Their Promised Queen

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Hello? Who’s there?” I ask. No response. “Who are you? Where am I?” Still no one responds. The singing still continues. Something is odd about it. It isn’t English and it isn’t a language I recognize. I push myself away from the table and start to walk towards where the sound is coming from. All of a sudden I fall in thin air. What in the world is going on? Before I hit the floor, I close my eyes. When I open them, I am back at the food court with Ruby. Well, not really with Ruby. I am about 15 feet from her, laying on the ground with a knocked over chair at my feet. 

“El, are you ok?” Ruby is the only one allowed to call me El. I hate nicknames but when Ruby says it, its endearing and I can’t hate it. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. What happened? I thought I was dreaming…” I said, shaking my head and standing up. Everyone is staring at me as I pick up the chair I must have knocked over. 

“I have no fricken clue. One moment we were talking and the next, you stood up and fell over this chair. Are you sure you are ok?” She asks again. I’m not sure how I am supposed to explain what is going on to her. It sounds crazy even to me. So, I choose not to say anything. 

“I’m fine. Must have drifted off while I was talking. Sorry girl,” I say. “Can we go home now?” I ask. She nods and we start to head out to our car. I feel someone grab my shirt behind me. When I turn around, there is a little girl standing there.

“You are so pretty! I love your eyes! They are perfect,” she exclaims and walks away. Actually, float is more like it. It is almost as if her feet aren’t even touching the ground. 

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            Thursday and Friday pass quickly and before I know it, Saturday is here. Half asleep I can smell something amazing. Mom must be cooking my favorite breakfast meal, French toast with bananas on top, hash browns, and over easy eggs. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I open my eyes but something is off, it is not my room, nor is it my bed. What the heck is going on with me??? These dreams keep getting worse and worse. I could have sworn I was awake…

            “My Queen, we are excited to officially meet you tonight. I hope everything will be to your liking,” says a young woman. Where is she at? Why can’t I see her. I sit up and try to look around, but the room is so dark that I can’t make out anything beyond the banisters of the bed. All of a sudden the room lit up and I had to blink my eyes a little to help them adjust to the onslaught of brightness. 

            “This is the dress you will be wearing tonight, your breakfast is sitting on the reading table, and the maids will be up in a little while to start on your hair and make-up,” the voice says. I look to where the sound is coming from and I cannot believe my eyes. This lady is floating! Like I thought the little girl at the mall was, but this lady actually is. Wait…are those wings??? Does she have wings?

I can’t form the words to ask. My mouth just hangs open and my breathing isn’t working.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” she asks.

“Ummm…yes…yes, I am alright. Who are you?” I ask as she floats up to me. “Where am I? What time is it?” 

“Oh my, we all know you are special but I would never have expected this. I need to go tell him!” She mumbles to herself as she floats out of the room I am in. 

I take in the sight of the room I am in. My favorite color is on the walls, the bed is exactly what I would have dreamt of my bed being, there are books, my favorite books, everywhere, and the most beautiful balcony right outside these huge, beautiful doors. How do these people know all of this about me? I throw the covers back, push myself to the side of the bed – wow is this thing huge -, and walk over to those huge doors. I go to open the door, as I do, I feel a huge jolt in my stomach. I close my eyes hoping it will go away soon and when I open them, I am back home again, with the doorknob in my hand. What the…?

            I drop my hand from the doorknob and start walking backwards to my bed, sit down on the bed, and just stare at the back of my door. Am I going crazy? Am I just sleep walking? All of these dreams seem so real. Everything I touch, hear, see, and smell feels so real. I get ready slowly and in a daze. Today is supposed to be a happy day. It’s my graduation this afternoon, then the graduation party, and my 18th birthday at midnight. Yet, here I am, feeling like I should be going into an insane asylum. 

            “Mom, did you or dad ever sleep-walk?” I ask while walking down the stairs.

            “What babe?” she asks me. “Did you say something?”

            “Did you or dad ever sleep-walk? I have been having these really vivid dreams where I am actually getting up and walking around. I’m not sure what is going on and it keeps happening everywhere.”

            “Oh, no. I don’t believe we ever did. Can I help with anything?” my mom asks worriedly. “I know today is a very busy day for you.”

            “No, I think I’ll be fine. I was just curious about the sleep-walking. Breakfast smells so good!” After I have eaten the oh so delicious food my mom made, I went back upstairs to get ready. I did my make-up, put my new dress and shoes on, and grabbed my graduation clothes. I looked in the mirror one last time. I had to take a double look…was I glowing? Just the slightest hint of blue and green around me, almost like an aura, the color of my eyes. I am so going crazy. I rolled my eyes and walked away. What is going on with me these days? I flipped my bedroom light off and walk towards my future. 

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    Graduation was like a blur and passed without much hoopla. You know how the majority of graduations go. The speeches, the crying, and the music. Dan made sure to be very obnoxious as always and Ruby kept me laughing the whole time. I am not sure how I would have gotten through all of this without her and every day I am thankful for the person she helped me to be. I keep thinking that I really wish she didn’t have to go away to travel and could just stay with me. At that exact moment, she looked over at me, winked and looked back at our principal during his closing speech. 

Finally, we all threw our caps in the air, yelling at each other while the pool of yellow and white (our school colors) cascade down around us. Ruby and I find each other after the celebrations and screech!

“We did it!” twirling around each other, laughing. My mom comes over to us smiling. 

“Ruby! How are you doing lovely?” my mom asks her. “Are you going with Elora to the party tonight?”

“Yes ma’am. I will be.” Ruby nods her head just once, almost like a bow. How odd. 

“Mom, we will be fine. I promise. I love you and we will see you tonight,” I give her a peck on the cheek, smile, and walk away with Ruby. Ruby glances back at my mom with a worried look on her face.

“Everything ok Ruby? The look you just gave my mom was a little suspicious.” I give her a quizzical look. “My mom is just being a worrywart like always.”

“Oh nothing! Everything is all good!” she says while she pulls my arm and skips towards the doors.