Chosen One

by Katie Holland

  The Council was silent as Alix finished. Finally, James spoke.

  “I know I speak for everyone here when I say this, Alix I commend you on how you’ve handled everything. For someone who has only known what it is to be Nykara for a little over a month you’ve been through more than most people will in their entire lives. From what I can tell you’re a remarkable young woman and I understand why you’re our Chosen One.”

  The other Council members nodded in agreement. As usual, Alix blushed at the compliment and didn’t know what to say.

  “Thank you all for taking care of our precious Kaelneth,” James said. “And thank you for your time. We have a few things to discuss now that we know everything that has happened. Feel free to do as you wish. See you all at lunch.”

  Everyone from the Sunset Creek group got up and left. Alix was hoping to spend a little time with Shay to see if she could figure out what was happening to her, but she had a feeling Logan was going to be waiting for Shay as soon as they left the garden. So just before they could see the doors that led back into the hallway she stopped Shay and hugged her. As she did she pushed a little bit of energy into her. She could feel another energy in Shay that she assumed was Logan’s doing. She tried to memorize it in the few seconds the hug lasted.

  “What was that for?” Shay asked but was smiling at Alix.

  “Just for being you,” Alix replied.

  “Awww, you’re so sweet,” Shay said. “I love you too.”

  This was the Shay that Alix knew. It had only been a day, but Alix missed her. As they entered the hallway sure enough Logan was there waiting for Shay.

  “Hey there beautiful,” he said to Shay and held out his hand to her. She immediately went to him and was back to the Shay that Alix didn’t recognize. He whispered something to Shay and she gave Alix a dirty look and left.

  Alix wanted to cry but she knew it wasn’t really Shay acting that way. Ben came over to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Are you okay?” Ben asked quietly.

  “Nope, but I will be. Let’s go talk in private.”

  Ben followed Alix down to the second level to her room. Alix didn’t stop until they were in the bathroom. Ben smiled but didn’t say anything. Alix quickly put up a sound barrier, so they could talk freely.

  Before Alix could say anything, Ben asked, “The bathroom?”

  “It’s a smaller room and I knew I could easily make the sound barrier.”

  “Fair enough. So, what’s up?”

  “First of all, did you notice that Shay was acting completely normal at the meeting? Like nothing unusual was going on?” Ben nodded. “I knew I wasn’t going to get a real chance to talk to her so that’s why I hugged her as we were leaving the garden. I was searching to see if I could find anything in Shay that wasn’t supposed to be there.”

  “Did you?”

  “Yes, I did actually. As I pushed my energy through her I could feel another energy there almost pushing back. It wasn’t Shay’s natural energy but something else. I’m pretty sure it’s something Logan has done.”

  “Did it feel bad or something?”

  “That’s the strange thing, it didn’t feel evil like the Grynn but it didn’t feel like ours either. It was a very weird sensation. I’m not sure a Healer would be able to find it.”

  “Should we tell Kris?”

  “Yes, but let’s wait until we meet him tonight. Unless it’s an emergency I think we should see if we can find anything else out before then.”

  “Okay, so what do you want to do until lunch? We still have just over an hour until lunch is ready.”

  “Why don’t we just walk around the castle? We can learn where more stuff is and maybe see if we can get Shay alone again. I doubt we will but it’s worth a try.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Ben said.

  Alix dropped the sound barrier and they left the bathroom satisfied with what they had found out.

  Chapter 22

  Alix and Ben went down to the first floor and into the grand foyer. Alix wanted to take a closer look at the huge fireplace.

  “Can you believe the size of this thing?” she said to Ben. “I mean look at it. I can stand up in it, reach my hand out to the side and not hit my head or touch either side. I bet it’s awesome in the winter time or on a cold rainy day.”

  “What’s with you and fireplaces?” he said jokingly.

  “I don’t know, I just really like them. And look at the mantle on this one. It’s even more intricately carved than the one back home in the cabin.”

  Alix ran her hand over the beautiful wood. The top was completely flat and almost soft from years of wear. The front of the mantle had a countryside scene on it. There were trees, grass, fields and old small houses.

  “This must have been made when the castle was new. Can you imagine the hours it took to make this with hand tools?” Alix said

  Ben just smiled at her. “You’re so funny sometimes. I love the way your brain works.”

  She ignored him and continued to study the wood. The country scene even wrapped around the edges. She was looking at the far-right side when she noticed something. One of the carved trees that was close to the wall had what looked like a tiny door in the bottom of it. As soon as she touched it she heard a noise.

  “What was that?” Ben asked her.

  “I think it was me. Come and look at this.”

  She showed him the tiny door and touched it again, but harder this time. To their astonishment the back wall inside the fireplace opened.

  “Oh my God,” Alix said at the same time Ben said, “Cool.”

  “We have to find a way to close it before anyone sees us,” she said quickly.

  “Why? Let’s see where it goes," Ben said eagerly.

  “We don’t have time right now. We’ll come back later when everyone is asleep. Look for something that might make it close.”

  They quickly searched the mantle and fireplace looking for anything that appeared different.

  “I think I found something,” Ben said.

  Alix went to have a closer look. On the opposite side of the mantle there was another tree that also had what looked like a door, just a different shape.

  “Push on it,” Alix told him.

  Ben pushed it, but nothing happened.

  “Harder,” Alix said.

  So, he pushed the tiny door harder. It moved but still nothing happened.

  “There has to be a trick or something else,” Alix said. “Do you see anything else that looks out of the ordinary?”

  They looked again but didn’t see anything.

  “I’m going to try something,” Ben told her.

  The next thing she knew the secret door was closing. She wanted to ask what he’d done but they heard voices.

  “Quick,” she said, “let’s sit down before it looks like we were doing something suspicious.”

  They sat down on one of the couches that faced the fireplace and just in time, Ben’s parents came around the corner talking to each other.

  “Oh, hi Ben, Alix, what are you two kids up to?” Natalie asked.

  “Just hanging out waiting for lunch,” he answered.

  “You know you can never fill him up,” Alix said laughing.

  “I know that for a fact,” Natalie said. “Do you mind if we wait with you?”

  “Of course not,” Ben told them. “So how are you guys liking it here? We haven’t really seen that much of each other since we got here.”

  The four of them caught up and talked until it was almost 1:00. They went to the dining room and joined everyone for lunch. It smelled great when they walked in. Alix saw two different kinds of soup and a big plate of croissants. They got their food and joined the others at the table. She sat next to her mom and Ben sat next to her. As they were eating Shelley came over to her parents and whispered something to them. Then she also whispered something to Ben. On the other side of the table
she saw Ruth say something to Natalie and Rick. She looked at Ben, he mouthed “Later” to her. She hated being left in the dark but didn’t want to cause a scene especially since this seemed to be a secret from everyone else.

  As they finished up in the dining room Alix caught Natalie’s eye and she nodded. She hoped that Natalie understood to meet them to talk. She also very quietly told her parents to meet them outside the dining room. When all six of them were there Alix motioned for them to follow her. They went to an empty room, so they could talk.

  “Okay, so who’s going to tell me what was said back in the dining room? And did all of you get the same message?”

  “I was told to come to the meeting this afternoon,” Ben said.

  “Us too,” her mom told her.

  “Same here,” Rick said.

  “Hmm, I wonder what they want and why it would be a secret,” Alix said and started pacing. “The meeting was supposed to be for Council members only. Not that I care if you guys are there, in fact it’s probably better. I still find most of the Council a bit intimidating. Especially that Russian guy, he’s a little scary.” Alix realized she was babbling and stopped talking.

  “I don’t know what they could want,” her mom said. “But we’ll find out soon. The meeting starts in twenty minutes. We should probably find the Blue Room.”

  It only took them a few minutes to find the room they needed. Ruth and Shelley were already there.

  “Have a seat anywhere you want,” Shelley told them.

  There were a bunch of couches and chairs set up randomly all over the room. It looked like a huge living room with too much furniture. Alix could certainly see why they called it the Blue Room. The ceiling was a sky blue and as you got to the floor on the walls the blue got darker and darker until it was a rich navy blue at the bottom. All of the furniture was cream or a very pale blue, so it lightened the room a bit. One thing that bothered Alix most about the castle was that a lot of the rooms had no windows, and this was one of those rooms.

  Alix and her parents sat on one of the couches while Ben and his parents took another one. They only had to wait a few minutes until everyone was there. It was Ruth who was in charge of this meeting.

  “I’ll get right to the point,” she said. “After you told us everything that has happened since you became a Nykara we had a very serious discussion. We don’t feel it’s safe for you to stay in your house any longer.”

  Alix looked at her parents and they just shrugged.

  “Being the Chosen One makes you a target. Your appearance in our world means that there are terrible things to come. Your safety is our number one concern. We came up with two options. Option one, you stay here in England, at this estate. You would finish your education and continue to train here. Option two, you move into the protected house in Sunset Creek. You finish your last year of school at home and we send people to you to further your training. You can take a few days to think about it if you would like.”

  Alix’s mouth dropped open. It sounded more like jail than anything else.

  “No,” she said.

  That one word was very loud in the room. Everyone turned to look at her. She stood up to talk.

  “I understand your concerns but I’m not going to give up my senior year of high school just because I’ve become the Chosen One. And as much as I like it here I really don’t want to live here. I have an idea, but I need to talk to my parents and Ben, Natalie and Rick first. Give us a minute in private please.”

  The Sunset Creek group left the room and walked a little ways down the hallway.

  “Okay,” Alix started. “I get the safety concern, I really do. Look what happened when Shay and I went to the mall. But I don’t want to leave home and live here and as much as I’ve complained about high school, I really don’t want to miss out on everything that senior year has to offer. Here’s my idea. Mom, dad, and I move into the Nykara house and I still go to regular school. They can send people to help me train if they think that’s necessary. They can even send people to protect the school if they want. I’m not leaving Sunset Creek. So, what does everyone think about this?”

  Natalie looked at Rick and Ben, they both nodded. “It’s okay with us,” she told Alix.

  “Mom, dad?” Alix asked them.

  “Can you give us a minute to talk about it?” her mom asked.

  “Sure.”

  Her parents moved away from them to talk. A few minutes later they were back.

  “Alix honey,” her mom said, “I understand keeping you safe and moving in with the Travers’ but you could stay there, and we could still stay at the house.”

  “Yes, you could but I really want to keep living with you guys. I know it’s a lot to ask but if I have to live somewhere else I want you guys to be there.”

  “Aww, how’d we get lucky to get such a great daughter. If we all moved into that house what would we do with ours?”

  “I actually have an idea about that too. Sara mentioned wanting to come to Sunset Creek, I thought she could rent our house. So … what do you think?”

  “We would do anything to keep you safe,” her dad told her. “And if that means a temporary move than that’s okay with me. Heather?”

  “I agree,” she said hugging Ted.

  “So, it’s settled,” Alix said. “Now when we go back in I’ll tell them what we’ve decided. I’m not letting them tell me what to do. This is the only option I feel comfortable with. Thanks everyone for working with me on this. I really didn’t want to feel like a prisoner, even if it is for my own safety.”

  They went back to the meeting. They all took their previous seats, except for Alix. She stayed standing to address the rest of the Council.

  “We’ve come to a compromise that I hope you’ll find acceptable because it’s the only one that I can live with. I’ll agree to live at the Nykara house in Sunset Creek but I’m still going to live my life and go to high school. Before you say anything, you can teach me everything I need to know about protecting myself, plus Ben will be with me anywhere I need him to go. You can also send extra security or protect the school or do whatever you need to, but this is the way it’s going to be.”

  Alix sat down between her parents. They each took one of her hands. She looked over at Ben. He smiled and nodded his head. They would show a united front on this.

  “Well,” Ruth said. “I’m assuming this arrangement is fine with all of you.”

  All six of them said yes.

  “Alright, we’ll need a minute to discuss this. Please wait in the hall and we’ll call you when we’re done.”

  So, they went back into the hallway.

  “I don’t think they looked very happy,” Alix said.

  “Oh well,” Ben said. “Ultimately there’s not much they can do about it. It’s your decision as to where you’re going to live. Like you said, it’s not like they can make you a prisoner.”

  A few minutes later they were called back to the meeting. After taking their seats Ruth addressed them again.

  “We have agreed to go with your option. We understand that you’re still young and need to experience life. We will be sending extra security back to Sunset Creek and we’ll make arrangements to fortify your school.”

  “I don’t want to feel like I have bodyguards or something,” Alix said.

  “I understand. And we’ll do everything in our power to help you live as normal a life as possible.”

  “Okay, thank you. That means a lot," Alix said with a sigh of relief. She actually expected them to give her resistance.

  “We’ll figure out all of the details before you leave Fox Hollow,” Ruth told them. “Heather, Ted, Natalie, Rick and Ben, thank you for your time and generosity. Your part of this meeting is over. Please feel free to enjoy yourselves for the rest of the day.”

  Chapter 23

  They left the room which had Alix feeling a little lonely and slightly nervous about the rest of the meeting. I
t turned out she had nothing to worry about. She was just there to observe how a meeting went. They mostly talked about current Grynn threats and areas where there was the most Grynn activity, which actually scared her a little since there seemed to be a lot of them. The remainder of the meeting seemed to just be a few miscellaneous items that she really didn’t pay that much attention to.

  By the time the meeting was over it was almost 5:00. She was very happy that it was over. The time crawled by and it felt as if she’d been in that room all day instead of only a couple of hours. Since she had no idea where anyone was she headed for her room. She wanted to get some thoughts into her journal as once again strange stuff had already happened that day and it wasn’t even dinner time yet. She got her journal out of the desk drawer and started writing.

  Nov 5 – Trip to London Day 6

  So once again I’m needing to write because more strange stuff has happened. I’m starting to think I’m a magnet for this stuff. I guess it’s because I’m the Chosen One but come on already, does something strange have to happen every day?!?! Anyway, not surprisingly this is about Shay. I knew something had to be wrong with her. I’m not sure exactly what Logan has done to her, but I need to find a way to fix it. The presence of another energy in her was shocking. And since she seemed so normal at the meeting I can only assume that Logan needs to be close to her for it to work properly. I don’t understand why he’s doing it though. What does he have to gain? I will find a way to save Shay. She’s mine to protect and no one messes with that.

  The other thing that happened today was that Ben and I found a secret door in the huge fireplace in the main foyer of the castle. It looked like it led to a tunnel or something. How freaking awesome is that! Since I became a full-fledged Nykara it sometimes feels like I’m living in one of my books rather than my real life. But I mean every castle has a secret passageway, right? I can’t wait to go back and explore it.

  Another thing that’s happened today is that it’s been decided that it’s not safe for me to live at home anymore and wanted me to be home schooled. I don’t think so. As much as I wasn’t looking forward to my senior year Ben had changed all that for me and now I want to experience it like a normal teenager. I convinced the Council to go with my compromise so that means when we get home we’ll be moving in with Ben and his parents. Yes, it’ll be a bit weird but it’s worth it for everyone’s safety. I also said that Sara could rent our house or something. I haven’t talked to her yet but from some of the things she’s said I think it’s a good idea. I also am going to talk to her about opening a bakery in town. This is my little secret for now, but baking is her passion and I think she’ll like the idea.