The Dark Warlock: The Nox Haven Series

Chapter 5: Operation: Save The World

Aleksander's POV:

Alix and Jaxon Slade were the most annoying people I had ever met.

One moment they hated each other and the next they were thicker than thieves. It was absolutely aggravating and all too familiar.

Dmitri and I were like that when we were growing up. That was before either one of us had even thought about High School, girls, and evil psychos. We spent most of our time wrestling or racing one another in the gardens of Volkov castle. He always cheated, but that didn't stop me from winning. Our arguments usually consisted of petty things like who would get the last slice of cake or who had more Christmas presents. But as we grew older the arguments gradually became more aggressive and frequent. There became a point when Dmitri couldn't even stand to be in the same room as me. My arrogance turned me into somebody that he didn't recognize.

By the time we were thirteen he had effectively replaced me with Cameron Ross. I had always hated Cameron- he had a knack for taking things that were mine. First it was toys, then it was my brother. I was shocked to learn that he had even stolen my intended soul mate when I arrived back at Nox Haven. There were more than a few girls who were happy to inform me how close Cameron and Caddie were.

I couldn't blame Caddie and my brother for being drawn to him though. As kids our parents would always describe him as a rambunctious scamp. He was fun-loving and unbound by the laws of social hierarchy. I was the exact opposite and that often created problems for me.

"Come on Aleksander, you never do anything fun anymore," Dmitri whined.

We were standing in the middle of my favorite hallway. Windows lined both walls, the sun rays sparkled on the glass. On one side was the conservatory, it was filled with vegetation from around the world. Sporadic colors of pink and red would appear in the sea of green. The other window wall looked out on my mother's rose garden. I lived in the castle my entire life, but the that hallway would always be my favorite. The plants were the only things that never changed. They were beautiful when they were in full bloom but then there would be times when they wilted and died. Once that happened, mother would find new flowers and I would be graced with a small change in my never-ending life of consistency.

Dmitri had been following me around that day. He was practically begging for me to play with him and Cameron. I couldn't say yes, even if I wanted too. My father had forbid me from leaving the castle grounds. At first, I admit, I didn't listen to him. But after lecture upon lecture my resolve had weakened. I was tired of disappointing him. Giving up a bit of fun was worth it as long as my parents fears were alleviated, right? 

"I just don't want to go. I have work to do." I told him.

Shoving my hands in the pockets of my trousers, I bowed my head and tried to ignore Dmitri's pleas. Sometimes it hurt when he called me mean and boring. I didn't intend to be boring. Everyone else was able to have fun- but I wasn't like everyone else and never would be. Dmitri just didn't understand that.

"Let's go Dmitri," Cam said. He was leaning against one of the windows, a bored look on his face. "We both new he would never agree."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I stopped in my tracks and glared at him.

I shouldn't have let his comment bother me. I was a prince after all, but Cameron had a special talent for getting under my skin. Everybody said he was a nice kid, and maybe that was true, but we were too different to get along.