The Maiden of Air

Chapter 4

After spending about five minutes with Luke, I found out that he was the annoying talker type. He kept going on and on of how fun the days ahead were going to be, with me being his and Michael’s Maiden, and them being my Guardians. But the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled as he talked about it, was so cute and lovable that I forgot of how annoying his babbling was and wanted to squeeze him in a hug. Although, I don’t think Michael shared the same opinion.

“Luke. We get it you’re excited that she’s finally here. But can you please stop the babbling. You’re making my headache worse.” Michael said as he messaged his right temple. I was tempted to ask him who started it, just for giggles. I already knew what the answer was going to be.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Michael.” Luke apologized. The look on his face looked a lot like a puppy’s face when he gets scolded.

I glared back at Michael, then smiled at Luke. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just a sour puss.” I said. I felt Michael’s glare on the back of my head like lasers. But I just ignored him.

Luke smiled back at me. “I’d love to continue chatting with you, but this is our room, and I bet you want to get settled and get ready for the ceremony this evening.” He gestured towards the door we stopped in front of.

There was a picture of a young woman, holding a star in her hands, carved into the wooden door. The carving was delicately painted over in beautiful colors. I looked down the hall, at the other doors. There was a row of eleven other doors, and each of them had a carving of a young woman, holding a star. But they were all different. Each of the women in the carvings had the characteristics of the first cycle of Maidens. And each star was painted a different color. Each for a different element. While all the stars on the other doors were painted each one color, the star on my door, was painted with a rainbow of colors. Symbolizing the Maiden of All.

“These are the rooms, specifically for the Maidens of the Stars. Once you become a Maiden of the Moon, the three of us will be moved to an even grander room.” Luke said, with much enthusiasm in his voice.

I turned the crystal knob on the door and walked in the room. It was surprisingly modern. I didn’t really know what I was expecting, but there were two brown leather couches, one shorter than the other, and a matching love seat. They were all facing an eighty-inch flat screen, with some gaming consuls and other gadgets that I didn't really feel like investigating what they were. I didn't want to be tempted to stay. In the middle of it all was a glass top coffee table, with black wooden legs.

I was kind of expecting more paintings of the first cycle of Maidens to be all over the walls of this room, but there were only four paintings. Each of them was a painting of a tree going through the four seasons. There were also wall mounted flowerpots, placed on the wall in between each painting, with an assortment of different flowers growing out of them. But, while the room was cool, it wasn’t what really caught my eye.

The back wall of the room had floor to ceiling windows, and door that lead out onto a balcony. It had a beautiful view of the mountains that surrounded the Palace. I rushed out onto the balcony. The wind picked up my hair and blew the shorter strands of hair that had escaped my ponytail, out of my face. It was quite cold. It was the end of December after all.

I gradually took it all in. The fresh smell of mountain air. The lovely view of the mountains. One of the mountains had a long waterfall, which in the sunlight created a rainbow that blanketed the ground below. All in all, it was breathtaking. It almost made me want to stay. Almost.

“I know, it’s really cool, isn’t it?” Luke said, as he came up beside me. “This is one of the best parts about living here. Come on. I’ll show you your room.”

We both turned to head back inside, and Michael was leaning against the door frame. It looked as if he had been watching me. He had this look on his face that I hadn’t seen before, and when our eyes met, he turned and walked in the room ahead of us. We walked back in behind him.

Luke led me over to the left side of the room, in front of a door, which I hadn’t noticed was there before. He opened it and stepped aside for me to walk in.

The room was empty, except for a queen-sized canopy bed, a dresser, and a desk. But the best part of the room was probably the mini fridge next to the bed. The floor was covered in a white shaggy carpet that looked soft enough to sleep on. There were two doors in the room, and I was guessing one was a closet and the other was a bathroom. There were also two large windows, covered by sheer curtains. The walls were empty, probably so I could hang any pictures or posters that I pleased. But I wasn’t planning on staying long enough to put up anything.

“I’ll let you get settled in. Valery told me to tell you that what you need to wear for the ceremony tonight is in the closet.” Luke pointed to the door on the left side of the room. “Most Maidens have to wear dresses the same color of their element for occasions like these, but since you’re the Maiden of All, Valery said you could wear whatever color you wanted.”

“Thanks, Luke.” I said.

“No problem! Mine and Michael’s rooms are just across from yours. Don’t be afraid to knock if you need anything.”

“Thank you. You’re a big help, Luke.”

He flashed a huge grin. “That’s what I’m here for. Well, I’ll leave you alone now. Remember, the ceremony starts at sundown. See you then, Maiden Erin!” He said and started to shut the door.

“Wait. You can stop calling me “Maiden Erin’. Just call me Erin” I told him.

“Well, it is a formality. But I guess I don’t have to call you that when we’re not in the presence of any of the senior Maidens or Guardians.” He smiled.

“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” I said.

“Right then! See you later, Erin.” He said and closed the door behind him.

Once the door latched shut, I wasted no time to plop my whole body on the bed, into a thousand pillows. A few of them fell to the floor as I rolled around. The bed was just so incredibly comfy, and the sheets smelled so clean. I started to think to myself, that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay for one night, but then snapped back to my senses and jumped off the bed.

There were three boxes in the corner of the room. They were the stuff my mom had packed for me and sent to the Moon Palace while I was on the run. My backpack sat beside them. I tore the first one open to find it full of clothed. I should have guessed that my mom would have packed all my nice clothed, and none of my sport shorts, T-shirts or jeans.

I pushed the box aside and went over to check of what they had put in my closet. I slid the door open and a rainbow jumped out at me. There were dresses of all sorts of colors. Made in different shades, shapes and fabrics. In the corner of the closet though, there were a few black dresses. If I were to stay here, I’d probably wear those. None the less, there was nothing in here that I could take with me.

I checked the drawers in the dresser for anything, but they were empty. So, with a sigh, I gave up the search.

I grabbed my backpack and dumped the contents on the bed. I had my two outfits that were now dirty beyond belief, a light blanket, a utility knife, my empty water bottle and some protein bars that were going to be my breakfast this morning, but instead I took advantage of the hospitals breakfast.

I walked in the bathroom to fill my water bottle in the sink but stopped in the doorway with my jaw to the floor. Not only did the room have a walk-in shower with glass doors, (It could probably fit five people!) it had a bathtub with jet power and a comfy head rest.

I checked my watch for the time. It was almost one o’clock, and Luke said the ceremony started at sundown, which was probably around six o’clock. I had plenty of time to take a shower then escape before anyone noticed me.

Setting my bottle on the counter, I kicked off my shoes. After I took the rest of my clothes off, I stepped into the shower. It never felt better. Grabbing a washcloth that was sitting on a little shelf just outside the shower, I scrubbed off all the dirt and grim that I missed when I quickly washed myself at the hospital. Afterwards, I just stood under the stream of the water and relished the feeling of it beating down on my skin. It did make the cut on my knee sting a little, though. But I barely noticed it, as I was lost in my though.

I thought about all the events that led up to this moment, and about what I was going to do after I was out of the shower. I was going to check if the windows in my bedroom were easy enough to climb out of. If not, I could probably make a rope out of all the fancy dresses in the closet.

I laughed at the thought.

Although, escaping through the window was going to be the easy part. The hard part would be making my way out of the mountains. Who knew what was waiting for me out there. Wild animals, landslides, not to mention the occasional guard patrol. I also had to stay out of sight of the watch towers. Yeah, this wasn’t going to be a piece of cake.

Stepping out of the shower, I grabbed a towel and dried myself off, then rapped my hair in it. I put the clothes I was just wearing back on, since I had nothing else that would be appropriate runaway attire. When I walked out of the bathroom, I crossed the room to the window. Turning the crank on the window, I peered out. Luckily, the climb looked easy. There was thick ivy growing on the stone walls all the way from the ground, to a few yards past my window.

I opened the mini fridge to see if there was anything I could take with me. It was stocked with plastic bottles of water, juice, iced tea, iced coffee and milk. I grabbed three of the water bottles, and stuffed them, along with the junk I had dumped on the bed, into my backpack, and pulled it on my shoulders. I gingerly swung myself outside the window. Using my right foot, I tested to see if the ivy was strong enough to support my weight. When it seemed safe, I put all my weight on it, and started to climb down. When I made it to the ground, I pressed myself against the wall, and looked for the best path to make my escape. I studied the towers, to see if I could find their blind spots. My best bet was probably to stay under the cover of trees. Hopefully, if I moved fast enough, they would think I’m just a wild animal, and not pay any mind to me.

Finding my path, I took off running.

I almost wanted to smile and laugh at my “victory”. At the fact that I got away from their “tight” security. But I wasn’t totally in the clear yet. There was still a chance I could run into one of their patrols. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, for now, and focused on my running, and trying to avoid any unwanted attention.