Elaclea Electronic

Chapter Five: Aura

(Well I started typing this on my other computer, but the mouse died…and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting, so I'm typing it again on this one. XD I just read rikufanatic's "Life in the Clouds" today, and that's a really good fic! Anyway, I was thinking about writing a side story to go along with this about Alex Rowe, although he's not an important character in this story, I do love him a lot, and I'd like to write something about him. Would anyone be interested? XD Also, since I'm a lonely dork, my aim is AmourMana if anyone's looking for a role-play buddy or something. NOW ON WITH THE FIC!!!)

The next morning I made sure that I woke up before Dio. Although the nobles were scheduled to arrive after noon, Delphine informed us that they would be making preparations, so we had to remain in our little house. At least I did not have to chase the prince all over the palace grounds like I normally had to.

Dio came out of his room, still in his white sleeping robe. He had a big smile on his face as he sat down next to me on the red sofa, which was one of the few pieces of furniture in the house. "Guess what I saw last night?" he asked me, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I gave him an oblivious look. I thought he was going to tell me about some dream he had last night. "Sir, I don't have any idea." I said, "What did you see?" With Dio, it could have been anything.

He laughed softly and twiddled his thumbs. "I saw my sister and your brother doing something," he said, staring at me. Had he left the house last night? If that was the case, I prayed that no one saw him.

Now he really had my attention. I had not heard from or seen Cicada since the day he left me with the Maestro. "What were they doing?" I asked, wanting very much to know. Of course, I had no idea he was going to show me instead of just tell me.

"This!" he exclaimed, and leapt on top of me. Naturally, I was so surprised that as he touched his sweet lips to mine, I did not deny him. Shock turned into pleasure but I dared not show Dio that I enjoyed it. If anyone saw us like this, then I would never be allowed near him again. It seemed like eternity passed before Dio rolled off the sofa and onto the floor, giggling all the while.

My face reddened with embarrassment as I sat up. I could feel Dio's eyes on me, burning into me. Did he expect me to make some kind of comment?

Suddenly, realization struck me like a swift slap to the face…Dio had seen Delphine and Cicada, of all people, doing that. If word of that got out, then, surely, my brother would be dealt a terrible fate; sexual intercourse before marriage was a crime in the Guild, although how that law was enforced is beyond me. Such a thing between a noble, especially the Maestro, and a guard would definitely result in the death of the latter. Although I was not that close to Cicada, I certainly did not wish death upon him.

The prince continued to stare at me. "Luciola, what's wrong?" he inquired, a worried tone in his voice. He scooted back toward me, looking much like a young child.

I nodded slowly. "I'm fine…that was just…very unexpected, that is all." I lied. I wondered if he had enjoyed that fleeting moment as much as I did. Despite his childish demeanor, however, he was an expert at hiding his true thoughts and emotions when he wanted to.

Dio stood up and smiled. "You have to be on your toes!" he instructed and stood on the balls of his feet. Before I could reply, he tiptoed back into his room. He was acting much stranger than he normally did…that should have been my first signal that something was about to happen.

Believe it or not, nothing happened at all that day. We simply remained in the house and spoke very little to each other. It was that night, when something terrible occurred. I went back into my room for a moment, I do not remember why, and when I came back, Dio was gone. The front door was open; he could not have gotten far yet. I sighed and ran out after him, so much for having a calm night. Right as I entered the garden, I spotted him. He ran toward the palace, apparently unaware that I was following him. Strangely, no guards were in the garden that night, so I would have to catch him by myself.

Dio ran all the way to the glass doors and stopped. He turned and smiled at me, although his expressions were hard to make out in the darkness. "I know you want to see the foreigners just as bad as I do, Luciola," he said in a hoarse whisper, "So let's sneak in. We'll just take a quick glance." He reached for the doorknob, but I grabbed his hand.

"The Maestro told us not to go in there—" Why I was going along with what she said, I will never know. I just wish that Dio had as well.

Before I could finish what I had to say, he backhanded me across my face. It was even more of a surprise than when he kissed me that morning. Physically, it did not hurt much, but the pain it caused me inside would have been enough to leave a red mark. "How dare you side with Delphine!" Dio shouted, "I thought you were my friend!" His words stung like venom.

As he opened the door, I figured out what I had to say. "I am…I just do not want you to get hurt." I said as he went inside. There was so much more that I desperately wanted to tell him, but there was no way I could.

For a moment, he did not move. Once he finally looked at me, a small smile, tinged with sadness, formed in place of the angry scowl he wore only seconds ago. He said nothing, though I had expected him to. Despite the Maestro's orders, the two of us continued to a door that led to a high, steep set of stairs. "This'll take us to a balcony so we can spy on them!" he exclaimed and began running up the stairs.

A nervous pit grew in my stomach as I followed him. I hoped that we did not get caught. It seemed like forever until we reached the top. Finally, we entered the balcony and stayed low to the floor. I heard voices speaking in Anatorayan. Back then; I could speak little of their language, so I could not understand any of what they said. An interpreter translated and soon afterward, Delphine's voice rang out. They were speaking of forming an alliance. Very unexpected. Dio motioned for me to peek over the wall first. Hesitantly, I did so. All of them sat at a long, white table. Delphine, of course, was at the head of it. To her right were the Empress Sophia and six other Anatoray nobles. To her left were other Guild nobles whose names I cannot recall.

Empress Sophia was quite a sight. She had long, dark brown hair that was hidden in a strange, white headdress and wore a dress the color of oranges. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. Compared to Delphine, she looked like a porcelain doll. The other foreigners were all older men and to me, they all looked the same. Although, I suppose that we Guilders look the same to everyone else. One of the Empress's guards caught my eye though; a tall, black haired man whose name I discovered was Alex Rowe. I am sure that you have heard all about him.

I crept back over to Dio. "No one noticed me…Just be careful." I warned, hoping he would not take it the wrong way. If I could relive this moment, I would have told him not to look, but there was no way I could have foreseen what was about to happen.

Dio looked over the railing and was completely still for almost a minute. He uttered the word "orange" a few times, each time louder than the last and started rocking back and forth. I touched his shoulder and told him to calm down, but it was no use. He gave a violent twitch and let out a bloodcurdling scream. He fell onto his back and began to shake as if he were being electrocuted. It was a seizure.

I stood up to help him, and immediately heard the Maestro's voice. "Luciola, what do you think you are doing?! Get him out of here at once!" She sounded exactly as Dio had when he yelled at me earlier. I could also tell that she was not the least bit concerned about him.

By the time she said that, the seizure ended. Dio simply lay on the floor, as if in a trance. Effortlessly, I picked him up and carried him right to Ressius's office. My mind was numb with worry. The doctor had informed me that he only had seizures like that a few times in his life. Although I had not been expecting that, I remembered what Dio said earlier that day…I had to be on my toes.