Reign ✔

IV

My eyes popped open as sunlight hit earth. I stared at the ceiling for some time, recalling things that had happened the previous day. So much confusion. My mind was swirling round and round. I tried hard; trying to remember what had actually happened before and after blue light glowed from beneath Eliza's hand. But alas! Not a single thing came back to my mind.

Sighing, I slowly got up from bed. As I did so, pain throbbed through my head. How weak I had become in one day's time, it evidently showed in my body. It was fragile; as if a swift blow of the wind would shatter it into thousands of pieces. My jerky movements somehow carried me to Eliza's room.

"Eliza? Are you in there?" I cried out, holding onto the knob of the door. I waited a few seconds. No answer came.

Giving up that little hope I had in me, I walked to the kitchen next.

"Eliza?" I craned my neck into the kitchen and shouted. This time, an answer came, but from behind.

"Anna!" Elizabeth exclaimed. I turned around to lay my eyes on a very elegant Elizabeth standing in the doorway, her hands packed with bags. A happy smile carved on my face as I saw her.

"You are awake so soon..." Eliza said as she placed the bags on a table nearby. Then, she looked at me and her lips puckered up in disgust. "I think you should first of all go and wash", she pointed out to my dress.

I checked myself out. Surely, I looked like I had come out of the dustbin straight. My hair was flying in all directions. My body was wrapped up in slights of mud. And my beautiful sapphire gown had become more brown than navy. Looking at myself in that way, a disgusting look appeared on my face too. Never had I seen myself so much disheveled. Nodding, I quickly walked towards the bathroom.

"And then we have some talking to do!" Eliza shouted from behind.

"Yeah sure" I replied in a mocking voice. I knew what was this 'talking' about.

***

I slowly stripped down my muddy gown and tthrew it with the pile of dirty clothes. I opened the tap and let the cool water fill the tub. In the meantime, I brushed my teeth. I then remembered that I had not brushed my teeth for one whole day. And that was long enough! Then I gurgled and went to the tub. It was filled with water halfway to the brim. I slowly slid inside the tub and sat down; the cool water soothing against my hot skin. I sprayed the water over my entire body. Suddenly, as the water hit my, something extraordinarily magical happened.

A faint blue light glowed from my forehead where the cool water touched my skin. My sapphire pendant changed its color to purple and it shone brighter than any thing I have ever seen. My mind started to swirl again. Slowly, my memory came back. I could then remember every single thing that had happened. I could clearly picture how I was playing in the hot sun, how the sky turned grey, how a huge man was following me and how I had used magic to kill the predator!

'Magic' I gasped.

I jerked upright. All my relaxation was gone in a second. Suddenly, I didn't feel alright. My stomach lurched; I felt nauseated. I felt nervous all over again. I couldn't wait a second to ask Elizabeth about what had really happened.But she told it was thunder, I thought, what if she doesn't tell me the truth this time also? A million thoughts crossed my mind, but the main question on my mind was that how did Eliza made me forget things? I realised I had no time and so I rushed.

I quickly rushed out of the water, though I didn't want to; rubbed myself with a towel and dressed into a clean pair of new dress. This time, I wore black and brown.

***

"What was that Eliza?" I shouted as I hurried down to her room. She sat upright and looked at me; shocked, like she didn't expect me there. But there I was.

"What was what?" She asked, confused.

"Oh! Now you are telling me you don't know it? C'mon Eliza, you are a terrible liar; much more terrible than me!" I was angry. Well, not angry, maybe. But I was sad at Eliza for keeping secrets from me. After all, I took her as my mother (foster mom, though).

Eliza was completely out of her mind. And even I was. But the truth had to be told; now or never!

She stared at me for few minutes, without blinking her eyes, and then she stated, "I see you have had a contact with warm water, didn't you?"

"Yes, but may I now know the truth?" I spat.

She nodded towards the bed, signalling me to sit down. I stomped towards the bed and sat at a distance. I was scared and pissed.

"I can't tell you everything Sarah. But whatever I m going to tell you know, I expect you to listen to it carefully and understand it.

"It started long ago, before you were even born. It was the time when the kingdom was ruled by a king and a queen. They were very happy. They had a child too. But when slowly, time passed....things started to get out of control. The royal highnesses' were threatened with death. No one knew why or who, but every one thought the main reason was to aquire the throne of Spine. Then suddenly, when the threatens got deadlier, the king and the queen vanished. It was said that another child was born at the last moment. But no one knows what happened to them or the child."

I listened to her as she slowly stood up and walked up to the window. From their, she looked up at the castle that proudly stood at the foot of the Spine mountain. I traced her vision and gazed at castle too. It surely looked scary now.

"After that day, no one was there to look after the welfare of the citizens of Spine. Everybody started getting vulgar and violent. They started doing things they haven't imagined in a hundred years. And some say that the killer or the threatener; I would say, is still in the lookout for the new born child; to kill it and take the throne for himself or herself."

"But why don't you want me going there?" I asked her, after a long pause.

"Because that kingdom is cursed!" She turned around and literally shouted at me. "I want you safe Sarah! Don't risk your life! You are too precious for that."

I opened my mouth to ask a question again but she shut me out.

"Don't ask any thing more. I can't answer you. Just remember that kingdom is forbidden and you are not allowed there!" She said and walked away, leaving me to ponder on what she said.

You are too precious for that!

Don't risk your life!

Those questions still bothered me but I kept them locked away at a corner of my head because right then, I was up to something crazy and entirely different. The more I thought of the castle, the more my desires grew. A quick idea flashed through my brain like a lightning.

No one would care if i go missing for just some hours.

A big grin spread across my small face as I repeatedly thought of my master plan.