Metamorphosis: Chapter 18 and 19

Chapter 18: Reverie

The front desk at the motel was surprisingly up-to-date than the other ones we checked out. But this one was actually perfect for our needs – it was cheap. It wasn't like we didn't have money to begin with. It was just that we low on it. Thank you Riven for getting yourself hurt, having strangers fix you up, and giving you dough.

"An actual bed," Stella did a belly flop onto it.

"Don't get use to this, guys," I said. "It's just for a few days,"

"Then let's cherish the moments," Riven said sarcastically, with his eyes shimmering in a weird way.  

"Ha-ha," I rolled my eyes.

"The beds are soft," Jade climbed and reached the center of the bed, laying down and closing her little eyes. Even though her grip became slightly looser, she still held onto her newfound, cuddly friend, Molly the bunny. I guess I had to give the Dumbass himself some props there for bringing back a toy for Jade. After all, we couldn't go back to Seattle to pick up something's from the safe house.   

I sat down right next to her and kissed her forehead. It had been a long, long day really. Remember how I said that it would take us two days to get here to Louisiana? Well, make that three in a half days. This day, however, was the longest since I said there were only two breaks all together. I think seven breaks are overdoing it, don't you think?

We hit the long awaited, long deserved bed time that we truly needed. We rented out the two connecting rooms. The guys took one and we girls took the other. Melinda sat on the chair and curled herself in the long blanket. Stella took the bed on the right, next to the door that connected us to the feathery gentlemen. I stayed next to Jade and dozed off after a while. It was nice to relax for once. Sure, I didn't know where the Secret Society, Lovely, Excalibur, and the men in black were, but I was safe. We were safe. For once.

It was almost like falling down the rabbit hole and, except, this time, I truly felt the rush of adrenalin surging through my veins. It wasn't like flying. Flying had completely different standards, but this…this was amazing. And when the long gap of blackness finally ended, it turned into a wonder that only pure artists could create, the fascination of stair illusions, which I find incredible to see for myself. Although, what really caught my eye out of all the craziness what the pair of dark blue wings, harbored by a tall figure, at the top of a casing of stairs.

I rushed toward the figure, blue dress trimmings in hand. It was an easy task if there were only a few flights on stairs. Not this many. There were too many to count, and if you tried, you'd have to start over at five. Even I got too confused to even go further. I just kept my sight on the wings. I couldn't miss them in this mess. The setting was literally in black-and-white, it was painless to locate the figure. We were the only things with color out of the whole place. But when I say things like "easy" and "painless," it usually turns quite difficult a second later. The stairs were all gone. The figure and I were standing right in front of each other now.

"What…do you want from me?" I asked, noting my hair being fairly lengthier than normal.

"You," it smiled. And that was the key thing about this figure. Its face only had a wide smile. No eyes, nose, lips. Just a line planted its face. It was sad almost. It also had lengthy, jet black hair, which made him look even more beautiful. What can I say? I'm a sucker for long hair on a masculine character. At least I thought this thing was a guy. It sounded like one to begin with.   

All of a sudden, the space between us vanished right before my eyes. I was now looking up to him, wondering what his next move was. But, there was no move. Nothing of that matter. Just a mirror now. And through that mirror showed me the image, the memory of what seemed like a nightmare. The figure wasn't in the memory, it was Helia. He was a little younger than his age now, which is…seventeen? However, the thing that scared me the most about the remembrance was the sight of Helia undressing his torso where I got a first look at his scars on his back. New and old.

"Good God," I covered my mouth, hopefully he wouldn't hear. But it didn't matter, because a second later, he dropped to the floor crying his heart and soul out in pain. I could tell those injuries were painful and that they stung badly. What I would give to enter the looking glass and give little Helia a hug and tell him that everything would be okay.   

In spite of everything, it was a dream. Anything can and will happen in a dream. I took a step in the mirror and realized that it wasn't a solid like I thought it would be. It was a liquidized version and it felt almost…good? There I stood in the middle of the young prince's room, looking back at the liquid portal closing. I couldn't go back now when someone needed me. He stopped crying and turned around from his sobbing.

"Hi," I smiled.

"Hello," he silently let out a single tear. "What's your name?" Helia said with a not so manly pitched voice. He was about ten, eleven maybe. He hadn't even hit puberty yet.

"My name's Irma, Helia," I told him.

"How do you know my name?" he became scared.

"Because," I sat down next to him, putting my arms around him gently. "I'm going to be your friend in the future,"

"Really?" Helia grabbed onto me.

"Yep," I touched his nose with my nose. "And guess what?" I asked.

"What?"

"You're going to love me,"


Chapter 19: Veracity

"There we go," Helia's voice clouded my mind, causing me awake from what seemed like an amazing dream. And, for a second there, it really was. "Off to bed,"

"Huh?" I laid up a little, finding myself caressed in foul smelling blankets.

"Hey," he said quietly with a smile, watching Jade fall back to sleep in Stella's bed.

"What…what time is it?" I held my head which throbbed.

"About three-thirty," he sat down next to me in the bed. "You okay?"

"It feels like I just got out of five rounds with John Cena," I said.

"Oh, I get it," Helia chuckled a little. "That's funny,"

"Glad someone gets my jokes around here," I got back into the covers, a little irritated.   

"Did you have a bad dream?"

"What's it to you?" I rolled over, facing him.

"I'm just looking out for you, Irma. You know that."

"I'm not sure I do,"

"What do you mean?" he had that perplexing expression on his face.     

"How can I trust and go to a person in need when I barley even know a thing about 'em?"

Helia stopped, he wanted to retort but retreated. He was a wuss, but he had balls for at least trying to comeback at me. Although, he did do something I had not seen coming. He got ahold of the blanket and settled on in next to me, he got real comfy that's for sure. He fluffed the pillow and then got to business.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked.

"You want to know the truth?" he touched my chin with his index finger and thumb.

I smacked his hand away, red faced. "Uh, yeah. Hells yeah,"

He put his hand on my head, rubbing the locks of red hair. I was going to shove him away, again, but I saw that look he brewed up in those icy blue eyes of his. It was so…intriguing how a person, like myself, could get so hypnotized by the hue of a person's iris. I fell for those eyes once. And I was once more, just now. As I put my hand on his, trying to slide it away from my head, body really, he smiled. Helia's signature smile that made me focus on him not matter what our status is.  

"My name is Helia Andrew Dmitri Luca Olsen, royal heir to the Caspian thrown. I was born on June seventeenth, nineteen-ninety-two. I'm the oldest of my three siblings. I have the abilities of earth, which is obviously nature," he said.

"Huh," I said, almost amazed by his response. "…Three siblings?" I asked.

"Three," he smiled. "After me, there's Stefan, he's fifteen. Then there's Caroline, she's fourteen. And then there's Rosaline, she's almost six,"

"You're so lucky," I sighed. "I'd give anything to be an older sibling, must less a little sister,"   

"Trust me, in the position I'm in, I think you're lucky," he told me.

"Me?"

"I'm pretty much a dad to them really. I practically raised Rosaline," he huffed out. "We just call her Rosie by the way,"

Then I remembered what Jade said the other day. Helia's father. Something happened to him and Helia did not like the sound of it. I wanted to ask but felt the nagging pain of my good side telling not to. History is a thing I shouldn't bring up in times like this. But I knew the expression embroiled on his pale face.

"He's…not a good person," he mentioned.

"So," I outlined his cheek with my finger. "You can read minds, eh?"

"Yeah," he said. "I should have probably said that earlier,"

"You think?"

"Anyway," he got back to basics. "My dad, he…did things when I was growing up. Drug smuggling, illegal fight clubs, which lead to some deaths. And guess what? My dad was in charge of the whole thing and he didn't even report the murders. Then what makes this so much better is that he was king at the time. King! King of Caspian," he exhaled.

"Sorry," I croaked.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I shouldn't have said anything, well thought of it really," I grabbed his arm, pulling it closer to my chest. Holding on for dear, dear life, knowing he needed someone to be there for him. To understand what he goes through. I guess I can in a way. I had a father. A father…with problems.  

"It doesn't matter now," he said. "He's looked up in prison and in a rehab center for his drinking problems. He's not getting out anytime soon."

"Who's ruling your kingdom now? Caspian, was it?"

"My mother," Helia said. "And my step-dad," he spat out.  

"Sounds like he's dad of the year," I joked.

"He's done better things," he confessed. "After my dad got arrested, my step-dad, Jasper, and my mom got together. Just like that."

"When was this?"

"About three years ago," he paused. "My siblings didn't understand what was going on really. I knew, of course. I am the heir after all,"     

"I can relate," I put my head on his shoulder, resting. "That's what happened when my dad died,"

"Your step-dad?"

"Yeeeeep," I squeezed his arm tighter, trying not to puncture my fingernails into his bicep. "Dave came over every single day after he passed away. He and mom got closer and closer. Then, out of nowhere, they said they were getting married. And this was only a year and a half after my dad was gone. How pathetic are they?"

"Very," he agreed.

"Sorry," I said again. "This is your time to…express yourself. Go on," I got a glance of his eyes.

"Ha-ha," he chuckled a little. "What else is there really?" he shrugged his right shoulder, while I was leaning on his left.

You know exactly what else there is, I thought, but was really hoping he didn't hear. I didn't want to start an argument like last time. And last time, it ended with my back to a boulder and a forcibly wet kiss by Helia himself (book two, for all you newbies).

"Maybe another time," he patted my head, indicating he read my mind. I wanted to know about Charlotte. Better yet, I wanted to know about that god-awful letter he gave me a year back. I wanted to see if there was a secret message hidden within his words of pure poetry, but from my perspective, it was just lines of text reading the horror of what we were supposed to be: nothing. Nothing but letting him go. And all I had to think about afterwards reading the letter and crying my heart out was why. Why did he leave me? Why did he want me to let him go?    

"It's been a long day," I added.

"Super long," I settled, with my eyes drooping. But the weird thing about this whole situation was that we didn't say or do anything after that. We just rested there, motionless, and looked at the ceiling. I didn't want it to end, which was very odd for the position I was in. I mean he didn't try to cuddle me or kiss me or even convince me of our eternal love for one another. Helia was actually being…tender, but not in a lovey-dovey, affectionate way.

"Close your eyes," he put his fingers on my eyelids. "Get some sleep,"

"I thought I was the leader, the mother here," I touched his ear with my index finger.

"You are," he emphasized. "Just not right now," he leaned his head on mine.

I groaned. "Alright,"

"Good," he kissed my head.

This is where I would usually hit Helia across the face or upside the head, but I didn't. Because, and I have admitting this, it felt…nice. For once.