My uncle wraps Jeremiah and Deen in a tight hug. He knows them. "Thank you for being here and helping them."
I attempt to stand on my own, but Deen and Jeremiah have to help me up. "Sweetheart, you have to take it easy. I wouldn't be surprised if you have a concussion."
I grunt. "Can't go to the hospital. There is no way I'm telling them that people can jump out of mirrors. It seems like my family failed to mention that to me."
My uncle looks at my aunt and rolls his eyes. "It sure didn't do anything for her smart mouth, did it?"
She laughs lightly. "Nothing will ever help that."
I look at both of them with a bewildered expression. My family's defense mechanism is to deflect challenging situations with laughter—however, my mood shifts from being grateful tosuspicious. Being fed half-truths your entire life will do that to you. They have some explaining to do.
It's clear now why we’ve never really left Savannah, and it's because crazy people want to kill me. "Why didn't you tell me that I was her?"
They look at each other, then back to me. Aunt Georgia speaks first. "Arabella, we need to leave right now. They’ll come back and have more recruits with them. We’ll tell you everything, but we must return to Luxington Valley first. This is only the beginning of your calling."
What the hell is going on? I breathe in and out to try and compose my temper. My mind doesn't want to process what she just said. My head and body ache, and I’m on the verge of a teenage meltdown of epic proportions.
Aunt Georgia senses my tension and begins massaging my back. "Trust us, Ella. We may not have told you everything, but we have always been there for you."
I know she’s telling me the truth, and being pissed at them makes me feel guilty. "Okay, but I want to know as soon as we get there. It's only fair."
Uncle Jo shakes his head. "First, we have to meet with King Aramayus. Then we'll talk."
I raise both eyebrows. "We have a King?"
They both laugh. "Yes." Answering in unison.
I don’t join in on the laughter but look around the room for my best friend instead. "Where's Merrie-Beth and the guys from the Watch?"
"They have already been transported to the Palace of Light. Jeremiah and Deen are your cousins." He answers.My cousins, and now they tell me I have more family. So manyquestions roll through my mind, but I ultimately decide against voicing any. Tonight, I'll get answers.
Looking down at my clothes makes me wince. My shirt is dirty, and there is a tear on my left sleeve. I'm not dressed to meet a King, but this will have to do. "How will we get there?"
"The only way we can. We will travel through the mirror." My aunt answers.
"Bullshit. Oh, no, we won't. I'm not going to walk through a mirror. Have you guys lost your mother effin' minds?" I turn around and start hobbling towards the door.
"It's not just any kind of mirror, Arabella. It’s an enchanted one." A melodious British accent assails me from behind. Making my heart skip a beat.
Smiling, but grimacing inside, I turn slowly around. "Oh?"
My eyes lock with my British stalker who knew my name last night at the park. We didn't get a chance to talk much at the time. He is tall, lean, and looks to be around my age. His golden brown hair once again has my fingertips itching to touch the silken tresses. Add eyes the color of emeralds, and the pointed ears of the Fae, and my body turns into hot molten lava.
He smiles, lifting an eyebrow. "Yes, people can jump in and out of mirrors. If and only if they are enchanted."
"So, are you a Guardian, Healer, or just the casual garden-variety eavesdropper?" I walk up to him and try my best not to hobble.
He grins and to my great satisfaction, blushes a bit. "I am Ethan Randall Callahan, Head Knight of the Lux Order." He does a little bow.
I whisper. "Nice to meet you, Sir Ethan. You told me your last name was Randall?"
He smirks. "Stranger danger."
I laugh, then wince. My uncle comes over and shakes Ethan's hand. "Thank you, Ethan, for coming to warn us. Otherwise, I would have never been on high alert and had my cell phone by my side. I'm usually so busy during the day, I don't check it much."
"Sorry I didn't make it here in time." He looks at me and touches my arm. "I'm truly sorry."
"No worries, I handled the situation as best as I could. My face may look bad, but my hard head knocked the Lunatic twin out. That can't be good for his bad boy image." I reply while looking into his big, beautiful eyes and damn near swoon.
