Chapter 32

He barely managed to block my punch and surprise flashed through his eyes as he stumbled sideways a few paces from the impact of my next attack which was a roundhouse kick. I stared at him for few moments in fury when I realised that he wasn't going to defend himself anymore from my attacks and somehow that just made me even angrier.

The next attack sent him flying out of the door just as Rosette and Ali walked in and Ali barely had enough time to tug Rosette out of harm's way. Crispin crumbled against the wall and he slowly picked himself back up. There was a gaze in his eyes. A gaze that I couldn't stand to see.

It was a gleam that spoke of volumes of duty. The duty of letting me do what I wanted because of who I was, because I was the Ivashkov Princess. In terms of titles, Crispin was nothing but a mere guard and it seemed that in his eyes, I could beat him to a complete pulp and he wouldn't even contemplate on defending himself because I was of higher status than he was.

"This! This is why I should never have -" I screamed and I could feel the air pressure building in the room. Before I finished my sentence I was being tugged against Rosette's chest and she stroked the back of my head soothingly.

"Shh," she murmured against my hair. "Calm down, Kalani. It's alright. Everything will be alright."

Slowly, the pressure returned to normal and I could do nothing but cling onto Rosette. I didn't want this. I really hadn't wanted this. I was prepared for the truth to be exposed eventually, but I had thought that I had more preparation time; preparation time to make myself ready for the glances that I knew I would inevitably get.

I had really liked Crispin. We were starting to get along so well and I was hoping that he wouldn't be just like any uptight Guardian. I was really hoping that things would still be the same, that I would just be another ordinary student who had more skill than most others.

"What the hell happened?" Ali demanded as he tugged Crispin up and shoved him into the office before shutting the door once more.

I peered over Rosette's shoulder to see Crispin standing passively with a closed off expression. He must've seen someone in my eyes because I saw the realisation and understanding dawn in his eyes. His expression became apologetic and he stepped towards me. I flinched and stared suspiciously at him as he stopped in front of me.

"So what do I owe you for having helped me out with that lesson, Valentine?" he asked casually.

I stared at him in doubt, wondering if that was just an act that he was putting on to put me more at ease. There didn't seem to be a hint of deceit in his eyes and so for the moment, I decided to trust him. I wanted to trust in Crispin. I wanted to try trusting someone who wasn't family, someone who hadn't been connected to me in some way.

"Well, since you're asking, you owe me a week's worth of ice-cream." I told him bluntly.

"A week? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Hey, you should've thought about the consequences when you decided to rope me into helping your teaching duty." I scoffed.

And just like that, I knew that we could get through this. He would do his best to disregard my title because he seemed to genuinely understand. He was going to respect me by remaining ignorant and not dragging this topic on too far. He was willing to drop it because it seemed as though he could see the reasons why and for a moment, I thought that he not only realised but also understood why this was such a secret.

"Would someone please explain to me what is going on?" Ali complained as he glanced between Crispin and me.

"Jenson knows." Joe told him bluntly.

"Jenson knows what?" Ali frowned in confusion.

"I know that Valentine is the runaway princess but at the moment that doesn't really matter because she has the right to live the way she wants to and I think that the choice she's made so far is a damn good one." Crispin grinned at me and I smiled appreciatively at him for understanding.

"Hey, hey, Jenson, you haven't fallen in love with our little princess or something, have you?" Joe glared menacingly at him and tugged me out of Rosette's arms so that he could hug me protectively.

Crispin shot him a startled and indignant glance. "Really now? Is this how immature you get when she's involved?"

"I'm not being immature." Joe protested.

"Um… sorry, Joey, but I'm going to have to side with Guardian Jenson with this." I smiled apologetically up at him. I tugged his hands away and slapped his cheeks. "I thought you were meant to be more mature than Ali at the least."

"Sorry, little sky but I wasn't expecting someone else to have found out so soon. This kind of hurts my pride for some reason for him to just accept everything so easily. It's almost like there's some kind of a bond between you two and you've only known each other for a week." Joe pouted and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, Joey. You don't have to worry, nothing could ever replace my family unit." I smiled warmly up at him and tugged his head down so that I could kiss his forehead.

"Seriously, Maxwell, you don't have to worry. I wouldn't dream of taking her away from you. You'll kill me in my sleep if I even contemplated anything like that." Crispin scoffed.

"Actually, you made a mistake in what you just said, Guardian Jenson." Martin commented.

"Oh?"

"We'll all torture you one at a time before we finally end your life." Aunty Jules explained for Martin and I noticed the glance that she and Martin shared. I could see the mischief but also sense the threat in their words. Although they would never break any rules, they would certainly not hesitate to serious harm someone who harmed me.

Crispin must have noticed the real threat there too because he sent me a glance that showed that he clearly understood what they were trying to tell him. "You really are loved by these people, aren't you? Not just because of your name."

"What can I say? They were my parents' friends and have been with me since I was born." I shrugged. "So are you up for this challenge, Guardian Jenson? Because this won't be easy, especially when the truth is exposed."

"I don't really know what would really happen when the truth gets out but I do know that there will be chaos, but even then, I will do my best to help you and make sure you don't get killed in the process from being bombarded by royals," he grinned at me.

"You know, Guardian Jenson, you are incredible, you know that?" I smiled.

"I may have been told that a few times."

"I see that there's a bit of an ego."

"Every guy has an ego, Valentine."

"Oh I know, I have been in a soccer team with a bunch of boys for a few years after all."

"Hang on a minute!" Ali cut in and suddenly jumped in between Crispin and me so that we couldn't see each other without having to peer around Ali. "Let me get this straight, your secret has been exposed to Jenson?" he stared at me in shock.

"That is what I just said…" I nodded slowly.

"Then why is he not being deported or being sworn to secrecy or something?"

I stared at Ali and I could see the suspicion and distrust rising like the tide within him. I gave a heavy sigh and tugged his head down forcefully so that we were at eye level. "Because we've decided to trust that he will keep my secret, Ali. Guardian Jenson is safe."

"How can you know that?"

"I don't. None of us can know for certain, but that's a risk that I am willing to take."

"Why? Why him?" he whispered and he stared at me with surprisingly pained eyes.

I blinked in surprise at the gleam in his eyes and for a moment, I didn't know how to react. I didn't know what to think. I had no idea why there was such a sudden change of attitude from Ali and I was confused as hell about the whole thing. I was still trying to come to grips myself that I had decided to take the risk and trust in Crispin. Even now I didn't really know why I was taking such a risk.

The stakes were really against me because I didn't know Crispin all that well. But over the past week, I could see that Crispin was a noble type of person. A somewhat mysterious one perhaps with eyes that had clearly witnessed too much and he still somehow managed to retain a slight immaturity in his behaviour and attitude.

I was curious about the Guardian, not in a romantic sense in any way, but curious nonetheless and I knew without a doubt that Crispin felt the same. He had a vague understanding about me and personality but he didn't know me, just as I didn't know him. Somehow, I had a feeling that we would become great friends, but first, we were going to have to talk about everything that happened today.

Back to the situation at hand, I was incredibly confused by how Ali was reacting to the situation. It was somewhat unexpected since I had thought that he would react in the same way as everyone else. So why didn't he? I had expected him to be surprise by the turn of events, but I certainly didn't expect him to seem almost horrified or be in such denial.

"Alistair, I think you should go back to your room for some rest for now." Martin warned him with a serious tone and Ali glanced over my head to stare at him. I don't know what expression Martin was using but I knew that it made Ali obey without protest and I found that incredibly odd. Normally, from what I could remember, even if someone older or of a superior experience or status gave Ali a stern look he would still argue back for a little bit before complying to what he was being told. The fact that Ali obeyed without any sort of defiance spoke volumes of just how much he had grown and matured in the six years that I was gone.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in my chest when I noticed the forlorn look Ali sent me before leaving the office. For the first time in my life, I couldn't comprehend the situation at all, and that scared me. I had no idea where this situation was going and I didn't like the fact that I was so clueless about it.

"I think that he was just feeling a little surprised that you decided to trust so easily, Kai." Joe tried to explain to me.

"I think that he's feeling a little lost too. I don't think that he's really acknowledged just how much you have changed, Kalani." Rosette smiled at me. I didn't know when she moved, but she was currently sitting beside Aunty Jules on the sofa and Maria was perched on the armrest beside her.

Crispin was looking somewhat confused but seemed to decide against asking what was going on for which I was glad because to be perfectly honest, I didn't really know either.

"I haven't changed all that much, have I? I've just become a little more confident, that's all." I insisted.

"No." Maria stared at me with a deep, soulful glance. "No, Skylar, you have changed more than any of us could have ever expected, probably more than Raymond and Amelie could have ever anticipated. But then again, they never would've expected for you to actually break out of the school and survive out there all on your own either. None of us did. Yes, we had hoped you would have survived, but we also knew how unrealistic that hope was. I am glad that you have proved us wrong, Skylar."

"Have I really changed that much?" I glanced at them all in dismay. "I mean, I thought that it was just the confidence that's changed…"

"Yes, it is your confidence that has changed." Maria nodded and stepped towards me. "But because of that, that has also changed who you are now. You have always had a high sense of justice but because of your confidence, you are now no longer afraid to show it. Your confidence has finally given you the courage needed to say what's on your mind and to act according to what you believe is right. Six years ago, you never would have done a thing. Six years ago, if anything like what happened today occurred, you would most likely run as fast as you could away from the situation and would refuse to confront it."

I thought about it for a moment and realised that she was completely right. Had I been the same as I was six years ago, I definitely would not have had the courage to take the risk that I had done today in choosing to trust Crispin. Perhaps that's what Ali had meant when he asked me 'Why him?' Maybe he wanted to know why I had decided to trust so seemingly easily. Most likely, Ali wasn't aware of the time that I had spent with Crispin around in the past week due to him being my teacher in combat and therefore Ali wouldn't have had any idea that I had been able to observe what type of person Crispin was. I had a feeling that it would be much better for me to have the long needed talk with Ali sooner rather than later.

"But I'm still the same person…" I reassured myself.

"Yes, Skylar, you are. To those who don't know you the way we do, they wouldn't see any similarities, nor would they even attempt to make the link because they never saw the real you six years ago. But for us? We all know that you that stand before us now are the girl from six years ago, just a little louder and more outspoken." Maria confirmed.

"For people who didn't know you back then, meeting the you now is like meeting a completely new person for them because they never knew what you were really like considering how you pretty much ignored people you didn't feel like getting on with." Joe added.

"Alright Joey, no need to point out my faults so much." I pouted childishly and smacked his shoulder. "I should probably go and find Ali to try and talk things out with him."

"Yes, I think he deserves the talk more than any of us, Kalani." Rosette nodded sternly.

"So um… where is his room?" I asked sheepishly.

"I'll take you there." Crispin offered.

"Thanks." I smiled appreciatively as I followed him out of Martin's office.

For a few moments neither of us said anything, and I guessed that Crispin needed those few quiet moments to sort out his thoughts. Having had such an important secret dumped on him just like that can't have been easy. If it had been me, I would probably be running my hands through my hair constantly in confusion. I was quite surprised with how well Crispin was taking this.

"We're going to need another chat, aren't we?" I smiled sheepishly up at him as we walked towards where most Guardians lived.

"I have to say, I was expecting that something was different about you, but I never would've thought that it was that…"

"Crazy?"

"Well, yes. But I think that our chat can wait. Talking to Castile is probably your priority right now."

"You're probably right about that." I sighed. "I really don't know what's wrong with him though and that kind of scares me."

"Remember that feeling, because I think that that confusion and fear is probably what he is feeling right now. I don't know how close you are with everyone, but I do know that you are important to them."

"Thanks, Guardian Jenson." I smiled sweetly at him, in appreciation for his understanding.

Before long, we reached the Guardians' quarters, and since it was during school hours still, there were no Guardians around at all which I was thankful for. I didn't even want to think about the types of excuses that I would have to make to explain why I was there and entering a Guardian's room no less. Now that would have caused countless amounts of rumours!

I thanked Crispin once more for showing me to Ali's room and he simply left me to it, not wanting to pry into my personal business. I took a deep breath and turned to Ali's door. I braced myself and prepared myself as best as I could before tapping gently on his door.

I could hear the shuffling from the other side of the door and a moment later, the door opened and I saw Ali looking somewhat dishevelled. As soon as he saw me, his eyes widened in surprise and he tried to shut the door on me but I slammed my hand against his door and pushed against his attempts to shut me out.

"Kai, this really isn't a good time."

"Hm… well unless you've got a girl hidden in there and are about to get down to it, this is as good a time as any."

"Kai…"

"Stop being such a sissy and just let me in already before Guardians decide to turn up or something." I glared menacingly at him through the gap between the door and the door frame.

"I'm not being a sissy," he protested indignantly.

"Then let me the fuck in."

"Language."

"Listen to me, Ali, and listen to me good. I'm confused as hell and I'm not going to let you beat around the bush for as long as you like. Whether you want to or not, we're going to talk this out and you are going to explain to me why you were behaving like that back at the office because I'm too stupid to be able to work something like that out by myself."

He stared at me in stubbornness for several moments longer before he finally conceded and let me in. He gave a small sigh and simply stepped aside and headed further into his room. I gently pushed the door open so that I could step in and made sure to shut the door carefully behind me.

I took a quick scan of his room to see where I could sit and I couldn't help but grimace when I noticed how bare his room was with the exception of various pictures which he had pinned up. I also noticed that there were various traces of blue tack left on the walls. It was as though there used to be something there and it was taken off.

There was a bed that was slightly bigger than a single with simple faded blue sheets, a small work desk that was placed against the wall with a shelf above it attached to the wall. There were barely any books there at all and I wasn't surprised about that. What I was surprised about was the lack of DVDs in his room.

From what I could remember, Ali was the type of person who liked to spend every spare moment he had either watching and analysing movies or playing pranks on people he didn't particularly like. For him to not have a room filled with movies was an odd concept for me and I wondered why. Perhaps it was because the work load was too much for him. But that didn't make any sense. Yes, working as a Guardian at the Academy would have been hard, involving night shifts to patrol around the perimeter, but it couldn't have been so tough that he didn't have moments to watch a movie.

There was a medium sized wardrobe and a chest of drawers right beside it not far from the desk and draped on either side of the window were dreary looking green curtains that reminded me of sick. I grimaced at the lack of style in the room and I made a mental note that I would give him suggestions to make his room look a little nicer.

Then another thought occurred to me. I had been under the impression that although everyone had stopped actively looking for me, they still cared for me. If that was the case, then why wasn't there a single photo of me in his room? Even in Aunty Jules' and Martin's office there was at least one framed photo of me somewhere. I had hoped to see at least one if not a dozen pictures of our time together back when I was younger in his room. The lack of pictures struck something inside and I felt hurt and disappointment rise like the tide.

I didn't have long to dwell on that feeling because, a moment later, I was being tugged onto Ali's bed and he sat me on my haunches in front of him between his legs. Our bodies were so close that they were almost pressing against each other and I couldn't help but get lost in those eyes of his as he stared down at me with assessing eyes.

I gasped as I felt his hands on my bare skin and squirmed under his touch as he lifted my shirt up slightly and tugged my trousers down enough so that he could peel the bandage off my skin. This time he did press me up against his body so that he could rest his chin on my shoulder and get a proper look at the mark that had been given to me since I was a baby to identify me as the last Ivashkov heir.

I shuddered under his touch as he brushed his fingers against the mark. I couldn't remember ever feeling this way towards Ali before and it was an odd feeling. Of course, it would have been incredibly wrong if I had felt this way towards him six years ago since that would have been considered paedophilia. But this was a new sensation. For the moment, this Ali seemed like a stranger that I wasn't familiar with. I didn't know how to react. I didn't know what to say. My mind just blanked.

I remembered what Crispin had just told me and held onto the sense of confusion and wonder and bafflement. If Crispin was right, then what I was feeling was something similar to what Ali and probably the others were feeling. I was a different person, and yet I was still the same in many ways. Yes, the old times were important, but it was also important to remember not to dwell too much in it and remember to look ahead into the future so that one would not get too caught up in the past and become unable to take a step forward.

"Ali…"

"Shh…" he murmured against my hair. "Please, just bear with me for a moment."

I closed my mouth and simply let him trace over the magical mark that proved who I was. It was the one thing that I could never run away from no matter where I went or who I was with.

"You really are back…"

Next chapter will be a pretty intense conversation between Kai and Ali!

~Lyn~