Chapter 12: Terrace

We are at the Terrace now, just him and me. I am still not certain how he managed to get access to the terrace. Knowing this, I am certain that someone knows that we are here; otherwise, he or she would not have given him access. 

I have come here for the first time. This is the terrace of Avalon. It is pretty big, but nothing out of the ordinary. Carlen moves to a corner, opposite to where you can see the main playground. 

I think he does not want anyone to see us on the terrace which makes sense. If anyone saw us on the terrace, they would wonder how we got here just like me. I follow him. 

"Let's make a deal," he says. 

"What kind of deal?" I say.

"You start with your questions, I will answer to the best of my abilities. After that, I will ask you some questions. How does that sound?" He says. 

"Sounds fair, but how are you certain that I will answer each of your questions?" I say. 

"Well, the same goes for me as well I might not answer something even if I knew it. People have their fair share of secrets." He says. It does make sense.

We are not close, it is merely just out of mutual curiosity we are here. However, even if you are super close to each other, there is always a space or piece that is kept hidden from the world. 

"You are right," I say.

He does not reply, he is waiting for my questions. 

"So my first question is… who am I?" I ask. 

"Hmm… that is something I am pondering about as well. Since my group is not stalking me-" I interrupt him. 

"Wait before that are you going to say our talks to your group?" I say. 

"It is up to you, should I?" I say. 

"No," I say. 

"Okay as per your wish," he says with a soft smile. 

He continues.

"So what I was saying, I cannot disclose the motive of my group, but I can disclose to you the motive of mine. I came here to find our lost princess of a faraway land called Velmoria. That kingdom is healing without its future heir…"

Hmm, interesting, but that certainly does not answer my question. However, I do not interrupt him. 

"The kingdom was attacked about 13 years ago, the king and queen at that time sent their only kid here using time-traveling magic. Nobody knows what the princess looks like because she was only 4 years old except she has eyes and hair just like you. It can be a mere coincidence, however, you are immune to my illusion power which makes it even more interesting. If everything is aligned, you are the lost princess of Velmoria-" he says. 

The ground seems heavy, did time stop? I am anxious… again… I stopped taking my medicines last month since I thought I was doing better. 

I kept my mouth shut. If this is the truth, it is hard to swallow…

"If I do turn out to be the lost princess, what happens to me then?" I say, somehow managing the courage to speak up. 

"Well, we will take you back there, and train you in the royal curtsey so you can manage the kingdom," he says. 

"I have to leave this place?" I say. 

"Most certainly yes, but I cannot confirm it since I am under the orders of Her Majesty, your birth mother," he says. 

I clenched my fist, and I laughed. My birth parents want to see me after 13 years. Isn't that too much of a time to leave your child? How long was the war? My heart is pounding. I am holding back my emotions in front of him, I cannot be vulnerable to him. 

"I see… my next question is -" my voice breaks. 

"Why does Chelsea not want me to talk with your group?" I say.

I inhaled some air to let out some words. I can analyze the answers later but I cannot lose this opportunity to know the objective of Carlen and the indifferent ways some people are acting, sounds like a loss.

"Because she knows that you are the lost princess. When you left the class early that time she came up to me, and warned me to not get you involved in these 'stupid' things, and I'm pretty sure my entire group heard that," he says. That explains their indifferent acting. 

Wait a second… then Chelsea knew, and hid it from me? Why would she do that? I feel a sense of betrayal. If whatever Carlen saying is the truth, I was fooled by my best friend for years. 

I could not hide my pain and shock anymore. I think Carlen noticed the change of expressions on my face because the next thing he said to me was-

"That is why I was avoiding you, it would have hurt you knowing your close friend has hidden something that belongs to you. I am not sure why she did that but I advise you to talk with her about it-" he says. 

Somehow his words seem comforting. 

"What is this magic and illusion thing you were talking about earlier?" I ask. 

"Well, someone born of nobility has some gifted powers, however, it varies from person to person. A person of high ranking in the noble world has more than one power. However, it is up to the person if they let the world know about all the powers they have," he says. 

"What powers do you have?" I ask. I never thought I had so much guts to keep the conversation going. 

" I cannot tell you but one of them is illusion power, I can manipulate someone's brain to let them see something that is not occurring in reality…" he says. 

I learned from his tone that I have to keep it between us. 

"… but you are not affected by that power which makes sense if you are the princess, a princess has multiple powers, and that can include nullifying some other powers. Given your attitude earlier, I do not think you know about this type of power. It is also the reason I used noble tags because you, for me, are the lost princess," he says. 

Each word that he says makes my heart heavy. I am done asking questions for today.

"Okay, now your questions?" I say. 

After recess, I will give myself time to absorb what happened on the terrace. 

"Hmm… " He is thinking something. He comes closer to me, we are close in the corner. 

"Why can't I call you Rin?" He says. 

I am shocked, is he serious? Out of all the questions he could ask, he asked me this?

"Because…" I say. I do not know the reason behind it.

"So you do not know," he says as if he read my mind. Maybe he also has a mind-reading capacity, who knows? I think it can be one of the possibilities. 

"You are right-" I say looking the other way. His gaze makes me nervous, I have never felt this before. 

"Rin," he says smiling almost. 

I can hear my heart at this point! 

Other people called me that as well then why does this seem special? What am I even feeling? 

"Yeah-" I say nervously. 

"Look at me," he says. 

How can I say that I cannot look at him because I feeling nervous? 

"Don't be nervous-" he chuckles. 

Bravo now I cannot even think by myself. I look at him… his eyes are blue again. Wait I forgot to ask him about his eyes.

"What about your eyes?" I ask him. 

"Your question time is over," he says. 

"Well if I were to provide you with the possible answer to your question, it would be because I do not know you at all, you are completely new to me... even if I did not socialize, I knew my classmates… at least by face-" I say. Though I do not know the concrete answer to it, I do feel it is a valid point. 

"Hmm… so I have to know you better," he says. 

"Yes," I say.

"The best way to know someone is the best is-" he says.

"To be friends," I said interrupting him. 

"…to date," he says. 

I am in silence.

"At least that's what I learned by the guidebook of this place called Earth," he says as if justifying his answers. 

I wonder if he even knows the gravity of the words he just spilled out right now. 

-Thanks for reading-