Morphling

Chapter 14 - Pennamore

We are silent after this. It gives me time to think. I mean, I am a little in shock as I attempt to process how Olivia can be a morphling. I mean, never in my life have I heard about someone leaving the kingdom. Maybe it happened, but it just does not make sense to me. Leaving the kingdom where everyone has an ability just like yourself for a place where you could be killed for having an ability? Besides, Olivia's dad is the king. I decide it might be best to just go with it. I mean her story is true. We saw her morph. There is no way she is lying. Right?

  Finally Noah says, "Well, I guess I will just go now."

  I say, "Wait. Do you think it is possible to make someone think they are doing something productive when, in reality they are not?"

  "What are you planning? I mean, I think that is possible, but it just seems sudden."

  I reply, "Look, I want to trust Olivia, but I'm not sure if that is a great idea. I do not know her. I do not really want her directly helping."

  Noah states, "You do not know me, but you are going to trust me."

  "True, but you are, at least, from the kingdom. Besides, Persephone seemed to have no problem with you, and she would know you better than me."

  "I don't know. Is that really a good idea? I mean, maybe it is a good thing to have more help; someone who will know more than we do. Just think if she was in your place and we were in Change. Wouldn't you want an ally who could help you by leading you in the right direction and how best to go about things?"

  I respond, "That is not what is going on here."

  "True, but you know I am right."

  "Alright, fine. Just, we need to be careful."

  Noah looks at me like he is searching for something. "Are you sure that Persephone is the only thing you are worried about?  I can understand wanting to do everything for your sibling, it just seems as if maybe there is something else bothering you."

  "Well, if that is what you think, then you might be right."

  "What are you worried about?"

  "I don't know. It is just, what if something bad happens? It will most certainly not help my sister, but it could endanger me. Then there really would be no one to help us. There also is the thing Persephone said."

  "What happened to 'nothing bad can happen, everything will be okay'?"

  I reply, "I never said nothing will go wrong and everything will be fine. I said it can't happen or I could lose the one person, the one thing who means the world to me, the one person I can not live without. If this goes wrong and I fail, then I can only blame myself and that is a world I do not want to live in."

  Noah says, "Then why did you come here? It seems dangerous that you came here if you will blame yourself for whatever results."

  "I could not let just any person come here to save my sister. They would not understand her as I do, they would have no connection with her. Someone else could very well have turned against Persephone, my family."

  "I doubt that would have happened." Noah states.

  I reply, "Maybe, but it has happened before."

  "Yeah, when someone is disliked, but no one dislikes you or your sister that I know of."

   I feel as if Noah has meaning behind those words. I know that it can be true of my sister, but me, I'm not so sure. I might be nice, but if someone does not know me, I come across very strong and mean.

  "Really? Do you think that?" I ask.

  He responds, "Definitely."

  I smile. I do not know how Noah could tell something was bothering me. I was not sure I wanted to tell him, but somehow he made me feel better. I feel as if he said the opposite of what I said. However, he seemed to mean his words. It was not as if he said it nonchalantly.

  "That seems like a good thing since you are going to be on my side."

  "Well, you do not seem dangerous now, but I think you could pull that off if you had to. Besides, you are like Persephone. I guess that is not weird since you two are sisters."

  Is it a good thing to be like my sister? It should be, but for some reason it bothers me. My sister has always seemed so perfect to me, like she knows what is right and what is wrong. I have never known her to make a huge mistake. However, being compared to her makes me feel like I have to live up to the standards she sets. Being like her means I am not my own person, not unique. I love my sister, I do, but I don't want to be like her. I do not want to seem in the dark and evil, but I certainly want to make my own name. Persephone can be as perfect as she wants and everyone can know her that way, but I do not want to seem like Persephone's twin sister who is exactly like her. I want to be known as my own independent and strong-willed self.

  I feel as if I am my own person, but I wonder. Does Noah think I am just like my sister? Wait, how can he? He claims to only know my sister a little, but maybe he is closer to her than I know. Why do I even care what he thinks? I mean, I barely even know Noah.

  I say, "Right. It is getting late."

  "Oh, yeah. It is, so I will just go now."

  I nod. "See you tomorrow I guess. Hopefully to get my sister."

  "Yeah. We need to get Persephone safe, so we can get back to the kingdom."

  I watch as Noah walks away before I quietly slip into the small opening leading to my base. I hide the letter that my sister gave me with the other paper I have gotten from her, the only way I can actually help her. I can get in the castle, yes, but I can not actually get to Persephone if I do not know where, in the large castle, she is. I suddenly decide to pull out all the papers and look at them side by side. In front of me is the letter, Persephone's location, and the map I happen to have sketched out. I find where Persephone is according to the map, well, about where she is. Of course she has to be in the very back of the castle to make it that much harder to help her. I believe it will be possible for me to rescue my sister. I am just worried it will not happen, in which case I have to find another way to help her. I have done it before in Change, in a place I know well, but never in a situation so risky have I had to help my sister. Why did this ever have to happen? I would give anything to go back in time and change everything.