| Chapter 35 Brian walked into his room and stashed the bag with the rings in it inside his luggage. He knew Marie wouldn't look through his things, but he wanted to make sure no one else found them either. Then he headed into the bathroom. He and Marie had went to the water park and he was still dripping wet. It had served to relax him, but now, the taunts of the three young men were back in his head. He sighed, stepping into the shower and turning on the hot water. He tried to let the warmth of the water sooth him, but the hurt was still there. "I'm not a half-breed," he muttered to himself, turning around and letting the water hit him in the face. Why did those words hurt so much? Up until a few weeks ago, he had no idea he was nothing other than 100% human. Now to be called derogatory names about who he was cut to the core. He was trying to learn the Celestian culture, and their language. He wanted to know all about this world and its people that made up a part of him. But those three, with the look of disgust on their faces and the insinuation that he was �given' his mark.... he shook his head and stepped back from the water. "I'm earning this mark," he said, looking at his wrist. "I earned it by being who I am," he whispered to himself, "How dare they say it was just given to me." He sighed, reaching down and turning off the water. He stepped out, grabbed a towel and quickly dried off. Wrapping the towel around his waist he stepped into his room. "Are you alright?" Rowland asked. Brian jumped, "Holy ... man don't you knock?" Rowland smiled, "I did, you were in the shower." Brian grabbed a pair of sweats from his luggage and put them on, tossing the towel on the bed. "Are you OK?" Rowland asked again. "Marie tell you what happened?" he asked. Rowland nodded. "I'm fine, I just wasn't expecting that at all," Brian admitted, finding a t-shirt and slipping it on. "I guess there will always be a few that don't understand what you are and what it means to Celeste as a whole," Rowland said. Brian chuckled, "I doubt I mean anything to the planet." "That's where you're wrong. You mean a great deal to this planet," he said. "How so?" Brian asked, sitting on the bed facing him. "You are a symbol to us," the man explained, "You represent the fact that even if you thought it was impossible, somehow it can happen. Do you know how many centuries we've been in contact with Earth? And in all that time no one like you has ever been discovered, or even thought to exist." Brian shrugged, "Lucky me huh?" He nodded, "Yes, lucky you, and your family. Now that we know there are those like you, we have something more to tie us to Earth than Nick and drugs." Brian leaned back, supporting his weight with his elbows, "But what does that matter? Nick's gonna cut ties with Earth pretty soon." "He may not have to," Rowland said. "Ohh?" "If things work out. Maybe he will be able to go back on his word, allow us to keep in contact with Earth," he said. "That'd be nice, but wouldn't he look like a fickle king then? Not able to make up his own mind?" Brian mused. Rowland smiled, "There is always a way to save face. You just have to find it." Brian laughed, "That's where the problem lies isn't it?" "Usually," Rowland admitted, "So...back to the young men. We already know who they are, do you want us to do anything about the incident?" Brian shook his head, "No. I think that would only add fuel to the fire. Just let it be." Rowland nodded, turning to leave. "Oh hey, while you're here, can I ask you something?" Brian said, sitting back up. Rowland looked at him, "Yes, what is it?" Brian glanced down at his hands, not really knowing how to ask his question, "Um, well. I need to know something about your culture, and I can't ask Nick cause I don't think he knows. And I definitely can't ask Ana, cause I'm afraid she might tell." Rowland was amused, "What is it you want to know?" "Is there a proper way to ask someone to um ... marry you?" Brian asked, rather shyly. Rowland grinned at the young man, walking over and sitting down, "Yes there is. Get comfy, it's gonna take a while." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick stretched out putting his hands behind his head and looked up at the shield. He was laying in the small palace garden, taking a break from his study of the Book of Kings. He watched the shield flicker with a watery glow, still amazed that a place like this even existed. The water on the outside was a pure deep blue, so clear you could see the fish even before they got to the rim of the shield. He closed his eyes, taking in the sounds and smells of the garden. The first thing he noticed was the distinct scent of Tsars Might. He smiled, loving how the small flower could put him in a better mood. Then there was the countless other flowers in the garden, each with its own unique scent. He could hear the ocean gently beating against the shield. It reminded him of the sound the waves made as they touched the shore outside his home in Florida. He took a deep breath, relaxing even more. He could feel the suns heat on his face, drawn in by the shield then radiated down to his skin. "Frederick, please," his mother cried. Nick looked around, realizing he was back in the palace at Cystaleia. He stared at his mother, she was at least twenty years younger, and strikingly beautiful. His father stared at her too, with hurt in his eyes. LaDonna was on her knees in front of him, not daring to look him in the face. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me," his mother begged. Nick walked closer to the two, trying to figure out what was going on. Frederick shook his head, the devastation apparent on his face, "I don't know if I can." "Nick? Nick ... are you alright?" He opened his eyes and looked up, a confused look on his face. "Are you hurt?" Ana asked, kneeling next to him, concern in her eyes. "Huh? Oh no," he said, sitting up and rubbing his face, "I think I fell asleep." Ana sighed in relief, "You scared me. I came around the corner and you were just lying here." He grinned at her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Ana smiled at him, but as she did, she studied his face. Something was bothering him, she could see it in his eyes. "Is something wrong?" she asked, sitting in the grass next to him. "I don't know. I think I had another vision, only this time it was the past," he said. "What did you see?" she asked. He shook his head, "I'm not sure. It was my mother and father, but .... I dunno how to explain it. My mother was begging him for forgiveness ... but forgiveness of what?" he asked, looking at her. Ana took his hand in hers, careful that they were alone, "I don't know. From everything I've ever known of your parents, they did nothing but love each other." "Then why was my mother crying and my father looked so hurt?" Nick said, clearly troubled by what he'd seen. Ana squeezed his hand, not knowing what to say to him, so she said nothing. Together they sat in silence, watching as the light began to fade. "It's getting dark," Ana noted. Nick nodded, "I miss the sun sets at home." Ana glanced at him, not sure which home he was referring to. "Sometime I want to take you there," he said, still looking up as the light faded from the shield. Ana smiled, "I'd love to see it." He looked over at her, a small smile creased his lips, "We're going to see your house tomorrow right?" She nodded, laughing, "If we must." "Oh we must," he teased, "I want to know everything about you. Where you came from, who your family is, everything." Ana blushed and looked straight into his eyes. As the light faded, his eyes lost some of their intensity, fading down to a pale lavender, and his hair looked almost blonde again. She mindlessly reached up and touched a strand of his hair, letting her fingers run down its short length to caress his cheek. Nick leaned his head against her hand, content to stay that way forever. He cherished each moment with her, and even the most simple of touches stirred his soul. He lifted his hand and covered hers, smiling as he leaned closer. Ana was about to close her eyes in anticipation of the kiss when Nick suddenly jumped back. He quickly grabbed the book he'd been reading and placed it on his lap, opening it up to a page. "There you are," Anthony said, coming around the corner. Nick and Ana were both feigning interest in the book, and looked up when Anthony called to them. "I've been looking everywhere for you," he said. "Ohh? What for?" Nick asked. "Dinner is ready. We're waiting on you," Anthony said with a slight smile. Nick laughed, "For once it's me that is late huh?" Anthony nodded as Nick and Ana got up and brushed the grass from their backsides. "What are you doing out here anyway? It's to dark to read," Anthony asked. Nick glanced at Ana, "Well, it's not to dark for me. I can still see pretty well." "Yes, Nick's eyes are accustomed to a dimmer light than ours are," Ana added. "Oh, forgot about that," Anthony said, walking ahead of them on the trail. Nick and Ana both breathed a sigh of relief, as they headed into the palace. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "......so then Kev flips over and off they go!!" A.J. hooted. "Oh my God Kev!" Brian laughed, "How many people did you moon?" Kevin shook his head, his face a bright red, "I dunno, can we talk about something else now?" "No," everyone said at once. "Come on man, it's not everyday that the mighty Kev embarrasses himself in public," A.J. said. "Yeah, let us cherish this moment," Howie teased. Kevin glared at them, "I'll give you a moment to cherish alright." Everyone snickered. Nick, Ana, and Anthony entered the room. "Hey, what'd I miss?" Nick asked, sitting down. "Ohh nothing. Just Kevin mooning everyone at the water park," A.J. beamed. "No!" Nick laughed, "Really?" "Yes really," Howie laughed, "You shoulda been there." Marie leaned over to Ana and whispered, "I wish I was." Ana burst out laughing as Brian hit Marie's arm, "Hey, one cousin at a time." Marie shook her head, "One cousin period." Brian grinned, "That's better." Kevin cleared his throat, "OK enough. I'm sure no one wants that image in their head before they're about to eat." Ana and Marie glanced at each other then burst out laughing again. Kevin just rolled his eyes, and started eating. "So Bri, how was your day out?" Nick asked. "Good," Brian said, suddenly taking great interest in his food. "Just good?" Howie asked. Brian shrugged, "We went shopping, ate at a nice place, and went to the water park." Marie reached over and squeezed his knee. Brian glanced at her, and half smiled. "OK, what's up?" Nick asked, "I know that look Bri. That's the �something is really bothering me and I don't wanna talk about it look'." Brian shook his head, "It's nothing. Just some teenagers mouthing off." Kevin stared at his cousin, "What'd they say?" "It doesn't matter ..... ," Brian said softly. "Yes it does," Marie said, "It was hurtful, stupid idiots." Nick looked at his friend, "Tell us what they said." Brian sighed, "They said I was a half-breed. That I didn't deserve my mark and the only reason I got it was because I was friends with the king..... you happy now?!" he asked, getting up from the table and leaving the room. They all looked at one another in shock. "Why would someone say that?" Howie asked. "That's just stupid," A.J. said. "Some people just don't understand things that are different," Kevin said sadly, "So they lash out at it." "Those words hurt him badly," Marie said. "I imagine so," Ana said. Anthony looked at them, "It's sad that they don't see him for what he is." Everyone nodded. "Someone should go get him," Howie said. Marie started to get up but Nick shook his head, "I'll go." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian stood on the balcony overlooking the city. "Just great Littrell, yell at your friends. It's not their fault you can't handle a little teasing," he muttered to himself. "That wasn't just any teasing Bri," Nick said. Brian glanced back at his friend, "I don't understand why it hurts so much? They're just words." Nick walked out, leaning on the railing next to him, "Sometimes words hurt the most. Believe me I understand." Brian sighed, thinking of all the times Nick had come to his room upset over what some magazine article or news person said about him. "I guess you do huh?" he said. Nick nodded his head, "And this hurts more because it's a slam on who you are. Like what you are isn't good enough." "Yeah, exactly," Brian whispered. Nick put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Dude, you are though." Brian took a deep breath, "I keep telling myself that, but I dunno sometimes." "Man are you kidding? I sooo wanna be like you when I grow up," Nick teased. Brian laughed and looked at him, "Yeah right." "No man, really. In all the time I've known you, you always kept everything together. You were always secure in who you were and your beliefs and you weren't going to let anyone change you. I admire that about you, always have," Nick said. "Yeah, but that's when I thought I knew who I was," Brian protested, "Now I'm not that sure anymore." Nick grinned, "Again, been there already. I'm not saying I've got all this figured out, but it does get a little easier with time." "I hope so," Brian said. Nick nudged him, grinning, "Just be glad you aren't having to rule the world. Talk about a thankless job," he laughed. Brian burst out laughing. "Ah ha, the Bri I know," Nick smiled, "Can we go eat now, or do you want to waller some more?" Brian rolled his eyes, "Let's eat." Chapter 36 |