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Authors: Stacey O'Neale
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envisioning myself as I pushed wind out of my palms. A jolt of heat raced up my arms as the power surged. My fingertips burned with energy, aching to be released. Flexing my fingers toward the skies, I let go of the force. The momentum of the discharge knocked me to the ground. Every joint in my body throbbed as if I was covered in bruises. I immediately regretted not listening to him.
I stared into the tangerine and purple colored skies. The day was passing into twilight. Fluffy clusters of clouds surrounded the castle. As the sun set in the skies, the mist protecting Avalon could be seen. It appeared to blanket the isle in a sparkling golden shimmer. Dad had told me how magnificent it was from this altitude, but this was the first time I’d seen it for myself. I sat for a long while as I admired its beauty, recovering from my practice.
The mountain air grew colder. I rubbed the sides of my bare arms wishing I would have worn something more than a tank top and yoga pants.
Ariel suddenly approached, out of breath. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t Rowan tell you?” she asked.
I shook my head.
For the first time since I’d met her, she looked really irritated. “He was supposed to send you to me so we can get you dressed for dinner.”
Dinner? “That’s news to me. Who will be there?”
Ariel’s face lit up. “The entire air court council, of course. They will be here in less than an hour. We need to move quickly.”
She waved her arm and I followed. I still wasn’t fully recovered as I struggled to keep up with her. We sprinted across the grassy courtyard toward the castle entrance. Once inside, we marched up the stairways until we were back in my bedroom when she all but threw me into the bathroom. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who thought I needed refreshing. I turned the faucet on in the tub and prepared for a quick bath.
Once I’d finished, I walked out with a towel wrapped around my chest. Ariel had a dress laid across my bed. I strolled over to the mirror and held it against my body. This was more than a dress; it was a golden yellow ball gown. The tiered, skinny-strapped, floor length gown had a jeweled black belt around the waist. It was something I would expect Princess Catherine to wear while dining with the Queen of England.
“The dress goes on last,” Ariel said, getting my attention. “First, we have to do something with your hair.”
Twirling a few wet strands around my finger, I said, “I usually let it air dry. That’s about the only way to contain the curl.”
She made her way behind me, twisting my hair into a loose bun. “Which is exactly why you’ll be wearing it up.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You say that like I have no choice.”
“You always have a choice, but this is part of my job.” She let the bottom portion of my hair hang down my back, maneuvering the top into another style. “You’ll end up loving what I do, I promise.”
“So actually, I don’t have a choice.” I teased.
Ariel smiled. “Not really.”
I sat in a chair, watching her through a vanity mirror. She primped and curled my hair into all kinds of formal designs that I’d only seen in prom magazines. For a moment, I pretended I was back in my old life preparing for a school dance. Mom would have been part of every step from picking out the dress to perfecting the hairstyle. A knot settled in my throat and I swallowed hard.
It had only been one day and I already missed her so much. I thought about contacting her a thousand times, but how could I tell her Dad was missing? She would insist on coming here. I refused to put her in any danger just because I missed her. I couldn't allow myself to get depressed. Right now, Dad needed my help. I had to stay focused on finding him and learning to control my power. Otherwise, we would lose everything. “Is all this really necessary?” I asked. “It’s just a dinner,
I stared into the tangerine and purple colored skies. The day was passing into twilight. Fluffy clusters of clouds surrounded the castle. As the sun set in the skies, the mist protecting Avalon could be seen. It appeared to blanket the isle in a sparkling golden shimmer. Dad had told me how magnificent it was from this altitude, but this was the first time I’d seen it for myself. I sat for a long while as I admired its beauty, recovering from my practice.
The mountain air grew colder. I rubbed the sides of my bare arms wishing I would have worn something more than a tank top and yoga pants.
Ariel suddenly approached, out of breath. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “What’s going on?”
“Didn’t Rowan tell you?” she asked.
I shook my head.
For the first time since I’d met her, she looked really irritated. “He was supposed to send you to me so we can get you dressed for dinner.”
Dinner? “That’s news to me. Who will be there?”
Ariel’s face lit up. “The entire air court council, of course. They will be here in less than an hour. We need to move quickly.”
She waved her arm and I followed. I still wasn’t fully recovered as I struggled to keep up with her. We sprinted across the grassy courtyard toward the castle entrance. Once inside, we marched up the stairways until we were back in my bedroom when she all but threw me into the bathroom. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who thought I needed refreshing. I turned the faucet on in the tub and prepared for a quick bath.
Once I’d finished, I walked out with a towel wrapped around my chest. Ariel had a dress laid across my bed. I strolled over to the mirror and held it against my body. This was more than a dress; it was a golden yellow ball gown. The tiered, skinny-strapped, floor length gown had a jeweled black belt around the waist. It was something I would expect Princess Catherine to wear while dining with the Queen of England.
“The dress goes on last,” Ariel said, getting my attention. “First, we have to do something with your hair.”
Twirling a few wet strands around my finger, I said, “I usually let it air dry. That’s about the only way to contain the curl.”
She made her way behind me, twisting my hair into a loose bun. “Which is exactly why you’ll be wearing it up.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You say that like I have no choice.”
“You always have a choice, but this is part of my job.” She let the bottom portion of my hair hang down my back, maneuvering the top into another style. “You’ll end up loving what I do, I promise.”
“So actually, I don’t have a choice.” I teased.
Ariel smiled. “Not really.”
I sat in a chair, watching her through a vanity mirror. She primped and curled my hair into all kinds of formal designs that I’d only seen in prom magazines. For a moment, I pretended I was back in my old life preparing for a school dance. Mom would have been part of every step from picking out the dress to perfecting the hairstyle. A knot settled in my throat and I swallowed hard.
It had only been one day and I already missed her so much. I thought about contacting her a thousand times, but how could I tell her Dad was missing? She would insist on coming here. I refused to put her in any danger just because I missed her. I couldn't allow myself to get depressed. Right now, Dad needed my help. I had to stay focused on finding him and learning to control my power. Otherwise, we would lose everything. “Is all this really necessary?” I asked. “It’s just a dinner,
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