“Are you sure don't want me to walk you in?” Lincoln asked when he pulled up outside my house where Alex was standing at the gate while my mother was sitting at our front door.
I'm afraid, I was not as confident as I was when I grappled him into another round earlier. I shook my head as I reached for the door handle. “No, you will only make matters worse,” I said tentatively. Lincoln did not even feel the slightest of regret, me on the other hand? My stomach was as hard as clay, and I was literally shaking in my boots. It did not help that Lincoln had done me to the point of semi paralysis, I couldn't move or walk without making it obvious what exactly I'd been up to. “Hey.” He gently took my hand, and he met me with a tender kiss as soon as I turned in his direction. “You will be fine.” Thank goodness his windows were tinted, otherwise my mother would have buried us both alive. I climbed out of the car and suckedLizzy and I managed to prepare everything on time; however, I was late.It was already 6p.m. and Lizzy and the others were already welcoming guests. Samu and Lydia had just arrived and went to their separate rooms to get ready.I still needed to bathe, and I didn't even know what I was going to do with my hair. There was no way Lizzy could help me because she was busy, she might as well be working for the both of us tonight.I rushed to Samu's room to get the gift Lincoln gave me. “Azania!” I am startled by Samu's shrilling voice. “I was about to send for you. Why aren't you ready yet?” She asked and pulled me farther into the room. I let out a shaky breath, I was such a panicking mess. “Maybe I shouldn't attend your party, we are short-staffed anyway.” I blurted out.Samu's eyes widened, making the thick and long artificial lashes and dark makeup around her eyes to pop. “Where is this coming from?”“It's
“Azania!” I woke up to a strange voice calling my name. The room was dark, with a tiny flare of light peeking through a door above the staircase. Where am I? I wondered as I rose to my feet. Something didn't feel quite right, but I couldn't place my finger on it. I moved towards the door, feeling hollow, as if I were fleeting through time and space. It was so quiet, way too quiet; I couldn't even hear my footsteps against what, I assumed, was hardboard. I reached for the door, blinding light flooding in as soon as I opened it. I don't know what I was expecting to see when I opened my eyes, but I definitely did not expect to find myself in the forest. The leaves of the trees were whistling and their branches swaying with ease. Birds of different kinds, some exotic, were chirping joyfully and flying around. It was so lively and warm, like the first day of spring, there was no way this could be home. It was so strange.
The sound of beeping machines woke me from my stupor, and my eyes slowly opened to be greeted by a straining light yet again. I blinked until I adjusted to the light, and I tried to speak up, but my mouth was as dry as the desert. “You are awake!” My heart filled with joy at hearing Lincoln's voice again. “Let me call the doctor and your mom.” I heard heavy footsteps and a door opening and closing. Not more than a minute later, soft footsteps rushed into the room, and I felt the bed dip as the person sat on the bed. “Azania, my baby! You are awake, I was so worried about you.” My mother showered my face with kisses. It was comforting to hear her voice, but it also reminded me of the conversation we needed to have. “Water… I need water,” I croaked, my voice barely loud. “Water?” I shifted my head in an attempt to nod. I don't understand why my body felt so numb. The sound of cackling glasses competed with the monitor for
Exhaustion was the new order of the day, I was dosing off but kept resisting sleep in fear that I would never wake up again. Laying in this bed was not going to help anyone, I still had to find answers, and on top of that, I needed to see what was happening out there. I hadn't attempted getting out of bed since I regained consciousness, the moment my feet touched down, all the blood rushed to my head, and I sat back down for a minute before my second attempt. I made my way to the bathroom and showered. Thankfully, my mother had brought me a toiletry bag and some clothes when I was admitted. I changed into pitch joggers and matching sweater, paired with sneakers. I wasn't sure whether to leave the bag behind or take it with me, but it was not as though I planned on coming back here. My mother would probably take it with her when she returned later, but still, I wasn't comfortable with leaving my things behind, unattended. I managed to sneak out of the hospital without running into
“Alex?” I called out while impatiently tapping my foot on the littered ground. I didn't even make it home yet, but at least I'd changed into a white puff-sleeved mini frill dress that thankfully did not hug my body. Still, I wondered where it came from since it was brand new and my mother would never allow me to wear something like this. I appreciated the loose material of the skirt because it did not control or restrict my movements and I did not have to constantly pull it down to cover more skin. It was perfect. The only thing I did not appreciate was having to walk around with the duffel bag full of clothes and the mini blankets Lincoln brought along last night. If only I could go home first, but I couldn't because my mother would never let me out of her sight, moreover, Alex made this meeting sound urgent on the phone. I wonder why he could not meet me at home like we usually did. When I arrived I’d expected to find him already here, he knew more than anyone how I hate being s
My legs could barely hold my weight, I sank to my knees, litter on the ground digging into my bare skin. I was trembling like a wimp as tears obscured my eyes, giving me a blurry and yet horrifying view of Alex's limp body on the ground. "He... help me." I almost thought I was starting to hear things again, but he made another weak attempt at speaking, "Help... me." That was like a morning alarm reminding me that I was late after countless snoozing. I quickly straightened up like a gear finally put in its place and I smeared my tears away with the back of my hands before I crawled to where he was at the speed of baby that has finally mastered the skill of racing on their knees. Alex could barely move a muscle, his scrubs were covered in blood, he was literally bleeding to his death. He could not even speak, and tears were rolling down the sides of his face. "He...he-help me," he forced out, taking a huge gulp as if to buy himself more time. How was I supposed to help him? He was
My mother was in mortal danger, and I was to blame for it. Why did I not see this coming? Apparently, my mother’s farm was the only one unaffected by whatever was happening, if anything, it looked like manna. She says the growth there is something she has never experienced because she cannot get anywhere near farm. The farm has already been broken into several times and rampaged, and each day it looked better than it did the previous day, like no grain of soil had been violated and nothing had been stolen. It has sparked rage throughout the kingdoms and they were now in search of the witch that owned the farm. I should have known something was wrong the day I went to inspect the farm along with the royal farm, I should have reported back to my mother and Queen Shekinah. I scoffed at the mere thought of her name. Queen Shekinah said I should not say anything and that she would take care of it, but she ran off the first chance she got. She was supposed to be here for my mother, she
The walk down the white carpet flowing along the stairs felt like walking through the valley of death. The open hall had been turned into a wedding venue with little attempt or effort put into it. The entire staff, except for Mandy, was present alongside my mother and Queen Gladys, and standing right there at the bottom of the stairwell was the devil himself dressed in a blue traditional shirt matching my traditional wedding dress. It bugged me how he could have managed to get these at such a short notice, but I was not surprised considering the fact that he had previously gotten me a dress for Samu’s party. My feet felt numb the moment we reached the last stair and the king handed me over, there were no words of encouragement exchanged, nor was there any hint of protest, and we had all the guards armed and standing around as if waiting for Lincoln to snap his fingers. All there was, was deafening silence and an unmatched fear amongst the guests. Lincoln was too quick to hold me,
The first thing I woke up to was the sound of crackling fire. Something was urging me to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. Someone touched my arm, and the first reaction from my body was electricity. As they moved their hands over my arm, the current in my body followed their trail. “Eva.” A voice called, and I froze. “Eva, can you hear me?” He asked gently, and my heart filled with immense regret. Lincoln. The last time I heard his voice, there was menace in it. He was full of hatred and anger. Just the sound of his voice was enough to break your spirit off. I could never forget how much he hurt me, no matter what. Whether he was under a spell or not, or the fact that Alex was pretending to him, he still managed to break my heart into pieces. His hands continued to move, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe from the current in my body due to the way it danced to him. Lincoln could control me with just a single touch. My powers were a
Sounds of flowing water filled my ears, and the smell of ocean water hit my nostrils.It flooded my mind with the memories of my father bringing me and Lincoln to the beach while we were still young. I still had a good memory of how we used to build sandcastles and joke about how we would become queen and king together, which was funny considering how our views changed as we grew older and lost interest in anything and everything to do with royalty.I always thought that was our destiny, but considering how much Lincoln had changed, our entire past felt like a lie.Lincoln had changed, he looked different, he was no longer as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside, he held no humour, no adoration, just anger and hatred. He tried to get my attention, but eventually, he stopped trying.To think I had fallen in love with him, now I was not even sure what I felt for of him. The mention of his name, Violet, or merely the sight of him made me mad.A part of me longed for him, I mi
“Violet?” She fixed her perfect short silver jumpsuit and took baby steps towards Shalom and I, her walk so regal as if she was flaunting her beauty. Alex joined us, followed by Lydia. They looked like death. “Things don't have to end this way, all you have to do is surrender and hand yourself to the queen, that's all we want from you,” Violet said. “What are you talking about?” A male voice interjected, and the man I'd been dreading to see came into view. I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but he looked worse than I’d expected. He was thinner and sullen, and the clothes on his back looked a little too big on him. He seemed a bit darker in complexion, and if it was not for how ashy he was, I would have assumed that it was from the sun. The unkempt beard on his face made his face look thinner. He looked sick. I spent so much time battling between the hatred and love for him, and after everything that happened, I had so much anger, but now that I was standing in front of h
We were back where I did my training. I was held in Alex's arms while sobbing and to my despair, he could actually hold me and resist the electricity flowing from my body. Shalom was seating on a rock with Lydia sitting on her lap while she comforted her over the loss of her kingdom, everything had turned to smoke, and while the lake was still there, the door had vanished, and Lydia had no way to go to the other side. After seeing the body in that water, I started hyperventilating and Lydia had to teleport me here in hopes that it would help me to calm down. I’m guessing Alex thought teleporting was one of my strengths, he had freaked out and thought I had gone to confront Violet. I got up from the floor, leaving Alex's cold embrace. I paced around, my mind clouded with questions. “I don't understand it - why her? Why did they have to kill her?” I asked. “Killing my mother was not enough, but they just had to kill Lizzy too,” I choked on my words, trying to fight back the tears.
I walked my way back to the abandoned castle in baby steps, all the while ignoring Shalom and Lydia’s urgent calls. I was still shocked from my transformation, the girl I was when I was preparing to leave this place was like a distant memory, only a reflection of who I used to be. I didn't feel like myself, but I wasn't sure how to feel at all. What really happened? I asked myself. I picked up my scarf from where I'd dropped it, covered my face as tears poured down from my eyes like a waterfall. I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask, but then there was no one to ask. I was frightened, the things I did back there were nothing compared to what I'd trained, it was totally different and superior. It felt like what I did back there was nothing, as if there was still more powers in me, powers much more dangerous than this. I doubted I was the person I thought I was, after what I did, I believed there was more coming, Violet wasn't going to let this slide. There was still more where
I thought I was dying form the heartache, not even Lizzy could save me. I thought her presence would make me feel better, but I felt disconnected from everyone, and especially Lizzy. I spent the next five days with Shalom in a lake located at the far end of the kingdom, right after passing the last bit of hay. Shalom was teaching me how to use my powers without having to depend on my emotions. My powers simply relied on my mind, words, and body. I felt like a magician, and my distress helped to speed up the process. Today was my last day of training, but I wasn’t so sure if I was ready for war. I was going to be fighting against the man who once held my heart and the father of my child. I still couldn’t believe I was pregnant, the only sign of the so-called pregnancy was the absence of my period. I was sitting at the shore with my feet inside the water. This was the only place I could call beautiful in this dark place, the water reminded me of a beach, and the air around it was fr
I never thought my life could get any worse than it already, the last thing I needed after everything that I have been through was a baby. It was clear that I was a puppet in the ancestors’ games, they gave me everything I have ever dreamt of, only to snatch it all in a snap of the fingers. My head felt like it was going to explode as I tried to piece everything together thread by thread, and I had no idea where I was going to as my feet raced one after the other, everything blurring around me. Lincoln’s words replayed in my mind, and I remembered how his return was not at his own will, he was coerced back home by their ancestors, and it made me sick to my stomach knowing that we were both their victims. I felt stupid. Why didn’t I notice that I was pregnant this entire time? I guess my period was the last thing on my mind with all that’s been happening, it never occurred to me that the last time I had my period was around the same time Lincoln returned from overseas. It didn’t m
I woke up, only to find myself in an old room with dark, dirty walls and roof that looked like it was barely holding on. I felt so light as if a burden had just been lifted off me, and I realised that I was left in the garment I wore under my wedding dress. I shielded my eyes as the light flashing through the roof pierced at me in an angry glare. “What happened to me?” I croaked, getting up from the mattress, and I looked around the room, hoping to find a clue. “You are awake.” A tiny voice said, and I felt my blood flare at the little girl standing at the door. “You? Why the hell do you keep appearing and disappearing whenever it suits you? And who gave you that note?” “Who do you think it was?” She challenged. As compared to earlier when she was wearing a short white dress and white pumps, she had switched back to her dark attire. Could it be Lincoln, or was it Violet? “That witch!” I hissed. I curse the day I came to know of her existence, it felt like she had become a dark
I could not believe I was going ahead with this. The world was literally at a standstill, the sun was still in the same position as it was at noon. No one slept during the late hours of the day, it was impossible. We were all worn out, and rumour had it that some people were collapsing, especially with the extreme heat and water and food shortages. One by one, the people of Azania were dropping like rotten fruits from a tree. Yet, here I was preparing to walk down the aisle for the second time, for selfish reasons each time, except,no one was holding a gun to my head this time. Well, at least not a literal one. The gods had a cold sense of humour. “Why are you not dressed yet?” Lizzy waltzed into the office-turned-dressing room, tearing me out of my thoughts. I glanced at her from the mirror and cast her a nervous smile. “I guess you could say I was waiting for my maid of honor to come and inspect my wedding dress just to make sure that Neo didn't put scorpions in there,” I joked