Chapter xxiv: Someone out there
I decide to leave already, hoping to win time by encountering Stella in the process (which is ridiculous since I called on her a mere ten seconds ago, but my mind is a giant messy, turmoil). As I dash down the hallway, trying to figure out what would be the best exit from which to greet Stella, I hear a disturbing rumbling behind a high mahogany door I had never noticed before. I do not think of venturing in that unknown piece and want to pass it cautiously when I hear the rumbling again. I command my disobedient feet to stand still and try to determine where the sound is coming from.
I slowly lay my hand on the door knob, feeling my pulse quickening with every twitch of a muscle. I try to remember if someone told me if this door was forbidden and assuring myself no one ever did, I blank my mind and twist the gilded lion head. The door begins to creep open tediously slow. As soon as the crack is big enough for me to squeeze through, I am pulled in by a soft, firm hand. I only manage to squeak something incoherently when the door shuts very loudly, leaving me alone in the oppressing dark.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of the dark, I prefer darkness to sleep in, but… My stream of futile, rambling thoughts is shook up by one daunting realization: I am not alone.
The shallow, ragged breathing is my own; the steady lethargic wail is definitely not mine. The cold hand engulfing my sweaty fingers is certainly not mine. I lift my hand almost too slowly and bump into a flat, hard surface. I move it upwards, lingering under the chin, feeling the stubby, though smooth skin. I place my hand in the nape of his neck, firmly grasping a strand of hair, of which I know it is blonde, making him quiver once. Almost as if I didn't touch him. I finger his face, letting my tips travel over his eyebrows, his closed eyelids and his perfect chiseled nose. I stop immediately when I reach his lips, eliciting a jagged, uncontrolled gasp from him. Something inside him seems to snap suddenly and violently. He kisses my hand passionately and rests his hands on my waist, as if they have always belonged there. I have to speak up. This shouldn't feel right. Didn't his mother break my body? Didn't he break all of me?
"Sky," I murmur my voice thick with emotion, "I can't…" I don't recognize this sound erupting from my own throat because of all the trembling.
"I know." He replies softly, kissing my temple oh so tenderly.
"No you don't!" I exclaim, choqued by my own intense reaction, and manage to release myself from this spell he had over me. He recoils immediately and snorts almost annoyed.
"Why did you take it?" I blaze furiously. "Isn't there any light here?!" I look up surprised as the bulb switches on out of the blue.
"Thank you." I softly say. At least now I'm able to see his face. Maybe that's not such a good thing.
"I didn't do anything." He whispers back. I stare at him in complete disbelief.
"You filthy liar!" I shout, about nothing in particular. "Shouldn't your nose have grown three feet by now? How dare you?!" I cry out, battering my fists on his chest.
"Maybe you haven't realized yet, but I am actually helping you! You don't need me, Bloom!"
"Yes, I do!" I scream, confused. "I did." I correct myself reluctantly. "Did you just call me Bloom?" I ask dumbstruck. He averts his look, the flimsy light only shines on his right cheek.
"I…" he starts, strangely proud, but he doesn't need to finish.
"You knew. You knew. You knew. You knew!" I repeat in a hysteric and hurt litany.
"I did. But there was no proof until…" His hand flies to my blouse so quickly that I cannot stop him. "I felt this." His hands lift the thin fabric and are surprisingly cool on my heated, raw skin. "You've had something similar before." He wants to explain, but I cut him off lividly, unable to control my emotions.
"I know you idiot! Tattoo-lock, huh? You advised me against doing it!" He flinches slightly at the mention, but his hand continues to travel upwards. "I did it to protect myself from her." I emphasize the word as loudly and darkly as I'm able to. It sends him over the edge: he removes his hand in a blink of an eye, lays it on my stomach and pushes me against the wall, closing me in.
"Now what do you want from me? Do you want me to kill my mother? Do you want me to make myself disappear? What do you want?!" he yells at my face. First impulse wants to say 'you'. I don't utter my wish, but he reads it in my eyes nonetheless. He moves away from me, horrified at his own merciless behaviour. And I want to grab him so badly, comfort him.
"I'm sorry." He mumbles rapidly. He cups my face and presses his lips on mine. "Do you forgive me?"
"Yes." I reply out loud. "Sky, I…" I begin, but the rest of my words are not heard because of Stella bellowing my name in the hallway. I avert my look to glance at the door and when I turn my face back, he's no longer there. God, I have no time to figure this out. I swing the door open violently, unfortunately knocking someone over. Even more unfortunately, that someone is Stella.
"Well, shouldn't you help me?" she snaps angrily. I squat down next to her.
"Help me." I beg more than state.
"Okay, okay." She shushes me, seeing the desperate look in my eyes. "Now get up!"
After I explained the whole story about the ruby, she merely nodded.
"It's enchanted." She pauses, gauging the effect of her words. "The queen wasn't exactly a Sound of Music character in her early years. The king was well aware of that even before he was so fortunately betrothed to her. She messed with both dark and light powers, and without a keeper, she would go too far one day. When they got married, he wanted nuptial conditions."
"In the form of a ruby?" I guess.
"Very good, Flipper." She pats my head patronizingly. "He gave her the pair of earrings in exchange for her promise to never use magic again."
"She doesn't seem the kind of woman to keep her promises." I scoff, unbelievingly at the king's naiveté.
"Patience, hon." Stella admonishes me. "The queen tried to practice magic nevertheless, but the king found out. In fact, the more she tried to conceal it, the quicker he discovered."
"What does the ruby have to do with this?" I ask, impatiently, despite her warning.
"The ruby is strongly influenced by magic. The looser the rubies came from their setting, the more magic she had used. The king sent his silversmith every day to check the diamond."
"When she came to see me, she had those rubies pierced through her ears."
"Doesn't surprise me. She loves to flaunt, especially in front of her enemies. Yes, dear, she considers you as an enemy. More, an arch nemesis, actually." She smiles knowingly at this. "I think she outdid herself with you hon, because apparently, one rock fell out." She smiles again, tossing the diamond to and fro in her hands.
"But that could also mean that I used magic on her, doesn't it?" I sigh.
"No no, the king and his engineers thought of that too, the rubies have different characteristics. There are two rubies that are influenced: if the upper one falls, she attacked someone. If the lower one drops out, she was assaulted. She stares at me intently, causing me to shake my head.
"I don't remember!" I cry out helplessly.
"Then we'll just have to find out." She replies with sparkling eyes.
A/N: Hi everyone! Firstly I would like to apologize and thank all of you for your patience. This chapter had been written a while ago, but I wasn't sure if it was 'post-able'. I was planning on writing a longer one, but I'll feel better if I just post this one to get back in the rhythm. God college is crazy! I'm in law school now, so I have more studying to do, that's why I need you guys to motivate me. Please don't let me down, you know you're great! :)
Special thanks to my friend, who listened to my random ramblings about Bloom and Sky and read a piece of a possible new story (anyone else interested btw?) in Greece. You know who you are ; )
I don't have time to reply to everyone's review now, so how about I'll just do it individually when you review this chapter (because technically FF doesn't allow me replying to reviews in my story. I know, kind of lame. Scratch that, very lame!)
Toodles!
II
PS: The queen will show up in the next chapter, because Bloom needs to do a little magic first, don't you think?