Page 51

Amias

“I just need some distance, Valley Lily…”

“Grandmother…” A pang of guilt sets in my stomach, as I sit in my hospital bed. Was it really that bad that I made that wish? “I didn't want to hurt you.”

“I'm going to find a way to fix you. There's no way I can have you fall into such wickedness.”

“I swear my inten-”

“Your intentions were shown when your eyes turned black and the wish corrupted. Maybe this is the problem Cosmo was warning me about.”

“I'm not that dangerous!” My tightened body betrays my confidence. Is she right?

“I can't be so sure now. I'll know when I meet with the other gifts. I'll be gone for a while to figure it all out, okay?”

Meanwhile Mother pats me on the shoulder with a soft smile. I return it. She shouldn't have to worry about me.

Grandmother continues. “I'll talk to you later. I'm going to solve this.”

I give a small nod as if she could see me. “Goodbye Grandmother.” I then move the phone away and click on the charm behind the wood case. It turns invisible and I throw it beside me on the bed.

I gaze at my family. Father, Mother and Erasmus all lean over by the side of my bed, scrunching their faces in concern.

“What did she say?” Mother whispers.

I shake my head. I don't even have to speak.

“Oh dove…” Mother hugs me by the shoulders. “She'll come around. I'm sure.”

“Hopefully…” I want to be able to express how I feel about dreamscreechers without hurting her. This is supposed to heal our relationship with Somnia, not worsen it.

Besides, what will everyone think when they find out I'm in love with a dreamscreecher? They'll probably think I'm scheming against Grandmother.

“Mother…” I say softly. “What would you do if I spoke for dreamscreechers? What if I said they were good?”

Mother pouts. “I would help you through it as much as I could.” She twists her lips and finally settles on a smile. “I would know that you mean well though. I would never shun you.”

I return her expression, though a pool of disappointment forms in my stomach. She would think I'm mentally ill. She wouldn't listen in the way I need her to. “Thanks…”

“Amias!”

I look up to see Ignatia walking in. She has a giant grin on her face that lightens up the mood.

I can't believe I'm dating a woman as beautiful as her.

“Clara!” I shout. Ignatia had told me her real name a few days ago, the same day I woke up, but just in case others recognize it, her name is still Clara in public. When it's just us, I call her by her real name.

She rushes over and gives my head a quick peck. She turns to my family. “How's everything?”

“Alright dearest eagle,” Mother murmurs. “Amias is getting out today.”

“I've heard! So where are you going now that the castle has burned?”

Mother sighs, “Oh that's something I wanted to talk about-”

As they talk, my mind starts to drift. One day, I will have to tell them what I really believe. They will find out who Ignatia is. My family, especially Grandmother, won't take well to it.

Does this mean I have to choose between Ignatia and my family? What will Amarians think? I can't just abandon one and not the other. I love them all but there's a big chance they'll never get along.

What am I going to do?

“If that's alright with you,” Ignatia asks me, breaking me away from my thoughts.

I jolt as I meet her amber eyes. “What is it, my flame?”

She laughs, but it drifts as she scans my body. Her brows scrunch. “You look upset…”

“I'm fine.” I smile. “Now what were we talking about?”

“The lake house. If staying with you is alright…”

My heart jumps. “Of course! That would be wonderful!”

◆◆◆

As Ignatia packs her stuff to move in the lake house with me, I made the choice to get some extra snacks for her. My chauffeur has to take me into the city for that, so I ride in the car with just me and him.

I look out the window of the car, staring at the streets as I lean into the white leather seat. I had worried about my wish getting out to everyone in the kingdom, and I guess it has now.

Everywhere, there are signs hung up. All of them saying things like, “We stand with Amara!” “Amias supports Immorality and Abuse!” “Amias is a Monster Fetishist / Dreamscreecher Fucker! Cleanse Him!”

The only supporters I see, are those cloaked people, still standing on the streets and handing out fliers in favor of dreamscreechers. They hold signs saying “We deserve the truth!” and “The prince knows what Amara’s done.”

And to think I thought they were crazy.

Though I know I'm trying to do what's right, I can't help but feel guilty. Everyone knows I don't believe Amara's side is the truth, and everyone's against me now.

How much worse could it get once I actually speak out? It's not just their shaming that worries me. What if they get violent? What if they come to kill Ignatia? Many people on the streets have weapons to defend themselves from dreamscreechers. If anyone knew, who knows how long we'd last?

Is it better to stay in the shadows? Maybe I shouldn't speak of it again. Maybe we could have both worlds if we stay quiet. Ignatia doesn't need to say a word, and neither do I. We can live happily under the guise of being a normal couple.

I sigh. That would mean sacrificing the lives of so many innocent dreamscreechers. That means I would have lied to the dreamscreechers that saved us.

There's no way I can do that, no matter how tempting.

Why is the world so hard on dreamscreechers? I love Ignatia, from her adorable yet menacing dreamscreecher form, to her beautiful human form. If everyone could just accept dreamscreechers, it would make her life easier and help our kingdoms come to peace.

But of course the world needs to make this hard.