Little White Lies

6. Little White Lies

When we finished breakfast, I bolted from the table. I ran to my room and began packing my bags. It became a bit tricky when I started to see double. I assumed it was from my tears. Clearly there was no way I could stay in this castle while Tristan was with another woman. I mean, I really should have seen this coming but apparently the thought still made me nauseous.

            I didn’t realize I had fallen to the floor sobbing until I heard a knock on the door and realized where I was. “Go away, Abby.”

            Of course she didn’t listen and when the door creaked open I didn’t ask her to leave again. I sat up and put my face in my hands. “How could I be so stupid? I was doing fine without him then I get here and I can’t even-.” I stopped speaking because whoever had walked in had put a hand on my shoulder, and it wasn’t a girl’s hand.

            “Get your hand off me and get the hell out of here,” I said through gritted teeth. When he did neither, I shook his arm off me and walked to the other side of the room. “Do you enjoy being an asshole?” I asked him.

            “It’s really complicated, Zee,” he began to explain but I cut him off.

            “My name is Zyda, and NO, it isn’t complicated at all. You didn’t contact me all this time because you found yourself a little royal girlfriend. Well the least you could have done after leaving me on prom night was stay the hell out of my life. You didn’t need to rub the fact that you found someone better in my face. I don’t deserve that.” I screamed at him, unleashing all the anger I possibly could without actually killing him. “As a matter of fact, there are thousands of men out there who would LOVE to be with me. I get asked out *all* the time, as I’m sure you’re aware because I’m in magazines rejecting them all the time. I’m powerful and beautiful, and so what if I have an extra power that happens to be a little dangerous? It’s just a little hitch. You aren’t even that good looking you know. I’ve been asked out by better looking men than you. I fell in love with your personality but clearly it was all fake so I’m over it. Now get out of my room so I can finish packing and leave this castle so I can actually get on with my life!”

            He didn’t move. He just stared at me.

            “I said leave,” I repeated angrily.

            “She isn’t better than you,” he finally said. “I didn’t avoid contacting you because I had found someone better.” Suddenly his eyes were swirling between grey, brown, and purple (sad, confused, and hurt).

            “It doesn’t matter I don’t care. I came for your stupid birthday, which is also a different birthday than the one you told me eight years ago, and now I don’t want to celebrate it. So goodbye.” I turned back to my suitcase and began to pack again as though he weren’t in the room.

            Suddenly his hand was on mine and he was holding it so tightly I didn’t think he would ever let it go. “Please, just give me ten minutes to try to explain,” he pleaded. “It isn’t going to make everything better but I need you to understand.”

            “If you aren’t going to leave me alone I guess I don’t have much of a choice.” I pulled my hand free and walked to the chair on the other side of the room from him.

            He sat on the edge of my bed and let out a hard breath while staring at the ground. “Ok, I’ll start from the beginning. When I first met you, I was just the middle brother,” he looked up at me sheepishly. “I have a younger brother, too. He’s out being a warrior right now.” I just blinked, not giving anything away. “Anyway, I was the middle child. I was doomed to join the church or marry some princess first in line for her own throne. I didn’t want that. I mean I was ten but I wasn’t particularly fond of religion nor was I thrilled about possibly marrying a girl four years older than me with a unibrow. There’s only one princess in line for a throne right now and she is not pretty, inside or out. Anyway, I decided to move in with my aunt Adonna, to try to live a normal life. She’d done it when she was sixteen and was more than willing to take care of me. But because of my ability, no one let me be normal. Except for you. You didn’t give a damn about what I could do and I thought that was great. Then when I found out about you and your,” he paused and looked at me for a moment before returning his gaze to the floor. “Your unfortunate power, I knew I could never tell you who I really was. At least, not until you were ready to hear it. I figure after I graduated high school I could just stop coming to visit here, then I could just be with you and tell you who I was without you worrying I would tell anyone. I never imagined,” he choked. “I never imagined my brother would get killed. He was playing soldier and he walked right into a massacre.” He took a moment to reminisce. “James was never good with strategy.” He shook his head. “He died about two months before school ended, which is why my parents wanted me back. I tried to talk them out of it but they just don’t have any faith in my little brother. Honestly I was going to confess everything to you at prom, but that day my father was poisoned and they sent guards to come bring me home. I never got the chance to tell you anything I was just dragged back here. And I didn’t want to call you right away because I didn’t know how to face you. I knew you would be upset; just as upset as I would be if our positions were reversed.” He took a moment to look at me. Tristan appeared to study my face. “I didn’t know how to say it. And then I found out about Anastasia and I really couldn’t bring myself to try to explain everything to you.”