Chosen One

by Katie Holland

  As promised their luggage was in their rooms when they got there.

  “I can’t believe we’re actually staying here,” Shay said to Alix as they explored each other’s rooms. “It’s like we’re in a fairy tale or something.”

  “I know,” Alix replied. “But it’s a good thing you have your own room. I don’t think all your suitcases would actually fit if we had to share.”

  “Ha ha, very funny, but also kind of true,” Shay said laughing at herself.

  They’d been told that lunch would be served at noon in the small dining room off the kitchen. Alix heard a clock chime and looked at the time. It was noon, so she called to everyone to remind them about lunch. They all made their way downstairs and managed to find the right place. The Council members were already waiting.

  “Sorry if we’re late,” Alix said to them, “but it took us a bit to get here and find the correct room.”

  “It’s no trouble at all,” Shelley said. “Finding your way around here takes some time.”

  They were served soup and sandwiches. It was really good. After everyone was finished eating Maria handed out their itineraries for the time they would be there.

  “If you have any questions please feel free to talk to any of us,” Maria told them. “I’ll be in the blue study if you need to find me and the rest of us will also be around if you need anything. Please feel free to do as you please for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner will be back here at 6:00 this evening. I hope you enjoy your time here.”

  After lunch everyone went their separate ways to further explore the castle and the surrounding grounds. Alix, Shay, and Ben found themselves together walking down one of the numerous halls.

  “I want to take a better look at this itinerary,” Alix said. “I want to know what they have planned.”

  “Here’s and empty room,” Ben said. “Let’s go take a look at it.”

  Alix guessed the room was a study or maybe a sitting room. She wasn’t sure exactly what the difference was, but it had a couch that all three of them could sit on and look at the papers they were given.

  Itinerary for your stay from Nov 1 – Nov 12

  Tuesday November 1

  - 9:00 am – Arrive at Fox Hollow and tour of the estate

  - 12:00 pm – lunch

  - 1:00 pm – free time

  - 6:00 pm – dinner

  - 7:00 pm – free time

  -

  Wednesday November 2

  - 8:00 am – breakfast

  - 9:00 am – bus leaves for Stonehenge

  - 10:30 am – arrive at Stonehenge

  - 12:00 pm – lunch

  - 3:00 pm – depart Stonehenge

  - 4:30 pm – arrive back at Fox Hollow

  - 6:00 pm – dinner

  - 7:00 pm – free time

  -

  Thursday November 3

  - 9:00 am – ladies leave for London for a spa day / man leave for round of golf

  - 10:00 am – ladies at Seaside Salon & Spa

  - 3:00 pm – leave the spa

  - 4:00 pm – return to Fox Hollow

  - 4:30 pm – get ready for dinner and ceremony

  - 5:30 pm – cocktails in the Receiving room

  - 6:30 pm – dinner in the Banquet Hall

  - 7:30 pm – Induction Ceremony

  -

  Alix stopped reading at the end of Thursday. There was still a week’s worth of the itinerary to review but that was enough for now.

  “Wow guys. I don’t even know where to start,” she said. “First of all, we get to go to Stonehenge tomorrow!”

  Alix and Shay started jumping up and down in their excitement. “Stonehenge!” they both squealed.

  All Ben could do was laugh at them. He was excited as well, but the jumping and squealing was just a bit much for him.

  “And don’t forget the spa the next day!” Shay practically yelled. “This is shaping up to be the best vacation ever! Why did you stop reading anyway? Don’t you want to see what else we’re doing?”

  “Yes and no. Once I got to the part about the Induction Ceremony I just needed to stop. Induction Ceremony … that sounds like something you do when you join a cult.”

  That made Shay giggle. “I agree that’s a little cultish, but it’s probably been called that for five hundred years or something crazy like that. Maybe as the Chosen One you can get that changed.”

  “Maybe. I can’t believe they have everything practically planned out to the minute. That sounds like something I would do,” Alix said and started laughing.

  That got both Ben and Shay laughing as well. It took them a good five minutes to calm down.

  “I haven’t laughed like that in a while,” Ben said. “We need to do that more often.”

  “Totally,” Shay agreed. “And I’m impressed Alix, look at you making fun of your controlish tendencies.”

  “I figured I’d say it before you did,” Alix said with a smile.

  “So,” Ben said picking up the itinerary, “do you want to look at the rest of this or leave it to look at later?”

  “I’m still going with later,” Alix said. “Let each day be a surprise. The first two days look awesome, so I imagine the rest will be as well. I mean Stonehenge and a spa day back to back. Doesn’t get much better than that.”

  “That sounds like a plan to me,” Shay said. “Oh, and Ben, sorry about the golf thing, I bet you’d like to join us at the spa.”

  Ben smiled. “Although that’s a pretty hard choice, I’m not sure the spa can handle all this charm, so I’d better go golfing.”

  The girls just shook their heads at him but couldn’t help but smile. Ben just had that effect on people.

  “So, what do you ladies want to do for the rest of the afternoon?”

  “I want to go explore the outside of this place,” Alix said.

  “Sounds good to me,” Shay agreed.

  “Me too,” Ben added. “Let’s go.”

  It took them awhile, but they finally found a door that led them out to the back of the castle. Alix went straight to the knot garden.

  “I’ve always wanted to see a real English knot garden,” she told them.

  “What’s a not garden?” Shay asked. “I mean what does it not have that other gardens have?”

  Alix had to smile at that. “Knot is k-n-o-t, like when you tie a knot. It means the way it’s designed. They all make a pattern. Some more intricate than others. See the way the hedges make the squares and circles and form a pattern? Well that makes it a knot garden.”

  “I see,” Shay said. “And here I thought we were just looking at a bunch of bushes.”

  Alix grinned at Shay. “Technically it is a bunch of bushes, just fancy ones. But isn’t it beautiful? And can you imagine the time it takes to keep it looking this way? Wow.”

  Shay and Ben gave each other a look.

  “What?” she said to both of them.

  “You know they probably use magic to keep the garden looking this spectacular right?” Ben said to her with a smile.

  “Oh yeah,” Alix said with a blush starting to form on her cheeks. “You’d think I’d be used to this magic thing by now but it’s still not the first thing I think of. I guess I’d better work on that.”

  Shay put her arm around Alix. “It’s okay. You were a regular human for seventeen years and have only been Nykara for a month. I think it’s only natural that it’ll take a while to change your thinking.”

  They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the castle grounds. Alix had heard that England could be rainy and dreary but the weather that afternoon was beautiful. They found the lake that Alix had seen from the rooftop garden. They discovered a man-made path through the forest. It was extremely beautiful and relaxing. There were benches scattered along the path. They stopped every so often to enjoy their surroundings. The forest was filled with a lot of the same magical creatures Alix had learned about at Ben’s. Bu
t there were also some that they’d never seen before. Alix wondered if there was a book in the castle library that said what they were.

  They made their way back to the castle for dinner. This time they were able to find the small dining room without any trouble. Dinner was roast chicken and was very delicious. After dinner Alix, Shay, and Ben decided to spend some time in the library.

  Alix was still in awe even after seeing it the first time. Ben started looking for a book on magical creatures. Shay had brought one of her fashion magazines and curled up in front of the fireplace with it. Alix just wandered around looking at everything. A lot of the books were old, like really old. Alix took a few off the shelves to have a closer look. The date inside said 1849. She loved old books and that was the oldest one she’d ever held. Many of the books were in different languages and on every subject you could think of.

  Before Alix knew it over an hour had gone by. She found Ben carrying a couple of books.

  “Whatcha got there?” she asked him.

  “I found the section on magical creatures and grabbed a couple. There are a ton of books over there. I didn’t realize that the creatures of the Nykara world varied so much by country, but I guess it makes sense.”

  “So, what are those two books?” she asked.

  He held them up for her to see. One said, ‘Animal Life of England’ and the other one said, ‘Birds of the United Kingdom’.

  “Those don’t sound very magical,” she said.

  “That’s true but when you look inside they are all about the creatures of the Nykara world. I think that most of the books here are that way. I also think they are charmed so that if a human were to look at them it would really look like the animals and birds of England. But when a Nykara opens the book they see the magical beings.”

  “Oh wow,” Alix said in amazement. “I didn’t know that was even possible. Looks like I still have a lot to learn. What were you planning on doing with those?”

  “I thought I’d borrow them while we’re here and sketch some of them that we don’t have at home. Also, I thought if we had the chance we could go back out the lake and forest and see if we could identify the ones we aren’t familiar with.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. I’m sure it’s okay if you borrow them, this is a library after all,” Alix said smiling. “Let’s go find one of the council members and see if it’s okay.”

  They went to find Shay. She had fallen asleep in the chair. Alix gently shook her on the shoulder.

  “Huh,” a very sleepy Shay said.

  “Shay, you fell asleep. Let’s go back downstairs and get you to bed,” Alix told her.

  The three of them walked down to the second floor. Ben continued down the stairs to see if he could find someone to talk to about the books and the girls went to Shay’s room.

  “I didn’t realize I was so tired,” Shay said.

  “It makes sense though. We are halfway across the world, in a foreign country, a totally different time zone, we travelled all day and night and then had a busy day today. So that’s why you’re tired.”

  “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it. I was just so excited about everything I didn’t even think about being tired until I sat down for a while. It seems too early to go to bed,” Shay said with a yawn.

  “I get that. When I stop and think about it I’m pretty tired too. And don’t forget we have a big day tomorrow. I can’t wait to see Stonehenge.”

  “Oh, me too. It’ll be awesome. So, I think I’ll call my mom quickly and get some sleep. What are you going to do?”

  “Probably the same thing. I want to be well rested for tomorrow. Good night Shay. I’m really happy you’re here to experience this with me.”

  “Me too. Good night.”

  Alix closed Shay’s door and went in search of her parents. She knocked on their door. Her dad answered a moment later.

  “Hey kiddo, come in. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah dad. I just came to say that I’m going to go to bed. It’s been a long day. Where’s mom?”

  “She’s actually already asleep,” he said smiling. “I guess it’s been a long day for all of us. Are you doing alright?”

  “Yes. Meeting the Council went better than I expected. Ruth seemed more what I thought the Council would be like, but the rest were really nice. I’m not sure what they were expecting but I don’t think it was me,” Alix said with a grin.

  “I think they’re just used to a bit more formality and I expect that the ceremony will be a very formal affair,” he told her.

  “You’re probably right. Well I guess I’m going to my room. See you in the morning dad.”

  “Good night sweetheart. I love you.”

  “Love you too dad.”

  Alix went back to her room and got ready for bed. She crawled into the big four poster bed with a smile on her face. She still couldn’t believe she was staying in a real castle. It was almost like one of her books come to life. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but there were just too many thoughts running around her head for her to sleep. She got back up and got her journal out of her bag. She sat down at the desk and started to write.

  Nov 1 – Trip to London – Day 2

  I’m currently sitting in an awesome room, in a castle in England!!! Can you believe that! I’ve always wanted to visit a real castle and now I get to stay in one. I’ve never been in a building so old before, I love it. Meeting the Council was way better than I expected. It turns out they are just regular people. I loved hearing all of their different accents. I can’t wait to see where the rest of the Council is from. The library, oh the library. It’s the most amazing thing. So many books, I was in heaven. I can’t wait to go back in there.

  Being here today it’s clear to me that I still have a lot to learn. I hope I know enough to stand in front of the Council and not make a fool of myself. And I hope they remember that I’ve only known about the Nykara for a month. Wow, it’s really only been a month. In some ways it’s felt like years and other times it seems like yesterday I woke up with my tattoo and learned what I really was. I’m still getting used to the fact that I can do magic and I still think human things first. I guess that will change with time.

  One more thing to add for tonight, tomorrow they have us scheduled for Stonehenge!!! Ahhh! I’m super excited. I’ve always wanted to see it. I hope it’s not too crowded. I’d love to be able to walk among the stones and stand in that circle, but I know they don’t let tourists do that. But it’ll still be great to see, I can’t wait!

  Alix put her journal away and crawled back into the big bed. This time she was able to relax and finally fall asleep.

  Chapter 11

  Alix woke up to someone knocking on her door. She scrambled out of bed and went to the door. It was Gordon.

  “Good morning Miss Alix. This is your wake-up call. Breakfast will be served in an hour.”

  “Uh, okay, thanks,” she replied, still half asleep.

  She closed her door and heard Gordon knock on Shay’s door. That made her smile. Shay wasn’t a very fun person when she was woken up. Alix took a shower and got dressed. She wasn’t exactly sure what to wear to Stonehenge, so she settled on jeans, a t-shirt, hoodie and her most comfortable shoes. When she was ready she went next door to check on Shay. She answered the door a minute or so later. The girls looked at each other and laughed. Except for the different colors of their t-shirts and hoodies they were dressed the same.

  “I wasn’t sure what to wear but seeing you I guess this will work,” Alix said, as she walked into the room.

  “Great minds think alike,” Shay giggled. “Hey, do you have your camera? We’ll certainly need pictures of us gorgeous girls at Stonehenge.”

  “Crap, I left it in my room. Grab your bag and whatever else you need. We will go get my camera and then go down to breakfast.”

  The girls went back to Alix’s room, got her camera, and found their way to the room where br
eakfast was being served. Ben and his parents, her mom and dad, and Karin were already there. Along with all of the Council members except Ruth. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, bacon, potatoes, and scrambled eggs. There was also coffee, tea, milk, and juices. Mike and Kris joined them a few minutes after Alix and Shay arrived. Everyone helped themselves and sat down to eat.

  After breakfast it was time to meet the bus that would take them to Stonehenge. Alix could tell everyone was excited. She was surprised when the Council members also joined them. Alix and Shay had once again taken the seats that were closest to the front, so they could see everything. Once they were all seated the bus left.

  The first sign Alix saw that said Stonehenge increased her excitement. She knew it wouldn’t be long now. Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later they pulled into the parking lot for Stonehenge. Alix was surprised that there were no other cars in the parking area. She wondered what time they opened. Maybe they were early.

  Gordon led them off the bus and took them through the gate without paying. Maybe the Council had prepaid for everyone, but there wasn’t even anyone in the little building there to take the money. After they were all through the gate they followed Gordon down a paved path. As they turned the last corner Stonehenge came into view. Alix was ready to jump up and down. But Alix being Alix her curiosity was nagging at her. From everything she had heard about Stonehenge it was always busy with tourists. She just had to ask someone about it.

  “Hey Gordon, where is everyone else? It seems awfully suspicious that we’re the only ones here. What’s up?”

  “Miss Alix. I think I’m going to get Mrs. Flynn to answer that for you. Mrs. Flynn.”

  “Gordon, in accordance with Alix’s request please call me Ruth.”

  “As you like Miss Ruth,” he said.

  Alix smiled at that. It seemed that Gordon couldn’t completely drop the titles. She noticed that Ruth had a small smile as well. Everyone gathered around to hear what she had to say.

  “So, Alix,” Ruth said turning to her, “it’s time to let you in on a Council secret,” she paused to make sure everyone was listening. “Stonehenge actually belongs to the Nykara people.”