Flutter (The Discover Series) (63 page)

             
He trailed off.

             
“You’re not even? What?”

             
“It’s complicated.” He blew out an exasperated breath, while running his hands through his hair- his trade mark.

             
Turning away from me, he leaned against the railing of the porch, quiet for the longest time.

             
“Are we back to that again?”

             
“You don’t understand Sara.”

             
“You’re not giving me a chance to understand!” It was almost a shout.

             
I stepped up to him, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him around to face me.

             
“What else are you not telling me?” I wanted to scream, yell, or cry, but I knew none of those would help.

             
His looked like I was torturing him. “You have to understand that there are some things that I can’t explain to you.  It’s just not my place.”

             
He pushed my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. His touch chased sparks across my skin, and I wanted to bury myself in his arms, but I held strong against the temptation. I stepped away from him again.

             
I wouldn’t let Adan be damned to a destiny that ended.

             
“Your mom, the
Queen
, she wants you to go back with her...and I want you to go too.”

             
He was already shaking his head before I finished. “No, I’m not-”

             
“Adan, you can’t stay here. Not with me. Your mother seems to think you’re better off marrying someone else. Choosing someone else means choosing another fate that doesn’t condemn you...because of me.”

             
“She doesn’t know what she is talking about Sara. I’m-”

             
“I’m not taking that chance. Please don’t make this harder for me than it already is. It’s not something I
want
to do, but it’s something I’m doing. My mind is made up Adan.”

             
I felt like my insides were being ripped out, my body knew what my mind was doing and it was rebelling, hardcore. I could feel
him
; I could feel his body pulling me
toward
him, trying to defy my decision.

It literally hurt as the words escaped my mouth.

“Goodbye Adan.”

I turned toward the house, biting my lip, hoping to the tears wouldn’t fall until after I had escaped into the house. I wanted to cry privately.

“Sara, don’t do this.”

I paused, but didn’t turn around.

“It’s already done.”

“You shouldn’t have come.”

             
Three pairs of eyes followed me as I paced back in forth in their hotel room.

             
“What were you thinking, going over to Sara’s?”

             
My mother’s eyes narrowed. “Sara?”

             
“A little more disgust next time mother. Otherwise people we might mistake the way you
really
feel about her.” Nick said sarcastically.

             
He sat slouched in a square shaped chair in the corner of the room, his eyes never leaving the screen of his phone.

             
“Nicholas.” The Queen warned. Bringing her attention back to me, she asked again. “Sara?” but before I could say anything, Nick spoke again.

             
“You know, Queen, Sara...she is the forbidden Princess that has threatened to take your almighty son away.” I rolled my eyes.

             
“Nicholas, you can either be quiet, or leave this room.” The Queen spat venomously.

             
“Sweet,” He said, jumping to his feet, shoving his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. As he passed me he put a hand on my shoulder. “Good luck, bro.”

             
“Don’t go far Nick.” I called after him as he made his way to the door. “You’re leaving tonight!”

             
The only sound was the door shutting behind him.

             
“What are you doing here Adan? You belong at home, with your family. With your
fiancée
.”

             
At the mention of Ana, I cast a glance at her. She sat in another chair near a window. Her attention was on the movement of the town below, but at the sound of her name, her back stiffened.

             
Ana was a nice enough girl.  A little on the quiet side, but she had a fierce temper when provoked. She wasn’t bad to look at, and she certainly didn’t lack in male admires. She would make a suitable wife one day, but she wasn’t for me, and I felt bad that she was being used as a bargaining tool for my mother.

             
She hadn’t had a choice when it came to the sudden announcement of our pending nuptials. They had waited until I had come back home from traveling to ambush us with the news. Ana and I had been brought into a room with both of our parents, forced to sit, and were
told
what was going to happen. We were to marry within in the year, combing our kingdoms to make a stronger front. The announcement had garnered the classic response: Rebellion. I had left soon after that, disappearing into the night, the way I always did. I was good at disappearing. I didn’t return until our kingdom was attacked, and I was sent out to find Sara.

             
I had felt bad about leaving Ana unaided to face our parents alone, but I didn’t want to give her the false hope that an actual wedding was going to occur.

             
“Adan!” The Queen snapped, calling me out of my thoughts.

             
I sighed. “I’m not going back with you, but you guys are leaving.
Tonight!
Do not send Nick out here again. It’s not safe.”

             
“The more reason why you need to be at home with us! You’re going to have a family soon.”

             
I looked at Ana again, but if she was paying any attention to our conversation, she was doing a damn good job of hiding it.

             
“I never agreed to get married.”

             
“It’s your duty Adan.”

             
“No, that duty falls on Nick now.”

             
She rubbed her forehead with her forefinger and thumb. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

             
“I’m saying go home mother.”

             
“She’s worth deserting your family?”

             
I dropped my head back, staring up at the ceiling. “Are we really going to do this again?”

             
“Don’t take that tone with me Adan. I’m still your mother.”

             
“I’m sorry.” I walked over to her, and kneeling in front of her, I took her hand. “I love you, you know that, but you belong back at home. Our people need you right now.”

             
“We need
you
.”

             
I sighed. She was relentless.

Standing up, I took a step back.

             
“I’ll be back tonight to see you off.”

             
I turned and walked toward the door.

             
“Adan.”

She called after me, causing me to stop just short of reaching the door.

“She isn’t good for you. By the time you realize that, it will be too late.”

“Goodbye mother.”

Flutter

Twenty Two

Flutter

I didn’t want to admit it, but I missed him.

             
I had been sitting here for the last hour, trying not to think about Adan, and in return all I was doing was thinking about Adan. He had only been gone forty-eight hours; forty-seven of those were spent convincing myself that I had done the right thing. Which caused me to focus the last hour non-stop on ‘did I really do the right thing? Of course I did the right thing, right?’

             
BLAH!

             
I covered my face with my hands, running my fingers through my hair, imitating the movements of the one I missed.  I readjusted my body in the wooden patio chair, bringing my knees up to my chest with my head resting against them. My bare feet hung over the edge of the chair, my toes curling over, catching the breeze.
The sun was low in the sky, the warm rays bathing the bare skin of my neck, shoulders, and arms. Rolling my head to the side, I stretched out the muscles of my neck, feeling as if I could fall asleep right here.

             
Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was doing the right thing.

             
After Adan finally left, I disappeared to my room, spending the rest of the day crying. Most of today had pretty much been the same thing until around noon when I couldn’t take the pounding in my head anymore. Getting up, I took something for the ache, showered, and got dressed just to plant myself on the deck for the rest of the afternoon to soak up the sun. I figured if Andres said it held some kind of healing power for me, or whatever it was the sun did to me, maybe it would make what I was feeling go away.

             
Andres knocked on the door a couple of times to check on me, lingering by the door even after I told him I was fine. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him anymore about everything I had learned. My head already felt like it was going to explode, so I felt like I should be pacing myself with the information I was digesting. I had wanted answers for so long now, and even though I still wanted them, I didn’t expect it to be so...life-changing. I felt silly for not expecting it to drastically turn my life upside down. Considering this all started after I had awaken in ice!

             
I heard the French doors to the kitchen open, followed by the heavy thud of Andres’ footfalls.

             
“How are you feeling?” He asked for the fiftieth time.

             
He stopped next to my chair and shoved his hands into his jeans. I could tell he felt out of place and uneasy. Rolling my head up further, I looked up at him through squinted eyes. I felt the heavy weight of my pony tail fall over my shoulder.

             
“How many times are you going to ask me that? I’m just wondering so I can let you know that my answer will most likely be the same each time you ask. I’m fine Andres.”

             
I plopped my chin on my knees again and arched my back. I was starting to get stiff sitting like this.

             
“I can’t help, but worry about you Sara.”

             
Crap!
“I’m sorry.” I said feeling instantly bad. “I think you might be onto something with the whole sun thing.” I said twirling my finger around in the air. “It seems to help. I feel… stronger.”

             
He laughed. “You’re
very
strong Sara. You have a personal connection to the sun.”

             
“A personal connection huh? What exactly does that mean? Is the sun what makes me so strong?”

             
“I’m not sure exactly. I believe you’re so strong because you feed off the sun’s energy, but I can’t be certain.”

             
I nodded. It was hard to be fascinated with something that sounded so bizarre. “Why is it that you don’t know what makes me so strong? Didn’t my parents trust you enough to know?”

             
He looked uneasy and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer. “Honestly, I don’t think even your parents knew what makes you so strong.”

             
“How can that be?” I asked confused.

             
“They didn’t want that information getting into the wrong hands. Only the council knows about your abilities and of course, when the time comes, so will you.”

             
“The wrong hands?”

             
“There are a lot of different… powers in our world. A lot of dark powers. There are certain people who know how to steal people’s… memories. Nobody knows about your powers, so the
Darks Ones
, couldn’t get a hold of that information.”

             
Yep I didn’t like the answer. “Seems scary enough.” I said no wanting to know exactly
how
they took said memories. “These
Dark Ones
, they are responsible for the…” I looked down at the fading black mark on my arm.

             
“The Toxic Illusions?” I nodded, looking back up at him. “Yes. They made sure to create them while you were sleeping, so you thought they were dreams.”

             
That made sense. “They were trying to take something from me?” I had vaguely remembered his conversation with Adan.

             
“Your influences. They want your power, but they will never get it. I promise you that.”

             
I was nodding my head, wondering if he had the power to make such a promise. “I can create Illusions right?”

             
“Yes. It’s something all our kind can do, but the Illusions you create, they are something I’ve never seen before.”

             
So I was a freak even in this world too. “What does that mean?”

             
“Your Illusions are so advance. You create them just by a simple thought, an image. Like you did in the ice… like you can when you’re dreaming.” My eyes snapped to his and I could feel the rush of heat burning my face.

             
“When I’m dreaming?” He nodded and I remembered my
dream
with Adan. I could have died right there.

             
“He told you?” I said looking away, my embarrassment quickly turning to anger.

             
“That you were creating Illusions while you slept. He was worried about you. I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but it’s actually incredibly amazing that you can bring someone into an Illusion, who isn’t already in the room.”

             
“How does Adan fit into this all? The Queen didn’t seem all that happy that he has… a connection with me.”

             
“You’re parents trusted Adan. He is an important part of your future.”

             
“My parents trusted
him
? But… how did they… Adan is my age, right?!”

             
“Technically.”

             
“
Technically?
What does that mean?”

             
He sighed. “I don’t know the whole story. I’ve had to do a lot of research when it comes to Adan. Adan was born the exact time, down to the second, as you were Sara. Adan was sent to live with time spinner’s right after he was born. They spun his time, by the time you were a year old, Adan had reached the age he will be for the rest of his life.” He was staring as me cautiously. Gauging my reaction.

             
“Adan will be 19 for the rest of his life?” I felt like the air had been sucked from my body.

             
“Yes.” There was something in Andres’s eyes, something very sad, but I didn’t understand what it meant. He moved on before I could catch up with what he had just said. “He helped us escape off the island, the night your parents were born.”

             
“I don’t understand. I don’t understand what Adan has to do with any of this, with me.” My head was spinning. “Every time he is around me, it’s almost like I feel him. There is a Flutter, it flares wildly out of control. It always there, burning right underneath my skin.”

             
“It’s a lot to take in Sara, even I’m not sure exactly where Adan fits into your world, but everything that had and will happen is for a reason.” He was trying to be reassuring, but I felt none of that.

             
“Everything that Adan has been through has been because of me?” I felt guilty and angry. “No wonder his mother hates me.”

             
“She doesn’t hate you.”

             
I looked at him in disbelief. “Were we in the same room yesterday?!”

             
“Queen Maria has a lot of theories. Her anger is misguided.”

             
“I’ve taken her son away from her. I think her anger is well placed.”

             
“
You
didn’t do anything Sara. Your fate and
Adan’s fate was written before
you two were born. Believe me; she has no right to be angry with you.”

             
“So this connection I have to Adan. The fact that he can heal me, hear my thoughts, talk to me inside of my head. Why is that?” I knew Andres answer before I had finished asking the question.

             
I don’t know.

             
“I don’t have exact answers for you, Sara. I feel the connection you have to him, it’s nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s something I’m still looking into, but what I’ve learned so far, it’s exactly that: A
Flutter
. It’s a bond we have with another when they’ve been… created for you. It’s extremely rare and something I haven’t heard happening for decades, so I’m not exactly sure that’s what it is.”

             
“Created for me? Adan was created for me?” I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about that.

“I don’t know that what you’re feeling is a
Flutter
. Adan wasn’t ever supposed to reveal himself to you. He knew that.”

             
I looked at him again, and frowned. “Why? If he is important to my future, why am I not allowed to know about him?”

             
“There are rules.”

             
“Ugh. Again with all the rules! Do I at least get a run-down of all the rules? I wouldn’t want to be beheaded because I-“

             
“It comes with the territory of being a Princess, Sara.”

             
“I didn’t ask to be a Princess!”

             
“Does anyone? It’s a birthright.”

             
“Yeah, some people want to be a Princess. I’m not one of them.”

             
“You’ll get used to the idea.”

             
“How do you know that? I’m feeling pretty mutinous about the whole situation. I may have been born a Princess, Andres, but I wasn’t raised to be one. So I wouldn’t hold my breath about me getting
used
to the circumstances anytime soon.”

             
I dropped my legs and slouched in my chair. Princesses didn’t slouch, so I was slouching.

             
“Once you’re home, and around your people, everything will feel right. I promise.”

             
I sprang into a sitting position. “Wait, what?” I stood up and whirled on him. “What?” My mind was spinning, trying to comprehend what he had just said. “What?” I repeated once more.

             
“We’ll have to go back to your kingdom Sara. Soon. I was trying to delay the move as long as I could, but they’ve already found you. You’ll need the extra protection from your people.”

             
I rubbed my temples and bit my lip to keep from screaming. “I don’t believe this.” I turned around and leaned against the railing for support. “Where exactly is
home
?”

             
I had failed to get any of this information yesterday.  I didn’t know if I regretted not finding this out yesterday, or if I welcomed the last few hours of unknowing bliss.

             
“
Spain
.”

             
I squeezed my eyes closed, swallowing becoming difficult.

             
“
Spain
?” I asked quietly. “Like the
country,
Spain
?
  Near the Atlantic Ocean,
Spain
? That
Spain
?”