Stepping out of the King's study, I freeze. My eyes are glued to the extravagance,everywhere. I'm waiting for a TV crew to pop out and say, "Gotcha!!"This is not real life, at least not mine. My aunt has to grab my arm twice to get me to start walking. Her easy smile lights up her beautiful face. "It's breathtaking, isn't it?"
"Uh-huh," is all I can manage to say.The King's study was conservative. The palace, however, is nothing less than grandiose. Golden jeweled chandeliers line the high ceilings. Paintings line the hallways all encased in golden hand carved frames. Some of the pictures that catch my eye are of ex-Presidents. I knew from our history books who was a part of our world and who wasn't, but seeing the truth with your eyes is something else entirely.The floors are constructed of white marble with golden swirls. A golden trimmed burgundy runner lines the middle of the hallway. Everywhere, and I meaneverywhere, there are carved statues and priceless antiques. My brain is too fried to comprehend or appreciate any of this right now.
Over the day's stress, I'm ready to make it to our rooms, but coming back to this part of the palace and exploring later is a top priority. It would take days, if not years, to be able to see it all. My eyes widen as we make our way to a golden staircase. Touching the banister, I look at my aunt.
She smiles, "Ever think you would walk on stairs made of pure gold?"
Shaking my head, I mentally freak out. This is the coolest thing! "No way, I have to show Merrie-Beth! Where is she?"
My uncle rolls his eyes at us and laughs. "She is with her parents, they are having “the talk” with her now. She'll be here later to doctor your wounds."
I've always known that she would be my Healer, but will it be weird for her now that I'm the Chosen? I look back at my wrist, I still see nothing. Either way Merrie-Beth is the one that holds true power, her kind have one of the most important jobs within our society. They doctor us when we are sick and stitch us up when we are at war. Their job is to make sure we are always in near perfect health. They go everywhere we go.
There is so much we will both have to learn. I'm lost in my thoughts but follow my family blindly up the stairs. When we reach the top, we turn to the right and make our way down another long hall. Decorated in the same fashion, it is just as beautiful as the last. Finally, we stop at the last door to the left. I’m ready to see what our new life looks like, as this will be our new home now.
My fidgeting gets bad when I'm nervous, so it’s terrible right now. "What do these rooms consist of?" I ask.
"It is similar to the apartment we had back in the city. It has a study, kitchen, living room, dining room, and three bedrooms." My aunt explains.
Yeah, it's bigger than our old home. We never had a study or three bedrooms for that matter. I squeal as my uncle opens the door. Beautiful paintings are on the walls. Mahogany cabinets and floors, with emerald green rugs and curtains. Nothing in the room is like our tiny apartment in Savannah. They claimed the master bedroom, and didn’t find it funny when I suggested that I should be the one sleeping in that big room. Hello! The Chosen is here.
Choosing my bedroom between the remaining two is easy enough, I decide on the slightly smaller one because of the view. Out of the bay window sits Lake Luminous in all its wondrous glory. Seeing this beautiful scene everyday might make up for my earlier distress of almost being kidnapped. Might! Even in the fading light of day, I can see that the water is crystal blue.
Picking up a couple of small boxes with my name scrawled on top I take them to my room and begin going through the biggest one first. My hand touches the rigid edge of my jewelry box, and tears spring instantly to my eyes. Taking it out of the cardboard I head for the red leather chair in the corner. It's been a long time since I've opened this.
I love this old thing, it’s rectangular in shape and has Angel wings carved into the sides at the end. On the front and back sides is a replica of The Chosen's sun. Supposedly my birthmark, I trace the letters at the top of the box with my index finger—a sweet message in an elegant, bold script.
“Let love be your guiding light, and may it shine all your days.”
A gift from my parents, the story goes that my father made it out of wood from an American Basswood tree the day aftermy birth. They had intended to give it to me when I was older, but they never got that chance. I wipe stray tears as they escape down my face. My father's love and dedication to me made this box possible. Were my parents really killed in a car accident, or did the woman that's trying to kidnap me have something to do with their deaths?
My aunt knocks on the door, startling me. The jewelry box and all its contents fall out of my lap and lands on the floor. "Do you need a few minutes, or are you ready for our talk?" She asks.
I take a deep breath. Am I ready? Am I prepared to hear about this so-called destiny? The King called me The Chosen, and he didn't seem crazy, but what does that title really mean? I know all the stories, and about the prophecy of The Chosen. Do I even have a say in all this? So many thoughts, questions, and feelings course through me. In just a few short hours, my life has vastly changed, and I don't like it. Do Chosen Ones pitch fits, because this one is about to.Fear has a way of coming for us all, but I don't believe in running away from my problems, and I won't start now. That's how my aunt and uncle raised me, and it’s the Lux way of life. Being brave is never easy. This new destiny thing could be fun. Right? Or a disaster waiting to happen, but tonight, we're being positive. "I'm ready as I'll ever be." My heart sinks down in my chest and my breathing becomes shallow. Some of this will be so hard to hear.
The closer I get to the kitchen, the more I smell the delicious aroma of my aunt's snickerdoodle cookies. This is what bribery smells like, and hell it just may work. My stomach is growling, because those assholes made me miss my tacos.Sitting down on the opposite side of where they are, I prepare myself to listen, and eat all the cookies. "Bribery will get you everything." I wink at my aunt.
She winks right back. "Some say diamonds are a girl's best friend. I say it's sugar."
My uncle's usual playful tone turns gravely serious. "Arabella, I want to start by telling you how much we love you. Everything we did, we did it for you and for the sake of our people.
I don't know what to say or think. My aunt and uncle gave up their entire identities just for me and my safety. I'm an emotional trainwreck. "I have a million different emotions running through me, but being pissed off is, at least for now, not one of them. I know you love me, and it couldn't have been easy, leaving this place or your way of life, to take care of me. Thank you."
Aunt Georgia's eyes turn misty. "You see, Arabella, the thing is, without you, nothing else matters. We were proud to do whatever we had to do."
Uncle Josiah takes both of our hands into his and squeezes before letting them go and grabbing a cookie. "What do you want to hear first, kiddo?"
What I'm about to ask will not be easy for any of us. However, I need real answers on how my parents died. "Uncle Jo, I'm sorry, but how did my parents really die?"
He closes his eyes for a second, and when he opens them, a lump starts forming in the back of my throat. The depths of his pain-filled eyes are covered in unshed tears. We’ve reached a moment where I know my uncle is done hiding the truth from me. "They were murdered, Arabella."
A heavy gasp escapes my lips, and my chest burns in anguish as dark fury fills my cold numb limbs. No words will form, and hearing the gory details will be the hardest thing I've ever had to sit through, but for them, I will listen. My parents’story deserves to be told. I squeeze Uncle Jo’s hand, to let him know it's okay to continue.
It takes him a minute to rein in his emotions and work up the courage to explain "I'm sorry, Ella, once I tell you, your life will never be the same. We have kept you sheltered these past few years, because protecting you was our main goal. We needed you to see all the good things this world had to offer before seeing the evil that lives amongst the shadows. I don't know where your journey will take you, but now that the time has arrived, I'm not sure we made the right choices. Maybe we sheltered you too much. I fear we might have hidden you from our real world for far longer than necessary."
"Uncle Jo, isn't that the job of any good parent? I wouldn't trade my childhood for all the money in the world. I look at how you prepared me to face those evils. You taught me how to fight and how to defend myself. A grown man's ass was kicked today because of those lessons. Mer and I are here because of the both of you. Don't think of the things you didn't teach me. Think of all the things that you did." I can't stop the tears from streaming down my face.
My uncle nods. Looking at my aunt for encouragement, she smiles at him, and he begins. "Your parents received an invitation to dine with Mayra Narissa Blackwater the night before their murder. She was a rising political star here in Luxington Valley. The re-election was days away, she was looking to gain more supporters. Mayra was well-liked and charismatic. When she began talking about starting a New World Order, one in which the Lux would rule over the world, people I had known my whole life, good and honest people, started joining her cause. The ones who disagreed, like our family, just stood back and watched while her opposing numbers grew. We did nothing, because she wasn’t seen as a threat. Onthe night in question, I begged your father not to go. I had gotten a hold of the guest list, and every name listed on the paper were of non-supporters. That didn't sit right with me because if it were to be a regular dinner party, you would invite both. Your father decided to go anyway, he thought he could change her mind. It was no secret that Mayra thought she was above anyone who disagreed with her. However, no one knew how quickly her indifference had turned to hate and just how much that hate consumed her."
