A/N: hey y'all!!! sooo sorry i haven't updated in ages!! well, read and review please!! enjoy chapter 15.

Chapter 15

The trip back to Frell was dull and took ages, but we finally made it home.

I went straight to my room and composed two letters; one to Chris and Emily and another to Jem. After posting them, I sat in my room the rest of the day. I didn't even eat Mandy's lunch that she made me. At the end of the day she came in with Vitamins.

"Oh, Mandy, no..." I pleaded.

"Sweetie, I know you're sad, but consider yourself lucky. Your mother had to drink Tonic instead of swallowing the pills." she said.

"I have nothing here! I left it all in Ayortha! The Inn, rides with Jem, shopping with Emily, I even miss arguing with Chris!"

"I know, love," she sighed. "It's hard. Now swallow these." She placed three pills in the center of my hand. I did so, and stood up.

"What is it hon?"

"I'm going to ask Mother if I can borrow her Book."

I walked noiselessly into the corridor. Mother and Father were sitting in front of the fire in their room.

"Mother, may I borrow your Book?"

"Of course, it's on my nightstand." She replied.

I picked it up and kissed them goodnight. Mandy was gone when I got back to my room, so I got under the covers and propped the Book up on my stomach.

A picture of Jem! The book had only shown me stories before!

He was in his room, I figured, lying on his back and looking at something in his hands. I looked closer and saw it was the rose I had given him.

I flipped the page and saw Chris and Emily. They were walking in the garden by the Ayorthan castle with Aunt Areida, most likely choosing flowers for the wedding.

Someone knocked softly at the door.

"El?"

Mother.

"Yes?"

I slammed the book shut as she walked inside. She just chuckled.

"We only share the stories El. For me the pictures would be different."

Oh. I guess I should have thought of that.

We talked for a while, and she made me laugh. Then she smoothed my hair back repeatedly until I was almost asleep.

"Do you want to know why we made you come back from Ayortha instead of letting you stay?" Mother whispered.

What?

"Erm...YEAH!"

I jumped up off the bed, suddenly wide awake.

"Sweetheart, we were going to make it a surprise-..."she started, and then trailed off. Sighing, she continued. "When your Father and I saw how unhappy you were when you came back, we thought we should tell you why we made you come home."

I stood there, angry and puzzled.

"We decided for your birthday, we'd have a ball, just for you."

I was stunned. Six months ago I would have done anything for a ball in my honor. Now...all the people I wanted to come were too far away. I sank down onto the bed.

"I'm afraid we've already made arrangements, so we can't let you go back to Ayortha." Mother said quietly. I just sat there and stared at the floor. I felt selfish, wanting to go back after they had planned all this for me. Mother stood up to leave.

"When...when is this ball?" I stuttered.

"We were thinking of having it a week before your birthday, because of the big Centaur Fair. How does March 17th sound?"