Matched

Chapter 7

Kate stepped back as she watched Preston get up from his kneeling position. Before stepping out into the cavern, he looked out at the liquid surrounding the pathway and warily took a step. When nothing changed, he ran down the pathway until he was standing right in front of Kate, breathing heavily.

"You're her," he said, reaching out to run one hand down her cheek. "I thought the stories weren't true but when I saw the way my mother acted when she saw your results, I knew."

Kate extracted herself from Preston's touch and backed away from him slowly until she was pressed up against the rock. "No," she said as Preston started stepping towards her, "Stay back!" She raised her hand and pushed it out towards him to keep him away. As she did this, the liquid rose behind her and created a wave that splashed over Preston.

As Preston stood there, drenched in the liquid, sputtering, Kate looked at her hand and turned it in the light, trying to see if she had caused the wave to happen.

"Damn it Kate!" Preston said, "You can't just do that! I know that you stay dry, but the rest of us don't!"

He shook himself off and didn't attempt to move towards her anymore. "Kate," he said warily, "You have to be careful right now. You're just getting the emotions of the past eighteen years back and you currently have control of most of this cave and what it does. Now," he took a step towards her, "I'm going to approach you slowly and don't make any sudden moves."

Kate felt as though her head was going to burst. She felt as though there were millions of needles pricking her skull, as if her head had fallen asleep and was now waking up with the blood rushing back to it. There was an intense pulsing in her ears and she felt something in her chest becoming tight. As she let out her breath, she felt something wet run down her cheek. She reached up to touch it and found that a single bead of water was making its way down her face from her eye. As she touched both of her eyes, she could tell that they were both wet.

Preston had reached where she was standing, and Kate turned her face away so that he couldn't see what a mess she was. He knelt down beside her and put one finger under chin and turned her face towards his. "What's happening to me?" Kate managed to get out between sobs.

"Getting eighteen years of emotions back at one time is a very difficult thing. Your mind is slowly reliving each and every moment that you felt emotion starting when you were born," Preston answered, laying a hand on her back and giving her a reassuring pat.

Kate tried to stand, but found that she was very weak.

"Don't try to stand Kate. You're emotions and your new powers have made you weak. The weakness will affect you for a while," he said.

Kate wondered what powers he was talking about, but then remembered how she had made the water move. Her mind was spinning, but she faintly registered that Preston was picking her up and walking her out of the cave.

He turned around and looked at the expanse around him and said, "I'll bring her back. I promised her father I would and I will."

These last words were faint, and Kate couldn't be sure that she had heard them right as everything faded from sight into blackness.

•••

As Preston walked up the steps that led out of the cave, he knew that Kate had passed out because the light that shimmered from the water behind them had dimmed. He had known that she was the one as soon as they had entered the cave, for the water had never shone that bright. If what he had read was right, Dax was the only one who could help her out of this state that she was in.

When Preston had brought up the idea to Dax earlier in the day, Dax had told Preston not to even try. He had warned Preston that if the stories were true, then their father would have no problem killing Kate and them if he so wished.

Preston could tell that Dax hadn't believed that Kate was the lost princess of the stories. He had gotten mad at Preston, telling him that he didn't want any of the responsibility that the stories said that he would have.

They had gotten into a fight, Preston telling Dax that he was less of a man than their father, and Dax telling Preston that he would have been better off without a brother at all.

Preston knew that he should have been mad at Dax, but he knew what kind of pressure Dax was facing. He was under stress from not only their parents, but also from the prophecy that pointed to him being the only direct descendant of their father that had the power to reverse the things their father had done.

Now though, with Kate's emotional floodgates opened, Dax would have no choice but to help them. Preston saw what his father had been and could be, and knew that he had to do something drastic. He looked down at Kate in his arms, the faint light from the moon lighting her face in a fiery glow. The prophecy had picked right. She could do it. She could defeat his father because of her inner spirit. He saw it.

He was now going up the steps towards the main ballroom, but then he remembered that he was not only drenched in water, but also held an unconscious girl in his arms. He ran quickly past the main ballroom entrance and dashed around the house to find the back door to the servant's entrance.

•••

Dax was dancing with Princess Amy when he saw a flash of sliver go past the door to the main ballroom. He did a double take and saw what appeared to be his brother holding Kate in his arms.

Fear shot through him. If his brother had done what he told Dax he was going to do, then Kate was in trouble of losing consciousness forever. But he wouldn't have been that stupid to do it tonight, a night when all eyes were on were on their family would he?

Dax glanced up to where his father and mother were standing, and saw that his mother's eyes were fixed on where Preston had just rushed past. They shifted down to Dax and she inclined her head towards the side door.

Dax was surprised. His mother was telling him to go? Maybe Preston had been telling the truth when they had argued that afternoon.

Dax excused himself, bowing his head to Amy, and pushed his way through the large crowd of people to go and follow where Preston had gone.

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Hi everybody!

I just started to update this book again because I had no idea where I was going with it but now I do!

How are you all liking the story so far? I'm enjoying this plot line!

Remember to vote and comment! Thanks for reading!

- thoughtfulwing