Chapter 9 A King From the Stars

As I ran out of the house there was a storm of troops going door to door pulling people out of their houses. The ones who were not selected, among the families and neighbors, were begging, screaming, and crying to be taken with the ones who were selected. The military personal trampled over yards and kicked in doors, running past one family I heard they were refusing to go because their son wasn't selected but the parents were.

The parents were dragged into a hummer, while the boy fell to his knees begging them to let his parents stay. I was going to be sick, I ran covering my ears, trying to block out the screaming. I couldn't listen to the agonizing cries of the ones who were left behind, it only made the pain in my heart ache harder knowing that I was one of the ones left behind as well. So I ran, I ran with all my might to the only place I have ever known to have found solitude.

I headed in the direction of, Cedar Lake. Cedar Lake has always been my place of servitude that I went to whenever I needed to be alone, and right now I needed to be alone. My entire world has shattered before me. My crush, turned me down in front of the entire school, my family has abandoned me, and something bad was about to happen to my planet, and here I was left all alone to fend for myself in this unrelenting heat that was melting my skin. I had no one left in this world that I had an attachment too.

They all left me, alone, unwanted, and unloved. So I ran, to my favorite lake. If I was going to die, I would rather die in the only place I felt safe. Panting, and doubling over out of breath I finally arrived at Cedar Lake or what was left of it anyway. As I caught my breath I looked up and saw that the lake had almost dried up. What was left was nothing more than a mermaid's pond to splash around in.

The once beautiful lake that I always came to when I needed it most was now stolen by the sun as well. Eyes filling with tears, I now realized that every last beautiful thing that I have ever loved or cherished had been taken away from me. The black stain in my heart grew larger, as darkness began to consume me. My skin started crackling under the sun's harsh rays, I had to get out of this heat. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear and no one was present I slipped out of my dress and dove waist deep into the water.

I let the painstakingly embarrassing memories from school today to wash over my thoughts. I picked up a rock and began to scrub my dress that was now stained with chocolate pudding, angry tears stinging my cheeks. I scrubbed almost tearing through the fabric letting the anger simmer and take hold of my heart. Why did males have to be so cruel here. Why did they only care about beauty on the outside? If Kaleb could have seen what was in my cousin's heart he never would have chosen her.

The longer I scrubbed the dress the angrier I became, what right did I even have falling in love with Kaleb? It wasn't like he knew who I was. My love for him has always been one sided as I watched him from afar. Thinking back on it now, I felt totally stupid, for even admitting my feelings to him. I should have known I would be rejected, no one here ever remembered me. But then a memory of last night flashed through my mind. It was the strange man who had asked me what my name was.

My cheeks flushed thinking back on the compromising position my body was in laying in his arms. He was the only male I could think of who even dared to ask me for my name. Was he going to abandon me too? I haven't seen him since this morning, he said he was a protector but he wasn't here to protect me. Maybe he chose to run after my cousin too. But still the touch of his hand on my skin sent shivers down my spine even in this heat. My mind and heart was confused about who I should have feelings for.

"Ugh I hate males,"

I shouted to no one in particular slamming my fists on top of the water and dropping the dress I had been scrubbing. Why did males always have to rip out a woman's heart and trample on it? Why did my protector disappear when I needed him most? Why was matters of the heart so dang confusing. I scrubbed myself raw, pulling at my hair in frustration. Was it too much to ask for just one person to love me? I stared at the dress the strange man had made for me floating on the surface of the lake.

I contemplated on if I should just let it float away. But seeing how beautiful the dress was I couldn't let it go, I scooped it up and finished scrubbing it the best I could and hung it up to dry on a nearby branch. I headed back to the water and sat with the water lapping at my waist line. I didn't want to go deeper for fear of drowning, I couldn't swim. Sitting there I felt my hair instantly dry and curl as the heat from the sun evaporated the water from my hair.

Sitting there in the quietness of the clearing, a feeling of eeriness washed over me. I looked around scanning the area. I couldn't help but have a shaking feeling that I was being watched again, it was like a pair of eyes were burning into my soul. Was the strange man back? Or was it someone who was rejected by the military coming here to escape the heat? I stood up shakily searching the tree line for a sign of movement. Climbing out of the water trying not to make any sudden movements, I reached for my dress.

That's when I heard a rustling from the bushes nearby. Light slow delicate footsteps sounded as I heard a couple of twigs snapping behind me. Turning around abruptly I called out,

"who's there?" panic setting in. I heard the strange man's voice before I could see him, he whispered softly,

"Chelsey do not be frightened it is me, the one who is here to protect you. Please tell me you still have room in your heart for this male?"

He whispered, stepping out of the trees with his hands held up in the air in front of him walking toward me slowly.

"Please don't hate me," he whispered again.

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Tracking the Female child down was a lot harder than he thought. Something felt different about her heart, almost like a dark cloud was hovering inside, making it much harder to use her pure heart to sense her presence. If we were mated I would be able to find her in a heartbeat, he thought. When people from our tribe mate they end up with a connection bound by their love that can be followed even across wormholes, space and time as well as different universes.

He was trying to track her scent but the humans running about in sheer panic crisscrossed over her scent obscuring her tracks. After a few minutes of flying around he heard water splashing in the distance. His eyes lit up, of course she would be the only one at the meadow clearing by the lake. As he approached he sensed she was close by. He landed just inside the tree line and stepped lightly so as not to frighten her. Watching her from just inside the tree line he watched her bent over and plunged her head under the water and remained there.

Worried the High King started pacing wanting to dive in after her because she was not coming up for air. Was she trying to kill herself?! Was she so detached from this world that she no longer wanted to live?! He waited a moment longer before he took two steps forward wanting to rush to her side. After what felt like the longest two minutes of his life, his Queen finally resurfaced gasping for air. He sighed with relief as he watched his her scrubbing her body until her flesh turned raw pink.

Thank goodness, it seemed like she was bathing herself. He watched with such an intensity, before he realized that this was only the second time a King in all of Kosea's history has ever laid eyes on a female while she was bathing. In Kosea a King and Queen have separate bath houses. A King always bathed alone for he was only allowed one mate. But for a Queen they were allowed to have a harem of men or female if they chose. A male may never enter a female's bath house unless he wants to be electrocuted to death.

The only time a male may enter a female's bath house is if he earns the rank of lover of the Queen and becomes a part of her harem. Staring at her with a burning passion in his eyes he took in every moment of this beautiful scene before him so that he would not forget it as he fought the urge to join her in the water, he watched her as she began to look around the clearing. Trying to edge his way closer to her, the King stumbled over a fallen branch, accidentally stepping on some twigs.

Looking up he heard the female child call out,

"who's there?" Not waiting a minute longer, the High King stepped out from behind the trees tossing off his invisibility charm, so that he could finally meet his Queen. Holding his hand up to show her he meant no harm he stepped out of the trees and whispered

"Chelsey do not be frightened it is me, the one who is here to protect you. Please tell me you still have room in your heart for this male? Please don't hate me."

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Grabbing my dress that was hanging on the branch, I quickly held it over my body just as the man suddenly appeared in front of me with no warning. So he really was invisible the whole time, I thought. One second there was nothing there then the next the most beautiful man I have ever seen appeared under the oak tree in a flash of brilliant light resembling a halo of the colors of space, there were blues, whites, grays, and purples surrounding him, standing at six foot seven inches, his thick white lush silky hair swayed in the hot breeze.

His muscles flexing with power behind them, he came out of nowhere his beauty knocking me back stunned. He was the most handsome man I have ever seen. There was no one in the world like him. Catching a glimpse of his eyes, I couldn't believe the color of his eyes, they were the bluest eyes I have ever seen, his eyes were as blue as the deepest ocean filled with sapphires.

I thought to myself that if I stared too long into his eyes that I might actually drown in them if I looked too long. These eyes were definitely the same eyes that were starring at me through my mirror a few nights ago. My pulse began to race and my breath quickened as I prepared to flee. I wanted to flip the dress over my head and put it on but then that would expose my body to his already intense gaze. I tried to rearrange the dress around me, while shouting out,

"plea...please don't, don't come near me, I'm naked."

Seeing the fear in her eyes he heard her heart beating wildly in her chest. He watched as her face turned from ghostly pale to beet red as she tried to cover herself up with the dress he had made her but was failing miserably. She was frightened of him, he could smell the fear dripping from her pores. Holding up his hands he slowly backed up a couple of steps trying not to frighten her and to give her some space, and with the calmest voice he could muster he spoke slowly,

"My name is Helios, I come from the stars a King from the city of Kosea in a galaxy far away from here. Please my little one can you tell me, why does no one here utter your name? Why is it never written down or spoken of?"

The King asked me with the utmost curiosity in his voice as he stared at me with love in his eyes,

"Chelsey your name is absolutely beautiful. It pains me to know that no one hear dares to speak your name."

He...he knows my name?! How does he know my name? No one here knows my name! Hearing someone speak my name for the first time in my life sent tingles throughout my entire body. Waves of emotions flooded through me. Why was I feeling this way just because someone called me by my name? Why was it when this strange man said my name it was full of love. There was no hint of malice or hatred when he spoke my name. My head was spinning, I was in information overload.

This magical person, thing, or alien, just moments ago popped out of nowhere, shinning with light brighter than a thousand stars, who had healed my wounds, fed me, made me dresses, and has been watching over me was the first person ever in the world to call me by name. What should I do? Should I run? Should I hide? Should I respond to him? What did he want? Why does he know my name? I'm so scared. I don't know what to do. I know I'm not suppose to talk to strangers. But I couldn't help it, I stared wide eyed at the most handsome man on the entire planet.

Without thinking my mouth began to move of its own accord, not wanting to refuse this beautiful angel standing in front of me. With a stutter I replied weakly,

"ye...yes my...my name is Chelsey. I was born thirteen years ago. When I was just a baby my parents died in a car accident. I was in the car with them at the time strapped in my car seat. The doctors told me it was a miracle that I was even alive. One minute I was in the car and the next I was laying safely in the snow by the roadside. They said the universe must have been watching over me that night because when they found my parents car it had been completely crushed by a semi truck and the car seat I was supposed to be in was totally destroyed. I am not supposed to be alive. My Aunt, Uncle, and cousin are afraid of that car accident. The...they see me as a living ghost. They don't want anything to do with me because of that car accident. They think I am cursed and was supposed to die with my parents. I'm not even sure why I am alive myself. I feel completely useless."

As I revealed what had been locked away in my heart tears began to run down my face. I continued with my story,

"I am considered a nobody here. All these years of living with my cousin I had to follow in her foot steps. She was the perfect one and I was her constant shadow. Nobody here loves me or wants me, I was even forgotten by my own family as they left me behind and went into hiding underground. I am not wanted here,"

I cried, my tears flowing faster, and evaporating as fast as they fell. Finishing my story I noticed Helios getting closer to me so I took a couple steps back still scared of him not sure what he wanted and why he was here, and why he was even talking to me. Helios listened to every word she spoke committing everything to memory. As I finished with my story Helios's face changed from sadness and then to anger and then went back to soft and understanding. With each word I spoke he inched closer to me.

I took a couple of more steps back clutching the dress tighter around me, I didn't like how close this beautiful man was getting, I was feeling more uncomfortable by the minute. No man this beautiful would ever want to be this close to me,

"wh...why are you here? What do...do you want with me? Am...am I going to die? I read that you...you were a bad omen and only showed up if something bad was going to happen. I...I'm scared, I don't want to die."

Tears were streaming down my face stinging my eyes. This wasn't going so well, Helios thought. She's so scared, she won't even let me get close to her. She looks like she's about to flee at any moment. I need to gain her trust before it's too late otherwise she'll never come with me. I have to tell her the truth about why I am here.

"No, you are not going to die, I would never let that happen, that is why I am here. I am here to take you back with me to Kosea. The truth is I am a King and I have to find a mate. I have been waiting many lifetimes to find the right mate. I have searched many universes, traveled through time and space and searched all of Kosea and neighboring tribes but none of the females were right for the throne. I am searching for a Queen with a pure heart, someone who is not selfish, someone who always puts others before herself, and above all else who will love me and not take my position as King for granted."

"I have been searching for over twenty eight million years. It wasn't until I came to this water planet about two weeks ago that I found you. When I saw you it was like the universe was pulling me toward you. The world completely stopped and all I could see was you. Humans do not have magical abilities but yet somehow you were able to toss off my invisibility charm catching a glimpse of me. Only you Chelsey my little one can be the true Queen of Kosea."

Helios trailed off with unwavering love in his voice.

"I want to protect you with my life and to love and cherish you for all eternity. I never want to let you go. I want to take away all your pain, and remove the black clouds from your pure heart. I want to make you laugh and smile each and everyday. I want to become your mate."

Wait did he just say Queen? Me? A Queen? No,no, no, I can't be a Queen, I thought to myself this is just crazy. This can't be happening. I must be going crazy, this heat must have caused me to lose all of my sanity. I must have already died and somehow I was living my last moments playing on rewind as a dream before I was sent away. And yet while he was telling me all of this I started to feel a tug on my heart. It was almost as if the universe was shouting at me. Can this pull on my heart be what Helios felt when he saw me for the first time? Is this fate telling me that the reason I am alive is because someone needed me just as much as I needed them?

As the minutes ticked by Helios watched as her brows furrowed mulling over what he said. For a split second he could hear her heart shouting at him wanting to be loved by him. With a smile spreading on his face, his heart filled with pure joy he was finally happy that he could sense what she was thinking. Helios took this moment to step a little closer. This time she did not step away from him but instead took one step toward him.

"Ca..can I ask you something?" Helios nodded,

"you can ask me anything, my little one." "Ho...how did you find out my name? No one knows my name here."

I watched the man called Helios bite his lip, he sighed not wanting to lie to her,

"I found it in your diary, I have been searching for awhile now, and watching you wondering when someone would say your name. But not once while I was watching you did anyone mention your name. It drove me mad, why no one would want to mention your beautiful name." So he has been watching me.

"Then that means you saw what happened in th...the cafeteria at school?"

I asked him my face turning red. He nodded, embarrassed at being caught. I took a step back, my face flushing with embarrassment. Here was a man from the stars confessing his love for me and he admits to seeing me confess my love to another. I was thoroughly embarrassed now. This man visited me the night before I confessed to Kaleb, he made dresses for me, fed me, healed me, comforted me, and somehow I confused him for Kaleb, and still I confessed my love for someone else right in front of him.

How could I be such a horrible monster? Maybe I really didn't deserve this man. His eyes narrowed seeing me step backwards, his insides churned wondering if he had said something wrong to cause her to step away from him again. He held out his hand toward me,

"I'm not upset, I knew something like this was bound to happen before you were mature. I won't take your confession toward that other male to heart. Knowing this won't make me love you any less. If the boy had said he loved you I was planning on taking him with us."

My eyes widened in shock when I heard this, this man was planning on taking me even if I had loved someone else? Was he a psychopath and wouldn't take no for an answer if I were to turn him down? He was going to just take me away with him anyway. I trembled taking three steps back. I watched as the man frowned wondering what he had said wrong again this time. It took him a moment before he realized what he had said and why she was so frightened, cursing under this breath he tried again,

"I didn't mean it like that, I meant that I would take the both of you with me to safety. You would be allowed to love whoever you wanted."

Oh so now I had to ask for permission to love? I raised my eyebrows at his comment, and why would he want to rush us to safety?

I was so confused, was this man crazy, or did he really want to love me like he said he would? I don't know, I can't think straight in this heat. It was at this moment when the sun's temperature grew to its peak, sweat began to pour down my face. A solar flare lashed out at the Earth, a blinding light flashed across the sky above my head. The tops of the trees around me began to burn, smoke filling the air. My breathing became labored as I began to inhale my own sweat and the smoke around us.

My throat turned parched, the water evaporating from my body at a rapid pace. My body instantly became weak as I began to lose consciousness. I stretched out my hand, weakly calling out, "help me Helios, I need you," in the next instant all I could see was the ground rushing toward my face as I collapsed, the air around me splitting my skin down the side of my stomach, blood rushing out from the split skin, I screamed out in agony from the burn.