Chapter Five

The trial resumed and everyone took their seats again. The previous tension was still fresh in the air and everyone was stirring in their seats, especially Adalynn. Aden is her cousin so she can't want to see him killed, even if she does think he made the wrong decision by not killing me. When she saw him unconscious in the cave, fear and tenderness seemed to seep into her expression for the slightest second, so I know she cares about him somewhat. But as for me, she would probably beg to push me over the edge herself.

"Let's begin after you decided to spare her life. What did you do then?" the old woman asked Aden.

"I tried to disguise her so she would blend in, hoping no one would notice us leave the palace. I flew towards the beaches on Ashlynn to return her to the surface," he gestured towards his giant, majestic bird, "and down at the beach we were attacked by two Po'eles."

Her eyes seemed to widen in interest, "What happened with them?" She sounded almost excited to hear, like she was being told a good story.

Aden told how we had hidden and how the two creatures had taunted us. He told all the way up to the part where Ashlynn was barricaded outside and how he was knocked unconscious. The old woman's eyes seemed to twinkle as he told her how I had stood up to the two, unarmed and wounded.

"What did you do when you realized you were on your own in the fight?" she asked me with deep eagerness.

I thought back to that moment. "They…got scared of me," I said.

"What do you mean, child?"

"They started…reciting something about hair and eyes, I don't know, it didn't really make sense to me. But they back away from me like they were afraid."

"Hair of cocoa, golden skin. Eyes of crystal, dark within," she chanted, saying the exact words they had uttered in terror.

"Yeah, that was it. What does it mean?" I asked her.

"Why, it is describing you, my dear."

This seemed to set off the loudest uproar yet, people screaming and shouting in what sounded like protest as they shook their fists and threw things around. The old woman summoned a large brown bird and had it deliver her over to our platform. She hopped down and approached me slowly, taking my hands in hers and giving me a crinkly eyed smile that reminded me of my grandma in so many ways.

"Welcome home, A Kaua 'Anela," she smiled.

The people seemed infuriated by these words, shouting and arguing amongst themselves, some getting physical with one another. The old woman called for attention and the mob fell silent, even though the hostile expressions never left their faces. She turned back to me again, pulling a thin scroll from the sleeve of her dress and unrolling it close to her face. Clearing her throat, she began to read:

"'She who makes peace comes from above, she protects us with a mother's love. Hair of cocoa, golden skin, eyes of crystal, dark within. Her courage never does delay, even when facing a Po'ele. She shall save us from turning upside down, when she receives the last royal crown. Angel wings on her back like a cloud, she hides behind a night sky shroud'."

Everyone was silently staring at me after she was done, making me feel incredibly self-conscious and uncomfortable. What does that stuff mean, and why is she looking at me like that? I looked over at Aden for some answers, but he just stared in the same stunned silence as everyone else, his eyes wide with hints of white from the room as well as the peach of my skin.

"What are you talking about?" I asked unsurely, taking an uneasy step back from her and finding myself at the edge of the platform.

"I believe that she is the one we have waited almost five hundred years for, does anyone disagree?" she asked the crowd, looking around with a smug look on her face as no one replied.

"I disagree!" a voice shouted.

Of course it was Adalynn, standing with her hands on her hips and her head held high. A bitter and resentful look contorted her face, her venomous eyes glaring darkly at me so I actually felt chilled at my very core.

"Explain your doubt my dear," the old woman spoke, her wise eyes waiting and observing the young girl.

Adalynn suddenly seemed to lose her confidence and she timidly dropped her shoulders as everyone's attention shifted to her. She cleared her throat and then spoke clearly like her grandmother with her head held high.

"She cannot be the one, someone so willing to abandon us and put us in peril!"

Quiet mutters swept through the room and I gritted my teeth. I thought I had just been proven innocent and broken the surface that had been drowning me for hours, but here was Adalynn pulling my head back under water. Thanks a lot, Princess.

"But even you cannot deny that she fits the description. Her hair is as pure and dark as a cocoa bean and her eyes are brighter blue than the caverns," the old woman said calmly.

"She may have dark hair and blue eyes, but she is not the first we have seen fall down here that fits this description. It could be any other surface dweller," Adalynn argued.

"Yes my dear, but take a closer look into her eyes," the old woman smiled coyly, sending her bird over to Adalynn and having her stand before me.

I didn't feel comfortable having Adalynn so close; afraid she'd just try and push me over the side of the platform. She stood before me and glared tauntingly into my eyes, her expression seeming to say, "I want to kill you". Her harsh eyes searched mine, staring straight into them, almost so deep that I wondered if she could see through me out the back of my head. She suddenly looked taken aback and her mouth formed an O shape as she stared at her grandmother for reassurance.

"Eyes of crystal, dark within…" she breathed.

I think I finally understand what they're saying. My eyes are a little different; they're an extremely pale, luminous blue with these deep black flecks around their centers.

Dark within…

"Well, what about the 'angel wings on her skin like a cloud'?" she asked using air quotes, still not seeming convinced. "She clearly does not have wings."

The old woman gazed at me thoughtfully, sizing me up before slowly approaching me. She tapped her chin and tried to think of a logical answer to say to Adalynn, who stood triumphantly with her arms crossed. I think I found the one thing I want more than to go home. I want all these people to stop staring at me. I feel like I'm under a microscope like some lab amoeba in a petri dish.

"On her back!" Aden cried out, breaking the silence.

Everyone looked at him in confusion, including me as I turned to face him. What's he talking about?

"What?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"When you were in the hospital, I saw you had these two strange marks on your back that were darker than your skin. I remember I had thought that they looked like an angel's wings…" A light blush rose to his face as he spoke.

"Oh, those are just birthmarks," I said.

Everyone's facial expressions made it seem like I just said I have a third arm. I untied the dark shroud from around my shoulders and let it drop to the ground before I slid the soft gray dress over my head. Good thing I had decided to keep on my bathing suit and shorts. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and turned around so the people could see my back in full view.

A light flickered in the old woman's eyes and she smiled, her aged lips crinkling like the rest of her skin. She placed one of her smooth, creased fingers over the marks that rested evenly spaced on each of my shoulder blades, light like clouds. Her touch sent a chill down my spine, her fingers feeling like air although they were cold.

I have these two birthmarks on my back, and they in a way resemble the shape of wings. Mom used to call me her 'Little Angel' when I was younger, but I never thought much of it. I'm actually self-conscious of them and I always have my hair long and down my back to hide the large marks.

"The orchid has bloomed and the 'Anela has been sent to us. After all these years, it is finally time," she said in a grave voice that didn't match her bright face. "My grandson has done the world a service by sparing her life, for we all would have perished with her loss. This case is dismissed, I find them both innocent!"

I felt my stomach drop with relief. Everyone cleared out of the room until it was just me, Aden, the old woman, and the four kids on the royal jury. They all seemed a bit bent out of shape at our innocence. Ashlynn's wings were freed and she stretched them out before carrying Aden and I back to the ground. The fire red bird carried down Adalynn and the two other girls while the brown one took the old woman and the boy. Where had the golden bird that had saved me gone?

As the old woman looked about to speak, that nasty looking girl, Audrina, let out a furious growl as she stormed over to Aden. She raised her hand and struck him across the face, leaving a red mark on his cheek. He did not stagger back in surprise the way I did. No wonder he hates her, I know right now I want to slap her back.

"How could you do something so dangerous!" she yelled at him. "Do you know what would have happened to me if you were killed?"

Aden remained silent, staring blankly down at the floor, refusing to look at her livid face and her brick red eyes that glowed angrily.

"Answer me!"

"We would lose our family bond…" he whispered, and she looked like she wanted to hit him again.

"Yes! It may not matter to your family, but this is important for mine! Without this we would go back to having nothing! Do you not understand how important this is for me to be with you?" Tears started to well in her eyes and she angrily wiped them away. Is that what this whole thing is? Aden is just her family's ticket to power, to becoming part of the royal family?

Adalynn consoled her, glaring at her cousin as she lightly patted Audrina's hair. Aden rolled his eyes and her eyes narrowed at him. It looks like Adalynn likes Audrina better than Aden does. Adalynn's glare suddenly shifted from Aden to me, sending another chill through my body, and then she turned to her grandmother.

"Anabelle, it is absurd to even think that she—" she spat before the old woman silenced her with a sharp look.

"It is not absurd my dear, it is fate," the old woman, Anabelle, replied.

Everyone became quiet, but no one seemed pleased still, except for Aden and I, who were grinning from ear to ear for being allowed to live. For now anyways. I still have no idea what's going to happen now or what they're going to do with me.

"The orchid has truly bloomed, Anabelle?" Aden asked with surprise.

She nodded.

"So it must be you," Aden shifted his eyes onto me again.

"What must be me?" I looked between all of them for some clarification as to what was going on.

Anabelle motioned for us to follow her, and she led us out of the grand courtroom and back into the palace. She led us down the long hallway and turned sharply around a corner, stopping before a small door. This door looked to be made of pure solid emerald; it was smooth and shimmery with millions of sparkling facets that glistened in the light. She pulled a chunk of stone on a chain from the collar of her dress and she used it as a key to open the door. She tucked the red stone back safely into her dress and she led us one by one into the room.

"I have never seen the inside of the chamber before," I heard Adalynn breathe, her eyes widening as the emerald stone door rolled open for us.

We walked single file behind Anabelle, and I felt my breath catch in my throat as I was stunned by the sight. It was incredibly beautiful in here, but a little bit balmy. It felt like being in the rainforest, plant life surrounding us and the sounds of flutters and rushing water hit my eardrums. There was a small trickling stream with a series of miniature waterfalls carrying away flower petals caught in their currents, bright colored exotic plants practically everywhere in this jungle room. Some were tall and leafy with curly vines, and others grew low to the ground with sharp prickles and pollen on them. By the side of the stream there were bright purple and green pods with fuchsia colored fruits tucked inside in some sticky looking goo.

We walked along what looked like a path made of solid gold, so shiny you could see your reflection when you looked down at its surface. The path curled around the glorious, sweet smelling plants and ended at a long gold table where seven plants sat evenly apart. The plant farthest to the left was a bright cherry red with its petals spread out elegantly while the other six were still closed up, not yet in bloom.

"The ruby orchid has bloomed finally, after close to five hundred years," Anabelle smiled, lightly picking up the pot for us all to see.

The others stared at it in amazement while I just looked at it like a flower you'd see at a florist shop. What's so special about this flower that made these people lock it up in a majestic room behind an emerald door? Sure, it's pretty, but not that pretty. They all seemed so captivated by it, making me wonder just what kind of flower it was.

"It's already starting to die," I frowned. Some of the orchid's satin red petals were already starting to brown and wilt.

"Yes, that is why we must act quickly before the orchid does perish," she said, holding it out to me expectantly.

I cautiously took it from her while all eyes were on my face. The pot must be made of some sort of solid stone because it was heavy, like a lot heavier than I had expected. Luckily I didn't drop it because I felt like everyone would have a heart attack if something happened to this flower. They'd probably reverse my sentence and push me off that platform onto those sharp rocks.

The strangest feeling spread across my palms, an almost tingly feeling. The plant seemed to detect it too; its leaves appearing to quiver. A cool feeling washed through my veins like refreshing water flooding into my system. It felt good though, it made me feel…clean inside. I stared in amazement as the rope burns around my wrists and the small cuts and scrapes on my hands disappeared before my eyes. The plant seemed to heal too, its slowly drying petals starting to uncurl and grow redder as the roots grew stronger and locked the plant firmly in place. We were both healed, as if by magic.

"What happened?" I asked in amazement.

Anabelle laughed softly, "The orchid seems to recognize its mother." I frowned at her in puzzlement. "The angel is mother to all…"

"Uhh, I'm sixteen, I'm no one's mother," I corrected her.

"Not are you actually a mother," Anabelle said, "But you have the heart of one as you protect and care for all creatures."

I handed her the plant back, suddenly no longer feeling comforted by it. She lightly sat it back down in its original place on the golden table. Staring long and hard at it, I felt as if it was staring back at me.

"See you this," she said, gliding her fingers across some small words carved into the table.

"From the surface the surfer fell,

to a land where evil dwells.

Gold is her heart, strong and pure,

for our safety she will ensure.

Pluck her life from destiny's thread,

and the rest of us shall be left for dead.

Save her breath and let her heart beat,

or shall we be left to face defeat."

"This is the Promise of Peace," Anabelle said to me.

"'Olelo-pa'a Malu…" Aden breathed quietly.

"What does it all mean? And what does this have to do with me?" I questioned.

"It says that a girl from the surface will fall and her life must be spared so she may save us all and help us win the war and restore peace within Palekana," she said.

How can I help anyone win a war? It's not like I was some warrior or a super ninja-like killing machine that could just wipe out all their enemies for them. I hate fights, I don't even like when Riley tries wrestling me on the living room carpet. I'm more of a snacker than a fighter.

"How will this girl do that?" I laughed nervously.

A puzzled look crossed her face. "No one knows exactly how you shall save us, but you will, and you are to start by finding the royal crowns."

I don't like the way she keeps saying you and looking directly at me like she thinks I'm this girl they keep talking about. It's not me, that's for sure. I'm no prophesized superhero, I'm just a small town girl trying to survive high school.

"You mean the story of the seven daughters is true?" the expressionless girl asked, her dull eyes sparking with life for a moment.

"It is one hundred percent factual, even though it is used as a children's story," replied Anabelle.

"What's the 'story of the seven daughters'?" I asked.

"It's a story told to children," said Adalynn, "It is said that Chief Adoniia had seven young daughters and when the war broke out he had a vision of the way to peace so he hid each of them in a secret location with an inscription on each of their crowns. The 'Anela is meant to return to us one day to find all seven crowns when the orchids bloom and then put together the message, which is the key to ending the war."

I bit my lip, "So…you guys are really convinced it's me?"

They all nodded, which didn't reassure me whatsoever. There's just no way it can be me. I'm not the boldest and most daring person out there; I'm kind of the last person I'd think of when a savior or a hero came to mind. I'd think more of Super Man, not Shelby Dotson, sixteen-year-old girl from North Dakota who loves cherry Coke, kicking a soccer ball around, and taking long naps.

"It is fate that you are here," said Anabelle as if reading my thoughts.

She turned back to the table where a small gold box sat on the end, encrusted in jewels and looking worth a billion dollars. With her withered fingers, she turned a small key in the lock and the box opened with a click. She reached inside and pulled out what appeared to be a bracelet, It was a plain golden band, and when I looked closer I saw it had several divots in it like it had once possessed gem stones but they had fallen out. Anabelle took my hand and she clipped it onto my wrist. It fit me perfectly.

"This is one of our most sacred artifacts," she said. "It belonged to the previous 'Anela, and now it belongs to you."

I tried to undo it and slide it off, but I couldn't get it to come off no matter what. I kept fidgeting with it and trying to shake it off, but nothing worked.

"I appreciate the nice gift and the confidence boost, but it's really not me, I'm telling you guys. I'm just a plain old person and there's literally nothing special about me," I protested, refusing to believe in this.

"But it is you, dear," Anabelle smiled, taking my hands in her aged ones. Her hands felt soft and creased like a piece of paper that's been crinkled up millions of times. "The orchid cannot bloom until it's lifeforce is near, and that lifeforce is you. Lucky for us Aden did not kill you. His acts of so called treason were a blessing." She smiled at her grandson, who grinned back sheepishly.

"What do we do now that she is here and the orchid is in bloom?" asked Adalynn, sliding her fingers along the gold band on her head.

"We have no time to waste, she must retrieve the first crown. She must start the journey as soon as possible. I'd say she leave tonight if she plans to get back before the last petal falls," she replied warily, looking over at the flower again.

"Woah, wait a minute!" a said holding my hands up. "I never agreed to any of this. I was proven innocent so I'm going home now. I've got summer school and I'm sure my parents are worried and wondering where I am."

"I do not think you understand," Adalynn said harshly, "You will go on this journey, you will find the crown, and you will help us! It is least you can do for us after we spared your life!"

"Excuse me, but I don't owe you anything!" I retorted, "And thanks for letting me live by the way, the dungeon was a lovely touch!"

"Well how would you like to go back?" she spat.

Anabelle silenced us with her piercing gaze. I narrowed my eyes at Adalynn and she crossed her arms.

Anabelle turned to me. "I'm sorry to say this dear, but the council isn't going to allow you to leave knowing you are the only key to saving us all. We cannot fight this war forever, and without you we will all perish."

"So…you aren't going to let me leave?" I whimpered. "I…can't go home?"

She shook her head slowly and tears filled my eyes. They have no right to hold me hostage and force me to risk my life to save a world that no one even knows about. Maybe they should just abandon down here and come up to the surface where normal people live.

Aden rested a light hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off. I felt angry with him too. He wasn't protesting and trying to convince them to let me go, he was siding with them and expecting me to stay.

"If I go get you your stupid crown, will you let me go home after?" I asked softly.

"Of course," she reassured me.

I wiped my eyes and wrapped my arms around my torso, feeling a thin wrapping of cloth around my cracked ribs. They actually didn't hurt at all anymore, and I wondered if touching that flower had healed them the way it had my rope burns.

"Fine, since I have no choice."

She clapped her hands together excitedly like I'd just agreed to go on a road trip or do something fun. I tried to convince myself that this would be easy and I'd be back in a couple days tops, on my way back home soon after I returned. Who am I kidding? I have no idea what I'm in for or what I'm even doing.

"So, where am I going exactly?" I asked shortly.

Anabelle grinned bashfully, "Well, that's the thing. We were hoping you would know..."