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Micah and Ashton were still missing from school today. I sighed as I remembered the condition they were both in. Kevin gave me a worried look as he chewed on his burger.

“Are you getting enough sleep, Liz?” Melissa asked as she observed the bags appearing under my eyes.

“I guess.”

I did get sleep, but usually around two a.m. What Ashton’s dad had said to me kept repeating in my mind over and over again.

“But then again, you know that you can make everything better.”

I usually ended up studying until I could fall asleep.

I sighed and Callie clapped her hands together. “Why don’t we go visit Ashton?”

Kevin frowned dubiously. “I’m not sure that’s a great idea.”

“Come on, I want to see the Royal Realm too,” she begged. "Aren't we allowed?"

Kevin considered this for a while. “If you're with me, then it should be fine... But we'll need permission from the royal family first. If that's approved, I’ll take you along with Liz.”

Melissa and Callie grinned. After school Kevin’s car led the way as Melissa and Callie’s followed. They were completely enchanted by the Royal Realm, the same way I'd been.

We had to stop while the girls were interrogated, searched and scanned by security and then granted permission from the queen. Kevin drove until he came to the secret parking lot. Melissa and Callie got out of their cars excitedly, gazing at the splendor of the palace in awe.

As soon as we stepped into the house, Kevin froze. He inhaled deeply and then frowned.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him as he sent a confused glance Callie’s way.

“This scent,” he muttered, then shook his head. “I must be confused with someone else.”

“Scent?” we asked curiously.

He stared upstairs and seemed to become even more bothered with each passing second.

We proceeded up the stairs slowly behind Kevin, whose body was tense. When we arrived near the king’s office door, he looked even more confused and glanced back at Callie.

“Kev, you’re being weird,” Callie protested.

Confusion played in his eyes as the door opened and then realization hit him. Callie let out a strangled gasp from her spot beside me and Melissa and I gawked speechlessly.

A million thoughts were running through my mind as a guy with brown hair stepped out of the office. He was much taller and his face had gotten a lot more angular. But his russet brown eyes stared at us as his lips parted in surprise. There was no mistaking him.

Daniel.

Callie wheezed beside me and I wrapped my arm around her waist as she sank to the floor in disbelief.

Daniel’s eyes focused on Callie and suddenly he moved closer to her as a light growl escaped his throat.

Before he could get over to her, Kevin grabbed him. “What the hell are you doing here?!” he shouted in anger and confusion.

My breath caught in my throat and seemed to stay there as Callie looked like she was about to have a panic attack.

The king came out of the office upon hearing Kevin’s shouts.

“This is Lord Daniel, rank Epsilon,” he introduced as he removed Kevin’s grip on Daniel. “He is returning to our kingdom.”

L-Lord?!

“Mmm,” Callie groaned as she tried to stand but failed.

“Breathe, Callie,” I gasped, kneeling on the floor beside her.

“Callie…” Daniel muttered, looking past Kevin to her.

“You don’t deserve to say her name,” Kevin growled, throwing a punch at him which connected squarely with his jaw.

Melissa fanned Callie with her hands, but Callie had fainted.

We all stared at Daniel, whose lip was bleeding from the impact of Kevin’s punch.

The king narrowed his eyes at Kevin. “Is this is how you’re going to welcome him?”

Kevin continued glaring at Daniel, who just looked dazed and confused. His eyes softened as he looked at Callie. Regret flashed through them.

Kevin stepped away from Daniel with great difficulty and picked up Callie bridal style.

“I’ll take her to the guest room,” he said emotionlessly to the king who nodded and patted Daniel on the shoulder.

He cast me a long, meaningful look and then went back into his office.

Melissa and I were just staring at Daniel in complete disbelief. He was here. He was really here right in front of us after all those years.

“How dare you?” Melissa’s voice quaked in anger. “How dare you show up in front of us now?!” she yelled at him.

She rarely got angry, but when she did it was for good reason. I was irate too. Daniel had crushed Callie’s heart when he left three years ago. He had just vanished without a trace, leaving Callie confused and heartbroken.

“Do you have any idea what you put her through?!”

“I’m…” Daniel searched for the words. He looked at us remorsefully. “I need to talk to her… about everything.”

“Damn Daniel. Back at it again with the heartbreak and lies?” she scowled. “We must look like Boo Boo the fool to you.”

“Are you really a noble?” I whispered in disbelief as Kevin came back over to us. His eyes still held both resentment and confusion.

Before he could respond, two adults appeared in the corridor.

“Daniel, is everything okay?” a blonde lady asked. “Did you speak with the king?”

He nodded stiffly. I guess they were his parents. They glanced at us curiously.

“Well, I see you’ve already made some friends,” she laughed.

The tension in the air got thicker and her laugh died down.

“We need to leave now,” she said, pointing at her watch.

“But-”

“Now, Daniel,” his father urged. There was a long scar on his left hand that extended past his sleeve and ran down to his elbow. He probably wasn't an Origen.

Daniel sighed exasperatedly and turned his attention to us. “I need to speak to her,” he pleaded. “If she’ll agree to even see me, I’ll be here for the rest of the week. Please tell her that,” he begged.

He walked off towards his parents and cast one last, longing look at the room Kevin had carried Callie to. His eyes didn’t leave the room until he had vanished from sight down the stairs.

Melissa stared up at the ceiling. “What the hell?”

Kevin was fuming and I could just imagine steam coming out through his ears.

“I’m not dreaming, am I?” I asked, giving myself a pinch.

“We’re all having the same dream then,” Melissa sighed. She turned to Kevin incredulously. “How didn’t you know that he’s a noble?”

Kevin’s brows furrowed in thought. “I didn’t sense his rank before. His senses probably didn’t awaken until after he left… but I remembered his scent.”

“His scent?” she asked dubiously.

“Everyone has a specific scent,” he explained. “So I can tell who someone is by smelling them.”

“That’s… kinda weird. But then again, you’re an Origen, so weird’s kind of normal.”

The office doors opened again and Ashton’s dad stepped out with a stack of papers. He smiled formally at Melissa, who curtsied, and turned to Kevin.

“Now, do you care to explain why you brought two commoners here?”

“They’ve been granted permission. They’re my friends,” Kevin replied icily. “And they’re here to see Ashton.”

“I see,” he nodded. “He’s still unconscious. I might have gone a bit overboard,” he chuckled.

My anger boiled as he laughed.

“Ashton will get up soon,” the king continued. “He is my son after all.”

With that, he went downstairs as Kevin clenched and unclenched his fists.

“Let’s go check on Callie,” I sighed.

We milled into the room where Callie’s eyes were just beginning to flutter open. She was pale, and she stared up at the ceiling in doubt.

“I dreamt that he was here,” she whispered.

“It wasn’t a dream, Cals,” I said as I stroked her hair.

She continued to stare up at the ceiling. Her eyes became glossy and it broke my heart to see her tears fall. She had promised herself not to cry over Daniel again, and even though her mind still drifted to him occasionally, she had managed to keep that promise.

But seeing him again so suddenly had caught her off guard and all the emotions she had been holding in came back. I sat on the bed and she buried her head in my shoulder as she sobbed quietly.

After a few minutes of crying, she sniffed and leaned off me, violently rubbing her eyes dry.

“I have auditions for the movie tomorrow morning,” she sniffed. “I can’t be like this right now.”

“Are you coming to school afterwards?” I asked and she nodded and forced a smile.

I smiled back and we left the house. I didn’t even get to visit Micah today. I felt bad about that.

Melissa decided to drive Callie home and Kevin offered to drive her car over to her house later.

She hugged me and Kevin before getting into the car.

“Good luck tomorrow! Break a leg!” I smiled. “But not physically, because that will hurt,” I blurted after.

“You’ll kill the auditions,” Kevin grinned. “In a good way.”

Callie forced a smile and waved as the car drove off.

I sighed, still in disbelief at everything that had happened. Daniel was really back.

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DANIEL

Age: 18

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!