I didn't leave my bed for the next two days. Alana sent a rotating schedule of Petra and Gayle to bring me meals. Petra kept trying to cheer me up, and Gayle begged me to change my clothes or at least run a brush through my hair. 

Every time I closed my eyes, I could see myself pointing a gun at the king of Jontun. His hand coming down towards my face was burned in my retinas. My thoughts were a swirl of questions. 

Would I be a murderer? Why was the king so angry with me, a granddaughter he'd purposefully sent away? And most importantly, could I fix this?

Shortly after Petra had dropped off lunch on the third day, there was a knock on my door, and Alana herself pushed the door open. She looked grumpy, and her spiked hair seemed somehow higher. 

 "Go away," I said. "I'm not coming out."

"You know I spent the better part of the first three years I lived with halfants locked in my room," Alana said. 

Her comment caught me off guard. I tried to imagine Alana as some little emo kid with spiky hair locked in her room. It was almost laughable. 

"I'm not going to make you come out," she continued. "You need to stew. Hopefully, it won't take you three years to get over it, but I wanted to let you know that you have visitors."

"Who?" I asked. 

"Your cousin Dylan came with the weekly supply shipment," Alana said. "And I bet you can't guess who came with him."

"Dylan is here?" I frowned. 

"I told him I'd tell you he was here," Alana said. "He and his friend really want to see you, so I said I'd inquire."

 "How long will they be here?" I asked. 

"Long enough to stay for dinner," Alana said. "Shower and then come down to the sitting room to see him. You'll feel better, I promise."

She left the door open when she walked out. It was as plain as an open invitation. I knew what she was trying to do and that I couldn't stay in this bed forever. 

I took a deep breath. Dylan was one of my best friends. Sure, he hadn't told me about the world of giants, but he had his reasons. I still trusted him. 

My legs felt numb as I got out of bed. I found my favorite flannel shirt and jeans and headed to the bathroom to clean up. 

The hot water in the shower melted around me. I watched as days' worth of grime washed down the drain. I ran my fingers through my hair, massaging conditioner through the knots and snags. 

It took a while before I felt like a human. Or half-giant or whatever I was. I stood in the shower for what felt like an hour before I finally turned off the water.

The flannel and jeans felt familiar. It was like getting ready for a day on the ranch and being ready to steer cattle. 

When I returned to my room, the open door still beckoned me. Instead of walking through it, I took the coward's way out and went to locate my shoes.

I leaned over and pulled the worn sneakers from beneath the bed. Once they were on my feet, I was out of excuses. For the first time in three days, I left my room. 

While I didn't know my way around the compound quite yet, I did know if I followed the big hallway, I would end up near the kitchen and the sitting room. 

There were voices as I moved down the hallway. Dylan's voice carried down the hallway, and my heart jumped. 

"Terri wouldn't retreat unless you did something, Moreno," he said. "I know you're a big shot, but you pushed her too hard."

"She had a vision," Moreno replied. "She could have seen anything. Besides, you're one to talk, Dylan. You Oakeleys, following the laws. How do you explain Terri's ability to handle knives?"

"She isn't trained, Jordan," Dylan said. "Trust me. She's my best friend."

"Call me Jordan again, and I don't care what pact protects your family," Moreno growled. "I will punch you, Chris's son."

I stepped into the sitting room before Dylan could get violent. There was nothing he hated more than someone bringing up his father, Chris Oakeley. I didn't blame him. Uncle Chris was the worst. 

"Terri!" A joyful and unexpected person launched themself at me. 

I allowed my stepsister to tackle me, but I was so much bigger than her that she couldn't knock me off my feet. Jilly broke away from me and grinned. 

"What are you doing here?" I asked. 

"Risking a lot," Dylan sighed, standing from his seat on the couch. "But I couldn't convince her to stay behind. Try not to tell any of your royalty relatives that an Oakeley let a human into the realm."

My heart instantly dropped. My princess mother wanted to kidnap me. In my vision, the king, my grandfather, wasn't much better. 

"Hey, why the long face?" Dylan asked. "I was joking. You're safe here, Terri."

"Am I?" I wasn't so sure I could be safe anywhere anymore. 

"Woah, woah," Dylan held up his hands and stood. "Talk me through this. Why don't you feel safe? Did he do something?"

He scowled at Moreno, who was leaning against the wall. I quickly looked from my cousin to Moreno. Dylan's eyes were hard and angry while Moreno glared back equally vehement. 

"This isn't Moreno's fault," I said. "I... I had a vision. It was..."

"What did you see?" Jilly asked. 

The images of the gun flashed in my head. There was my grandfather again drawing his sword and saying that he wanted his children and even me, his grandchild, dead. 

I shook my head. "I don't want to relive it."

"Well, change it," Jilly said. "The future isn't fixed even if you can see it, Terri. Change the vision. Make the future you want."

Her words were so simple and yet impossible. I didn't know how to change the future. I didn't even know how my power worked. 

"The future isn't set," Moreno said. "She's right. Whatever you saw, Terri, if we know it's coming, we can change it."

"I'm not sure I want to train," I said. 

"Is that because of what you saw?" Dylan asked. "Or because this jerk is your teacher?"

Dylan was generally a pretty relaxed guy. He was devoted to his work and his family. I'd never seen him act like this towards another person. 

"What do you have against Moreno, anyway?" I demanded. 

"Has he even told you who he is?" Dylan asked. "About his family?"

Moreno laughed. "My family has nothing to do with this. I'm sorry I actually use the little influence I have to get things done, unlike you Oakeleys, who try to hide everything."

"You're a loose cannon, Jordan Ethesis," Dylan said. 

Moreno stood up and got in Dylan's face. Moreno towered over Dylan, and I had to jump quickly to push them apart. 

"Stop this," I said. "It isn't helping. Moreno, Dylan didn't mean to hurt you. Dylan, give Moreno a break."

"He rushed to take you away from us," Dylan said. "He thinks everything should be done his way. Funny enough, that's exactly how his father got in so much trouble."

Moreno stiffened. "My father is selfish. He thought he was better than everyone. It destroyed my family. I want something better than that for Terri. She's one of us."

Moreno had done nothing but be kind to me. He'd saved my life twice now. Sure, everyone else thought he was a bit conceited, but he was passionate about the thing that he loved. 

"Dylan," Jilly said. "Terri is safer here. She would have been at bigger risk on the ranch. Nath said the giants would flee the portal and attack to get her. She's safer inside this compound. Besides, Granmam told us stories about humans killed by giants in our world."

"I should know that better than anyone," Moreno said solemnly. "My human family was killed by a giant when we lived in Guam."

My eyes widened. I knew he was half-giant nobility. He'd never mentioned the human side of his family. 

"Why?" I asked. 

"Because my mother got involved with giants at a young age," Moreno said. "My father won her affections. There were other suitors, but she was devoted to him. They got married as legally as they could, seeing as they were from two worlds. Another suitor was jealous and killed my mother when my father was in the giant realm."

He sank down onto the couch. His cocky mask was gone, and his bronze eyes looked hollow. It was the first time I looked at him and saw an eighteen-year-old boy instead of a soldier. 

I glanced at Dylan. He only looked slightly guilty. Unfortunately, I knew my cousin too well. There was still simmering rage below the surface, all directed at the young lord. 

"The little boy called Jordan died with his family," Moreno said. "It was a name my father gave me before I lost respect for him. A name with a meaning I hated. I started going by my mother's last name after that. No one calls me Jordan anymore."

At that moment, I understood. He called himself Moreno in honor of his family. It was an unusual first name, but I could get behind his reasoning. I, too, used a name that was different than I was given at birth. Nicknames were just fine, after all. 

If I could change my name, it was possible to change the future. I didn't have to be Princess Theresa. I could just be Terri. 

"Do you even know if it's possible to change the future, Moreno?" I asked. 

"I think it is," Moreno said. "But I sent for help. We're expected in two days at the Ethesis house for tea to see my cousin Hellene and her friends, including her betrothed Prince Victor."

It took me a moment to process that. A giant family had invited us to tea with the crown prince and friends. It wasn't as wild as it sounded, unfortunately, with the way my week was progressing. 

I bit my lip. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to meet a single member of the Nikone family based on my limited interactions with my nutty mother and homicidal grandfather in my visions. Still, this was my chance to learn to control these freaky run-away visions I kept having. 

"I promise the prince isn't too bad," Moreno said. "And Hellene is a sweetheart. And if my family knows I'm coming, they'll mostly clear out."

"Is this even safe?" Dylan asked. "I mean, you were attacked on your way to the compound."

"We'll fly this time," Moreno said. "And the king always sends a large security detail everywhere Victor goes. Every giant who claims Nikone house is a peacekeeper and arbiter. And I'll be going too since this is my house."

Even if this was a disaster, I needed the fresh air. If the prince ended up being helpful, that was even a bonus. 

I tried to smile. "Looks like we're going to a tea party then."

Hey friends!!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you think of the dynamic between Dylan and Moreno? Let me know what you think. Until next time!