Kingdom Call

Chapter 4

~Celosia~

Celosia blinked hard, knowing that crying in her situation would be pointless. If she walked into the house looking like a sobbing mess, her aunt would probably lecture her on being strong.

Still, she couldn't stop a tear from escaping as she thought about what had happened to her at school. At least she was physically unharmed... but she couldn't say the same about her mental state.

Celosia bristled. The door of her home was taunting her, teasing her about it all. The embarrassment, the humiliating laughter. About the worst part of it was that Lillia Enz had struck again.

Celosia should have known it was coming the moment Yoran Cruss yelled that he smelled something burning. Her classmates always seemed to be in some sort of trouble when she was around, but luckily for her, they never seemed to catch on that it was not bad luck, but in fact, magic. If they ever found out the truth, she could die.

Lillia always seemed to suspect it, though, to Celosia's dismay. Once, Celosia accidentally burnt Lillia's sweater while they were sitting outside for the Academy's routine "Nature Appreciation" day. It was years ago, back when she was about nine or ten, but ever since then, she would see Lillia eyeing her with disdain. If it wasn't so sunny, she could have been caught. As it were, only Lillia believed she used magic, which lead to an "anonymous" tip that caused the City Guard to come to their school and investigate. But when it was Celosia's turn to speak with the marshal, he kept smiling at her and telling her how wonderful a day it was. She somehow escaped the ordeal without a hitch.

Throughout all her years at the Academy, the only one of her classmates that never saw her as a magical beast or just a plain monstrosity was Grenitch Wilsons. He became Celosia's only friend, the person she could rely on to have her back. He defended her, even after not being in the same classes every year, and she grew too fond of him. She tried to tell him. It was all going perfectly... Until she opened her mouth.

"Stupid, stupid Cel," she whispered.

It was clear as day, the moment when she ruined everything. She had placed flowers on Grenitch's desk, before class so no one would notice. She remembered watching as he read the note attached to them, saw his eyes light up. She thought she had a chance, but when she met him at the roof, ready to tell him everything about how she felt, the light disappeared.

"Hey, Celosia," Grenitch said casually. He had kept looking behind her as if expecting someone to show up. "What are you doing here?"

She was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I came up to meet someone... but she isn't coming," he told her.

"Grenitch—"

"I got to go, sorry." He raced passed her, running down to find something. She dashed after him, wondering what was happening. He hadn't realized it was her he was supposed to meet.

But, she wondered, then who was he expecting?

She followed him, calling his name again and again. "Grenitch! Grenitch, wait! I need to tell you something! Grenitch!"

He hadn't stopped, looking around the front yard. Then he saw someone and walked over to a group of girls that were giggling on a bench while staring at the boys across the way. Celosia sucked in a breath, hoping to whatever deity that existed that what she was about to come across was not what she was dreading.

"Lillia!" Grenitch called. He walked up to her and frowned as if disappointed. "Where were you? I waited so long."

"Grenitch, what are you doing right now?" Lillia asked furiously.

He looked confused. "You said to meet up on the roof, didn't you?"

"Of course not, you idiot. Why would I meet you on the roof?"

That's what you wrote in the note."

Lillia rolled her eyes. "I don't write notes to you, silly, you do to me."

The comment had felt like a kick to Celosia's stomach and she almost fell over. Grenitch sighed and nodded, but Celosia could see how sad he was that the note wasn't from Lillia. Lillia Enz, the worst person that existed in Celosia's life.

"But if you didn't write the note, Lils, then who?" Grenitch persisted. Even after hours, his clueless tone still pained Celosia in a way she never had been.

"Grenitch, contrary to popular belief, I don't know everything." Lillia had sighed and flipped her long hair. Jennis shrugged and went back to whispering to Lillia about the newest gossip, leaving Grenitch to look even sadder than before.

"But who wrote it?"

"...I did."

He looked. Celosia smiled meekly and waved, staring at her feet and slowly dragging them through the dirt. Grenitch tilted his head.

"You did?" he asked in a tone of disbelief.

"Yeah, I did." She blew her brown curls out of her face and shrugged. "I really meant it, too. You're an amazing guy, Grenitch, and I... I really like you."

"Cel-"

"I don't deserve you, I know, but I love the way you light up when you come to school, and your smile is so adorable." Celosia cleared her throat. "You... you were always nice to me. My only friend. You helped me and cared about me, so I couldn't help but... fall... for you..." She remembers gradually becoming quieter as she realized everyone in her class was in the yard. Around her. Listening to her.

"Celosia Deleveigh, are you hitting on my boyfriend?" Lillia accused.

Once again, she was punched in the stomach. "'Boyfriend?'"

"Celosia, I... I can't..." Grenitch looked back at Lillia. "I'm sorry, Cel."

Celosia felt a tear fall as she felt how uncomfortable everyone around them were. Grenitch was taken. And by none other than Lillia Enz.

That was when Yoran yelled, "Is something burning?" and they all looked around frantically to see Lillia's hair on fire. They all stared at Lillia's once beautiful locks singed from Celosia's own red-faced, soul-crushing, heart-aching anger.

Lillia saw Celosia's eyes boring holes in her hair. She recognized that look, that feeling from all those years ago. "CELOSIA DELEVEIGH, YOU USELESS BRAT!"

"Lillia, I'm sure she didn't do anything," Grenitch said as calmly as he could. "Lillia—"

"You don't understand, Grenitch," Lillia screamed, still batting the flames from her hair. "She is the devil incarnate!"

Not a good day, that was for sure. Celosia had run from the yard, heard a cry from someone for her to come back, refused to stop. She had left the buildings behind and settled under a bush, staying there until she was sure everyone was gone. Then she ran home and cried. And there she sat, remembering the stupidity that was herself, Celosia Deleveigh.

She saw her aunt in the window of the house. Celosia didn't want to go inside and have to tell her why she was absent from class that afternoon. Nor did she want to have to go back to school ever.

It was better for her to just run again. Leave so no one would have to suffer because of her anymore.

So she did.