RockStar

Chapter Five: Sisters

Sometime during the boat ride, Onyx eventually fell asleep. She woke up when she felt the boat come to a sudden stop and she was thrust forward by the force. Her body hit the wooden floors with a loud thud that drew Sorin's attention over the helm. Leaning over the helm, he saw her sprawled out on the floor on her side. "Are you all right?"

With a groan, Onyx pulled herself up and felt the ache slowly building in her side. Standing up, she lifted her sweatshirt and ran her fingers gently over the area. She winced at the tenderness and was about to drop her sweatshirt when she saw purple spirals race across her skin and glow. When the glowing disappeared, she felt her skin gasping at the lack of pain. "Wow." Onyx was reminded of the cut on her face that she sustained from her fall in the pond. Milo's dumbstruck face came to mind and she wondered if the same happened then.

While she was lost in her thoughts, Sorin came down from the helm and saw her inspecting herself. With her shirt raised as it was, he was gifted with flash a of golden-brown skin. Almost hidden under the lower hem were a series of dots. Before he could try to make out what the markings meant, Onyx's sweatshirt was dropped, cutting off his view.

As Onyx turned to face him, Sorin fixed his face so she wouldn't suspect he was staring. Her eyes said that she did but thankfully didn't say anything. "You may want to hide the rockstar and pull your hood up."

"I get my necklace, but why do I need to have my hood up?" She asked while tucking her necklace under her sweatshirt.

Sorin flexed his own ears in response. "Your hair wouldn't be enough." He said as he walked around her and went to set up the ramp to descend onto the deck.

Glancing around at the other boats, the people she saw all had ears that were large and pointed like Sorin's. She then pulled her hood up and sighed to herself. "To be a freak among freaks."

Sorin heard her and chuckled, wondering what Opal would think about that comment. His best friend had always felt out of place about her round ears. Each moment revealed another little tick that reminded him of the princess. He wondered what else they would have in common. "Come on then. We have a ways to go to before we reach Agate Mountain."

"Agate Mountain? Is that where the palace is?" She asked as Sorin allowed her to take the first step off the boat.

"Yes. Did your letters have mention of it?" Sorin asked while following behind. "It's quite the impressive structure."

"Among many things like being royalty, he didn't mention it." Once she was on the pier with proper spacing did she turn around and look at Sorin. "How long will that take?"

"It'll be just a little after noon," Sorin told her as they made their way to where the pier met land.

Onyx nodded once before she stepped off the pier and set foot on land. The moment she did, it was as if electricity surged through her body. Through the soles of her feet and out through the top of her head the sensation ran, leaving her with a tingling over sensitive sensation in its wake. When it passed a wave of fatigue came over her, but it was strange. It was as if the feeling weren't her own. Underneath the fatigue was something else. Something sad, and lonely. So lonely and full of regret.

"Are you all right?"

Sorin's voice sounded so far away from her, but she was very aware that he was there. In fact, she felt aware of everything and everyone around her. The closest she could compare the feeling to was being in the middle of an arena, but she was just more conscious of them. Every breath each person took. Every beat of their hearts. Every injury and illness a person currently held. It was all so much to take in.