chapter 49

"I have a gift for you" Robin's voice woke me up from my nap. I had drifted into probably an hour's sleep while in the plane. He held my hands throughout and rubbed my hair. It was not my fault that I got drowsy.

"Oh my God, how long have I been asleep?" I asked him. I coughed slightly and looked around the plane. "How long huh?" I asked again, tugging at his shirt. He covered my mouth with his palm immediately. "Everyone can hear you. Bring your voice down"

"Where are we?" I realized that we were yet to take off.

I shushed and looked around after I was sure the attention must have left me. But there were people taking snapshots of me, fee of them were pointing in my direction while an air hostess was blocking about three people from coming towards me. I thought they wanted to hit me for yelling in the plane. But when I looked at them closely, I realized they were familiar.

"They're not gone" I said to Robin. "The people...the crowd. They're here with us" I told him. "Look back slowly. Don't let them notice" He released my mouth and nodded. "Yes. I know they're here. We're probably going the same way"

"No. I think they're following me" I whispered now

"They wouldn't fly just to follow a celebrity to her home. Life's not that comical" he said and half giggled.

"Was I drooling? Did they take many pictures of me like this? Oh my goodness" I covered my face in shame. Most of them already were focusing on their environment and phones, but I was sure they were secretly taking pictures or videos of me

"Don't worry. They're harmless. You're going to appear in the news for the first time. How do you feel about that?" He smiled at me.

Apart from being a murderer I know, Robin was so sweet. To be honest.

If he weren't too old for me, I'd marry him and elope to the Were-castle with him, and live there forever, as partners or 'mates' as he called it, but the absurdity of it all constantly stopped my fantasy from snowballing into reality. I didn't like him like that. I didn't know what liking someone so as to marry them and do stuff with them, felt like. I didn't know how it felt like. I was too young. I shouldn't think about stuff like those.

"Huh?" He shuffled two fingers in my face because I seemed to be absentminded, and that jerked me out of my reverie.

"Huh...what?" I asked. An evil grin played on his lips that moment, and immediately I remembered that he could read my mind, I yelled, " Hey, It's not what you think. It's not what you think at all!"

I don't want to be with a man that won't give me any privacy. Not even privacy with my own mind

I thought.

"What were you thinking?" He laughed. And I wanted to punch his face. Did I really have to be careful with my thoughts again?

Just then, the air hostess passed by and served us coffee. Two warm cups of coffee. It tasted so nice. It was the first time in several days I ever drank something so nice. As I slipped at it, I looked back every now and then. The people had stopped giving me attention.

"So, how do you feel, as a celebrity?" He asked

"I'm not a celebrity" I retorted and looked away. It sounded good but I didn't know if I was ready to be one, or ready to handle being one.

"But you're all over the top pages of the internet" he said and smiled at me.

"No I'm not. I'm just a simple girl" That moment, my phone beeped in my pocket. I looked at it. It was a notification from Myspace. Mom did open a Myspace account for me on my birthday but I mostly posted my drawings. I did not really know how to handle an account.

I had garnered 400,000 followers in less than a month. They must know! They must have known that I was related to Cameron Peyton all along. I checked the notification and it was someone who sent me a picture. I clicked on the picture and lo and behold, it was me sleeping on Robin's palm. There was a line of drool on the end of my lips. It was not that obvious but it was disturbing.

"Oh my goodness!" I yelled and slammed the phone on my chest. It was Miranda who sent me the picture, with the caption: "This you??"

I texted her immediately to delete it. "How did you find this picture? Please delete it"

"Even if I do, it's all over the internet" and true enough, I saw many people posting about it. Already. There were several shares as well.

Some captions went like, "Celebrity star resting on her bodyguard. Goalssss"

"What are you looking at?" Robin asked me but I hid it from him. He snatched it from me when I was not looking and when he saw it, he laughed, until he began to choke on his laughter. I wanted to punch him in the face again.

"Flight attendants, prepare for take-off please. Cabin crew, please take your seats for take-off. Also, everyone should please fasten their seatbelts and keep their gadgets away. It's time to take off" I heard the announcement and everyone started to do as instructed. Oh wow! We were moving finally!

I had to save whatever I had in mind for later. I listened to Robin talk to me throughout the journey home. He was talking quietly and patting my back. I was sure going to tell Mom how loving he was, but I wasn't going to tell her about his special powers. I wasn't going to tell Mom I had some superpowers as well, that I was aa human with a difference, because I want to stop visiting Dr Brown. I'd just keep everything to myself. But it'd be hard because I was going back to my family who did not understand the supernatural world.

The people who do, Robin and Miranda were parting with me. As soon as we landed at the airport, they'd be gone. I knew it. I had no more business in Enchanting Promises High School. So I was not going to return there when summer ends, I knew that.

How would I talk to Robin and Miranda then? Joe too? Is that how Joe would be forgotten forever? Just like that? Just when I was starting to like him as a good friend. Life is not fair.

"Stop worrying so much. Here, take" He said , stretching some roll of tissues to me. I had been crying and I didn't know it. I took the tissues from him and wiped my tears.

Yes, I could shed tears now. And it felt good. At least, I'd not have to bottle up so much. I could let some out through my tears.

"I was saying that I had a gift for you. I have a beautiful gift for you" he smiled, watching me wipe my teary face. A wave of nostalgia swept though my mind. I am going to miss this place. I am going to miss him.

He took out a package from his suitcase and handed it to me. I felt it in my hands for a while and then asked, "Should I unwrap it?"

"Why don't you do that when you get home?" He smiled. I nodded and put it away. It was better that way. For some reason however, I wanted to reject the gift because it felt like it was a goodbye gift. I didn't want to take goodbye gifts. I didn't like goodbyes.

"Are you going back to the castle? Will you be going back to the castle?" I asked him, with tears in my eyes. I had grown accustomed to his presence and voice. I wanted to go back with him or at least say goodbye to the three beautiful maids-Elaine, Jido and Prisca. The little time I spent with them had been very interesting.

"Huh-uh" he mumbled. I looked away quickly. He was going to take me back to my family in Scotland, Kangaroo Estate precisely, and then fly back to the Were-castle, either naturally or supernaturally and then continue living there, as the prince of the kingdom, and I might never see him again.

"You'll still see me" he said, as if reading my thoughts. "Just call me if you need me. I'll be there in a jiffy. I'll be hovering around for you, I promise"

"Can I go with you?" I asked. "I want to live in the castle with you" He put my head on his chest and rubbed my hair without saying a word. It meant that it was not possible. At least not yet. I had a family on earth. And they needed and loved me.

I sobbed on his chest and wanted to ask if he didn't want me anymore but it didn't feel right at all, to ask. He clearly didn't want to force things. I knew, but still I wanted him to answer me.

"I am fighting a war. It's gonna be a big one. I am sad that it had to end like this, with our other counterparts but there's nothing I can do about it, except fight them. I don't want you to be there when it happens"

"Will you be fine?"

"Yes. You remember I am immortal?" He asked. I nodded. He indeed looked immortal but deep down, I felt that he might go down with this war. He might not survive it. But he was an Alpha, he could heal himself? Yes, I knew but I was worried as well.

"You don't have to worry. This time, I hope I'm able to end them. When I do, it'll set things right. No one will threaten you, and my family will support me, and then I'll come for you" he explained and I nodded.

"You are going to come back, right? I am going to live in the castle with you, right?" I asked. He didn't say anything.

"Don't worry about my parents. As long as you're young and caring, they'll let you take me away. When I'm old enough to fall in love, come back to me. But you must come back as a younger man, so that my parents will agree to our relationship. You can transform yourself into anything, right? Be a younger man and come back , say after six years. Make it short too. You can freeze time, right? You should be able to hasten it too.

Just come back, please" he patted my hair silently because I was trying not to sob.

When we landed at the airport, I found myself among all the other students. I looked around for him, but he was gone. Robin was gone. He didn't even say goodbye, or maybe he already did, with the gift he gave to me, and when I saw my mom and Jack at the airport coming towards me, I pulled mom into a hug and cried my eyes out. I cried until I got exhausted. Mom was so surprised to see tears fall out of my eyes that she began to cry as well. She thought It was because I missed them so. Yes , I did miss them but those tears were for Robin.