Vincent shrugged, “You’re right. I don’t believe any of your stories anymore. They’re for kids.”
Grandpa laughed again, “Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. You’re never too old for stories. As a matter-of-fact, I’ll be telling a few tonight.”
Vincent just shrugged again, trying to hide his growing excitement.
“I can’t wait pops,” Vincent’s father, Christian, said stepping into the doorway. “I bet Vincent can’t wait either.” He gave Vincent the same look that Xavia did earlier. It wasn’t as intimidating, but he tried. Maybe if his eyes weren’t already so small, then it would’ve worked. It just looked like he was closing his eyes, or trying to block the sun light from blinding him.
Vincent did his best to hold back a laugh, “Yeah pops, I’m excited too. I can’t wait to hear about the magical Princess, Raluza, and the evil king.”
“Great! You remember!” Grandpa laughed. “Well, I’ll see you tonight then. Your mother’s baking cookies.” He turned around and walked out of the room.
“Vincent, be nice to your grandfather,” Christian said in a serious tone. “He’s been through a lot these past few years and doesn’t need your sarcasm or your attitude.”
Vincent sighed, “Alright, dad.”
“Watch your tone Vincent,” Christian warned before leaving the room.
“Watch your tone Vincent,” Vincent mimicked in a low voice. He plopped back down on his bed and pulled out his notebook, then he flipped back to the last page.
~*~
Later on that night, everyone but Vincent played board games in the front room. It used to be something that he loved doing, but when he realized that his grandfather wasn’t coming to play with him for a while, he gradually stopped playing. Instead, he would lock himself away in his room, draw pictures of his imaginary world, and write in his notebook.
Vincent wanted to forgive his grandfather for being away for so long, but it was hard. Grandpa just left without even warning him that he wouldn’t be coming back for a while. Sure, grandpa had work. What that work was? Who knew! But he should’ve called and said something. Writing a letter would have even been acceptable.
Ever since his dreams started, Vincent’s had so many questions. Everything that grandpa had ever talked about were things that Vincent saw while he was sleeping. He could never hear names or sounds for that matter, but everything that was described in Grandpa’s stories were all there, in his head. Grandpa wasn’t around to answer any of his questions, and he felt lost for a long time, then he just brushed it all off as a coincidence.
Vincent sighed and stood from his bed. It was about that time: Story time. Even though he acted like he didn’t care for it, he couldn’t wait to hear about Raluza and the Princess again. Princess Aveena. He walked out of his room and crept down the hall. It was nine o’clock at night, and the only light on was the dim lamp in the front room.
Grandpa laughed loudly as he ended the game with a win, and then, as if sensing Vincent’s presence, he turned to him. “I see you’ve finally come out of your cave?”
Vincent shrugged, “Yeah, um, I thought I’d come out for story time.” He bit his lower lip, realizing just how lame he sounded.
“Oh yeah, grandpa! Tell us a story!” Ayva cheered. She crossed her legs and turned to grandpa.
“Well, first, let me get up on this couch, and then I need Mrs. Xavia here to bring us some cookies.” Grandpa pulled himself up from the floor and onto the couch.
Vincent accidentally let out a laugh, “You and your cookies.” He immediately dropped his smile when everyone looked back at him.
“I’ll go get the cookies,” Xavia said standing up. “You go sit with your sister, Vincent.”
“Yeah, come sit with me,” Ayva bounced her eyebrows, making Vincent laugh again.
“Umm, I’ll be right back!” Vincent wanted to have his notebook ready to compare his pictures to some of the things in the story. He ran back to his room, slid his notebook from under his pillow, and then went back into the living room. By the time he sat down next to Ayva, Xavia already had their cookies on separate saucer plates for each of them.
“Thanks mom,” Vincent thanked with a mouth full of cookie.
Xavia and Christian sat down next to grandpa on the couch, and waited patiently for him to speak.
“I can feel a hole burning in my face right now,” Grandpa laughed.
“Yeah, we’re being patient,” Ayva said before biting into her cookie. “Remember how you used to always tell us to be patient?”
“That was me, Ayva,” Xavia giggled.
Grandpa looked down at Vincent, who waited for him to speak. “So, what do you want me to tell you all about?”
“I don’t know,” Ayva started. “You’re the creative one. Make something up grandpa!”
Grandpa raised a brow, “Vincent?”
Vincent sighed, then looked down at his notebook, “Aveena. I want to hear about Aveena.
“Your wish is my command,” Grandpa laughed. “So, let’s get started from the very beginning…”
Chapter 2
Van Horn, Texas
Year: 1870
Thirteen year old Michael was on his way home from his friend’s cabin. He knew that he would be in trouble, because he was supposed to be home before dark, but his friends begged him to stay over a little longer. It wasn’t late, but it was just about that time when someone was snatched from the street and found hanging the next day. Michael had never seen someone lynched before, and he prayed that he never did. Even during his years as a slave he’d never seen anything like that. His family was one of the lucky ones to end up with a kind slave master.
Slavery had ended in Texas a few years ago, and there were plenty of people who wouldn’t accept it. Being out, alone in the dark, was a very dangerous time for anyone. He and his friends sometimes made jokes that he was too dark to even be seen at night, which sometimes was true, but it still wasn’t safe.
Michael walked through the small town with his eyes wide open, and his fists balled. He told himself that it was just because he wanted to be ready in case anyone ran up on him, but it was really just because he was trying to control his shivering.
He looked up at the night sky and admired the stars. They were always so big and bright at this time of night, and he wished that he could stay out longer. At least he could watch them from his window. He still remembered all the times that he and Master Conowell stayed out on the porch and went over letters, and how to speak properly, under the stars. His family was against his relationship with the master, but in the end there was nothing that they could do about it. Not even the other members of the Conowell family could do anything about it.
Master Conowell was the only person in the house that taught him how to read. He also was the only kind white man Michael had ever come across. He fed his slaves more than just bread and water, and he made sure that they all wore comfortable clothing. He never beat his slaves, but he did warn them of what would happen if they were disobedient. Michael never knew what those warnings were, and he remained obedient so that he would never find out.
The only person that Michael had ever feared was Master Conowell’s son, Jacob. Jacob looked down on the slaves just like the rest of the Conowell household, and when the master wasn’t looking, he would go after Michael. There was one day that Michael was beaten so badly that it was noticeable, and when the master found out what had happened, he kicked Jacob out of the house. Jacob was at the age that he could take care of himself so his father had no problem with making him leave. That was the last time that Michael had ever seen Jacob again.
Being under the stars like this made him think back to all the great times he had spent with Master Conowell. It was just last year that he’d heard of his murder, by his own son. Rumor spread around that Jacob had shot his father for choosing a slave over him, and a few days later, Jacob hung himself.
Michael shivered when the wind blew. He was almost home when he
spotted a shooting star, or at least what looked like a shooting star out over the trees, but since when did stars shoot into the air and then go crashing back down? And right into the woods next to his home?
The ground under him shook and he almost lost his balance, but he stood upright when he heard howls a little further behind him. They weren’t ordinary howls either. These howls came from people, the kind that snatched black men and women off the streets and left them to hang for everyone to see. The kind that might come for him if he didn’t get his butt home on time.
Michael looked back to see five tall shadows heading in his direction. It didn’t look as if they’d noticed him yet, but any closer and they would see him. He turned back around and burst into a sprint. There was no indication from the shadows that they’d spotted him, but he wasn’t going to stick around to find out. Hopefully, he actually was too dark for them to see in the night.
Michael continued to sprint until he reached his cabin. He was just about to go inside when he noticed the glowing light out in the woods. Even across the grassy plain, and deep into the woods, he could still see the golden light within the trees. He was about to head for that light when the door opened to his cabin and his older brother, Anthony, yanked him in.
“What in the world are you doing, man?” Anthony whispered.
A candle was lit and Michael could see his mother’s tired face looking up at him. She stood from the one twin sized bed in the room and glared at him with dark eyes. “Where have you been?” She asked in a deep quiet voice.
“I-I was with my friends mama. I meant to get back earlier, but-”
Anthony slapped the back of Michael’s head, “but what? You know better than to stay out after dark. You worried the both of us.”
Michael sighed, “I’m sorry mama.”
“And what about me?” Anthony asked.
Michael looked up at his six foot brother. Anthony was only five years older than him with dark brown skin, brown eyes, and thick black hair. The two boys didn’t resemble each other at all. Michael got his looks from his father, who had short silky curls, and eyes so dark that they looked black. Before he left them, he was the only other African, besides Michael, with silky black hair in the family. Michael also took his muscular physique, and at thirteen, he was ripped with lean muscle from head to toe.
“What about you?” Michael frowned. He slipped out of his shoes and sat them next to the door, then he crawled down onto the mat next to mama’s bed. He wanted to tell them about what he saw in the woods, but then he realized how crazy he would sound. A shooting star that shot out of the trees, and then fell back down? That’s insane! Shooting stars came from outer space, not the earth.
Mama stared down at him for a moment, shook her head and sat back down in her bed. “Come, get to sleep Anthony,” she said. “You have work in the morning.”
“Yes, mama.” Anthony crawled down on the mat next to Michael’s and pulled the covers over him. “Next time, I’ll lock the door,” he whispered.
Michael slightly smiled before falling asleep.
~*~
The next morning, Michael woke up early. He was more than curious to see what had caused that golden light in the woods. As quietly as he could be, he stood from his mat, slipped on his shoes, and left the cabin. He was almost a pro at sneaking out, but every now and then he would awaken his brother. It was Anthony that taught him the art of sneaking out in the first place.
Michael stood outside the door and took in a breath of fresh air. He loved the early mornings when the birds were out chirping and the sun was rising. It was the sign of a new day! Something his father had always said.
When he heard stumblig inside the cabin his eyes grew wide. He had to get away before Anthony or his mother got a hold of him, or it would be time to start the chores and he would never find that golden light.
“Michael!” Anthony yelled from inside the cabin.
Michael sprinted off to the grassy plain. He ran as fast as he could towards the trees and when he was finally into the safety of the woods, he turned around to see his brother stumbling out of the house in his work clothes.
Michael smiled and shook his head, then he turned around and started walking through the woods. He kept himself alert just in case he was walking into some kind of trap. The woods were a dangerous place for him to venture, and it was where many people were found dead. He just had to know what happened over here though, so just to be safe, he picked up a thick stick and broke it in half so that he would be left with two sharp ends.
After approving of his new weapon, he started walking through the woods again. He looked up, down, and left to right just to keep an eye out for anything that may surprise him. He was going to make sure that he made it out of here alive.
Besides the woods being dangerous, it actually was the most beautiful place Michael had ever been in, besides Master Conowell’s house. The trees stood tall with healthy green leaves; there were different colored flowers, which was something that he didn’t usually see, and different colored birds out chirping and flying about. It even smelled better than anything he’d ever smelled. The woods’ air was fresh.
Michael ran his hand over the bark of a tree, but then yanked his fingers away when he felt his fingers grow ice cold. “What in the world?” Michael turned to get a closer look at the tree and noticed that half of it was covered in ice. How could there be ice in such a hot area? He ran his fingers over the ice again just to be sure that he wasn’t losing his mind, and his eyes widened. “Impossible…”
A rattling noise, like the sound of chains, startled him and he stepped back. The sound had come from behind the large tree. It could have been someone that wanted to kill him, or someone that needed his help. He didn’t want to fall into a trap, but if someone was chained out here, then he couldn’t just leave them.
“He-hello?” Michael asked as he slowly peeked around the tree. His mouth dropped when he saw that the ground was covered in ice, and it was snowing. Michael looked around to see if it was snowing anywhere else, but it wasn’t. It was only snowing in that one spot on the other side of the tree.
“Mmmm…” The chains rattled again, and someone moaned on the other side. A female someone.
Michael swallowed and held his stick out. He didn’t know what he was walking into, but he was about to find out. He carefully stepped onto the icy ground and walked around the tree. At first he saw a bloody elbow, and then he saw two brown legs laying straight out. Finally, he saw a girl’s face.
A girl around Michael’s age was slumped over with dry blood on the side of her head, and dry tears on her cheeks.
“Hey…” Michael looked her up and down and observed the shackles on her wrists and ankles, then he looked over the silk white dress that she was wearing, and the long crystal earrings hanging from her ears. That’s not what threw him off guard though. It was her ears, they were pointy!
“Mmmm…” The girl moaned in her sleep again. She shifted to her side and tucked her legs in for warmth.
“Umm…ma’am?” Michael crouched down and took a closer look at her shackles. “What in the world happened to you?” Her ankles and wrists were badly bruised and her legs had smeared blood on them, but no cuts.
Michael looked up at the girl’s sleeping face and, aside from the freakishly pointy ears, she was beautiful. She had long black wavy hair that hung over her shoulders, and beautiful, smooth brown skin. When she finally opened her eyes, Michael was surprised to see that they were a dark hazel-grey, and that wasn’t something he had seen very often.
“Hey?” He gave a slight smile. “Are you alright?”
The girl looked frightened. She scrambled up against the tree and pulled her legs against her chest. Her pink lips parted as she sucked in the cold air, and her eyes darted all over his body. She looked from his confused face, to his wool cream shirt, his brown pants, and to his dirty, old brown shoes.
Michael sighed. He didn’t know what to do with her. He wanted to t
ake her back to his home, but her ears would cause too much attention, and then she would become a target. Not to mention that she was wearing rich clothing and jewelry. They might have thought that she stole all of these things. For all Michael knew, she could have.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. I promise,” Michael assured. “Let me help you.”
The girl’s eyes widened, and then she began coughing so badly that she couldn’t hold herself up.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Michael moved in closer to catch her in his arms right before she hit the hard icy ground.
The girl finally stopped coughing and let her head rest in his arm. “Thank you,” she said.
“Ah, great. You speak English.” Michael helped her sit back upright. “What’s your name?”
The girl looked down at her hands, and then up to Michael’s dark eyes. “My name is Aveena. What is yours?”
“I’m Michael,” he smiled. He was happy that she could speak English, because now he could ask where in the world she had come from, and what had happened to her.
They both just stared at each other while thinking of the right thing to say.
“So, where are you from?” Michael asked.
Aveena looked down again, “You wouldn’t believe me.”
“Ma’am, not to be rude, but your ears aren’t very normal. They point,” Michael tapped the tip of her ear and Aveena snapped her eyes back at him, “and mine are round. Not to mention that it’s snowing in this very spot. I think I may believe whatever you tell me,” he laughed.
Aveena slightly smiled, “I’m from Raluza. It’s a different world.”
Michael stood tall, “A different world? One where blacks get to wear pretty clothes and shiny earrings?”
Aveena did her best to get to her feet, but she was struggling. Michael grabbed her arms and pulled her upright so that he was looking into her eyes now. He let her go when he felt his heart begin to race. Never before had a girl made him feel so nervous.
“Thank you,” Aveena sighed. She took a step back. “Why don’t you seem surprised or afraid?”
Aveena: The City of Gold (The Black Knight duology Book 1) Page 2
