Crystal Hearts • Book 2 Of The Crystal Trilogy • ⏸

-| 8 / second first meeting |-

Back in the dream Lux fabricated for Scott and Crystal, Scott and his family had just arrived at the palace.

Diana was trying to get Cyrus to fall asleep while Carter explained to some guards what their situation was and that the king was to be alerted immediately of their arrival.

Phoebe walked up to her brother and started talking to him about that girl she'd left behind at home.

"I'm telling you, she was the one. I can't believe mom and dad made us move...", she kept rambling.

Scott was confused. Conversations of this manner with his sister were something normal, but they felt unfamiliar and strange to him. Nothing felt right ever since he woke up in his bed that day. It was supposed to be just another morning, like numerous others, but it had only given him a sense of emptiness and loss in his heart. His mother kept asking him why he had stopped smiling but he didn't have an answer. He didn't know what was right and what was wrong anymore.

About half an hour had passed when the royal family finally came to meet them. King Daniel was holding his wife's waist. She was carrying a girl that couldn't be any older than three. Scott assumed it was princess Riley.

The twins had fallen a little behind of their parents and arrived a few moments later. Scott froze when he saw princess Agnes, though, and she had the same reaction when she saw him too.

"Crystal?", he said instinctively. He didn't understand why he called her by that name. Agnes' eyes widened.

"Uh, who's Crystal?", she asked, trying to hide her surprise.

"Sorry, you just reminded me of someone."

"Oh! I get that a lot. It's my face, I look like everyone.", Agnes shrugged. "Agnes.", she extended her arm.

"Scott.", he shook it. The moment their hands touched, a memory flashed before his eyes.

Scott had approached a girl that looked a lot like Agnes and told her that someone was watching her. He'd grabbed her wrist and dragged her outside an inn and taken her behind it.

He blinked and the memory was gone. He had no idea when that had happened, but judging by the princess' expression, she'd seen it too and was just as confused, if not more.

"This is my brother Grayson.", she said, slowly letting go of Scott.

"Whuh?", Grayson turned around rapidly at the sound of his name.

"Don't mind him, he was out partying again last night.", Agnes rolled her eyes. "Grayson, that's Scott. He's Carter Harrow's son."

"Oh, right! The new lieutenant.", Grayson said, as if waking up from a haze.

"That over there is my sister Phoebe. Don't mind her, she's a little pissed because she had to leave her girlfriend behind when we came here."

"Hey! That's none of your business, Scott!", Phoebe yelled from across the garden.

"Don't worry about that! I can get you a new one in no time. I know this really nice girl, Faith, I could set you up with.", Grayson told her.

"I'm not interested. I'm heartbroken right now.", Phoebe sighed woefully.

"Your loss.", the prince shrugged.

"Have you seen Alex and Esme?", Agnes turned to her brother.

Grayson smirked. "I walked up on them cuddling a few hours ago. They were so embarrassed I thought they'd cry.", he laughed.

"You need to learn how to knock. Just because you have your door as a means of decorating your room, it doesn't mean that the rest of us do too. Besides, they were cuddling, not making out or anything.", Agnes rolled her eyes.