Simple Awakenings

chapter 18

I take the empty seat that was available at the table, looking over at all of the other ladies as they introduce themselves. I should say that each woman had a crown on with what looks like diamonds also.

"Skylis, countess of the Sun Clan." A pale woman in a bright yellow gown with light sparkles.

"Lizia, countess of the Moon Clan." A woman with a tan in a navy blue gown with sparkles that look like stars.

"Dreslen, duchess of the Fire Clan." So this is the ruler of Ercit and Hannis and Adria's head honcho. She was cocoa colored skin in a bright red and orange gown.

"Jessly, baroness of the Air Clan." Another pale woman but she looked like snow with her grayish white hair and white shimmery dress.

I counted in my head that there were only six women here. Wait, wasn't there the Earth Clan?

"I'm guessing Christa is not coming?" Willa asks whomever of the other guests that is not me.

"She didn't want to come when she heard who was going to be here." Dreslen answers looking over at me. But she gives me sort of a sympathetic look.

"Sounds understandable." Ednes says taking a sip of whatever is in her glass. Making the assumptions, I'm just going to say it's either wine or champagne. Like why are you having alcohol at a tea party? I may be a coffee person but if I'm at a tea party I am having that tea! I don't care if I hate the tea, there are finger foods also! Fucking finger foods!

We drank tea or whatever sort of beverage we had with us in silence until Skylis asks me while I'm in the middle of a sip of tea, which by the way is really good, "So, Eliese, where in the mortal world are you from?"

I finish whatever was in my mouth and answer. "I'm from Cleveland, Ohio which if I remember looking at a map I received that is an entrance to the Fire Clan."

"I think I remember sir Adria telling me that. My great grandfather was one of the few people in deciding portals to the mortal worlds and I was told that he chose...was did you call it? Cleveland?" Dreslen says as I nod in reply to her question to me. "Well I heard that he chose Cleveland because there was apparently some fire that happened a few decades ago?"

Oh great Scott. Time to replay a history lesson on the Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969. Yes, I made a Back to the Future reference again. These people are lucky that I didn't say that out loud or make a reference to 1.21 gigawatts.

"Yes, there was." I give a slight grin. "There was a fire on a river back in 1969." I'm not give an entire history lesson today. I may be a bit of a history buff but I'm not in a mood to talk about it at the moment.

Dreslen nods and takes a drink from her tea cup. "Interesting. I assume that it must have been hard for you to watch."

Wait, does she think I was alive at the time?

"Oh, I wasn't alive at the time. I was born in 1998." I assure her.

"What year is it in your time?" She asks raising an eyebrow.

"Last time I remember it was November 2016. It could be December now if anything." I think it is because when I last visited the Pond of Want to see what was going on in the band class and it looked like they were preparing for the Christmas concert. But then again, Mr. Cobbs starts getting music for concerts ready early on.

That visit was yesterday.

"So you're 18?" Lizia asks, sounding like she was pretty interested.

"I am." I answer grabbing some of the what looks appealing finger food.

There was all of the sudden a scoff heard that was definitely sounding like it was meant to be noticeable. I look up at the other ladies and then were looking around like they probably heard the similar noise I heard.

The only one that wasn't looking around was Ednes. Thinking about that, I'm pretty sure she was the one who scoffed.

"Ednes, was that you?" Willa asks.

"What, me? Alright you caught me red handed." She answers in a sort of sarcastic tone.

"Why? We have done nothing wrong with you." Skyis sounds like she wants to know why.

"No, but the Queen Mother here has." Wait, Willa has done nothing wrong. I glance over at her and her eyes look hurt. "Why would she even dare to invite a pity mortal to the palace, more so this party? Doesn't she know that she is endangering everyone's lives here?"

"Ednes, please—"

"Does she have no care for her people? Does she not realize how mortals are harmful to our kind?" She turns to me. "I don't know if you are aware of our kind, but we have a strict rule about mortals. So I suggest that you pack up your belongings, say goodbye to your hosts, and go back to wherever you came from."

This bitch has no clue what I went through.

I place my napkin that was in my lap on the table, take a deep breath, and stand up facing Ednes. "Listen here, you royal pain in my ass. I am not here because Willa invited me to live at the castle. I am here because the bastard of her son also known as the king of your country has forced me stay here against my own will until they can find out how the fuck I can see you all!" My voice is raising higher as my anger can't be contained any longer. "I don't care that you are saying I should leave because I am a 'danger to your kind'. I don't care that I am not immortal like all of you! I want to leave and go back to my brother and family as much as the next person, but I'm pretty sure that I will have my head on a spike if I try to leave!"

There is silence at the table. A good, tense silence. That was until the door to inside the palace opens and a male appears at the table. I am still expressing my immediate distaste to Ednes.

"I'm sorry if I am interrupting something, but the men are waiting to see if you ladies are done with your tea." He says sort of cautious.

Ednes stands up and goes over to the man. "Castiel, I think it's time to leave. My presence is not wanted here anymore." She gives me an evil look and I bite my thumb at her. She gets a confused look on her face. "What in the gods name was that?" She asks.

"The Shakespearean equivalence of the middle finger. But you wouldn't know because you think I am too endangering to your kind." I retaliate. I can see the man, Castiel, snickering a bit and Ednes slaps his shoulder.

"Sweetie, you can go home. Juliet probably is having a party and maybe flooded the palace. I worry about her sometimes." Cas—the only reason I decided to call him Cas in my mind is because of Supernatural—tells Ednes and releases himself from her grip to go back inside.

Ednes only does two gestures before she leaves via a portal.

First, she finishes her cup of tea.

Second, she pushes me to the ground and kicks me.

Then she leaves.