FULL NOVELXO Chapter 7: Unfolding Secrets
“I am sorry, Aranel. There is nothing we can do to avoid this situation.” Headoreon Shawdlortur says in an attempt to get her to comply. “Priminal bindings are usually large ceremonies, so this is a blessing for you to have it in this setting.”
“It will only take a few moments for the binding to occur, and it will not hurt or be anything more than a faint tingle in your hand.” Verdiwild also tries to encourage her to take Brystol’s hand that she still is refusing to hold.
Brystol looks annoyed by the situation as he pleads with her. “This isn’t a big deal. Sahara, just take my hand.”
She slowly takes his hand hoping it would give her a few seconds of silence, so she could focus on teleporting out of the room. She tries to think of where she could go to be safe and have some time to think. The only place she ever felt safe in the human world was when she lived with the Hammonds and would sneak away to the bluffs that overlooked the lake a few miles from their small cabin. She closes her eyes and quickly waves her hand as she focuses on the sun sparkling on the lake. She feels a swift gush of wind and then silence as she opens her eyes.
She did it! She teleported herself to the lake. Her excitement turns to fear when she hears and feels movement next to her realizing Brystol is still holding her hand. She removes her hand from his and jumps back from him in surprise. Brystol looks around in confusion as he asks, “What just happened?”
Sahara feels panicked and wants to send him back, but she feels to flustered and not confident enough to teleport him safely. “I didn’t mean to bring you!”
Brystol shakes his head in disbelief. “Did.. did you teleport us?”
“Just go back.” Sahara says as she turns and begins to walk swiftly away from Brystol to get some solitude.
“Go back?” Brystol responds in shock, “I can’t teleport!” She hears the leaves rustling as he follows her. “Where are we?”
“Just portal, or something.” Sahara pleas for him to leave her alone.
“I can’t portal either, Sahara!” Brystol sounds desperate. “That is taught in fourth year.”
Sahara yells up toward the sky in agitation, “Ugh!” She needs to be alone. She abruptly turns to face him in anger as she asks, “Why are you so frustrating?”
He just stares at her in silence for a few seconds, before the sound of voices startles her. “No.” she says quietly as she grabs Brystol by the arm and pulls him with her toward a large tree.
“I swear, I heard her yelling.” A male’s voice says, and Sahara quickly recognizes the voice to belong to Mr. Hammond. They must be looking for her.
“It must have been an animal.” The other male voice says as he pants from running. “We have been searching for her a week Tommy. She is gone.” Brystol looks down at Sahara as they stay hidden behind the tree and she sees fear on his face. “Come on,” The man says toward Mr. Hammond, “let’s go home.”
The rustling of leaves from the men walking slowly fades as Sahara and Brystol stay silently hidden behind the large tree. She peeks around from the tree and notices they are far enough away for her to come out from hiding.
Brystol finally whispers, “You brought us to the human world? Are you insane?”
Sahara looks up at him remorsefully. “You weren’t meant to come.”
He looks panicked as he speaks, “We have to go back. This is against the law.”
His words peak Sahara’s interest. “It is against the elf law to come to the human world?”
“Yeah!” Brystol looks around nervously.
“Then, why was I hidden here for thirteen years?” Sahara finds his response confusing.
The look of nervousness on his face disappears as he focuses on Sahara’s eyes. “That was different. It was the only way to keep our world safe.”
“I know, I know. Patreek.” Sahara sits down on a fallen tree a few feet away. She sighs thankful for Brystol not responding or speaking for almost a full minute. The silence is blissful. He just quietly walks over and sits down next to her on the tree. She realizes how overwhelming the week has been. “What if I don’t want to be an elf?” She tries to hold her tears back. “And live 750 years?”
Brystol laughs at her question before he responds, “Minder elves, which is what you and I are, only live to be around one hundred and fifty.” That fact doesn’t make her feel any better. “Look.” Brystol sounds kind catching Sahara off guard as he continues, “I know this is not an ideal situation and you were just thrown into it with no warning. But you don’t understand our world yet and if you don’t take us back before they realize we are in the human world, the elders can punish us.”
She stands up knowing she could care less what the elders do. She does not want to be forced into marriage. “I need some time.” She says simply before walking away from him toward the path to the Hammond’s cabin.
Sahara makes it to the cabin feeling brave. She could care less if the Hammonds see her or not. She opens the door to the cabin and is surprised to find no one home, which is odd because Mrs. Hammond was always home from her illness.
“Is this where you lived?” Brystol startles her as he enters the cabin moments later.
“What?” Sahara looks out behind him to see if the Hammonds are near before she pulls him in the remainder of the way and closes the door. “Why did you follow me?”
Brystol does not seem to hear her as he looks around the room in an unpleasant amazement. “Is this how humans live?”
“Not all humans.” She remembers the large house she lived in with the Craigs. “This is where they hid me from Verdiwild the last four months.” Her words cause Brystol to look toward her and she sees the question written on his face. She knows he wants to know why she was hidden. “Until I turned fifteen,” she pauses remembering Brooklyn’s birthday was later than her own. “Well, until Brooklyn turned fifteen, I lived in a much larger house with my, well Brooklyn Craig’s uncle.” She moves toward the fireplace and pulls a small loose rock out from around the chimney. Inside is her small pack of items she had brought from the Craig’s house. She is not sure why she wants the picture of Brooklyn and her parents, but she could not leave it here. She takes the pack out of the wall and turns back toward Brystol who is quietly observing her. She suddenly realizes how alone she is. Everything she had ever known was here is the human world but it had all been a lie.
“So, that first night.” Brystol pauses as he looks compassionately toward her. “When your friend introduced you as Brooklyn, it was because that is who you always have been.” She avoids his eye contact, feeling embarrassed that he suddenly feels sorry for her.
His words do not sound like a question but she feels the need to answer with, “I don’t know who I am anymore.”
He sounds thoughtful as he asks, “Can you show me where you lived before, they hid you?” Sahara looks over at the clock on the wall, which reads three o’clock. She knows the Craigs would not be home for a couple of more hours. Sahara wonders why he is so interested. He must notice her silent question because he answers it. “I have never been to the human world and I am curious.”
She asks, “I thought you wanted to get back?”
With a shrug of his shoulder, he smiles at her as he replies, “A few more minutes won’t hurt.”
Sahara would like to have a chance to see her old room one more time. She may never get the chance to come back to the human world if what Brystol says is true. She holds her hand out toward his so she can teleport them into the Craig’s house. She is not sure if she could teleport them both without holding his hand and she did not want to take the chance of losing him in the human world. He takes her hand, and she pictures her old attic room. Suddenly, they are standing in the cold dark attic that smells of dust and mildew.
Sahara releases Brystol’s hand as he looks around in silence. She feels her heart aching at the realization that she has brought someone she can barely stand the sight of into her old environment. It is much too dark to see well, so Sahara moves toward the light switch but before she reaches it Brystol’s words cause a glowing ball to appear in the center of the room, “Glumino.”
She feels she needs to explain the horrible looking room. “This is the attic.” She hugs herself feeling embarrassed. He continues to look around in silence and she decides to show him the rest of the house. She moves over and opens the door to the downstairs before she speaks timidly, “would you like to see the rest of the house?” She lets him lead the way as they make it down to the next floor of the house. She just follows him silently as he explores the large, beautiful rooms.
As he finishes exploring, he turns toward her abruptly and blurts out, “How many people live here?”
“Just my uncle, aunt, and their daughter.” Sahara points to a family photo over the fireplace in the living room.
“So, they made you live in the attic, but they have like seven bedrooms?” He does not seem to understand she was treated like a servant, but she dares not tell him.
“So,” Sahara says in thought, “what happens if we do not complete the binding thing by tomorrow?”
Brystol thinks for a moment before answering, “I am not sure. No one that I know has ever not completed the priminal binding.”
“What if you were like seventeen and I fifteen. How would they do a binding when we are both different ages?” She asks hoping for some more details on how a binding works.
“Then the contract would have detailed the stipulations on when the binding could occur.” Brystol replies.
“Contract?” Sahara asks as she perks up knowing contracts usually always have a way out. “There is a contract?”
“All betrothals are contracted.” Brystol says picking up the tv remote. “What is this?”
“It is the tv remote.” Sahara takes the remote from him and realizes she never saw any electronics in the elf world. Everything was holographic and produced by magic. She turns the tv on and a movie displays on the screen. Brystol moves over to it looking curious.
“Oh.” He says, “it is like the human version of televiews.” He pokes at the screen making a tapping noise. He then looks behind the tv and touches the large tangle of cords.
“You are going to electrocute yourself.” She says as she turns the tv off and places the remote back down on the coffee table.
“What are all of these?” He points to the knot of cords behind the tv.
“The electrical cords.” She tries to explain, “They are what power the tv and boxes.” She points to the cable box and game consoles.
“Hmm.” He says bending down to look at the multiple boxes. “Human sure complicate things.”
A buzzing sound fills Sahara’s ears, and she sees Brystol’s eyes widen with nervousness as he looks behind her. She quickly turns around to meet eyes with an angered Verdiwild. “What have you done?” He yells at Sahara, and he moves over toward her quickly. “I told you not to teleport again. Do you know the punishment for coming to the human world?”
“No.” Sahara says calmly, “You never told me.” She then realizes how frustrating it is to be the only one out of the loop causing her tone to change to anger. “In fact, no one has told me anything. I don’t know why I must marry Brystol. I don't know why I can teleport through barriers that apparently no one else can. I don’t know why,” she pauses looking around the Craig’s living room. “Why I can’t come back to the only home I have ever known.”
Verdiwild does not seem as understanding as she had hoped. “The aran was alerted by Shawdlortur of your teleporting to avoid the priminal binding.” He looks sternly toward Brystol as he continues, “He now requires an audience from you both to hold the ceremony in his presence.”
Brystol looks concerned toward Sahara as he asks, “Do they know we are in the human world?”
“Not yet.” Verdiwild holds out his hand toward Sahara. “If you come with me now, perhaps we could avoid them finding out.” Brystol moves over toward Verdiwild but Sahara steps back not wanting to go. Verdiwild looks lovingly toward her as he speaks again, “You will receive the answers you seek, but if we stay here any longer you risk the elders finding out.”
Sahara considers her options as she looks around the Craig’s home and she quickly realizes she really has no options. She quietly moves over to Verdiwild before he taps his staff and the three of them are spinning into motion.