Worlds Collide (Alimentria, #1) [ON HOLD]

Chapter Nine: King Finian

     Brianna woke with a start, looking around the room to be sure of where she was. She looked out a window. Sunrise?

     She bolted upright. Brianna was supposed to be in Wisconsin right now! Mrs. Michaels must have called the police by now. How would she be able to explain where she had been when she got back when she wasn't supposed to?

     Panic began to rise in Brianna's throat. She looked around the room frantically, trying to figure out what to do. The others were asleep in the places they had been sitting the night before to hear the queen read.

     Rising to her feet slowly, Brianna went around the room to where Estelle and Gildson leaned against each other, still in a very deep sleep. The elvin princess shook her sister by the shoulders, but Estelle did not wake. She didn't even flinch. Brianna tried waking Gildson next. Same results. She tried sitting on Estelle's lap and jumping on it to wake her. That usually worked, but this time...

     "She's not waking up," Brianna whispered, her voice cracking. "Why isn't she waking up? She's not usually a deep sleeper..."

     She gasped. A horrible thought had entered Brianna's mind. She watched her sister for a moment, then warm relief filled her. Estelle still breathed. That meant she was just asleep, not dead. Brianna chuckled silently at herself now for even having the thought. How could her sister have died, and so suddenly? Of course she wasn't dead.

     Her smile was short lived, for now Brianna remembered something about her family: they never slept in. Ever. The Contestellas always rose with the sun, and the sun had been up for at least an hour now by the look of it. This was very unusual behavior.

     Brianna rushed around, trying to wake and count each person to see if every single person still slept. Not one person was missing.

     Scared out of her mind, Brianna ran out of the room, heading straight for the throne room where she hoped to find her father. He could help. Maybe he even had an explanation for the late sleeping that would make Brianna burst out laughing at her own ignorance.

     It took a while for her to find her way through the maze of corridors and staircases that all looked alike, but soon Brianna was standing outside the beautiful double doors made completely out of jewels. It was like looking at stained-glass doors, but ten times more bright-colored and glittering. The affect was over-all bedazzling. Definitely her mother's style.

     Brianna stood there for a second, soaking up the beauty of the two pieces of art before her, then she reached out, grasped the diamond handles, and pulled.

     As she stepped into the room, the bejeweled doors closed behind her with a melodic clink-click-clink.

     The man she'd been looking for sat in one of the twelve great thrones at the very front of the sun-filled throne room, but when he saw her face he stood with the kind of smile on his face only a father can give; the kind when he has not seen his child in a very long time, and that child has just come home.

     Brianna was sure her smile was just as big as she rushed across the room into her father's open arms. He chuckled a deep chuckle, joyful tears running down his cheeks as he hugged his daughter tightly.

     "There's my girl," he said, the huge grin never leaving his face. "The servants told me you were home. Why haven't you come to me yet? Don't you love me?" He said the last part in a teasing voice, his eyes twinkling as he let her out of the bear hug.

      Brianna laughed and slapped him lightly on the arm. "You know I do! But I had to see mother first. I only just found out about Erin, you see."