The Reincarnates

Chapter Three: Nixie

I awoke in the morning groaning as someone, a butler, was pulling my hair. He wasn’t just any butler, though; it was Kamau. He was of medium height, with sparkly brown eyes. To my brothers, he was a trainer, and to my sisters, a servant. But to me, he was a friend. I leaned up and hugged him, pulling his hair while I did.

“Hey!” Kamau said.

“That was payback,” I replied.

He smiled at me. “You should be getting ready.”

I looked up at him. “I will. It won’t take me long.” I leaped out of bed and skipped over to my closet. He turned away from me as I started to change.

“You excited for the Ball of Resources?” he asked.

“Yes!” It was the day my sisters and I had spent months preparing for. It was finally Earth’s turn to host the ball. Once I finished dressing, I walked out of the closet. “You can look now,” I told him. He turned around and smiled, which made me smile.

“All right, come on, we still have hours until the ball.”

I nodded, and we left my room. The castle had many staff members working their hearts out to try and complete the decorations. I enjoyed watching their progress as Kamau and I walked by.

I turned around. “Excuse me?” I said, raising my voice to be heard. They all paused in their tasks to listen. “Finish up your jobs, then go home and get your families ready for the ball.”

Kamau looked at me with a sly smirk and nodded to the workers. “You heard the princess. Hurry and finish up. This will require your best wear.” The workers immediately got back to their projects.

“Thank you,” Kamau said to me.

I nodded. “They work hard, so this is the least we can do for them.” We continued down the halls until he took a left. “Where are we going?”

He smiled. “The garden.”

I went to the garden all the time, as it was one of my favorite places in the castle, but never this time of the year when the plants weren’t safe to be around—at least, not for me. We eventually reached a door. He pushed it open, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I stepped out into the garden with wide eyes.

“The plants can no longer harm you,” he told me. I turned and hugged him.

I looked around. Everything was bursting with color. The feeling of light and beauty consumed us as we wandered. “Has Father seen this?”

He nodded. “Yes, it was his idea, for the Ball of Resources.”

I clung to his arm as we watched pink leaves fall from the trees. Flowers illuminated each other from the sunlight shining inside the dome. A sense of peace flowed throughout the garden.

“Hey, remember when we first found you?” I asked, catching his eyes as we walked.

“Yeah.”

“You were in our kitchen, all dirty, eating the food.”

He laughed. “And you were the first one to find me.”

“Remember how I got you to stay?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I had been doing it for about a week, and the first time I saw you and you saw me, I ran away. I waited for about a week before coming back, and when I did, there was no food in the kitchen—cooked food, anyway. But magically, there was some in your room. I went in there, and you held me captive.”

I laughed. “I didn’t hold you captive.”

“Oh? So, what do you call it?”

“Making a friend?” I replied.

“What?” he said, pulling away.

I laughed again. “I needed one. My sisters wouldn’t play with me, my brothers were always fighting, my father didn’t want me to fight with them, and Aaliyah couldn’t always come over.”

He narrowed his eyes before walking off.

“What?” I asked, hurrying to catch up with him.

“I don’t like her.”

“You don’t like her, or she doesn’t like you?” I grinned cheekily.

He scoffed and turned away.

“At least my brothers like you,” I reminded him.

“Of course, they do. I’m their teacher, and they wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight against me,” Kamau said, sounding cocky.

I smiled. “Remember when they first tried to capture you?”

“You tried to protect me.”

“Yeah, and as soon as someone tried to move me out of the way, you went on a rampage and almost wiped out our entire staff. For a ten-year-old, you were powerful. I’m still trying to figure that out.”

Kamau laughed. “Same. My life before I met you is mostly blurry, and I can only remember bits and pieces. And the rampage I went on? Even that’s kind of a blur, to be honest with you. At most, I remember being put in a funny suit and becoming a servant.”

I smiled. “Yeah, that was my sisters’ idea. I can’t thank them enough,” I said, locking our arms together at the elbow to force him to slow down.

I drifted off in thought, wondering about the ball and how we would all be performing to symbolize family and unity, and even my brothers had agreed to do something together. I was glad my sisters invited me to perform with them. The Earth had to produce her best, and I was better with them than without them. I stumbled when Kamau suddenly stopped walking.

I glanced up at him. “What’s wrong?”

He pulled away to face me, and his expression became serious. “Speaking of your sisters,” he started, only to pause.

“What about them?” I asked cautiously.

“As you know, these flowers produce a chemical that affects the brain’s components and emotions—which helps people feel calm. However, during their most beautiful time of the year—which is now—they release a gas that, for you and your father, causes immense amounts of pain. With a little manipulation and help and approval from your father, I got them to create an aura of solace.”

I gave him a confused look. “What does this have to do with my sisters?”

“I heard a rumor about your sisters and the ball,” he told me.

My curiosity started to grow. “What did you hear?”

“Yes, what did you hear?” a feminine voice asked. We turned to face the speaker—it was my sister, Vera. She walked closer and repeated her question.

Kamau stood in silence, staring at her.

“I don’t like it when the help says bad things about me,” she finally said, her face pinched with disgust. “Now, go get some ice water, and take it to my room.”

“Your room is on the other side of the castle,” Kamau protested.

“So, hurry up. It better still be cold by the time I get there,” Vera said. As he began to leave, she added one more thing. “No condensation, please.”

Kamau turned back in confusion. “What?”

Vera just clapped her hands, causing Kamau to roll his eyes. He went off to fulfill his duty, leaving Vera and me alone.

“You do know that as the ice melts, condensation will be inevitable, right?” I asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Not my problem.”

I chuckled, then I asked her about what Kamau had been going to say.

“We are no longer doing a family presentation,” she said to me, plain and simple. I tried to object, but it was no use.

“What am I supposed to do then?” I asked after the pleading didn’t work.

“We told Father you aren’t ready to present,” she said before smiling and walking away.

“Vera!”

“Only the best may represent Earth, you aren’t ready, we are simply trying to protect you. Trust us on this, I still haven’t told anyone your secret her” she responded.

I screamed her name again, this time running to chase after her, but she ignored me and left the garden. The guards closed and locked the door.

I banged on the door, begging for someone to let me out. No one came, and for the next few hours, I sat there doing nothing but thinking. How could they do that? Why would they do this to me? Images then flashed through my mind, everyone freaking out because her lifeless body lied in front of me, as I couldn’t speak. Then blood just tons of it. I was starting to accept defeat.

Finally, the door opened behind me, and I fell back. I got up and saw it was Kamau who came for me. Tears started flowing down my cheeks. I pounded my fists against Kamau’s chest. “Where were you?” I cried.

He hugged me and apologized. My other sister had been keeping him busy all while I was locked up in the garden.

“So, the rumor is true,” he said.

I nodded, and he held me closer. Eventually, he walked me back to my room. A girl was sitting on my bed. Through my tears, I saw it was Aaliyah. She ran up to hug me and asked what happened. After explaining the situation to her, I retreated to Kamau’s arms as she sat beside us.

“And the guards just left you locked up in the garden like that?” she asked.

My crying slowed down and turned into sniffling. “Yes, but it’s not their fault. Vera is older, so she has more authority than me.”

“Not true. They’re scared of your sisters,” Kamau said.

“Yeah, I hate to admit it, but he’s right; because if the guards are anything like Kamau-boy over here, they wouldn’t stand a chance against your sisters,” Aaliyah said.

“I hate how they treat you.”

“Hey, I can beat them in a fight,” Kamau argued.

“Trust me, I’ve seen your fighting style; your technic is sloppy, and honestly, I’m unimpressed by the extent of your power.”

“Excuse me,” Kamau said, hurt and taken aback by Aaliyah’s comment. I finally stopped crying altogether and watched as the two bickered.

“Remember the fight we had?” Kamau asked, ready to defend himself.

“Oh, you mean our sparring match. Simple child’s play.”

“But I won.”

“The lies you tell. It ended in a tie.”

“Nope, I specifically remember knocking you unconscious,” Kamau said as if he’d won the argument. I decided to intervene.

“I remember her knocking you unconscious as well. You both fell at the same.”

“Thank you, Nixie,” Aaliyah said to me. “And besides, that was almost three years ago. I can probably beat you with no problem now.”

“Yeah, it will be three years officially on her birthday. Want to go for around two?” Kamau asked.

“No!” I shouted. “You guys destroyed part of the castle last time and injured some of the wildlife, and I got in trouble for it! And it was on my sixteenth birthday!”

“Well, we have to settle who’s better eventually,” Kamau said.

“No, you don’t.”

“But we do,” Aaliyah agreed with Kamau.

I sighed. “Fine, how about this—you both caused a lot of damage to each other, so whoever recovered the fastest won. Who recovered first?”

In unison, they turned, screaming in my face, “I did!”

I jumped back, feeling as if I was going to be attacked, causing us all to laugh.

Aaliyah apologized before changing the conversation. “So, what are you going to do about the ball?”

“Nothing, I guess,” I responded.

“But you have to do something,” Aaliyah said.

“There’s nothing I can do. There are only two hours left, and as my sisters said I’m not ready.”

She sighed. “I have to go, but I’ll be back after the ball.”

After Aaliyah left, Kamau spoke. “I have an idea,” he said. I looked up at him. “Remember the dance routine you had to learn as a child?”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “Let’s do that but upgrade it and add a twist.”

I frowned at him, confused, but he reassured me and told me to meet him in the old ballroom about thirty minutes before he left as well. After waiting long enough, I went to the ballroom and found a crowd of castle staff standing around. Kamau walked up to me.

“What are they here for?” I asked.

“To help,” he answered.

We began the routine. The workers lent their time and their powers, and the ones who didn’t have abilities or such grabbed a partner and joined in. The purpose was to show unity. Everything seemed to be falling into place. There were a few screw-ups, but that was fine. After practicing the routine three times, Kamau told me to go change and get ready.

Eventually, the time came. Kamau and I rushed to the event just after my father finished speaking. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“I will be presenting today,” I told him.

He nodded, and Kamau and I took our places. Before we could start, a woman walked in wearing a giant pink and white wig and a long pink and black jacket that reached her feet. Her boots slapped against the ground because they were so big. She was also wearing pink fingerless gloves. Excitement grew inside of me when I saw her—Desiree was a famous singer of Earth, renowned for her voice and lyrics. She came up to us.

“Thanks for being here on such short notice,” Kamau said to her.

“Thanks for allowing me to be here,” she replied. Desiree glanced my way and gave me a thumbs up and kiss on my forehead before walking to the middle of the room to stand on a platform, which raised her near the ceiling. She began to sing as Kamau, and I circled the floor around her. To keep my composure and concentration, I focused my eyes on Kamau. We continued dancing as the music went on, our bodies moving in sync.

“Souls open,” Kamau said out loud. A picture appeared out of thin air like a hologram. It told a story—a story of bravery, love, hope, and togetherness. The fire arose from our nostrils, surrounding the two of us. The flames were red and purple, and to make an even more impressive masterpiece, we continued to dance. The fire grew hotter, and the floor turned to ice.

“Souls open,” I said.

The workers did just as we had practiced and gave us their energy when more came and joined the dance. Kamau and I stood out in the crowd of dancers since we were glowing as unity formed around us. The floor showed images of loved ones who had passed and kings and queens of old.

Above our heads, our dancing had begun to form a painting, near the ceiling. But suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck it, shattering it like glass. The broken pieces turned into falling crystals. I felt something strange—two familiar energy sources that weren’t there before. Vera and Charlotte, I thought to myself. Their energy was fighting the bond, ruining my presentation.

I struggled against them while keeping the routine alive, but their energy being added to the mix hurt the workers, and slowly, they all started to collapse. The energy faded. It all went away, stealing the breath out of me, making me miss a step and fall. The presentation was over—I had messed up. I looked up and around at everyone staring at me in disappointment and confusion.

“Thank you for your time,” I said with a smile on my face, even as I held back tears. I took a bow, then calmly and gracefully walked out of the ballroom. Once I was sure I was completely out of sight, I allowed the tears to fall from my eyes. I ran to my room and ripped my dress to shreds. After changing into pajamas, I crawled into my bed and cried myself to sleep.