by Orchid Leigh
I shrugged as much as I could, but my shoulders were heavy with dreadful guilt. “Yeah, I’m incredible. Incredibly stupid, that is . . . I led you right to her.” I scoffed at myself and looked away, tears building in my eyes again.
Peter reached for my hands. “I’m okay, Ellie,” he said, squeezing them gently.
I took a deep breath, and my gaze fell to his chest. “Yeah, but . . .” I trailed off, falling into the nightmare memory.
Peter pulled my chin up. He smiled, and it was beautiful. “I’m okay, really.” He smiled again, but this time it was sly and mischievous. “I was right, though,” he said.
I smiled back now. “I’m sure you were. But what do you mean?”
“Granny Leira’s letter . . .” he said, leaning back and pulling it from his pocket. He unfolded the paper. “It had the answer. Look, this whole second part . . . it’s about you and this place and about those princess powers of yours.” He nudged me playfully. “I think she was trying to tell you you could lend them to someone else.”
He pointed at the letter.
Please know it is not a gift, for it has always been yours. It belongs to you, just as it did to me. My soul could not bear to give it to another for fear it would fall into the wrong hands, so it remains yours to do with it what you will. And I worry not, for I know I am leaving it in the palms of someone very special and capable indeed.
I stared at the letter, baffled. “That’s quite the riddle. How would I have ever gotten that?”
Peter laughed. “That’s how she talked . . . like she was hiding this big secret all the time.” He laughed again. “I guess she was.” He turned to me. “But maybe she knew you needed to work it out for yourself, ya know? She knew you had it in you.”
I pondered that thought and considered my sweet grandmother, so alone and stricken with her struggles. “Poor Granny Leira . . . what a burden this must have all been for her.”
Peter looked at me with pained eyes. “Yeah. Sorry, Ellie.”
“What are you sorry about?”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t really get it before.”
I shook my head at him. “No. No way are you going to be apologizing to me right now.”
He started to protest.
“No,” I repeated with a stern head shake, and tears began to build again.
Peter nodded but leaned into me and whispered quietly, “This wasn’t your fault.” I shook my head again, but he stopped it with a kiss to my forehead. He put an arm around me and pulled me into him, squeezing me tight. “Why don’t we get out of here?”
“That’s a really great idea,” I said with a nod. I patted his knee and took a steadying breath. “Give me one second. I’ve got to do one more princessy thing first.”
I walked over to where Levvi was kneeling beside Razora. I stared down at her dead body. A sick guilt settled inside me; I was the one who took the life from it.
The blood that oozed darkened beneath her, making her appear just as evil and malicious as ever. It was a dismal sight that sent a mix of uncertainty, sadness, and anger up my spine. I shuddered.
The large merman, Strom, walked over to Razora and pulled her, wet and dripping, from the water.
“I don’t know if that was the right thing to do,” I said aloud to myself as he carried her out of the room.
Levvi rose to stand beside me and regarded me thoughtfully. “This should never have been your burden, my princess,” he said. “I am very sorry for all of your heartache here tonight.”
I put my hand on his shoulder, nodding solemnly. “Yeah, it was. Somehow, this was always, exactly, my burden.” I searched Levvi’s eyes. “Can you explain to me why I feel like that?”
Levvi smiled. “You are Glacia’s princess.” His eyes narrowed lovingly. “And I think you are a very special one at that.”
I shook my head and glanced back at Peter. “But I can’t be your queen,” I said, and I felt the tears in my eyes.
Levvi nodded. “I know. We know,” he said, gesturing to the room. “You have helped us tonight and we will forever be grateful.” He bowed to me.
“Thank you, Levvi,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. I looked at him questioningly. “So you really didn’t know Leira had given Razora her powers?”
Levvi shook his head. “We knew not. And poor Leira—she must have felt awful about it all. She was a kind soul and would never have done such a thing had she known what Razora was to become.”
“No. She didn’t know,” I agreed, sure in my heart that this was true. I quietly ruminated for a minute. “Do you think I could do it?” I asked. “Give someone my power?”
Levvi thought for a second. “I am not sure. I think the answer to this will lie in you. What do you think, my princess?”
I smiled. “I want to try,” I said, having already made up my mind. A deep-seated confidence had found its way in, and it was guiding me now—I already knew I could do it.
I screwed my neck around to search for Starla, but my eyes fell on Midnight first.
I walked out of the glass enclosure and over to him. I stared into his big eyes—so blue and peaceful. “Did you and your friends do that?” I asked, gesturing to where Peter was still waiting for me.
Midnight nudged his nose into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his strong neck, crying thankful tears. I hugged him tight, then stepped back, brushing my fingers through his soft mane. “Thank you,” I whispered with a kiss to his big nose.
I turned to Levvi and Starla, who were standing beside me. I smiled at Starla and reached for her hand. “Come here, Starla,” I said. I pulled her with me and we stood together in front of the crowded room.
I looked around at all the faces of those who had gathered. I gazed joyously at each of them. They were happy and free and were without the dark veil of fear to mask their radiant beauty. They each stared back with loving gratitude, and a painful torrent of guilt and heartache came crashing at my soul. I let out a short, sad sigh and spoke to the room.
“I am sorry, but I can’t stay,” I said. “Leira made a lovely home above. And that is where I belong.” I turned to Peter and felt the smile deep inside me.
“However, before I go,” I said. “There’s something we need to work out.”
I turned back to Starla. “Starla,” I said, my voice inflated so all could hear. “You and Levvi have shown great strength, loyalty, and, above all else, love—in the toughest of circumstances. Through it all, your love has endured. And that love is the key to building this city back up.”
I took Starla’s other hand and faced her. “Starla, you have the heart of a true princess. It is that unfaltering love that this great city needs.” I paused to smile at her. “Starla, I am passing this great duty to you. Will you be so honored as to take the throne here in Glacia?”
A smile beamed across Starla’s face. She turned to Levvi, who was smiling back at her.
“Yes,” she said happily.
I closed my eyes and held Starla’s hands in mine.
I knew what to do. I thought of Glacia and of my love for the beautiful city. I thought of the smiling faces around me, of Levvi and then of Starla, and I let that love grow and pulse through me until I could no longer contain it. With a happy heart, I pushed it from my hands and into Starla’s. A slight vibration tickled my palms for a second before stopping.
I opened my eyes and smiled at Starla. She lifted her hands to examine her palms, and together, we saw a faint glow of light lingering on them.
“I think it worked,” I said with a laugh.
Starla reached for my hand and turned it over. “Yes,” she said. “But I think it is just a small piece of your magic.”
I nodded, staring solemnly at the soft glow still on my hands. It was still with me—a part of me—and a strange thought caused me to pause . . . Maybe it always had been.
I smiled up at Starla. “It’s enough, though,” I said. I reached for Starla, embracing her in a hug. “You’re going to make a great q
ueen, Starla.”
“I will not let you down, Ellie.”
“You couldn’t,” I said, squeezing her tight.
Levvi was at Starla’s side. He put a hand on the small of her back, and she twisted to hug him. He looked at me from over her shoulder. “Thank you, my princess,” he said, and he and Starla twirled in a joyous hug.
~
We stood near the lake above. I held Peter’s hand and stared up at the two magical creatures who had somehow become dear friends.
“Will you be there if I ever go back?” I asked Levvi.
“Do you think you will?”
I glanced at Peter and reconsidered. “No . . . probably not.”
“Then I will remember you and miss you throughout my days,” said Levvi. “It was an honor to have met you.” He bowed his head gracefully.
“I’ll miss you, too,” I said, and tears began to fall.
“Do not fret, dear princess,” said Levvi kindly. “You have given us our happy lives back, and my only hope is that you will find the same happiness here and live a long and joyous human life.”
“Thank you, Levvi,” I said with a smile. I turned to Midnight. “You come visit me anytime.” I grinned up at the large beast. He nudged his nose into my shoulder. I reached up, wrapping my arms tightly around him. I held on for a minute, then let go. “Bye,” I said to the two magical creatures in front of us.
“Goodbye, Ellie and Peter,” said Levvi with a bow. He and Midnight walked back to the water. With a circle of dazzling light, they descended and were out of sight.
I turned to Peter, then back down the beach toward the trails. “Are you ready for this?” I asked.
He followed my gaze hesitantly. “Yeah,” he said with a shaky laugh. “What’s a little parental wrath after all of that?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We’ve got this.” I took his hand and a deep breath, and we started back home together.
32
“One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. Four Missi—”
Thunder boomed in the distance, but it was getting closer. I bit at my nails nervously and stared up at the darkening sky. It lit brightly again with another flash, and a loud clap rolled ferociously behind it.
“Come on, Peter,” I said, looking impatiently toward the alley beside Carle’s.
We were supposed to be meeting up at the gazebo after school, but those plans had been locked into place over a week ago, and I hadn’t spoken with him since. Neither of us had been clever enough to sort out a backup plan should the weather turn into the fierce and savage beast that currently stalked us.
The pitter-patter of rain sounded on the roof, and another lightning bolt whipped through the sky. This time, the crackle of thunder did not wait for a countdown. On instinct, I bolted out of the gazebo and across the lawn toward Carle’s.
It took no time; the clouds poured their buckets, and I was soaked through and through as I stepped up to the curb on the other side of the street.
I ran at full speed, splashing down the sidewalk with my head low, trying futilely to keep the water off my face. I didn’t see Peter as he came running from the side alley and we collided in a wet, blurry mess.
“Peter!” I yelled excitedly over another roll of thunder.
“Come on, let’s get inside.” He pulled me toward the store.
We pushed open the door, seeking refuge inside. I shook off as much water as I could but would have to resign myself to being a soggy sock for a while. I glanced over at Peter, vainly wiping at his jacket, and saw that we were a matching pair.
“So how did your week in lock-up go?” I asked as I wiped the water from my eyes.
“Eh . . . it wasn’t too bad, I guess,” he said. “Would have been worse if she knew the truth.”
“Yeah,” I said with a bleak grin. “You’d be serving life for sure.” I took a deep breath and rattled my head, trying to shake off the horrific memories.
I glanced up at Peter. His rain-sodden hair clung to his forehead, and his wet skin glistened in the overhead lights. His cheeks were so rosy, his blinking eyes . . . so beautiful. He was right in front of me, breathing and being perfectly perfect, and my overwhelming joy broke me.
“What’s up?” he asked.
I tried to speak, but there was a lump in my throat, blocking my words, so instead, I just cried. I reached up, throwing my arms around him.
He put his arms around me, and my emotions flooded over. My body trembled and waterfalls ran down my face. I didn’t care. I would stay like this forever and would never let go.
The door chimed behind us.
“Hey, come here,” said Peter, grabbing my hand. He pulled me around the corner to the candy aisle. He took my hands in his, meeting my teary eyes. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m okay.”
I was still shaking. I took a deep breath to try and stop crying, but it was useless. My breath came out in jagged heaves and there were no levees to hold the tears.
“I . . . thought . . . I . . . lost you . . . and . . .” It was hopeless. My efforts to speak came to an end, and I broke down uncontrollably.
Peter put his arms around me, and I sobbed in them until my eyes ran dry. He waited until I was calm. He then let go and smiled warmly.
“Hey, it looks like the storm has passed,” he said, glancing at the store window behind me. “Do you want to go sit outside?”
~
We sat in the gazebo with the warm sun on our backs, the fresh rain-cleansed air blowing softly around us. I closed my eyes, trying to let the lovely day calm me. I breathed in the beauty with a deep, steadying breath.
“How’s your chest?” I asked, glancing fearfully at where the horn had so cruelly pierced him. “Does it still hurt?”
He brought his hand up and rubbed at the spot. “Nah,” he said, but his lie was weak.
I narrowed my gaze at him.
He shifted uncomfortably. “Well, just a little sometimes,” he said. “But it’s getting better.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
“Okay,” I said, but I lingered on his chest, still worried. “You know you can tell your mom if you think it’s a problem. You can just say you fell off your bike or something.”
“I don’t have a bike,” said Peter, grinning at me. He saw my unamused scowl. “But yeah, I will. I promise.”
“I can’t lose you again, Peter.” I shook my head at the thought.
“Yeah, I know. You don’t have to worry about that. I think those crazy unicorns knew what they were doing. They sure were some miracle workers, huh?”
“Yeah. Thank God,” I said, shaking away another horrible thought. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Peter took a heavy breath and sighed. “I think you’d be okay without me.”
“God, Peter, don’t even say that.”
He tilted his head. “Ah . . . I just mean, if I wasn’t here . . . in Ocean Lake, you’d be okay.” He pressed his lips together and looked at me like he was trying to figure out if that was true.
“That would suck just as much,” I said, looking back at him, worried. “Why?”
Peter slumped a little and was slow to answer.
“What?” I asked. He was scaring me.
He sighed and leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees.
I pulled on his forearm to try and get him to sit back up. “Tell me. What is it?”
Peter sat up and turned to me with teary eyes. “We’re moving, Ellie.”
“What?” I asked because there was no way I had heard that right. He didn’t answer me and was quiet again. “Wait, you’re not serious, are you?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah . . . um . . . my mom’s going back to school in Portland. My nana lives over there, so . . .” He shrugged and hunched back over his knees.
I stared at his shaggy hair blankly. The dark clouds were back, and they were closing in. “But you can’t move,” I m
uttered breathlessly.
Peter’s shoulders moved up in an unhelpful shrug.
“Portland?” I breathed. “How far is that?” It would be too far—any distance would be too far. My knees began to shake and my nettlesome tears were back.
Peter moved up and twisted on the bench to face me. He put a hand on my knee to stop me from shaking. “It’s not that bad,” he said. “Just a few hours away, and I’ve got to come back a couple of times a month to visit my dad, so . . .” He took a heavy breath and puffed out his cheeks wearily. He exhaled the anxious breath in a slow stream. “But yeah, it sucks.”
I paused on Peter’s sad eyes. I swayed and took a breath. This wasn’t just about me, and I needed to be a friend. I sat up a little straighter and wiped at my eyes, mustering all my will to stop crying. “So . . . what’s Portland like?” I asked.
Peter breathed a short, somber sigh. “It’s bigger for sure. More people, not so small.”
“It sounds like it might be good for you,” I said. “You didn’t want to be stuck in this dot of a town forever, anyway.”
He laughed. “I used to think like that.” He smiled at me.
“So what changed your mind, Peter Evans?” I said slyly.
I sighed and bumped his shoulder with mine. “I’m really going to miss you,” I said, and any dumb idea I had about not crying was completely abandoned. My eyes poured tears.
Peter turned to me and took my hands in his. A tear dribbled down my cheek and splashed on the backs of our closed hands. “Hey,” said Peter, rubbing at the wet drop with his thumb. “It’ll be okay. We’ll still see each other. We’ll visit and stuff, ya know?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, but the pesky tears kept falling. “I didn’t think of this. I didn’t think it was something I had to worry about. I would have been nicer.”
“Nicer?” He laughed again. “That wouldn’t have been possible.”
I tried to smile, but it faltered.
“Hey, don’t be sad,” said Peter. “Look at me.” I looked into his very good eyes. “I’m going to come back to you one day. This is just for now. For now doesn’t mean forever, okay?” I shrugged and lowered my head doubtfully. Peter pulled my chin up. “I promise,” he said. Then, with a sweet smile, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.
