VICTOR

Victor sat at his desk, his mind going mental, his fingers tapping the desk. His mother came in and gave him a worried look.

"Are you okay, Victor? Anything I could do?" She asked, a crease forming on her forehead. "I can hear your finger tapping from the kitchen."

"No! Nothing is fine! Angie is in a coma! She might die because of my own friends! I'm not okay, mom! I hate that I can't do anything about it! She's dying!" Victor shouted, tears welling up in his eyes. They now streamed down his sticky face. "Sorry." he apologized for his outburst.

"What did you just say? You said 'she might die because of your own friends?" Which friends! Marick and Sabastian?" She asked frantically.

"No! Zeke, Dexter, and Jax did it. Angie told me herself..." He replied quietly.

"I'm calling the police station! Stay put for a minute, will you?" She raced downstairs to the home phone that was on the coffee table in the living room.

He heard her calling up the police, the phone rang once. Her voice told the police about what she just learned. Victor sat there his head set on his hands, tears streaming down his face then falling onto the desktop. He heard his mother hang up the phone and race upstairs. How was he going to explain to them how he knew? It seemed impossible without being put into a hospital.

"Hun, get some fresh clothes on and get ready. They want you at the station. Come on." His mother said, helping him up from the stool and grabbing an outfit from his dresser and putting it into his arms. "Change, hurry. I'll be downstairs waiting, okay?"

He nodded, then when his mom was out of the room he closed the door and slipped on a pair of jeans and a rock band t-shirt. He slipped on socks and his shoes. Victor opened his door and went downstairs, where his mother was waiting at the front door. They went outside and rushed to the car and got in. The engine started up and his mom put her seatbelt on, so did Victor. They backed out of the driveway and drove down the street. Victor stared out the window, only seeing blurs. He didn't care about his surroundings. It was like he didn't care about anything. He felt a large lump in his throat, threatening tears. More anger and confusion filled his mind more then anything. Victor Angelose still couldn't believe that his own friends would hurt an innocent teenage girl, if you could call them friends. Before he knew it, they were pulling into the station. He saw three boys and their mothers walking into the station. Zeke, Jax, and Dexter. They were going in for questioning, at least that's what he would assume. They got out of the car and walked in after the six. A police officer instructed everyone to sit in the waiting room. He sat in the cushioned seat, fidgeting with his fingers, clenching his wrists every now and then, causing nail imprints in his palms. He stared at the painting of a mockingbird that hung against the wall with a rusty nail. Victor looked up once and caught Dexter staring at him. Probably thought Victor looked like crap. That's what he felt like anyways. He looked to his right spotting Zeke staring at him, eyes wide. He looked the other way, setting his glance on a plant in the corner. Zeke tapped Victor's arm, making Victor flinch.

"Are you okay, Victor?" He asked.

"Don't touch me, Zeke." Victor growled quietly.

"What?" He asked.

"I said don't touch me, Zeke." Victor growled a little louder.

"Okay then. Whatever you want man."

"Don't call me man. We aren't friends. I know what you did. That's why you're here." Victor growled so quiet only Zeke heard him.

Zeke's face was blank. No emotion. He didn't care. What Victor said didn't affect him.

"You make me sick." Victor growled and then scooted away from Zeke.

Victor's mom placed her arm around Victor's shoulders. A girl in a police suit walked into the waiting room and looked at a clipboard.

"Victor Angelose? You are going to be questioned. You are welcome to bring your mother." She called.

Victor and his mom stood up and followed the lady into a dark room. A man in a suit and a asian lady in a nice, ironed white shirt and wide legged pants with her blonde hair in a tight bun, stood at a small table with four vacant chairs. They gestured for Victor and his mom to sit down. Victor's palms were sweating. He was thirteen and being questioned. Kids his age shouldn't be getting questioned.

"Welcome, Victor and Amélie. Thank you for coming on such short notice, and definitely on a Wednesday. I am Akari and this is my partner Sean. We are just going to ask some questions." The Asian lady, Akari, said, her and Sean sitting down on the opposite side of the table.

"Now, you were the one to give us this information, correct, Amélie?" Sean asked, folding his arms in an intimidating matter.

"Correct, Detective." Amélie answered.

"Who told you this information?" Akari asked.

"My son, Victor." Amélie answered Akari.

Akari and Sean turned to Victor

"How do you know this, Victor?" Akari asked Victor.

He took a deep breath, "You're going to think I'm crazy."

"No we won't." Sean assured him with a smile.

Victor took another deep breath, "Angelina told me."

Sean and Akari looked at Victor, dumbfounded.

"How do you know this?" Akari asked Victor, leaning towards him.

"It's a long story, you see."

"We have time." Sean folded his arms.

"One night I had a dream, it felt really real. I was in a castle garden. It was some place called Elysia. After the dream ended and I woke up I went to my window and watched birds flying around the sky. One bird flew towards the window and hit it. I rushed and opened the window and looked down. Then... Here's the first part where you say I'm crazy... A voice talked to me. It told me it was my guardian, that it would protect me. And that dream I had wasn't a dream, she called it an awakening, a process where your spirit travels from your body and goes to another world. Apparently it's common to us thirteen year olds. When I'm lonely I talk to her in my thoughts. I found out the voice's name is Annie. One day, I went out to hang out with Angie and our other friend, Sabastian. When we were riding the ferris wheel at the pier, Annie yelled in my ear really loud, causing me to say ow, and had to say I hit my elbow on the seat. On the way back from the pier Angie mumbled something to herself. When I asked her what she said, she said she was singing to herself. Annie told me she was lying. So, then, I asked Angie if she had a guardian and went to a place called Elysia. She said yes, and then we started talking about our guardians and how it's really weird that we somehow have them. We started to hang out more, and every other night I would slip to Elysia in my sleep. Then, it happened, I was in L.A, one of the classes we have together, and she hadn't shown up to class. I knew immediately something was wrong, she's never late to class. The intercom kept calling Angie to the office, and then it stopped a few minutes before the ambulance showed up. The whole class rushed to the window to see what was going on. At the end of class I rushed to my locker and saw a bunch of kids crowding around the back window that showed the courtyard. They kept saying there was a body. I ran over to see what was going on and realized it was Angelina. Paramedics were giving her air. She was on a stretcher, bruises and dirt on her face. Her eyes were closed. The crowd began getting thinner and thinner as kids left to go to class. It was only me and Angelina's best friends. I couldn't pull my eyes away from Angie. She was loaded into the back of the ambulance and then the ambulance rushed away. I finally went to class. After that class we went to our homework class and I was called to the office because I was leaving. I was going to the hospital to see Angelina. After I saw her I went home and went to bed. My spirit went to the world, Elysia. I walked to a village and met a baker. He asked me if I wanted to work for him. I said yes, I had nowhere to live in this world. They had also adopted a girl. The backer and his wife said she was at the market gathering eggs. When she came back and I finally met her, her voice sounded just like Angelina's so I immediately knew it was her. Her name was Aria. I named myself Vincent, as dumb as it sounds. We went for a walk and went to watch the sunset together and I said something I knew would make her think it was me. She immediately knew it was me but of course me being a smart aleck I told her I didn't know her. Then she told me how Zeke, Dexter, and Jax threatened her and pushed her into the tree trunk and then when she got up again pushed her harder into the wall and she hit her head hard. Then, she told me how the three, came up to her and kicked her hard in the gut. Then, the awakening slipped away. Then about an hour later I slipped into another one. We hung out more, and then I was back here. in this world. I ate and then went to my room and sat at my desk. My mom came into my room asking if I was okay then I told her everything. Then we came here... " Victor told them, tears threatening to leave his eyes. "You must think I'm crazy by now."

Akari and Sean looked at him with curious, crazy expressions. His mom did too, then she hugged him tight, tears streaming down her face.

"Wow! What a story, Victor. Thank you for such a fake story." Sean laughed.

Akari punched Sean in the arm, "I believe you, Victor."

"You... You do?!"

"You do?!" Sean yelled.

"Yes. Um, my daughter Blythe when she was four she went into a coma after she was diagnosed with cancer. She awoke from her coma a year later and kept talking about a place called Elysia and how it was like she was in another world and how she could control her actions. They all thought it was fake, for she was five years old and had a very vivid imagination but I believed her unlike everyone else."

Something clicked in his messed up head. "What was her name again?"

"Blythe."

"Blythe?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I-I met her in Elysia when I first went there."

"You did?"

"Yeah. She is probably eighteen now right?"

"Seventeen actually."

Sean looked at Akari like she was crazy, "You can't possibly believe this kid is telling the truth. This is absolutely crazy. You must be mental!"

Akari looked at Sean with a hurt look, "Get out, detective Sean. Right now!"

Sean hesitated and then opened the door and slammed it behind him.

"You guys are free to go back to the waiting room. Oh, and Victor if you see Blythe around, will you tell her I said hi and that I love her dearly from the bottom of my heart?"

"Of course, Miss Akari." Victor replied with a shy smile. "Wait what will be done with the three out there?"

"We are gonna question them. All we need is to get a confession out of at least one of them."

"Detective Akari?"

"Yes?"

"Jax didn't want to do it. He tried to stop the other two but... obviously they didn't listen. If anyone is gonna confess it will be Jax."

"Okay. I will make sure to decrease his sentence. Also thanks for the advice."

They exchanged smiles and Victor walked out of the room, wiping a tear that had shed from his eyes.

When Victor sat down Zeke was called to the interrogation room. He didn't look nervous for one second. While Victor sat there he tried to make sense of his rushed thoughts, trying to figure out how that went so smoothly. Nothing ever went right for Victor Angelose. Victor was probably sitting there for an hour before Zeke came back. There was no change to Zeke's facial expression, his face was still careless of the cause. Next, was Dexter. He probably wouldn't crack, if anyone would crack, it would be Jax, just like he had told Akari. Over the next few minutes he just stared at the ground beneath him. Before he knew it, Dexter came back, his face the same as Zeke's had been. Then, Jax and his mother went in. Jax looked nervous. Pity flooded him. Victor told himself that Jax would crack over and over. He had to! Victor looked around the room, he noticed Zeke giving Dexter a cold stare. They were on their phones. Then, he looked around the room he had been in for so long. He had completely memorized the room over the course of the morning. He looked at a picture of a landscape. In the landscape was a tree which stood alone in a field. There was long, tan grass growing in that field. A girl in a light blue dress sat on a swing, which hung from one of the tree branches. Her face was happy, and she was looking up at the sky. It was a beautiful painting, really. Pots of plants were in each corner, they looked like ferns. The chairs they sat in were soft to the touch. Their dark blue cushions felt like memory foam. Suddenly, Jax came into the quiet room, his face filled with guilt and sorrow. Zeke and Dexter sat up right away and looked at Jax with angry, but worried, faces. Jax cracked. He knew he would! Victor wanted to screech with victory. He nearly got up and started jumping around. The two detectives walked into the room accompanied by three officers.

"Jax Turner, Zeke Clark, Dexter McDon, you are proven to have put Angelina Barrings into a coma." Akari stated, her hands behind her back.

"What! This can't be happening! We didn't do it!" Zeke cried in fury, now up from his seat.

"Sorry, Mr. Clark, but we know you did it." Akari answered.

"You have no proof. Did Jax tell you, because he's lying!" Zeke yelled glaring at Jax.

"I'm sorry that information is classified." Akari told him, her chin high.

"Honey, calm down." Zeke's mother said in a soft, calming voice. "Tell them the truth."

"Shut up, mom!" Zeke screamed.

His mom looked hurt, then Akari said, "You will not speak to anyone with such disrespect!"

"Whatever, you aren't my mom!" Zeke yelled.

"I am not, but you still didn't even listen to your mother." Akari stated calmly, but rudely.

Zeke growled, then his mother stepped in, "What are you going to do with these three boys? Are they going to Juvie?"

"We are deciding between Juvie or military school for Mr. Clark and Mr. McDon." Akari replied. This hurt Victor to watch. He mentally gave his own opinion; military school would be too harsh although needed and juvie would be just perfect.

"They can't do that, can't they mom and what about Jax!?" Dexter yelled finally.

"Of course they can, Dex." Mrs. McDon told her son harshly. "You are in very deep trouble. You are grounded for life, this time I mean it!"

"About Mr. Turner, he will be suspended for a month for not telling anyone sooner. We have concluded he didn't have any part in particularly hurting Ms. Barrings."

Dexter started to protest but his mom cut him off. Victor's mom put her arm around Victor's shoulder. They watched Dexter and Zeke fight with their mothers. Jax stood there looking guilty, his mother only looking at him with a blank face. Victor felt a little bad for Jax. The officers stood there talking to Akari and Sean. Victor watched the group making the decision on what to do. At last, Akari sighed and said something along the line, 'that'll have to do.' Akari held her hand to silence them, they quieted down.

"We have decided. We saw military school wasn't the best choice, so, you will be put into Juvie for two months. We have already called their services, so you can't change our mind. They will be here at the station at 9 a.m tomorrow. Be here by 8:30, or we'll have a big problem." Akari told them.

"What!" Zeke screamed. "You can't do that!"

"Yes, they can, they make the decisions, not you." Mrs. Clark said in a cold, soft voice.

"So you're on their side? Wow, my own mother!" Zeke cried.

"Be quiet, Zeke Ruth!" Mrs. Clark yelled.

"Are we free to go, detective Akari?" Jax's mom, Mrs. Turner asked nicely.

"Yes ma'am." Akari answered, stepping out of the room with the officers.

The three boys and their mothers walked out of the waiting room and out the front door. Victor and his mom finally started out for the door. When they opened it, Akari bid them good day.

"Bye, Akari." Victor said, turning back towards her.

Victor and his mom closed the door and walked the short distance to their shiny, gray car. His mom unlocked the car door and the two got in. Victor stared back at the police station as the ignition started. The car's small hum made Victor feel comfortable and safe. But, anger still boiled in him, sadness still boiled in him. As they turned onto their street Victor could see Angelina's dark house. It was 6:23 p.m now. They had been at the station all day. Victor was so tired, tired of everything going on, Angelina's coma is what he meant. They pulled into the driveway of their house and his mom stopped the ignition. The two got out and walked tiredly to the front door. Victor tried the door but it was locked, so he waited for his mother to unlock it. Victor went up the stairs to his dark room. His mother called after him.

"What do you want for dinner, mon cheri?"

"I don't care. As long as it's edible." Victor replied tiredly.

His mother sighed then he heard her walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. Victor took off his jacket and threw it onto his bed. He walked over to his bay window and sat down, looking out into the dark town of Walton City. So lifeless, so dark, so sad. Victor turned on the lamp that stood beside his desk and found the book he was reading. The book's old, weathered pages made a crinkly sound as he flipped to his page. It was a novel about a peasant woman in her 20's who fell in love with the prince of the old, medieval kingdom. It was surprisingly a really good book, he tried to read it as often as he could, but recently he hadn't been doing a great job at it. He read the ebony black words at the top of the page, it read;

'Only one thing separates me from my Prince Cartwright, an unpleasant soul who cares of nothing but wealth, King Coursen, his father. "We are in love, me and thy Prince Cartwright. We shall be together till death. Nothing will keep me away from my love." That is what I want to tell the horrid king.'

They were strong, independent words, spoken well as you might say. Victor thought a moment about these words. His face was thoughtful, you could tell he was thinking a great bit.

"Nothing will keep me away from my love..." He repeated the words in a slight trance.

The words grabbed at him. They stuck in his mind like paper to glue. It made him think more. Nothing will keep me away from my love. It ran over and over in his head, like a music disc playing on a phonograph music box. Like, nothing will separate me from my love, not even another world. Angelina was his everything. Plus, she was stuck in a coma, and probably would never leave. She could die... and she would never know how he felt about her. In fact no one knew of his affection.

Suddenly, his mom walked into the room and told him dinner was ready. Victor put his bookmark in his spot and put the book on his desk. Victor got up and shut off the lamp, then followed his mother downstairs. At the table were two plates full of deep fried chicken and some salad. He sat down in front of a plate and just stared at the full plate. His mother sat down next to him and started eating some salad. Victor picked up his fork and poked at the chicken, he didn't have an appetite to eat. His mom gave him a stern but worried look.

"Honey, you have to eat." She said sadly.

"I know." Victor said quietly.

His mother sighed deeply and continued eating her food. After finishing her dinner she left the table,and went to the living room to watch the news program, which she watched every single night. He stared at his uneaten food. He felt something roll down his cheek and watched as it landed on his chicken. He wiped the residue from the tear. He slid his chair back and set the uneaten food into the fridge. Victor crept past her and walked upstairs slowly.

"Now, for our latest news." The TV blared. Victor stopped short. He wondered what was on today.

"Recently, a sixth grader, Angelina Barrings, was found unconscious on a local school, Lion Bank Middle School's campus. She was found with great amounts of injuries. Angelina was put into a coma. Earlier today, the suspects who were said to have put Angelina in a coma were questioned and found guilty and two of the three are being sentenced to two months of Juvie. The people who caused this were in sixth grade with her, apparently, the bullies of the school." One guy said.

Then, another person, a girl, replied, "Poor girl. The town is praying for this wonderful girl. Hopefully, she will wake up."

"Well said, well said. Now, to our next topic." The man said.

Victor zoned out. Of course people were talking about Angelina. He definitely would. It was just something humans do. Victor brought back his mind to the world he was in and started going up the stairs again. The hallway was dark, then when he reached his room he opened the door. His hand brushed against the wall, trying to find the familiar touch of the light switch. When he found it he turned the light on and closed his door completely shut. He noticed that his room was an absolute mess. Clothes on the floor and on his bed, his bed covers wrinkled, multiple pieces of paper unraveled among his desk, and his school supplies poured out onto the floor near his messy dresser. He sighed deeply and walked over to his bed, then picked up an arm full of clothes and put them in his black hamper. He did the same with the clothes on his floor. Then he gathered all of his school stuff and put them in his backpack. He didn't bother to touch his bed, there would be no point. Lastly, he went over to his desk and gathered up the blank papers and stacked them neatly on a shelf in his closet. He walked over to his bed and fell down onto it with a plump. A large sigh escaped his throat. Victor was anxious to go to bed, so he could potentially see Angelina again. He wondered what had happened since he had been there. So he closed his eyes and drifted off into a familiar slumper.

He was in the sleeping quarters of the bakery. He noticed it had changed. Plus, no one was here.

"Hello? Anyone home?" He called.

No answer, Where were they.

"Oh you poor child!" Annie cried.

"What, Annie?" Victor asked.

"They left for a feast with the royal family." She told him.

"How do you know?" Victor asked in a skeptic voice.

"There's a note on your bed, see?" Annie said.

She was right, a note was on his bed. It read;

Dear Vincent,

We are at the castle. We are having a feast with the royal family. Aria said you would come back. Under this paper is a note signed by the prince himself. If you want to come to the castle take the note and walk to the castle. Show the paper to the guards and they'll lead you here. Farewell. We will hopefully see thee at the castle.

Sincerely,

Sarah

His mouth dropped open in awe. He was going to meet the prince, the royal family. He hurriedly dressed in his nicest clothes. Which were the ones he had arrived in when he got here for the first time. He opened the back door and locked it, then raced out of town to the castle, the note clenched in his hand. It took ten minutes to get there, but when he did, he showed the note to the guards and they let him in. When he went through the huge, castle doors, multiple maids approached him and led him to a grand staircase. They went up the stairs and went down a ginormous hall, which led to a few rooms. They stood in front of a room with big, golden doors. A guard was stationed at each side of the door, then they opened the door for the cluster of people. The room made Victor gasp. It was probably bigger than his yard back in Walton City. Plus it was beautiful, and grand! Definitely too elegant for his manners. The people zoomed in and dragged them with him. Inside were around ten butlers buzzing around. The maids rushed out of the room, then a butler ran up to Victor.

"Hello, I'm Sargento, the head butler. We will be getting you ready. Dinner has already passed though. Let's get to it shall we?" Sargento said and ushered Victor to follow him.

Butlers rushed over to him and led him into a ginormous bathroom. The butlers undressed Victor and helped him into the metal barrel full of steamy, hot water. Some of them washed his hair, while the rest washed and scrubbed his body clean. The water became all dirty and brown after he was done. The butlers helped him out and dried his skin and hair with a white towel. One of the butlers, a skinny one in a suit, put a robe over Victor's shoulders and tied the two strings that were attached to the robe. Victor didn't know what to think. It was uncomfortable to have strangers watching him, looking at him. Plus, he was undressed. They acted like this was just a normal thing that they did everyday. The butlers pulled him out of the large bathroom and into the bedroom. They led him to one side where a large wardrobe was. Other butlers were sewing jackets and shirts and pants in the corner of the room. Once the men saw Victor they rushed over to him and threw the soft robe off him. They dressed Victor in a white shirt, black pants, a black vest, a yellow tie, and shiny, black boots. It was sort of a suit. After he was dressed, men pulled him with them to a vanity and told Victor to sit. Victoor did as they said. Multiple of the butlers started tugging at his hair with brushes and combs. Victor watched the butler's hands in the mirror, then when they were done his hair had a right part and was smoothed with a liquid like gel. The lead butler, Sargento, pulled him out of the stool and looked him over with a thoughtful expression.

"Perfect." Sargento said, waving the butlers out of the room. "Now we must join your family and the royal family out in the garden. Come."

"Okay." Victor replied.

The man walked out of the room with Victor on his tail. The golden doors opened then closed as they left. Victor followed the man back to the staircase and the two went down it. When they reached the bottom Sargento took a left turn into a large hallway. The hallway was lit quite well and maids and butlers were cleaning the floors and coming in and out of a room that looked like the kitchen. Victor noticed children lighting candles that were placed on the small tables. They couldn't have been older than ten. Next thing Victor knew, they were in front of the garden doors. Two guards opened the doors for Victor and Sargento, then closed it once the two were fully in the garden. Victor looked around and saw nobody, but soon heard joyful laughter. He heard someone say something then Angelina's angelic laugh rang out. Then, a few seconds later he saw the two families. Angelina was sitting on a cushioned bench in a beautiful dress with a boy, the prince. The adults were at a table talking about news and business, and one boy was sitting in a tree all by himself. He was writing on a leather-covered book with a charcoal black pencil. Suddenly, the adults looked up and saw Victor. At the same time Angelina, the lonely boy, and the boy who was with Angie looked up and saw Victor. Angelina got up first.

"Vincent! Oh, how glad I am to see you!" Angelina cried in her bubbly tone. Then she came over and gave him a hug.

Sarah got up and greeted Victor, "Vincent, hello!"

Chadrick gave Victor a smile from his seat. Victor noticed a woman and a man right next to Chadrick, the King and Queen. The two walked over to Victor with joyess smiles.

"Vincent, right? I'm King Egbert. Lovely to meet you!" King Egbert greeted.

"Yes, hello, your majesty." Victor greeted, taking a bow.

"What a charming boy you are." The queen cried in a sad, quiet voice.

"Thank you, your majesty." Victor thanked her with another bow.

"Where are my manners, I am Queen Jolesia." Queen Jolesia greeted.

"Nice to meet you, your majesty." Victor said to the stunning woman, then bowed again.

"If you'd like you could go over there with Aria and my son, Alywin." King Egbert said as he started for the garden table.

"Hello, Vincent. I'm Prince Alywin, and that one over there is my brother, Severin." Alywin greeted, pointing at the tree Severin was in.

"Nice to meet you, Prince Alywin." Victor greeted the prince with another bow.

Alywin laughed, "Come sit with us."

The three went to another bench on the other side of the garden. Victor noticed they couldn't hear the adults because of how far away they were. The three sat on the cushioned bench. Alywin let out a deep sigh.

"What's wrong, Prince Alywin?" Angie asked.

"Nothing, Lady Aria." Alywin replied.

Lady Aria... that was a new one.

"Come on, I can tell something's up. You can tell me anything." Angie told him.

Alywin shot a nervous glance at Victor, which Angelina saw, then Angie told him, "I trust Vincent with my life, Prince Alywin. He has always been there for me, he wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone in any way. He has kept all of my secrets."

That made Alywin's security bump down a couple notches, then with another sigh he said, "It's just... All of the peer pressure. Plus I have to find a wife in a year. I'll be forced to marry, and it will most likely be a cold-hearted princess who cares about nothing but money. If I could marry anyone I wanted. If I could marry someone I actually love... It's all a mess." Alywin cried in a soft voice, looking at the stars.

"I understand it's hard. Plus, to marry someone you just met! It's completely, absolutely terrible! But, it's the law. You have to get married to the person they choose. It's just how it is." Angelina replied, placing her small hand on Alywin's shoulder.

"I know. I hope I at least end up with you." Alywin said with a wink to Angie, which made her blush.

Then, suddenly, Severin walked over to them and stopped in front of them, "Get a room, gross!"

"Shut up, Severin. At least someone likes me!" Alywin said teasingly.

The color faded from Severins face, "Wow, is that the way you should act in front of our guests?"

"I don't know, you tell me, Sev." Alywin answered with a slight smile.

"Woah, rude. I'm going to borrow Vincent so he doesn't have to listen to this. Come on, Vincent." Severin said looking over to Victor.

Angelina smiled. Victor got up from the seat and followed Severin. Alywin looked back at him with a worried look, then exchanged worried glances with Angie. Victor waved slightly and rushed forward so he could catch up with Severin.

"Sorry, you had to see that." Severin said in a low toned voice.

"Where are we going?" Victor asked.

"Over to the other side of the garden so we don't have to see or hear anyone"

"I like your style. Stay away from people."

"Ya I guess." Severin answered sitting down on a bench.

"So are you in the royal family by blood?" Victor asked, sitting next to the boy.

"No, they adopted me." Severin replied.

"Oh, why'd they do that? Is there a story?" Victor asked sneakily.

"Well, I was in an alleyway in the village. I had just stolen an apple from a stand. The man who had been selling the apples was in front of me, cornering me against the wall, a club in his hand. He had told someone to get the guards so they could take me to the dungeon, or something. The man wouldn't let me move, he kept threatening me with the club he had in his right hand. I tried to get away, but there was no possible way, at least in this situation. I had escaped many situations like this, but this man was large and buff. It wasn't his first rodeo, I could tell. I made up my mind to fight, so I climbed up the alleyway walls. It was a little difficult, but I had done it a lot before. When I reached the top of the rooves, I ran roof to roof. Then, after a few minutes I climbed back off the roof, slowly, but carefully, I didn't want to injure myself. When I reached the ground guards were waiting for me. I knew I was done for. The guards grabbed me and roped my wrists, then they brought me to the castle. Then, King Egbert saw that I was worthy of keeping alive, I guess. So here I am." Severin told him, his gase harsh.

"Wow, what a story." Victor said with a small teasingly laugh.

"I guess so." Severin answered. "So what's your story?"

"It's complicated."

"Can't be more than mine." Severin said with a nervous laugh.

"You wanna bet." Victor replied.

"Yep." Severin said, giving out an evil, mean laugh.

"I'd rather not tell anyone, though." Victor said in a slow, quiet voice.

"You're lucky I'm not going to force you, you'd have to do what I say, you know, because I'm the prince." Severin laughed boldly.

"That's true."

"Do you accept your, um, sister with my brother? It's so gross!" Severin asked madly.

"I'm glad she found a real friend here, that's all. I have my opinions though. I'd rather not interfere." Victor told the prince quietly.

Severin roared with laughter, "You'd rather not interfere? It's what us humans do best!" He clutched his stomach in the laughter.

"Yes, it's her life, not mine." Victor replied quietly, feeling like a small worm in front of a large skyscraper.

Severin kept on laughing and didn't stop for a couple of seconds. Victor shook his head, then turned it away to look at the stars. Severin's laughter mellowed down to a chuckle.

"You crack me up, Vincent." Severin said in his cold voice.

"I don't see why." Victor answered, still looking at the stars.

Severin sighed. Then, he turned back to Victor with a sly expression. Victor saw a shooting star zoom past in the dark, beautiful sky. Severin sighed again but in a happy manner.

"You see, Vincent, the world isn't fair. No world is. I see how you look at her. You love her, don't you? She refers to you as her brother, not a friend. You're afraid of losing Aria. If we work together we can get rid of Alywin, then you can have a better chance at being together forever. What do ya say, Vincent?" Severin said in his fake, sad voice.

"I want her to be happy, Prince Severin." Victor replied coldly, then walked away towards Angelina and Alywin.

As he walked away, he heard Severin let out a growl, then as he came closer to everyone he heard laughter and conversation. Alywin and Angie were in the same place as he had left them in, same with the adults. Angelina and Alywin immediately sat up when they saw Victor coming up the pebble path.

Alywin's face was still full of worry, so was Angie's. This probably isn't the first time Severin took someone away to 'talk,' trying to get them to take down his brother.

"What did he say?" Alywin asked worriedly.

"A bunch." Victor replied hastily.

"Oh no." Alywin groaned, putting his palm on his forehead. "Not again."

"It's okay, Alywin. Tell us what he said, Vic---- Vincent." Angelina demanded hesitantly.

Victor sighed then told them what the prince had told him and how he turned them down. But, he, of course, left out the part where Severin figured out Victor liked 'Aria.'

"I knew it!" Alywin groaned madly after Victor finished. "I don't know why he hates me so much! What did I ever do to him!"

"I don't know, Prince Alywin. This sounds pretty bad, though." Angelina told him calmly.

"It is bad!" Alywin snapped.

The three went silent. Angelina had a look of horror on her face, then a look of sadness as tears welled up in her eyes. Victor's eyes were wide open. He knew Alywin didn't mean to outburst like that, but still, he had made her start crying. Angelina got up from the bench quickly and ran off into the castle, tears streaming down her face. Victor got up, but stayed there, standing awkwardly in front of the bench. Alywin groaned again.

"What did I just do? Oh, Aria. I made her cry." Alywin cried softly in an ashamed voice.

"It's okay, Prince Alywin. She is just fragile. She'll get over... it." Victor replied, suddenly seeing Severin standing behind a tree, an evil, devilish smile spread across his face. "Oooo, I'm going to get him."

"My relationship is over between her and me. We had just become good friends, too." Alywin said sadly. "Get who?"

"Don't overreact. You overthink more than a teenage girl." Victor ignored the question.

"You're right." Alywin said getting off the bench and then straightening his back. "I'm going to go talk to her."

"No, Prince Alywin. Wait for her to cool off. I'll go talk to her." Victor replied quickly.

"You're right once again." Alywin replied, sitting back down on the bench.

"I'll be back." Victor said before setting out to find Angie.

He noticed a maid staring at him as he passed through the hall, so he stopped and talked to her, "Hello, ma'am! I was wondering if you know where a girl in a pale yellow gown is? Like, the direction she went?"

"Yes, sir. She went down the hall and up the grand stairs." She said with a bow.

"Thank you, my lady. What's your name?"

"Ella, sir."

"Nice to meet you, Ella. I'm Vincent. I got to go, thank you again!" Victor replied rushing off down the hall.

Victor ran down the hall to the staircase and then ran up the stairs. He looked around the hall for guards stationed outside of rooms. There were three sets of two guards stationed at three doors. He recognized his room, but didn't know which room was Angie's, so he went up to a guard in front of one of the rooms and asked him.

"Did you see a girl who was crying come in here? Is this her room? She had a pale yellow dress." He asked a guard.

"Who's asking?" One said.

"Her brother." Victor answered impatiently.

"No, she's in that one over there." Another one said, pointing towards the other door.

"Thanks." Victor said rushing over to the set of guards at the other door.

"What do you want?" The guard to the left of the door growled.

"I need to see Lady Aria. I'm her brother. I'm making sure she's okay." Victor answered.

"Go on in." The other one accepted.

The first one started to protest so Victor went into the room before the second one changed his mind too. Angelina was on her bed sitting at the edge of it, crying. Victor walked over to her and sat down next to her. Angelina melted into his arms.

"He didn't mean it." Victor told her calmly.

"I know, but it isn't that." Angelina sobbed.

"Then, what is it?"Victor asked her.

"I'm in a coma! I've caused people grief! What if I never wake up?" Angelina cried to Victor.

"I don't know, Angie. I can't tell the future." replied Victor.

Angelina looked at him, her expression cold, then Victor noticed and said, "Oh, right, I'm supposed to make you feel better. Well, um, believe in yourself."

"That doesn't help." cried Angelina.

"I know, I'm kind of terrible at advice," Victor answered with a nervous laugh.

"Ya, you are." Angelina replied, giggling.

Victor looked at Angie. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet from her tears. Some kind of makeup, probably mascara, ran down from her eyes to her cheekbones. Victor put his hands on her cheeks and wiped away tears. She stopped her tears, wrapping her arms around Victor's waist.

"Please don't leave me, Vic." She cried in a unsteady, sad voice.

"I can't promise anything," He joked then saw her face. "I won't."