Pangaia: Agendas (Year One: Fall)

Chapter Twenty-Six - Cheyenne

 She'd been on cloud nine ever since her moment with Zes in the forest. Frequently, she found herself drifting into daydreams during her first class. Then she was pulled out of the room.

At first she thought maybe she was in trouble as Mrs. Orinda led her through the halls of Lord Reyld's Manor. Though she couldn't figure out why, unless someone had been informed of her trip to the gazebo and it was one of the places declared off limits to her.

Next she was brought outside, and she found herself face to face with two adults she'd never met but recognized instantly.

"Cheyenne, this is your mother Persephone and your father Erik," Mrs. Orinda said in almost a whisper. She put her hands on Cheyenne's shoulders. "Do you want me to stay?"

She shook her head, her eyes glued to the man and woman. "I'll be okay."

"I won't go far, in case you change your mind."

"Thank you."

Persephone—birth name Evian—the eighteenth was far more beautiful than anything the plants could describe. Her hair was perfectly styled, not to mention the same shade of brown as Cheyenne's. She had soft emerald-colored eyes that sparkled in the sun as they walked outside the main hall. She was tall and slender and evenly proportioned. In her mother, she found where she received most of her looks, but she could find bits and pieces of herself in her father as well.

Her father was handsome. His eyes were blue. In fact they were the same color as Cheyenne's. He wasn't much taller than her mother, and he had black hair that he kept playfully tousled. Erik exhibited such a great amount of energy, Cheyenne almost feared she'd have to hold him to the ground or he might blast off.

They were both so young looking. Each appeared as though they were older than her by a handful of years. They didn't look like they could be parents of a girl her age. The Divine apparently didn't age much after puberty. How old are they? Is this my future?

"I know this might seem a little bit of a far fetched idea, but we were wondering if you wanted to stay with us. We're sleeping at one of the guest houses on campus, so you wouldn't be far away. You'd be able to get to class easily and still see your friends," Persephone said.

"This isn't easy for us either," her father added. He shifted his weight a few times, teetering from one foot to the other. His hands flapped at his sides. "There's a lot we want to do, but we don't want to overstep our boundaries. The last thing we want is to come in and start running your life. We've obviously got a lot of explaining to do. I'm surprised you're not in complete flames over everything."

I am angry, but I hide it well, Cheyenne thought.

This was the time for rebuilding and reconnecting. Holding onto her anger wouldn't help them bond. In the end, they'd done what they believed best to protect her. She could accept it. Besides, they were at least trying to own up to their mistakes, which she respected.

"Maybe later this week. My roommate's parents are coming up for a visit and are staying for the weekend. I don't want to leave her alone until they come up," she said.

"Of course. We'll make sure to have everything ready for you if you decide to join us," he said.

There was so much she wanted to say to them, so many questions running through her mind, and she was holding back, choking up at the opportunity. Her mind kept going completely blank. This was what she'd been waiting for ever since she got to Pangaia, and now all she could do was stare at them.

Persephone put an arm around her shoulders. She had to resist the urge to snuggle in. The only thing holding her back was she wasn't sure of how her mother would react. Were they touchy-feely people? Or did they prefer more of the hands-off approach? Her mother wasn't easy to read either. She barely reacted to anything.