Audra Farley

I went into labour on 16th October by exactly 6:58pm. I was locked up in the house I so desired like a prisoner with men at every corner of the house to keep me from running away and breaking the agreement. The windows were as difficult to break like it was to bend a bar of raw steel. It was kept that way because I once tried to jump out of the window and find escape by climbing up the tall fence. That effort was unsuccessful, I didn't think of the fact I had cameras everywhere so before I even made it out, my door burst open and that was the last day I enjoyed a normal window. For proper security, my room door was removed and my privacy went with it. It got so bad that I had usually had someone with me even when I took my bath and even after all I did, Olivia did nothing to help.

They were men, just like the other ones. Dressed in suits every single day of their lives, they would stand in my room and follow me into the bathroom when I needed to use it. At first, I completely disagreed and went on and on about how that was not included in the contract. The only reply I got was that they couldn't go against Olivia's orders. Then again, there was absolutely nothing I could no. I couldn't call the police and even if I did, they would be completely useless and I couldn't leave so I dealt with it.

When I gave birth to my daughter, I finally understood what motherhood was all about and how much love a mother felt to her child. For those few seconds I spent without the realization she would leave, I felt a rush I'd never felt in my life. It wasn't just because of all I went through for her, what I felt was something greater than that and it was in those moments I realised how much I didn't want to let her go.

I held her in my arms for a minute or two and that was all I felt of my baby before she was taken away from me. That was all Olivia needed. She didn't spare me a single glance when she walked out of the room with my joy in her arms and that was the last time I ever touched my daughter.

Along with my baby went everything she gave me, the bodyguards, the house, the car, the clothes, every single thing. She suddenly stopped doing according to the contract, something I was forced to obey. I was left alone in the hospital to receive the treatments and after the last few days I spent there, I was discharged. That's when my homelessness began, I would walk from street to street aimlessly with thoughts of how my life could be if all that happened didn't. I had too much on my mind to speak up or find any help if I could at all.

Then I heard the news of my daughter's birth, just a few days after and just like I thought, she was tagged legitimate. A true daughter of the Royal family, one Olivia conceived by herself. Everyone heard of the birth of Samara Elizabeth Shaw but that wasn't the name I gave my daughter, I named her Astra.

Samara Shaw

They both weren't identical, not a single bit.

One had stark white long hair and the other short black hair, one had shiny silver eyes and the other with eyes as dark as the night sky, one looked alive with white glowing skin and the other looked pale and sick. Nothing made them look like twins or even brothers cause with the three days I'd spent in Thorne, I didn't spot both Vince and Accius together. He wasn't in Vince's private dining room with the other people but in the cafeteria with the other students. They were so distant, if I wasn't told they were related, I probably wouldn't believe they were friends or that they knew each other. That was when I figured out there was probably something wrong with the relationship between both brothers. However, I didn't say a word about it. I'd learned more than the shocking realization they were related.

Reincarnation was something I didn't pay much attention to. Not that I didn't believe in it but I wasn't sure if I did either. The idea of someone dying and coming back after years wasn't something anyone would believe and was even worse when I happened to be the person. I knew there were possibilities it existed in real life but didn't choose to believe it was possible I was the reincarnate.

I couldn't kill an insect even if I tried, I didn't have muscles and I definitely couldn't fight with anyone like the warriors they were born to be. If I truly was the queen they thought I was, I could've had at least one characteristic that made me look less human and more like a fantasy creature. I could've looked more like them, either with silver eyes, colored skin or white hair. I looked human and I believed I was one but at the same time, I said words in a language I didn't know or understand, I saw ghosts and lastly, froze orange juice with my bare hands. There couldn't be any explanation to believe that was something a normal human being could do.

I didn't freak out, neither did I speak against anything they said even when I had the burning urge inside to prove they were wrong. That was when I finally started understanding who I was and why I was in the school. Whatever made destiny take me back to these people who by fate, happened to be my people, would certainly mean I belonged there. Understanding I wasn't who I thought I was all my life was probably the most difficult thing I'd had to do. I mean, knowing I wasn't the true daughter of my parents was okay but learning my life had more to it than a castle and royalty was on another level.

There was another dimension called Anel and the people from their world had different powers and capabilities depending on what tribe they were born into and I happened to have some of those powers too or at least just the power to freeze things and see ghosts. I was one of them and everything I'd spent all my restless nights thinking was finally before my eyes but at the same time, It was unbelievable. Who would know I wasn't even a normal human being but something from an insane dimension, a world of fantasy creatures? What was worse was that I was meant to rule alongside the king only I could choose. Just in a few hours, I'd been given a responsibility I could not bear.

Once I believed that, I started to understand there was more to this topic than they said. Yes, they certainly would not tell me everything all at once for my own sake but there had to be a reason why nobody spoke of how the previous queen died and when I brought it up, the topic was changed almost immediately. There had to be a reason why none of them explained the meaning of what those ghosts said when I asked and lastly, there had to be a reason why Vince didn't look so happy about it. The smile he had on his face vanished when I explained the conversation and Lucy, she laughed. What more could prove something was behind it?

Maybe I could see through their facial expressions or maybe they were bad at hiding it. Either ways, I trusted my thoughts and persisted. I asked more questions, giving them the assurance I wasn't going to freak out, just like I didn't before. I still didn't get anything and when they left, I tried to make Lucy talk but she didn't. I guess she had gotten too much blame for punching me so she spent the whole day with a frown on.

Dinnertime rolled in quickly and instead of spending it in Vince's dining room or with Lucy, I stayed on a separate table with Ceris. I didn't with Vince because I feared what would happen if I met that girl again. Maybe then, it would be more than a jug of fruit juice and my mind was not ready to take in anything inhuman that night. It had gotten to its capacity, any other thing could just make me grow insane. I didn't stay with Lucy either for a very obvious reason.

"Ceris, did you know what I was before yesterday?"

"You're not a what, you're a who and yes, I did get a hint but I didn't trust it"

"What's the hint?"

"You see, I'm not the type most people like and when I met you, you didn't have that look in your eyes. Only Queen Astra did that when she was alive"

"What do you mean people like you?"

"Ingens, we're the least liked in Bellum but it's really not anybody's fault, we just have a different perspective of the world and it's most times destructive"

"And I assume Ingens are a group of people in Bellum?"

"Yes, just like the Ferox, phoniex, dragons, werewolfs, hybrids and the fox"

"Like fantasy creatures?"

"Kind of"

"Carry on"

"The Ferrox are common, most of them weren't killed during the rebellion. They're really good with weapons, it's almost like they were born to handle them so perfectly and they're lucky to have a gift telekinesis too. You must be familiar with Nero, he's a Ferrox"

"Who is this Nero you say I'm familiar with?"

"He's one of the council members, you don't remember the man the long hair?"

"I didn't know that his name was"

Ceris went on with explaining what the other groups were and what they looked like but failed to notice my attention was no longer on what she was saying but on the person I saw walk in through the doors of the cafeteria. He was in something similar to what the other males were wearing, a grey long sleeved top and matching pants. He was right at the entrance where people constantly obstructed as they walked by with his eyes roaming the whole room as if they were searching for something.

It took seconds, long seconds, before they finally landed on mine. When they did, he stopped his search and it stayed that way, our gazes attached, for a while. Without looking, he took a step back and another. Throughout, he was still looking at me and that made me even more curious to see and understand what he was doing. By then, he was in the passageway where the dim candles were poorly lit and it was in that moment I saw it.

His eyes glowed.