Red Eyes and Roses

Chapter 21

Warmth surrounds me as someone's hands start shaking my shoulders. My whole body jerks as I wake up with a start. The sky above me has turned a daytime blue and the sun is shining down upon me. I turn my head sharply and see the Queen leaning over me. Concern paints her face as I back away and stand up. After Cerin left me alone, I must have cried myself to sleep.

The Queen walks over to me on the other side of the bench. Slowly, I lean backwards in an attempt to crack my back. The silk covering my body gently flows like water around me. "Are you okay, honey?" Her voice matches the concern on her face. A slight tinge of pain echos in my heart. She sounds like my mother. I lay a hand on her arm and smile slightly. As I nod my head, I yawn loudly. The Queen laughs a little as she reaches a hand out to me. "Come on, lets go inside and get you to bed." I latch my hand into hers and allow her to link our arms.

Slowly, she begins to walk with me in tow. I'm still half asleep so my legs don't want to work. We make our way inside and through the hallways. After a slow period of just walking, we make our way to the royal bedroom hall. Because I am a guest, I have a room in this hall. Because I am Cerin's guest directly, my room is right beside his own. Together, the Queen and I round the corner to my room. She stops before we finish our walk.

Her green eyes meet mine as she stands near my door. "Cerin gave me something to give to you. He says he found it on you when you arrived." I watch, confused, as she reaches into the pocket of her shawl. She opens her hand in front of me. In the palm of her hand, a silver necklace lays in a pile. I gasp immediately and reach out my hand. The Queen tips her hand over, pouring the necklace into my grasp. My locket.

On my sixteenth birthday, I spent the day with only two people. Jocelyn and Cole. The pair got me a present from them both. A silver locket. On one half, a picture of Jocelyn and I. Her and I were going to a family party that night, making it one of the few times she got me in nice clothes. On the other half, a picture of Cole and I. It's just a selfie of him and I, my lips pressed to his cheek. As soon as I got it, it was on my neck. I never took it off.

It occurs to me now, as I'm staring at my palm, that I did not even realize that I wasn't wearing my necklace. "Thank you." My voice is choked with tears, making it raspier than usual. How did I not notice the lack of necklace? The weight of the locket is a comfort for me and it brings me back down to reality. It didn't even occur to me that I didn't have my comfort object. A new slice of anger pours through me. Cerin took this off of me, he stole it. She nods slowly. I can see the curiosity in her eyes since I didn't open it and she's respectful enough to not look herself. Carefully, I open the heart and show it to her. I don't even have to look at the pictures to be able to see them. A smile slowly grows on her lips.

"Jocelyn and Cole?" Her question makes me smile. She knows the names of my friends after one day.

My smile grows as I nod. For some reason, I'm genuinely happy. That is until Cerin's door opens. A girl wearing nothing but an oversized shirt comes walking from his room. The Queen's jaw drops as soon as she sees her. The girl stops as soon as she sees us. Her eyes widen instantly and she tries to back away into Cerin's room. I turn my head slightly and meet eyes with the Queen.

Rage makes the green glow brighter. "Cerin Lucias Malcolm Asmodeus, what the hell is going on!" She screams for her son with pure anger. My whole body is frozen in shock. Cerin walks out of his room next, a pair of shorts low on his hips and nothing else covering his body. He stops in the doorway and leans casually against the door frame. We make eye contact from his spot in the doorway. For some reason he has the audacity to wink. The girl in the hallway backs up so she's against the wall beside him.

"Yes, mother?" There is a hint of a smug attitude in the way he talks. I hold eye contact with him for a few more moments. His eyes are full of a mocking humor. I look away first.