THE GIFTED

CHAPTER 3

FORTY-TWO

Without knowing it I had closed my eyes. I most likely blacked out from the pain. I open them to find the blonde girl looking down at me.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes ma'am"

"What happened?"

"Nothing, really"

"Would you like to sit down?"

"I shouldn't"

"I insist"

I nod and sit on the bed next to her.

"What can I call you?"

"Alex" I reply. I want to resume my work, knowing the consequences of interacting with an

Asion. "You can stay for as long as you like. I don't have many friends."

"Neither do I ... um... Thank you for the offer but I can't..."

"If this is regarding your work, I can make them understand!" I smile thinking of the amount of power and authority she spoke with.

"Okay then" I finally give in. "um...what is your name?" She looked slightly surprised.

"I am princess Caroline of Oridian"

"Your highness" I bow and smile

She lets loose a chuckle. We both start talking and although I said that I despised the royals, she spoke like an ordinary person. Since her birthday ball is going to be in two days, she was sent to her room to practice the speech she had to deliver. The one she didn't want to. She is the second heir to the throne of Oridian, daughter of Queen Lauren Carlos, second wife of King Augustus Carlos II.

Before long I was done with my work and had made a new friend in the process. A princess.

I knocked and entered the third and final room. It was very different from Caroline's bright room. It had dark blue furniture and the bed was white. I began with my work. This person loved to read, I could tell, there were more books than how many I could count, all neatly arranged and kept in a bookshelf. I climbed on top of the ladder and started dusting the shelf. I reached for the topmost shelves, but the ladder wobbled and

I fell.

Strong and muscular arms caught me. How many times can you fall in one day, Alexis? I ask myself. Yea, I talk to myself, deal with it. I took one look at the person who had saved me. I had to look again. He had black hair and golden-brown eyes, the same eyes I saw in my dream.

He set me down on the couch. He looks at me and his expression changes to shock.

"It's you; you are the girl in my dreams" what a way to make a first impression.

"What?!" I sort of yell

"Sorry, that came out wrong, but you have the same blue eyes and dark hair," he says as he examines my face.

I also examine him. Broad shoulders, chiselled jaw, lean and tall. His black hair isn't like mine it is more of a spiky, sandy black if that makes sense. His right arm was in a bandage. Maybe he is clumsy like me.

"Sorry, I must be scaring you, I am Prince Stephan Carlos. May I know who you are?"

"I am Alexis Frost, I was sent to work here. I am so sorry...I.."

"It's okay; it's just that I have seen you in my dreams or rather nightmares for two weeks now, ever since my birthday," he says with a mocking edge to his voice.