Woodbridge Recollection : The Hidden Kingdom

Chapter 8: The Academy.

"Zelena?"

I looked up, finding Vincent standing at my door. I hadn't even heard him come in. I sat up straight and folded the letter up.

"You've been in here for three straight hours," he said. "Don't you want to come out?"

I shook my head and picked up all the letters around me.

"Not really," I sighed. "I'm just trying to make sense of things."

I tossed the letters in the box and then took out the rose. It smelled sweet, potent. It was very pretty.

Vincent stepped closer and looked down at the rose quite observantly.

"That thing is still alive?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"It must have been one strong enchantment," he said, a smile touching his lips.

I looked up at him.

"What?" I asked. "It's enchanted?"

Vincent nodded.

"Mathew gave it to you," he said. "He asked Xenophil to enchant it so that it would live longer."

I looked at the rose and dropped it back in the box. What an insane thing to hear.

"When was this?" I asked.

"Five or six years ago," he answered.

I cocked an eyebrow.

"No friggin' way," I said.

Vincent chuckled.

"Pretty Beauty and the Beast, isn't it?" he laughed.

"No kidding," I said. "Who's Mathew?"

Vincent pulled up the chair behind the writing desk and sat down in it.

"Your ex-boyfriend," he answered.

I sighed as I closed up the box. No shit.

"I figured that one out already, Vincent," I said, almost snapping at him.

Vincent furrowed his eyebrows and then a sly smile touched his mouth. A look of confusion touched his expression. So did a look of impression.

"Wait," he then said. "You called me Vincent?"

I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You are Vincent," I then said, sounding sarcastic. It was pretty obvious.

"Yes," he agreed. "But you can actually tell me apart from Kelian?"

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head.

"Your eyes are two different colours. You have one blue eye, Kelian has two."

Kelian breathed a laugh. He seemed excited all of a sudden.

"Zelena," he said. "That's how you used to tell us apart and no one else has gotten that far into observation to figure that out."

I blinked at him. So? What was his point?

"Is...that good?" I stuttered after several moments.

Vincent laughed and ran his hands through his silvery hair.

"Oh, Zelena," he sighed. "Of course that's good. It means that a memory surfaced. Our parents were right about familiar surroundings."

I sighed.