Crown of Thorns

Chapter Two

The Home of The Ahkdir Family Day 2 B.F

"Empress!"

I pried my eyes open, shocked to hear a voice in my room. But I wasn't in my room. Instead, I laid upon the warm, sun kissed grass. Although I didn't know where I was, the leaves whispered comfort. This unfamiliar place was infinitely more peaceful than home.

My eyes slid shut. I sighed as the blades caressed my skin, murmuring to me soothing promises of tranquility. I could have stayed here for eternity, taking root like the most sturdy oak tree so that I'd never have to worry or fear anything. I wouldn't marry Amire. My disturbing visions couldn't find me here.

Lalita.

If I was to help my sister, I couldn't stay here and become one with the plants. If I were to help Lalita, I needed to marry Amire. I couldn't abandon my family in favor of eternal peace.

I pushed myself up with my hands, scanning my surroundings. An island? No... A mountain. I lay on the tallest grassy peak of a mountain range, the churning sea surrounding me. It might as well have been an island, but by some obscure feeling I could sense that the water had risen, drowning the vast stretch of land below. I could feel the plants and trees, submerged beneath the seemingly endless ocean.

"Empress!"

Startled, I turned around and came face to face with a boy. He appeared to be in his late teens based on his height, but was very scrawny and his large brown eyes made him seem much younger.

"Empress, are you ready?" he asked urgently.

"Ready? Ready for what?" I asked. "Empress? Who are you?"

"Matthew Matt Zero Matto!" He recited the name as if he was proud he'd memorized it. "Empress must prepare."

"Empress?" I shook my head in disbelief. My village didn't have an empress, and even if it did it certainly wouldn't be the young daughter of a widowed florist.

"You don't prepare?" Matthew frowned. "Ayesha isn't ready."

"How do you know my name?" I demanded, worry increasing.

Where am I?

I struggled to focus on Matthew's face. He certainly seemed to know who I was. There was a chance we'd met and I had simply forgotten him, though I doubted I could easily have forgotten a boy such as Matthew. I studied his features, but aside from large brown eyes, I could distinguish very little. He was hazy and out of focus. A specter. More of a presence than a physical person.

"Empress is my friend," he answered as though it was obvious.

"I'm not an empress," I argued.

"Not Empress," he sighed in what I interpreted as a bitter agreement. "The Empress hasn't awakened yet. Ayesha is my friend."

"How do you know me?" I repeated. "And I'm not your friend."

"You've been my friend," Matthew stated. "You are my friend. You'll be my friend."

"You're crazy," I snapped.

"Like a fox." He nodded enthusiastically. "Good job, Ayesha."