Unlocking Adeline (Skeleton Key)

by J. D. Hollyfield

  “Darn right it is. Just made me some slow-cooked chicken dumplings in that thing last night.”

  I turn to her. “Wait. Isn’t that like cheating? Aren’t you supposed to be living in an era where this doesn’t exist? I certainly don’t see this luxury in the castle.” I mean, I could seriously have eaten a plate, or five, of some dumplings, instead of duck or pheasant or whatever that mystery meat was last night.

  “Research, dear. I consider it research. Any who. Not to fret. Before ye leave I will have created a magnificent Reese’s peanut butter cake aligned with KitKats. Now, to why ye are here. How is yer father?”

  The mention of my dad brings me back to the matter at hand. “Um, he’s fine. Well, not fine really. You see, I was told he came to see you some time back. Can I ask what he came here for?” Turning on the blender, I’m not sure she even heard the end of my question.

  She stares at the mixing machine, as if forgetting we are even in the room. “He asked for a potion to heal yer mother of the sickness that lived inside her. But ye already know that, dear. Ye want to know why he did it.”

  “I want to know why, yes. Did he know you could cure her?”

  She finally turns off that damn machine, dumping the batter into a metal pan. Not bothering to answer my question, she puts the pan in her oven and sets a timer. “Sit, we have thirty minutes.” Becoming annoyed, I follow Ellie and take a seat on her futon, which has an Ikea stamp on it. I shake my head. This is just so messed up. I’m about to abort this mission once again, because I have a feeling I am not going to get any answers from this lady.

  “Answers ye will get, now sit. So, ye sure do look like yer father. Ye have yer grandmother’s eyes,” she begins. “I would ask what yer grandmother thought of ye, but word travels fast, so ye don’t have to be a magician to know the answer to that.”

  My shoulders slump at the reminder. I actually have living relatives and to be reminded how much they hate me sucks. “Yeah, well apparently, I’m not well liked in her eyes.”

  “Oh, Berta will get over it. She is still pining over the loss of her son. And to see ye. To see her son in ye, I’m sure it was a shock. Berta was a beauty in her day. Ye look just like her when she was young.”

  I perk up, wanting to know more. “I do?” Mean old woman or not, she still is my grandmother.

  While Greta clicks her remote for the TV to go on, a soap opera floods the screen. I don’t turn to look, because I refuse to acknowledge one more thing wrong with this situation. “These two. They have been dancing around one another for weeks now. Ye would think the writers were so horny themselves they would finally just write the damn sex scene in already.”

  That’s it. “Greta, I need to know—”

  “He knew yer fate way before he used yer key to collect the potion for yer mother. He knew ye would end up here.”

  The gasp that leaves my throat shocks me. “He knew? How?”

  “Yes. He knew before he left Wren. Before he even met yer mother. He came to me one night. Young warrior he was. He was unsteady with his life. Not sure he wanted to continue to be a supreme leader of Wren. Certainly no interest in being a king.”

  She totally lost me there. He was in line to become King? Her statement doesn’t line up with anything that I’ve learned since I’ve been here. “Wait, if he was to become King, what about Faith and William?”

  She doesn’t turn to me, but picks up her remote to raise the volume. “No, no, pay attention. Yer father was a prince, but he was second in command. In the Book of Wren, it skips a generation. So even though he was a prince, it was his lineage that would bear the mark of the crescent moon. It was said that the king and queen would bear a son. Ye see? It was all already written in the book.”

  I fall back into the futon. “So if he didn’t have any pressure to be King, then why did he leave?”

  Greta shrugs her shoulders. “He wanted a different life. He had gone into different realms a few times by then, and he felt at home more in the other worlds than he did here.”

  “So what did he want from you?”

  “He wanted to know his future, of course. He was confused. He was afraid of making so many wrong decisions; he wanted to know if he should give up on finding what would make him happy.”

  So my dad knew? He knew what life he had ahead of him. He knew the whole time I was growing up, where I would end up. Anger shifts through me like a raging tornado. “So this whole time, he knew someone would come for me and take me away from my home. Take me away from any chance of living a normal life on my own planet?” I’m fighting back tears. Tears of knowing the one person who was supposed to protect me, was the one guiding the path instead.

  “Do ye know how ye got yer name?” Greta asks.

  What? What does that have to do with anything? “N… no.” I wipe the tears that have fallen. “I think my parents told me it reminded them of a place they visited once on their honeymoon.”

  “Adeline means noble and kind. The first queen to ever set foot in Wren was named Adeline Marilina Wren. She wasn’t known for the typical womanly charades. She was known for her fierceness. While her flock stayed behind and knitted, she fought right alongside the Army of Wren. Her actions were severely frowned upon because that was not the duty of the queen. But Adeline refused to sit back and allow her men to do anything she was not willing to do herself. She was brave. She spent her entire life as Queen, fighting for what she believed in.

  “When I told yer father what he had in store for his life, I told him that he would have a daughter. One that would be so noble and fierce, he would hold his head so high at her accomplishments. She would exceed any expectations he could ever have for her, and she would blossom into greatness. After hearing that, he broke down. He cried for a daughter he had never met, but already loved so deeply. He asked about ye. What ye would look like. The color of yer hair. Would ye have his eyes? He never once asked about his wife, or who she was. Just ye. He knew that his life, no matter what path he chose, it would lead him to ye. His greatest accomplishment.”

  My tears have begun to freely fall down my face. “But I don’t understand. If he knew all these things, why did he risk having me taken away? Why did he come home, knowing they would find me?”

  “I’m not done child. One of the questions he asked was what ye would grow up to be. And I told him what I saw. The truth. Ye were to be Queen. It was yer destiny. Whether ye were born in this realm or the next. Ye would bear the crescent moon mark. It was ye that would lead this land to the greatness it could be.”

  “But… but I don’t want to be Queen! I don’t want to live here. I just want to go home and go to college. I want to become a teacher or a doctor.” I shake my head, my cries turning into sobs. I didn’t ask for this. Why would my father use that key, and put me at risk of being found, if he knew I would be taken?

  “Adeline, yer father knew when they would come for ye. He was told that on yer nineteenth birthday that the key would appear for ye. That it was to summon ye home. If ye failed to accept yer destiny, then the chosen would come for ye. He knew it would take exactly one year for him to find ye.”

  Putting together the timeline, it all makes sense. How not long after my nineteenth birthday my mom started getting better. Why the last two years Dad became so paranoid about me being out late, or without him. Not allowing me to stay out after my shifts at the diner. How after work on my twenty-first birthday, he insisted on me coming straight home. And how I didn’t listen. If I had, would I still be at home? Would Locke have found me?

  “So this is my fault. I didn’t listen, and Locke found me. My dad was trying to warn me, and I was selfish. I went out and walked straight into his hands.”

  “Locke found ye way before that night, child. He found ye at age twenty. I cannot answer why he took so long to show himself and summon ye home, but he’s known for some time.”

  He found me? A whole year before he finally took me? That news shocks me even more. I think about the past ye
ar and if I ever remember noticing him. Did he come into the diner? Did he see a movie I was at, or walk past me on the street? Then it hits me. His scent. Last night when I smelt him, it was strangely familiar. He had been near me. Close enough for me to recognize his scent.

  That son of a –

  “So ye see? He knew ye would end up here, no matter if he got caught or not. He struggled with coming back. Because he didn’t want them to find ye any sooner than what his future told him. But yer mother was dying. So he made a choice. He couldn’t change yer fate. But he could yer mother’s. When the key appeared for ye on yer nineteenth birthday, he used it to save yer mother. Would ye have wanted to see yer mother die, then be ripped from yer home and thrown into another realm?”

  Even mentioning the thought of my mom dying guts me. I miss her so much. “And what if I don’t want to be Queen? Choose to refuse the marriage and go home? Hide, so no one can ever find me? What if?”

  “That I cannot answer ye. Yer father paid the price of knowing his future. He had to live his entire life, knowing that the daughter he loved more than anything would leave him. And it was out of his hands. He was born into this world. He could choose to leave it, but he couldn’t deny his duties.”

  Well, there is one thing I am not and that’s my dad. I am not going to accept this as my life. No one is going to tell me who or what I am going to be. I stand quickly, done with this conversation. I just need to find that damn key and go home. I will run, for the rest of my life if I have to. I am not bowing down to some book of legends bullshit.

  Just as I turn to leave, Greta’s timer goes off. She pops up with us, and brushes past me, ignoring my attempt to flee. “She looks just delicious!” She beams pulling her cake out of the oven. As much as I want to run out of here, the scent of vanilla hits my nose and my stomach instantly growls.

  “Now, now, don’t just stand there, help me take these KitKats out of the wrapper. A new pin is posted every .003 seconds. We mustn’t stall on this cake too long. Many more things are waiting to be made!”

  No words.

  And I mean, no words. As we walked back to the castle, Ellie tried to talk to me and every time she opened her mouth, I told her to shut it. That visit did not go anywhere near as planned. Even though I am walking away with a belly full of peanut butter KitKat cake, which was fabulous, I just can’t digest what she told me. Is it the truth? But why would she lie to me? What she revealed has me just as lost. I think about how long Locke knew about me. And why it took him so long to make himself known. Did he follow me into that bar that night? Or did I unconsciously lure myself in. Maybe it was my fate.

  No. Screw that!

  I take a sudden halt, causing Ellie to trip. “Is something wrong?”

  I look at her as if I’m the one gone completely mad. “Yes, Ellie! Everything is wrong!” How can she be so blind? First off, hello? That woman has better technology and appliances than I do at home! She was watching soap operas for crying out loud, made the best cake I have ever eaten, and I actually enjoyed the music she claimed she created from some garage band app on her iPad! Gahhh!

  “Ellie, I know you see nothing wrong with this situation, and that’s fine. Well, no, actually it’s not. But I need some help grasping at how everyone just goes about their lives pretending that there isn’t another world out there.”

  “Well, there are very few who have seen outside of Wren. Most don’t care to, and the few that have, chose to keep their stories to themselves. Locke is a man of few words, as I’m sure ye have seen, and does not share his times outside of Wren.”

  “Oh heck with Locke!” I scream, throwing my hands up. “The next time I see that big ole—”

  Just then the sounds of hooves clashing against the hardened dirt sound behind us. We both turn to see a group of men, being led by Locke and Christof, heading our way. “Oh what great timing,” I snarl, as I turn away from the castle and head toward the stables.

  “Miss, I would maybe wait till supper to address this. He is with his men. It would not look well of ye to disrupt him.”

  I would tell Ellie to shut up, but I’m too far ahead of her. I don’t give a rat’s ass what his men think of me. This guy is going to get a piece of my mind, and it’s going to be right now.

  “Locke!” I yell his name and watch everyone turn. Christof sees me and his huge smile almost calms me enough to rethink my actions. But then I see the annoying snarl covering Locke’s face, and it brings me back to the fire I need to go off.

  “You!” I point straight at Locke as I march toward him.

  “Miss Adeline, wait!” I hear Ellie in the background.

  “Get off that horse now! I have some choice words for you!” His snarl changes into a mischievous one. As if he knows a secret that I don’t.

  “Oh please, come closer and make me, sweet Princess,” he taunts me.

  “Oh, I will, you big oaf!” I speed up, ready to yank him off that saddle and choke him with his own shirtsleeve.

  “Miss Adeline, wait! Don’t go any farther!” I turn abruptly, because I am sick of Ellie yelling at me. “Jesus, Ellie shut up! Just go back to the castle.” She clearly doesn’t know me, because I can fight my own battles. Turning back, I latch eyes with my enemy and before I’m able to spit out anymore words, I step right and fall right into a mud puddle.

  I hate everyone.

  “Oh my dear! I tried to warn ye, Miss Adeline. The mud swamps are hidden. It is hard to tell between the dirt road and the swamps.” She tries to stick her hand out to help me, but I swat it away. I am completely covered in brown muck. I brush my face, so I can see without wet mud covering it.

  “Ye were saying, Princess? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch the last bit.” Locke chuckles.

  “Ye are an arse, Brother.” I hear Christof say, jumping off his horse and coming to my aid. “Are ye alright?” he asks, not worried about getting muddy. He helps me to my feet, trying to squeeze some of the mud from my dress.

  “I’m fine.” Which is a lie. I am about to commit murder, and make him brother-less.

  “I’m sure ye are, but let me get ye inside and make sure a bath is ready immediately.” I focus on Christof’s kind gesture. I allow him to brush his hands up and down my dress, wiping off mud. His hands work themselves over my shoulder blades and down my ribs. Its then I notice Locke. His eyes are on fire. And they are watching every place Christof puts his hands.

  Hmmmm… Interesting.

  “Oh, thank you. Please, can you do the back of me?” I ask as sweet as pie. Two can play at this game, ass wipe.

  “Oh yes, yes, the less mud we drag in the better.” He turns and begins brushing his palms on my behind. Yep, that does it. Winner for me. Looks like one of them will be brother-less and it might be Locke.

  When Christof is done, he stands once again. I notice that all my ducks are in a row, so I go for it. I lean in and offer Christof the sweetest kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, you are so kind. I know I might be heavy, but I may have hurt my ankle. Is there any way you can carry me inside?” As Christof looks concerned, Locke’s expression is glacial.

  “Oh yes, of course. Come now,” he says and lifts me up in his arms and begins carrying me to the castle. It’s when I offer my best smile at Locke, then snuggle my face into Christof’s neck, that I feel just a little bit better.

  I don’t go down for dinner, mainly because I’m a sissy and I’m afraid to run into Locke. I probably shouldn’t have teased Locke, and I also shouldn’t lead on Christof. My dad has done enough harm to this family. I would hate to put out false hope then disappear just as my father did. The other reason is because my emotions are all over the place. I wish I could talk to my dad. See my mom. I even miss my annoying little brother.

  I need to find a way out of here.

  I spend the night grilling Ellie on rooms in the castle. Where are the offices? Where does Christof or Locke keep their things? All questions that if she were smarter would really scream, ‘Where do they keep the glow
ing portal to other realms key?’ It turns out that there is a captain’s quarters, as she described it, where they conduct business. They keep stock of fancy liquor, ledgers, and keys of importance. I mean, who says that and doesn’t fill in the blanks?

  I send her on her merry way, telling her I won’t need her anymore this evening. Her horrible secret keeping has done well, and she can have the night off.

  I wait until the sounds in the castle die down, and people are fast asleep in their beds. There is no way I can spy and sneak around in a flipping ball gown, so I change into my night dress, since it’s only one layer and doesn’t drag along the floor. Two deep breaths and I open my door. I peek out to see the hallway empty. No guards, maids, or angry ogres in sight. I race through the hallway, taking the stairs two at a time. Instead of going to the right toward the ballroom, I head left which leads into the business quarters. I stop behind a huge statue, trying to listen for sounds or people. Once I feel like I’m in the clear, I continue on down the hallway. The corridor is dark, so I have to use the glowing torches to guide my way into the room I’m looking for.

  One, two, third door down is the one I am looking for. Bingo. I reach for the handle and with a deep breath in, I turn the knob. It opens without a hitch. I slide myself into the room and shut it just as quickly. My heart is about to beat out of my chest. I need to calm down or else I will risk getting caught. I head toward the gigantic wooden desk and begin to search for the key.

  “Come on, come on.” It has to be in here somewhere. Ellie said that all the desks have hidden drawers where they would hide secret ledgers or money. I’m going to assume that is where I will find the key.

  I open the second drawer to the bottom, and push aside some papers when I feel it. My heart rate spikes as I wrap my hands around a glass key, shaped in a skeleton bone.