NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Nine
"It's you" she whispers for her ears alone. With less said she takes Ella's hands into hers and sets her eyes seal. Her curled ginger hair soon glows out in glitters, admiration for her unique ability never ceases.
Within her soul peeps through a scene of a lady being told of her baby's gender yet a frown bestowed on her lips to the news.
"Tell me Sarah, ain't you happy? You've given birth to a beautiful baby girl" A lady in a uniform, in his arms is a baby that seemed to belong to the one in bed.
"It's not about what I want, it Joshep. He won't be pleased with the news of another girl" Sarah explained, frustrated at the third birth of a girl. Her husband, a well traditional man believed in the lineage of male supremacy. He had warned that the baby in her womb be male or he would kill both her and her baby, and she dared not doubt a word he told. As it stood she was a drum for him to beat around, the thought only of him getting the news scared the breath out of her.
"He'll kill me and my baby if he gets the news of another girl" she worried out with her head dropped on her palm. Her guts dared not lay an eye on her baby nor touched her, for fear of getting attached to her.
" I can help you with that," the uniformed lady said, catching Sarah a slack from the stress.
" We can have your baby switch for another of the right gender " she suggested.
As that, the plot of the Baby Switch took action with the ease of her being of service at the hospital. With the baby being given to another, Sarah left the hospital, for fear of being traced or caught.
On the other end, the mother of the baby boy who was switched for a girl rejected and refused to be of any part of the baby's life as she was just then a teen who got caught by a stupid mistake. Gratefully she gave birth to the baby cause the time she found out about the pregnancy it passed abortion, but she was freed of it and so she held no obligation to the child or so she believed. With no word, she fled the eyes of the hospital staff and off to a new start.
Days, the hospital searched for the mother or at least one to adopt the baby yet none was to will. Just in a second of their discussion of the baby, a lady walked in all in white, her face in a shield of a veil, claimed the baby from the hospital, and off she went.
" Enough!" She said with a wave of her hand at Balu's soul that flushed in her body in a hit of a magnet. Her body is shaken and shivering from the unknown force that threw her out of Ella's memories, pale her face goes in a baffled mind.
" What happened ?" John asks to the sudden jerk of her hands off Ellas' touch.
"I got thrown out of her memories," she said to their disbelieved ears, impossible they said within.
"..there was someone in her memories and she .." she held her tongue, forbidding to say any further from fear of being looked low by Steffen. She wishes to impress him, saying more of her being overpowered by an unknown for e might just degrade her value in his eyes, or so her silly mind paranoid.
" What did you get from her memories?" Steffen asks stiffly, not sure if he's ready to hear.
" Hold it, you were in my memories that too without my consent?" Fury felt her heart, displeased at the audacity of them prying into her memories. Her past is not one she wishes to share nor let others know of, and they dared pry into it.
"I never gave you consent to pry in my memories. Now I know you're a great king to them but that doesn't mean you do as you wish with me" she scolds her voice loud enough to have him stiff on his feet.
Taken he stay in seal lips, as no one has dared raise their voice in his presence before, more say at his face. As much as his ego desires justice for being provoked, he dares not as his conscience reminds of him being wrong. Come what, he should have asked for her consent to the course.
"I'm sorry" Both Balu and John's eyes widened at the fallen lips of the words that came from his mouth. Disbelieve, they share a stare in the question of what just happened.
"I should have asked for your permission," he said gently, easing the flames in Ella's chest.
With a voice like that, even if she wishes she couldn't stay angry at him, he has apologized so she's willing to be the bigger person and let go.
Plus she can do nothing as the did had already been done.
"Mmm," Balu grunts snapping whatever eye contact the king was sharing with Ella.
" So what did you get from my memory?" Ella asks, wanting to get things done. The sooner he gets his answers the sooner she's out of there in smooth sailing.
"Well if I must, all I could get was you being abandoned by your birth mother in exchange for another, your other mother fled leaving you behind and the hospital trashed you to an unknown person" she detailed, a bit concerned about her life. It must be tough having such a tough and hard childhood. Yet again she must stay strong and still, she shouldn't let her emotions evade the fact of her being her nemesis in love.
"Hmm," Ella huffs that's no new news to her. She knows of her continuous rejections by many caregivers, thou it is new to know her real birth mother exchanged her. But again what's the difference? She isn't much taken by any of it nor will she in the future. She has long decided to not let anyone pull her back.
" Is that all you got from her memories?" The king asks
" Yes" her voice crawls out flat to their ears, as she's reluctant to have her reputation look low upon.
"So you failed" John states in confirmation, quietly not shaken by it but instead delighted to have the king know that she isn't all mighty.
"Well my apologies sire, am just a duplicate, I can't will these powers as the original owner did" she rants, annoyed both at John's big mouth and her inability to fully will the powers, even after years of her being gifted.
"I'm not sure but there's someone in her, one of the great powers," she said with firm eyes at Ella.
"As you said, you ain't sure" John cuts in, convincing her words are made to have her look less embraced to her failure. It is just like her, making stories is an ice on a cake for her.
"That's enough you two" Steffen voiced out, scrapping every further argument from them. Sick, over the years failure to upgrade their childish minds.
"John, take her out" he instructs John to take Ella out. And so he did, then turned to Balu whom he believes held back on the truth.
"What else did you see ?" He asks taking comfort on the chair behind the table.
"There's someone in her and whoever she's, holds immense powers. Now she looks human but she won't in future."
Whatever power that kicked her off, she feared it a threat to not only the king but all of the supernaturals, for the eyes held great anger and grief for vengeance.
"I'm certain whatever that's in her will soon be awakened and I fear for that day," she tells in concern.
****
"Tell me where's Mia?" Ella confronts John, who's lost in the curiosity of what Balu is up to, his wolf senses in paranoia.
"Where's she?" She snaps her fingers in his face, snatching his attention at her.
"Your friend is safe, stop worrying about her" he weakly said, dozing off in paranoia of Balu's new antics.
"I don't trust your words. I have to see for myself if she's fine or not, so take me to her." She demands resting her hands on her chest
"Listen, girl, your friend is safe and I can't take you to her, so deal with it," he said in a hoarse tone, earning a loud scoff from her.
He's out of his mind if he thinks he can easily intimidate her, she isn't stepping back till he takes her to meet her friend. Even if she has to use her trophy card.
" If I can recall clearly, you're in no position to refuse my orders as I am your king's mate" She pulls the status card at him.
Unbelievable, he looks at her, urges to bite back yet hold for her words is true. Formally acknowledged or not, she bares his king's mark thereby making her his mate and queen.
" No doubt your king would seek justice for his queen for being ill-treated by his loyal man, all I have to do is ask him to punish you for not only disrespecting me but for torturing me as well" she slyly said with a smirk of his discomfort and low groans.
No doubt, the king would have his skin off if she requested him justice.
And he can't afford such.
"What do you want?" He bargains out.
" Take me to meet Mia and I give you my word to let the past be the past" she assures.
"Fine, but after that, it deal off " he emphasizes on the last words. He seeks not much interaction or friendship between them, for he fears his subdued lust for her would rise and might just get him in trouble.
Out, she climbs in after he gently opens his car door. Round he goes for the driver's seat and starts off the car and away from the castle premises before he's caught by the king. Aware of the risk he takes to have his mate taken out without his consent. Hopefully, they'll be back before he notices her home.
One by one her eyes gracefully admire the trees that pass by. The town is beautiful with nature at free will, unlike the big cities that have lost the majority of their green forests all in the name of building desirable constructions.
Well that's big cities for you
" May I ask you a question?" She breaks the silence in the car
" You already did" he stated with still eyes on the road. "Plus even if I reject, you'll ask" he adds
"Balu, who's she? I mean what's her relationship with the king?" John's eyes take off the road and glance at her. Suspiciously he stares at her.
Is she jealous? he asks through the walls of his mind.
" Why do you ask?" He reverses the question at her.
" Just asking" she replies, unsure of herself. It is nothing of insecurities or envy of whatever connection she shares with the king. It was just her clear conscience being curious.
Perhaps an eagerness for spicy gossip.
" Are you jealous in any way?"
Goodness John, what such question is this? You don't ask a girl about her feelings toward another girl, it's just offensive.
" Why would I be jealous of someone I barely know?" She scolds out, irritated at his audacity and low thoughts of her. Yes, she's curious but she isn't jealous of anyone.
"Balu is a friend of the king. If it helps she's a vampire" he shortly responds with no aim of furthering.
"What kind of friend?" She asks in volume barely grasped by his ears.
In a short glance at her face, he sighs acknowledging her questions to be just beyond curiosity as claimed.
Nevertheless, he is obligated to respond as she's of higher status.
" That type of friend that you lay around, much of a friend with benefits as you humans say" he weakly said, not wanting to hurt her by the truth. Even if she isn't his, he still feels obligated to protect her.
As weird as it sounds, he somehow feels in-depth to her, perhaps in the past.
"Impossible " he smiles it off. Had he met her in the past he would have recognized her.
Silly
"How did they meet, him and her?" She pushes out with another question that compels John's feet to go hard on the brake pedal.
The year 1920