnan went well over the speed limit and we literally flew down the dirt road, sending large amounts of gravel and dust up in our path. Finally, we reached the warehouse and after Eirnan had parked the car we all hastily walked in silence until we reached the gate, where Keenan let us through. Taya and I quickly thanked Eirnan for taking us out then we raced off to the castle and up the stairs to my room.
