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Chapter. 6

VANESSA sat there, barely paying attention to Aiden anymore. It’s not like he didn’t amuse her anymore or wasn’t eye candy anymore or anything like that. She was deep in thought, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. She eventually had to stop looking at Aiden since he would flash his smile at her now and tehn and her heart would melt, rendering all thought (aside from how gorgeous he looked) useless.
She snapped out of her thoughts and blinked when Aiden suddenly stood up. She glanced at Katy, who was doodling something with her finger on the table.
“Now that she is awake, the king wishes to meet her,” a snotty voice came from behind Vanessa.
She turned around and looked the the short man as he walked away with a pompous attitude that made Vanessa want to pop him square in the face. Vanessa wondered for a split second who the king wanted to meet when she remembered Aiden talking about how the king wanted to talk about how the king wanted to see her.
Aiden offered her a hand which she gladly took and walked with him towards the King’s Chambers. Her stomach was doing Olympic workouts, and if she wasn’t holding Aiden’s hand, she was certain that she’d float away or pass out. After all, she was meeting a king! Her head was swimming. She wasn’t dressed to meet a king!
“Aiden… I can’t go meet him…” Vanessa choked out.
Aiden looked at her, “Of course you can…”
Vanessa shook he head, “I can’t! I’m in dirty clothes, my hair’s a mess, and I’m just awkward! I can’t go meet a king!”
Aiden chuckled, “My father won’t care, beloved. He just wants to meet you. He wants to see you for who you are. He’s not intimidating either, so fear not. Besides…” He grabbed a bit of her hair and twirled it around his finger. “You’re gorgeous just how you are…”
Vanessa blushed and felt a giddy smile forming on her lips. This made Aiden smile more. He opened the big doors and stepped into the King’s Chambers. He smiled at the figure that sat on the throne. The man had a cold stare that sent shivers down Vanessa’s spine. He smiled at her, which only made the shivers worse.
The man was tall, even sitting Vanessa could tell that. He had mighty broad shoulders and a long mane of grey hair as well as a long grey beard which flowed down over his blue and gold robes. His face looked like it had been carved out of stone. He scowled down at her. His steel grey eyes locked on Vanessa. She suddenly felt cold and sick and  found herself wishing that he would look away.
Not intimidating at all, Aiden… Vanessa thought bitterly gripping Aiden’s hand a bit tighter.
The king stood up, spreading his arms wide. “Welcome, child. I am King Vortigern.”
“I-I’m Vanessa… G-g-good to m-meet you…” Vanessa stammered.
King Vortigern laughed. A hollow cold laugh. “No need to be nervous, child…”
“Vanessa.” Aiden corrected. He just smiled at the look that Vortigern gave his son.
Aiden let go of Vanessa’s hand and stepped back. Vanessa spun around and watched Aiden leave the room. She froze and just stared at the door. How could he leave her alone with this intimidating man?! She slowly turned around again and refused to look up.
“I-I want answers!” she said as demanding as she could make it sound.
King Vortigen sat down again. “Answers about what?”
“L-like… where I am… and why I’m here and such…” Vanessa burst, “I wanna go home now!”
King Vortigern fell silent. He was slightly irritated that Vanessa wasn’t as easy to manipulate as Katy had been. They gave Katy everything she wanted and she had obeyed easily. But this one. This one was too inquisitive. “You’re in the kingdom I rule over, and you are here because fate brought you here…”
Vanessa shook her head. “YOU brought me here somehow,” she accused, still not looking up. She knew that as soon as she looked at the king, she’d lose all of her nerve.
“I do not have the ability to bring people to other dimensions,” Vortigern insisted. Vanessa remained unconvinced. Vortigern clenched his fists to keep himself from losing his temper. “Why don’t you tell Miley how you want your room to look. You will live well while you’re here.”
“I want to go home!” Vanessa repeated.  “If you’ll get me whatever I want, send me home…!”
King Vortigern sighed, “Vanessa, we are doing our best to figure out how to send you and your friend home. But we might as well make your time here cozy… Miley! Take Vanessa to the training area and teach her a bit. Hopefully, that will keep your mind occupied while we figure out how to send you home.”
Vanessa stayed silent, not believing his cold words. She nodded, however, and turned around. She walked out of the room with Miley, who was about as pleased about the king’s training proposition as Vanessa was. Vanessa thought miserably to herself. He’s lying. He brought us here. I’m going to die here… or something.

SONYA suddenly stopped walking. Kelsey caught up to her and paused. “What’s up Sonya?” she asked, still trying to sort out what Sonya had said before.
Sonya looked around. “I thought I heard something,” she said quietly.
After a moment of absolute silence, Sonya shrugged and kept walking. “Just my imagination,” she concluded.
Kelsey followed after her. Her eyes fell to Sonya’s ears, questions suddenly flooding her head. She just HAD to know. But that’s being nosey, she thought. Finally, she let out a sigh.
“Sonya?”
“Yeah?” Sonya glanced over her shoulder at Kelsey.
“Well… uhm…” Kelsey began. She suddenly froze, “SONYA!”
Sonya blinked and opened her mouth to respond, but a scream escaped instead. A whip wrapped around her waist and pulled her over to a group of older men who had materialized out of nowhere. The men chuckled, “A young girl AND an elf. We’ll get lots of money for this one!”
Sonya shivered as the man ran a grimy hand down her arm Tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffled. Kelsey stared in horror. All instinct told her to turn and run. To run as fast as she could to safety, but she couldn’t just leave Sonya. The little girl was absolutely terrified! Kelsey gripped the frying pan.”
“L-Let her go!” Kelsey yelled, raising the frying pan.
The men looked at Kelsey with bemused expressions. Sonya looked at Kelsey, a clear look of fear plastered on her face. Kelsey swallowed hard, a futile attempt to subdue her intense fear. A few men slowly stalked towards Kelsey. She took a shaky step back, slipped on a rock, and fell to her butt. She winced and looked up to see the men surrounding her. Quickly, she started flailing the pan around.
“Staybackstaybackstaybackstayback!” she yelled as fast as she could.
One of the men kicked the frying pan out of her hand and hoisted the now very pale Kelsey over his shoulder. Kelsey started screaming and flailing. One of the men slapped Kelsey across the face. “Shut up, wench!”
Kelsey felt tears welling up in her own eyes and found herself wishing that the annoying thief was here. She could imagine what would happen.
Suddenly, an arrow found its way into the throat of the man who slapped Kelsey. He made a grotesque gurgling noise and fell to the ground. The men spun around.
“Who’s there?!” the one holding Kelsey demanded.
“Until she pays me back, she’s with me. So put her down.”
Kelsey blinked rapidly. That voice… she twisted her body and her eyes widened. Sitting in one of the trees was Kieran, with his bow drawn and a look of annoyance on his face.

Chapter. 7

THE ugly, smelly, man grasping Kelsey over his shoulder, threw her to another man who caught her and tossed her to yet another one. “Oh come on!” Kelsey screamed in annoyance, “Enough of ‘Pass the Kelsey around!’”
“Shut up, bitch!” the last ogre-like looking man yelled. He slapped her hard across the face before roughly dropping her on the ground next to Sonya. He quickly tied her hands and feet together in a very uncomfortable position. Her arms were crisscrossed and her body was hunched over so her hands were tied to her opposite feet.
Kelsey awkwardly fell to one side and mumbled, “Sure! Kill the one guy, but don’t kill the rest! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die!”
“I really don’t like the fact that you idiots didn’t listen to me,” Kieran stated in an annoyed voice.
“Who you callin’ idiot, idiot?!”  stupidly yelled the man who had slapped Kelsey. The other men grew panicky and began searching the trees for the mysterious speaker. An arrow sped its way into the man’s throat, moving through his neck and sticking in the tree behind him. The man clutched his throat, trying to stop the blood gushing out. He gurgled out blood and spittle. Kelsey and the men watched in horror as the man finally fell to the ground: dead.
Kieran’s voice rang through the air.
“Get the hell out of here! NOW!”
The men rushed out of the area, yelling out gibberish, scared out of their minds. Then, Kieran jumped down from the tree gracefully. He walked towards Kelsey and Sonya and smiled triumphantly.
“Well, you certainly got yourself stuck,” he stated, taking out his dagger.
“Oh ha ha! Just get me out of this position please!” Kelsey pleaded as she squirmed around trying to get loose.
“Fine, fine. Hold still then,” taking the dagger, Kieran sliced through the bonds. Kelsey untangled herself, rubbing her wrists while Kieran stood there nonchalantly.
“I must say are an absolutely BRILLIANT leader,” Kieran snapped caustically, “Seriously, your decision making skills are the tops! Let’s follow a seven year old dimwit through a dark and scary forest! Pure genius! You wouldn‘t make the mistake of following oh say, someone who actually knows how to survive. Oh no!”
“Just shut up already, Kieran! I get it!” Kelsey snapped. She noticed that Kieran had made no move to free Sonya. “Aren’t you going to help her?” Kelsey demanded confusedly.
“What? You expect me to save everyone now?” Kieran snapped.
“Well… yes.” Kelsey answered.
Kieran snapped, “I only saved you because you still have to pay me back.”
“Pay you back?!” Kelsey exclaimed in anger, flailing her arms about. “THAT’S the only reason you saved me?!”
Kieran shrugged simply, “Yep.”
“Not because you felt some sort of concern for my safety?” Kelsey continued, “Don’t you like me! Even a little bit?”
Another shrug. “Nope.”
Kelsey stared at him in shock, “What have I EVER done to you?!”
Kieran crossed his arms across his chest, “Well, you did land on me when you fell out of the sky..”
“You blame ME for that?!”
“AND I could’ve sold your stuff for quite a bit of money,” Kieran continued ignoring her, “So that’s quite a big payday you stole from me.”
“I WASN’T DEAD!”
Kieran gave Kelsey an annoyingly smug smile, “You could’ve just let me have your bag…”
Kelsey threw up her hands in frustration before turning her back on Kieran to face Sonya. Sonya looked back at Kelsey and tilted her head to look at her in an innocent and naive manner. “What’s wrong, Kelsey?”
“What’s wrong?!” Kelsey cried out in frustration. It’s not her fault, she thought to herself. It’s not her fault that Sonya has no idea of… well… anything. And that she hasn’t seemed to notice that she’s trussed up similar to a turkey for Thanksgiving. It’s not her fault. Kelsey groaned. There is something seriously wrong with this girl! Other than the fact that she has pointy ears!
Kieran blinked at the girl before rolling his eyes, “See Kelsey, this… girl doesn’t even know she was in trouble. So why should I go and waste my time freeing her?!”
“BECAUSE I SAID SO, YOU POINTY EARED RACIST!” Kelsey yelled as the last bit of her patience vanished. “Stop wasting time! IDIOT! Seriously, all I want to do is my find my friends and getting out of this freaking world!” Kelsey ranted poking Kieran in the chest.
“Fine!” Kieran cried out, “FINE woman! If it’ll make you shut up, I’ll free the little twerp!”
“Thank you!” Kelsey sighed in exasperation as Kieran knelt besides Sonya and cut through the bonds holding Sonya hostage.
“Thank you,” Sonya chirped, “Are you going to join us again?”
“Uh well…” Kieran muttered, visibly uncomfortable talking to the girl. He looked up over Sonya’s head and saw Kelsey giving him a glare. An evil glare that she had perfected after many years of living with Katy and Vanessa. She hefted the frying pan she had found in a threatening manner. “Sure,” Kieran managed to squeak.
“Yay!” Sonya clapped her hands together and jumped up and down excitedly. Kelsey calmed Sonya down and looked back at Kieran as though to make sure he was still there. Then, they continued down the path.

ONCE again shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth, Katy sat and pondered about the situation she and Vanessa had found themselves in. Hmm… pretty good potatoes… wonder if Ness is right in the fact that this is a conspiracy… the king dude’s continually giving me all this for nothing… I mean, I just have to train! Learn how to use dangerous, sharp, weapons for free! The only downside is that there aren’t any firearms to shoot.
As Katy sat at the table, devouring her plate and actually using her brain (sort of), Miley Hawaii strolled into the room. She grabbed Katy by the back of her collar and dragged her from her seat. “Hey! I wasn’t done!” Katy yelled as Miley continued to pull her across the room. Katy’s flailing arms desperately struggled to grab her plate.
Miley glanced back at Katy and let out a sigh, “Didn’t you want a rematch?”
Katy suddenly stopped flailing and whining, “Really Mi Hi? A rematch?” Miley sighed in annoyance at the use of her new nickname.
“Yes Katy. We’re going to have another rematch now. And could you please stop with that nickname?! It’s enough that Aiden…”
“YAY! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s. GO!” Katy exclaimed. With that, Katy flew across the room to the training room, dragging Miley behind her.
Rolling her eyes, Miley muttered, “Just one day, one day, I wish she wouldn’t call me by that ridiculous nickname!”

Chapter 8.

IT was nearly midnight in the castle. One small figure, dressed all in black, was wandering the hallways. The figure was rapidly hiding behind the vases and statues that decorated the corridors. If one were to listen carefully, you could hear the figure singing softly.
“Secret Agent… Vanessa!! Secret… Agent Vanessa!”
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, it was, in fact, Vanessa. Vanessa quietly tiptoed down the hallways. She was convinced that Vortigern wasn’t telling them something and she was determined to find out what.
Vanessa struggled to cartwheel down the hallway… only to land on her butt.
“YEOW!” Vanessa yelped before clamping a hand over her mouth. Okay, I can’t do a cartwheel. Not gonna try that again!
“Hey! What are you doing there?!” Vanessa let out a squeak of terror when she heard a voice behind her. Vanessa whirled around to see a woman standing there before her. Vanessa struggled not to stare at the audacious lady. The lady had long, rich, auburn hair that was piled up on her head. Her hair was laced with golden beads and covered by a shimmering translucent golden veil. Her dark eyes were glaring down at Vanessa. Her brown eyes were covered in green eye shadow and dark black eyeliner. Her lips were caked with a heavy layer of bright red lipstick. The lady could have been pretty if she didn’t have so much make up smothering her face. Her attire was downright scandalous. She wore a golden bikini-like top that bared her midriff and a long golden skirt that looked like it was bunch of streamers tied together. Vanessa stared at the lady in shock and horror.
“Are you listening?!” the lady snapped, “What’s wrong with you?!” The lady closed a hidden door that she had just stepped out of.
“Is that thing made out of dental floss?!” Vanessa burst unable to contain herself anymore. The lady rolled her eyes.
“Who are you exactly?” she demanded, “And what are you doing skulking around my doorway? I thought it was a secret. If all the other dancers find out…” She turned to Vanessa and said with a strange sort of pride, “I’m the king’s favorite dancer.” She suddenly looked down at Vanessa with an accusatory glare, “Who are you?”
“Er… My name’s Vanessa,” she said awkwardly, “What did you say your name was?”
“You are the goddess?!” the dancer asked skeptically. She took a step backwards and looked Vanessa up and down in a way that made Vanessa feel really uncomfortable, “Hmmph!” she grumbled snippily, “You’re not that pretty… for a goddess. But then again, neither are the other two. I don’t see why the prince spends so much time harping about your beautiful eyes and wonderful smile and… oh God! The kid never shuts up!”
“Aiden thinks my eyes are pretty?!” Vanessa asked lighting up like a candle. She let out a wild squeal of joy. The woman glared at Vanessa. “Wait a second!” Vanessa cried, suddenly remembering what the woman had said. “Goddess?”
The lady didn’t bother to answer her questions. She swept down the hallway without another word. Vanessa was about to chase after her when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “EEK!” Vanessa yelped.
“What are you doing wandering the hallways at this time of night?!” Vanessa whirled around and saw Miley glaring down at her. In the pale candlelight, Vanessa could still see a nasty bruise on Miley’s cheek. She was tempted to ask her what had happened, but she decided that she liked living a little too much to try.
“Oh,” Vanessa said, “I was just going for a walk.”
“A walk?” Miley asked raising an eyebrow, “Any particular reason why you’re wearing all black?”
Vanessa shrugged, “Black is slimming.”
“Right,” Miley said, “Not believing a word, “Come with me! I’ll escort you back to your room.”
Vanessa grumbled as Miley forced her down the hallways, “I wouldn’t talk to the “dancers” if I were you.” Vanessa couldn’t help but notice trhe mocking tone Miley used when she said “dancers.”
“Why not?” Vanessa asked.
“They’re dopey little divas,” Miley said, “They have the collective brain of a goldfish. Particularly that one…”
“You don’t like…”
“Sheila,” Miley supplied, “She’s just a red haired bimbo. All boobs, no brains.”
Vanessa chuckled under her breath, “Bitter much.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing!”
Miley shoved Vanessa roughly into the room she shared with Katy. “Hey, you’re back!” Katy said, “Where were you?”
“If I catch you wandering around the palace again, I won’t be so nice,” Miley scolded.
“This is nice?” Katy asked skeptically.
“Shut up Katy!” Miley snapped. She stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
“Well,” Katy said, “I hope you learned your lesson.”
“Sure did,” Vanessa grumbled, “Don’t get caught.”

“THERE’S, the town!” Sonya cried triumphantly. She pointed in the distance. “See! I told you I knew where it was!”
“You did!” Kelsey cried happily, “Such a smart little girl! Kieran! Hurry up!”
Kieran scurried up the hill and looked down at the town. One glimpse at the town and he groaned, “Of all the towns! Of all the places!”
“You’re just jealous she found it first,” Kelsey said with a smile. Sonya beamed proudly. “What town is this?” Kelsey asked.
Now it was Kieran’s turn to smile. He faced her and gave her the sweetest, falsest smile, he could muster before saying sweetly, “Trouble.”
“What?” Kelsey asked.
“Down there lies the lovely city of Trouble,” Kieran said, “Population: 10,000 pickpockets, 4,000 career criminals and prostitutes, 2,000 swindlers and conmen, 15 major gang leaders, countless scallywags and ne’er-do-wells and… until recently, yours truly.”
“You lived there?!” Kelsey cried staring down at the town anxiously.
“Technically, I live there,” Kieran said, “For the past two years, though I was attempting to leave when you fell on top of me.” He gave Kelsey a smirk, all his false sweetness was gone. “Thank you for sucking me back into the vortex that is Trouble,” he grumbled caustically.
“Trouble?” Kelsey said shaking her head.
“Yep,” Kieran said, “Fitting name. Do you want to know the town motto?”
“I don’t think so,” Kelsey said nervously. Kieran ignored.
“Welcome to our town. If you’re here, you know you’re in trouble.” Kieran said with a smile.
“Why would they name a town Trouble?” Sonya asked naively.
“Sounded better than Deep Shit,” Kieran said, “Though that would have made a more accurate motto.”
“Shut up, Kieran!” Kelsey snapped, “If you’re such an expert than you can lead us through it!”
“Personally, I would rather sleep in a thorn bush in The Midnight Forest over the safest inn in Trouble any day of the week,” Kieran pointed out.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Kelsey snapped, “I asked you to lead us through the town. It’s getting dark and I’d rather spend the night indoors.”
Kieran let out a sigh, “Fine. Just stay close, keep an eye on the twerp, and do NOT make eye contact with ANYBODY!”

“ARE you sure you heard her right?” Katy asked Vanessa. Vanessa nodded emphatically.
“She called me goddess!” Vanessa cried, “She also said some other things that weren’t as nice, but she called me a goddess! One of three!”
“So… let me get this straight,” Katy said slowly, “You think that me, you and Kelsey are goddesses?” Vanessa nodded again. “Oh,” Katy said, “Okay.” A few seconds passed before Katy burst out.
“ARE YOU ON CRACK OR SOMETHING?!”
“I’m serious!” Vanessa insisted.
“Do I look like a goddess?” Katy demanded, “Don’t answer that!” she added quickly. “Oh when you tell Kelsey this… she’s gonna laugh herself into next Friday!”
“WHY?!” Vanessa demanded, “Why is it so weird?! We just magically appeared here in the middle of a snowstorm! Nothing should seem weird compared to that!”
“It’s just… ridiculous!” Katy cried.
“No, it’s not!” Vanessa insisted, “And I can prove it! I just have to find that dancer…”
“Dancer?” Katy asked skeptically.
“Yep,” Vanessa said, “Her name is Sheila. We need to find her. She clearly knows more about why we’re here than we do.”
“Why don’t you just ask Aiden?” Katy asked. Vanessa gave Katy a look. “Never mind,” Katy said, “I see your point.”
“Tonight we’ll search the castle!” Vanessa said, “I’ve been snooping around trying to find some more answers, but we’ll cover more ground if we both work together.”
“I guess so,” Katy agreed, “But how do we get past Mi Hi?”
“I’m sure you can think up something,” Vanessa said.
A wicked grin spread across Katy’s face. “Oh this is gonna be fun!”

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” Kieran cried in disbelief.
“Kieran!” Kelsey scolded putting her hands over Sonya’s ears (and noticing their odd shape again) “Language!”
“Woman!” Kieran snapped, “Language is the least of the kid’s problems now! What the hell is all this?!” He had Kelsey’s wallet in one and was rapidly rummaging through it. “Strange looking coins, bits of green parchment. A picture of YOU?” He threw aside Kelsey’s change as well as several one dollar bills and Kelsey’s driver’s license. “There’s no cash in here!”
“That is cash in my world!” Kelsey snapped as she scooped up the money. “And give me that! It’s no use to you anyway,” Kelsey snatched the license out of Kieran’s hands.
“Great,” Kieran grumbled, “We have no money. So much for sleeping indoors.”
“We can’t just sleep on the streets!” Kelsey cried, “We’ll be mugged in our sleep!”
“Sounds like I’m going to have to reel in a few favors,” Kieran grumbled, “Come on.”
Kieran stomped into an inn. Kelsey scooped up Sonya and followed after him.
A toothless innkeeper greeted them once they made it inside. “Why Kieran!” he cried happily, “I thought you had left our dear little town for good.”
“I tried,” Kieran said shooting a glare at Kelsey, “Look, I need a room.”
“I don’t give rooms for free, Kieran.”
“I thought you’d say that,” Kieran said, “That’s a shame. Say, have you talked to that girl who works the corner down the block?”
The innkeeper grinned, “More than just talk.”
“That’s nice,” Kieran said with a grin, “Perhaps I should introduce her to your wife. I think they’d have a lot to talk about.”
The innkeeper suddenly went very pale, “Okay, I get it. There’s one room left for the night. It’s yours.”
“Thank you,” Kieran said with a smile, “Come on, this way.”
“That was more of a threat than a favor,” Kelsey muttered.
“If you have a better way to get a room be my guest,” Kieran snapped, “Otherwise, you can sleep on the streets.” Kelsey clamped her mouth shut.
The three of them went upstairs to inspect the room. Kelsey crinkled her nose in disgust. The entire room suck to high heaven and it had very little furniture. It had a bed, dresser, and a small bucket of water sitting in the corner. “Is this it?!” Kelsey cried.
“I’m sorry,” Kieran snapped sarcastically, “I didn’t have any blackmail on any other innkeepers.”
“There’s only one bed,” Kelsey pointed out.
“I know,” Kieran said, “Sonya can sleep in an open dresser drawer, she’s small enough. And you can sleep on the floor.”
“And I can sleep… WHERE?”
“On. The. Floor.” Kieran said enunciating every syllable.
“Why do you get the bed?!”
“Because I got us the room!”
“I am NOT sleeping on the floor!”
“Well, neither am I!” The two glared each other down for a few moments. Finally, Kelsey grumbled.
“You better stay on your side!”

SONYA was settled in and fell asleep almost instantly. Kelsey and Kieran lay awake, back to back on the bed. “This sucks!” Kelsey grumbled.
“Tell me about it,” Kieran agreed, “I didn’t plan on coming back here.”
“It’s a horrible place to live,” Kelsey said, “Your childhood must have sucked! No wonder you’re so messed up!”
“Hmmph,” Kieran snapped, “I’ll have you know, I wasn’t raised here. I just ended up here.”
“Where DID you grow up?” Kelsey asked, “A gutter?”
“Basically,” Kieran answered tensely. Kelsey instantly regretted her tone. “I grew up in The Royal City. The capital of our realm, Caelestis, the heavenly city.”
“It wasn’t a nice place?” Kelsey asked, catching his tone.”
“Depends on what side of heaven, you live on,” Kieran said with a sigh, “I could see Crown Prince Aiden frolicking in his gardens while I was begging in the streets.”
“Robbing in the streets,” Kelsey muttered.
“That too,” Kieran agreed, “So do you have some sort of plan as to what we do next? I don’t even know where we’re going. Kelsey?” Kelsey?”
He looked over at Kelsey. Her eyes were closed and her breathing heavy. Kieran let out a sigh and rolled back onto his side. Suddenly, Kelsey’s eyes snapped open and she kicked Kieran hard. Kieran rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Kelsey sprawled out across the sheets. “HA!” she laughed evilly, “The bed is mine!”
On the floor, she could hear Kieran grumbling. She didn’t catch all of it, but it sure sounded like, “DAMN FEMALES!”
Kelsey giggled to herself, “Good night, Kieran.”

Description
Chapter. 6

VANESSA sat there, barely paying attention to Aiden anymore. It’s not like he didn’t amuse her anymore or wasn’t eye candy anymore or anything like that. She was deep in thought, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. She eventually had to stop looking at Aiden since he would flash his smile at her now and tehn and her heart would melt, rendering all thought (aside from how gorgeous he looked) useless.
She snapped out of her thoughts and blinked when Aiden suddenly stood up. She glanced at Katy, who was doodling something with her finger on the table.
“Now that she is awake, the king wishes to meet her,” a snotty voice came from behind Vanessa.
She turned around and looked the the short man as he walked away with a pompous attitude that made Vanessa want to pop him square in the face. Vanessa wondered for a split second who the king wanted to meet when she remembered Aiden talking about how the king wanted to talk about how the king wanted to see her.
Aiden offered her a hand which she gladly took and walked with him towards the King’s Chambers. Her stomach was doing Olympic workouts, and if she wasn’t holding Aiden’s hand, she was certain that she’d float away or pass out. After all, she was meeting a king! Her head was swimming. She wasn’t dressed to meet a king!
“Aiden… I can’t go meet him…” Vanessa choked out.
Aiden looked at her, “Of course you can…”
Vanessa shook he head, “I can’t! I’m in dirty clothes, my hair’s a mess, and I’m just awkward! I can’t go meet a king!”
Aiden chuckled, “My father won’t care, beloved. He just wants to meet you. He wants to see you for who you are. He’s not intimidating either, so fear not. Besides…” He grabbed a bit of her hair and twirled it around his finger. “You’re gorgeous just how you are…”
Vanessa blushed and felt a giddy smile forming on her lips. This made Aiden smile more. He opened the big doors and stepped into the King’s Chambers. He smiled at the figure that sat on the throne. The man had a cold stare that sent shivers down Vanessa’s spine. He smiled at her, which only made the shivers worse.
The man was tall, even sitting Vanessa could tell that. He had mighty broad shoulders and a long mane of grey hair as well as a long grey beard which flowed down over his blue and gold robes. His face looked like it had been carved out of stone. He scowled down at her. His steel grey eyes locked on Vanessa. She suddenly felt cold and sick and  found herself wishing that he would look away.
Not intimidating at all, Aiden… Vanessa thought bitterly gripping Aiden’s hand a bit tighter.
The king stood up, spreading his arms wide. “Welcome, child. I am King Vortigern.”
“I-I’m Vanessa… G-g-good to m-meet you…” Vanessa stammered.
King Vortigern laughed. A hollow cold laugh. “No need to be nervous, child…”
“Vanessa.” Aiden corrected. He just smiled at the look that Vortigern gave his son.
Aiden let go of Vanessa’s hand and stepped back. Vanessa spun around and watched Aiden leave the room. She froze and just stared at the door. How could he leave her alone with this intimidating man?! She slowly turned around again and refused to look up.
“I-I want answers!” she said as demanding as she could make it sound.
King Vortigen sat down again. “Answers about what?”
“L-like… where I am… and why I’m here and such…” Vanessa burst, “I wanna go home now!”
King Vortigern fell silent. He was slightly irritated that Vanessa wasn’t as easy to manipulate as Katy had been. They gave Katy everything she wanted and she had obeyed easily. But this one. This one was too inquisitive. “You’re in the kingdom I rule over, and you are here because fate brought you here…”
Vanessa shook her head. “YOU brought me here somehow,” she accused, still not looking up. She knew that as soon as she looked at the king, she’d lose all of her nerve.
“I do not have the ability to bring people to other dimensions,” Vortigern insisted. Vanessa remained unconvinced. Vortigern clenched his fists to keep himself from losing his temper. “Why don’t you tell Miley how you want your room to look. You will live well while you’re here.”
“I want to go home!” Vanessa repeated.  “If you’ll get me whatever I want, send me home…!”
King Vortigern sighed, “Vanessa, we are doing our best to figure out how to send you and your friend home. But we might as well make your time here cozy… Miley! Take Vanessa to the training area and teach her a bit. Hopefully, that will keep your mind occupied while we figure out how to send you home.”
Vanessa stayed silent, not believing his cold words. She nodded, however, and turned around. She walked out of the room with Miley, who was about as pleased about the king’s training proposition as Vanessa was. Vanessa thought miserably to herself. He’s lying. He brought us here. I’m going to die here… or something.

SONYA suddenly stopped walking. Kelsey caught up to her and paused. “What’s up Sonya?” she asked, still trying to sort out what Sonya had said before.
Sonya looked around. “I thought I heard something,” she said quietly.
After a moment of absolute silence, Sonya shrugged and kept walking. “Just my imagination,” she concluded.
Kelsey followed after her. Her eyes fell to Sonya’s ears, questions suddenly flooding her head. She just HAD to know. But that’s being nosey, she thought. Finally, she let out a sigh.
“Sonya?”
“Yeah?” Sonya glanced over her shoulder at Kelsey.
“Well… uhm…” Kelsey began. She suddenly froze, “SONYA!”
Sonya blinked and opened her mouth to respond, but a scream escaped instead. A whip wrapped around her waist and pulled her over to a group of older men who had materialized out of nowhere. The men chuckled, “A young girl AND an elf. We’ll get lots of money for this one!”
Sonya shivered as the man ran a grimy hand down her arm Tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffled. Kelsey stared in horror. All instinct told her to turn and run. To run as fast as she could to safety, but she couldn’t just leave Sonya. The little girl was absolutely terrified! Kelsey gripped the frying pan.”
“L-Let her go!” Kelsey yelled, raising the frying pan.
The men looked at Kelsey with bemused expressions. Sonya looked at Kelsey, a clear look of fear plastered on her face. Kelsey swallowed hard, a futile attempt to subdue her intense fear. A few men slowly stalked towards Kelsey. She took a shaky step back, slipped on a rock, and fell to her butt. She winced and looked up to see the men surrounding her. Quickly, she started flailing the pan around.
“Staybackstaybackstaybackstayback!” she yelled as fast as she could.
One of the men kicked the frying pan out of her hand and hoisted the now very pale Kelsey over his shoulder. Kelsey started screaming and flailing. One of the men slapped Kelsey across the face. “Shut up, wench!”
Kelsey felt tears welling up in her own eyes and found herself wishing that the annoying thief was here. She could imagine what would happen.
Suddenly, an arrow found its way into the throat of the man who slapped Kelsey. He made a grotesque gurgling noise and fell to the ground. The men spun around.
“Who’s there?!” the one holding Kelsey demanded.
“Until she pays me back, she’s with me. So put her down.”
Kelsey blinked rapidly. That voice… she twisted her body and her eyes widened. Sitting in one of the trees was Kieran, with his bow drawn and a look of annoyance on his face.

Chapter. 7

THE ugly, smelly, man grasping Kelsey over his shoulder, threw her to another man who caught her and tossed her to yet another one. “Oh come on!” Kelsey screamed in annoyance, “Enough of ‘Pass the Kelsey around!’”
“Shut up, bitch!” the last ogre-like looking man yelled. He slapped her hard across the face before roughly dropping her on the ground next to Sonya. He quickly tied her hands and feet together in a very uncomfortable position. Her arms were crisscrossed and her body was hunched over so her hands were tied to her opposite feet.
Kelsey awkwardly fell to one side and mumbled, “Sure! Kill the one guy, but don’t kill the rest! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die!”
“I really don’t like the fact that you idiots didn’t listen to me,” Kieran stated in an annoyed voice.
“Who you callin’ idiot, idiot?!”  stupidly yelled the man who had slapped Kelsey. The other men grew panicky and began searching the trees for the mysterious speaker. An arrow sped its way into the man’s throat, moving through his neck and sticking in the tree behind him. The man clutched his throat, trying to stop the blood gushing out. He gurgled out blood and spittle. Kelsey and the men watched in horror as the man finally fell to the ground: dead.
Kieran’s voice rang through the air.
“Get the hell out of here! NOW!”
The men rushed out of the area, yelling out gibberish, scared out of their minds. Then, Kieran jumped down from the tree gracefully. He walked towards Kelsey and Sonya and smiled triumphantly.
“Well, you certainly got yourself stuck,” he stated, taking out his dagger.
“Oh ha ha! Just get me out of this position please!” Kelsey pleaded as she squirmed around trying to get loose.
“Fine, fine. Hold still then,” taking the dagger, Kieran sliced through the bonds. Kelsey untangled herself, rubbing her wrists while Kieran stood there nonchalantly.
“I must say are an absolutely BRILLIANT leader,” Kieran snapped caustically, “Seriously, your decision making skills are the tops! Let’s follow a seven year old dimwit through a dark and scary forest! Pure genius! You wouldn‘t make the mistake of following oh say, someone who actually knows how to survive. Oh no!”
“Just shut up already, Kieran! I get it!” Kelsey snapped. She noticed that Kieran had made no move to free Sonya. “Aren’t you going to help her?” Kelsey demanded confusedly.
“What? You expect me to save everyone now?” Kieran snapped.
“Well… yes.” Kelsey answered.
Kieran snapped, “I only saved you because you still have to pay me back.”
“Pay you back?!” Kelsey exclaimed in anger, flailing her arms about. “THAT’S the only reason you saved me?!”
Kieran shrugged simply, “Yep.”
“Not because you felt some sort of concern for my safety?” Kelsey continued, “Don’t you like me! Even a little bit?”
Another shrug. “Nope.”
Kelsey stared at him in shock, “What have I EVER done to you?!”
Kieran crossed his arms across his chest, “Well, you did land on me when you fell out of the sky..”
“You blame ME for that?!”
“AND I could’ve sold your stuff for quite a bit of money,” Kieran continued ignoring her, “So that’s quite a big payday you stole from me.”
“I WASN’T DEAD!”
Kieran gave Kelsey an annoyingly smug smile, “You could’ve just let me have your bag…”
Kelsey threw up her hands in frustration before turning her back on Kieran to face Sonya. Sonya looked back at Kelsey and tilted her head to look at her in an innocent and naive manner. “What’s wrong, Kelsey?”
“What’s wrong?!” Kelsey cried out in frustration. It’s not her fault, she thought to herself. It’s not her fault that Sonya has no idea of… well… anything. And that she hasn’t seemed to notice that she’s trussed up similar to a turkey for Thanksgiving. It’s not her fault. Kelsey groaned. There is something seriously wrong with this girl! Other than the fact that she has pointy ears!
Kieran blinked at the girl before rolling his eyes, “See Kelsey, this… girl doesn’t even know she was in trouble. So why should I go and waste my time freeing her?!”
“BECAUSE I SAID SO, YOU POINTY EARED RACIST!” Kelsey yelled as the last bit of her patience vanished. “Stop wasting time! IDIOT! Seriously, all I want to do is my find my friends and getting out of this freaking world!” Kelsey ranted poking Kieran in the chest.
“Fine!” Kieran cried out, “FINE woman! If it’ll make you shut up, I’ll free the little twerp!”
“Thank you!” Kelsey sighed in exasperation as Kieran knelt besides Sonya and cut through the bonds holding Sonya hostage.
“Thank you,” Sonya chirped, “Are you going to join us again?”
“Uh well…” Kieran muttered, visibly uncomfortable talking to the girl. He looked up over Sonya’s head and saw Kelsey giving him a glare. An evil glare that she had perfected after many years of living with Katy and Vanessa. She hefted the frying pan she had found in a threatening manner. “Sure,” Kieran managed to squeak.
“Yay!” Sonya clapped her hands together and jumped up and down excitedly. Kelsey calmed Sonya down and looked back at Kieran as though to make sure he was still there. Then, they continued down the path.

ONCE again shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth, Katy sat and pondered about the situation she and Vanessa had found themselves in. Hmm… pretty good potatoes… wonder if Ness is right in the fact that this is a conspiracy… the king dude’s continually giving me all this for nothing… I mean, I just have to train! Learn how to use dangerous, sharp, weapons for free! The only downside is that there aren’t any firearms to shoot.
As Katy sat at the table, devouring her plate and actually using her brain (sort of), Miley Hawaii strolled into the room. She grabbed Katy by the back of her collar and dragged her from her seat. “Hey! I wasn’t done!” Katy yelled as Miley continued to pull her across the room. Katy’s flailing arms desperately struggled to grab her plate.
Miley glanced back at Katy and let out a sigh, “Didn’t you want a rematch?”
Katy suddenly stopped flailing and whining, “Really Mi Hi? A rematch?” Miley sighed in annoyance at the use of her new nickname.
“Yes Katy. We’re going to have another rematch now. And could you please stop with that nickname?! It’s enough that Aiden…”
“YAY! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s. GO!” Katy exclaimed. With that, Katy flew across the room to the training room, dragging Miley behind her.
Rolling her eyes, Miley muttered, “Just one day, one day, I wish she wouldn’t call me by that ridiculous nickname!”

Chapter 8.

IT was nearly midnight in the castle. One small figure, dressed all in black, was wandering the hallways. The figure was rapidly hiding behind the vases and statues that decorated the corridors. If one were to listen carefully, you could hear the figure singing softly.
“Secret Agent… Vanessa!! Secret… Agent Vanessa!”
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, it was, in fact, Vanessa. Vanessa quietly tiptoed down the hallways. She was convinced that Vortigern wasn’t telling them something and she was determined to find out what.
Vanessa struggled to cartwheel down the hallway… only to land on her butt.
“YEOW!” Vanessa yelped before clamping a hand over her mouth. Okay, I can’t do a cartwheel. Not gonna try that again!
“Hey! What are you doing there?!” Vanessa let out a squeak of terror when she heard a voice behind her. Vanessa whirled around to see a woman standing there before her. Vanessa struggled not to stare at the audacious lady. The lady had long, rich, auburn hair that was piled up on her head. Her hair was laced with golden beads and covered by a shimmering translucent golden veil. Her dark eyes were glaring down at Vanessa. Her brown eyes were covered in green eye shadow and dark black eyeliner. Her lips were caked with a heavy layer of bright red lipstick. The lady could have been pretty if she didn’t have so much make up smothering her face. Her attire was downright scandalous. She wore a golden bikini-like top that bared her midriff and a long golden skirt that looked like it was bunch of streamers tied together. Vanessa stared at the lady in shock and horror.
“Are you listening?!” the lady snapped, “What’s wrong with you?!” The lady closed a hidden door that she had just stepped out of.
“Is that thing made out of dental floss?!” Vanessa burst unable to contain herself anymore. The lady rolled her eyes.
“Who are you exactly?” she demanded, “And what are you doing skulking around my doorway? I thought it was a secret. If all the other dancers find out…” She turned to Vanessa and said with a strange sort of pride, “I’m the king’s favorite dancer.” She suddenly looked down at Vanessa with an accusatory glare, “Who are you?”
“Er… My name’s Vanessa,” she said awkwardly, “What did you say your name was?”
“You are the goddess?!” the dancer asked skeptically. She took a step backwards and looked Vanessa up and down in a way that made Vanessa feel really uncomfortable, “Hmmph!” she grumbled snippily, “You’re not that pretty… for a goddess. But then again, neither are the other two. I don’t see why the prince spends so much time harping about your beautiful eyes and wonderful smile and… oh God! The kid never shuts up!”
“Aiden thinks my eyes are pretty?!” Vanessa asked lighting up like a candle. She let out a wild squeal of joy. The woman glared at Vanessa. “Wait a second!” Vanessa cried, suddenly remembering what the woman had said. “Goddess?”
The lady didn’t bother to answer her questions. She swept down the hallway without another word. Vanessa was about to chase after her when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “EEK!” Vanessa yelped.
“What are you doing wandering the hallways at this time of night?!” Vanessa whirled around and saw Miley glaring down at her. In the pale candlelight, Vanessa could still see a nasty bruise on Miley’s cheek. She was tempted to ask her what had happened, but she decided that she liked living a little too much to try.
“Oh,” Vanessa said, “I was just going for a walk.”
“A walk?” Miley asked raising an eyebrow, “Any particular reason why you’re wearing all black?”
Vanessa shrugged, “Black is slimming.”
“Right,” Miley said, “Not believing a word, “Come with me! I’ll escort you back to your room.”
Vanessa grumbled as Miley forced her down the hallways, “I wouldn’t talk to the “dancers” if I were you.” Vanessa couldn’t help but notice trhe mocking tone Miley used when she said “dancers.”
“Why not?” Vanessa asked.
“They’re dopey little divas,” Miley said, “They have the collective brain of a goldfish. Particularly that one…”
“You don’t like…”
“Sheila,” Miley supplied, “She’s just a red haired bimbo. All boobs, no brains.”
Vanessa chuckled under her breath, “Bitter much.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing!”
Miley shoved Vanessa roughly into the room she shared with Katy. “Hey, you’re back!” Katy said, “Where were you?”
“If I catch you wandering around the palace again, I won’t be so nice,” Miley scolded.
“This is nice?” Katy asked skeptically.
“Shut up Katy!” Miley snapped. She stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
“Well,” Katy said, “I hope you learned your lesson.”
“Sure did,” Vanessa grumbled, “Don’t get caught.”

“THERE’S, the town!” Sonya cried triumphantly. She pointed in the distance. “See! I told you I knew where it was!”
“You did!” Kelsey cried happily, “Such a smart little girl! Kieran! Hurry up!”
Kieran scurried up the hill and looked down at the town. One glimpse at the town and he groaned, “Of all the towns! Of all the places!”
“You’re just jealous she found it first,” Kelsey said with a smile. Sonya beamed proudly. “What town is this?” Kelsey asked.
Now it was Kieran’s turn to smile. He faced her and gave her the sweetest, falsest smile, he could muster before saying sweetly, “Trouble.”
“What?” Kelsey asked.
“Down there lies the lovely city of Trouble,” Kieran said, “Population: 10,000 pickpockets, 4,000 career criminals and prostitutes, 2,000 swindlers and conmen, 15 major gang leaders, countless scallywags and ne’er-do-wells and… until recently, yours truly.”
“You lived there?!” Kelsey cried staring down at the town anxiously.
“Technically, I live there,” Kieran said, “For the past two years, though I was attempting to leave when you fell on top of me.” He gave Kelsey a smirk, all his false sweetness was gone. “Thank you for sucking me back into the vortex that is Trouble,” he grumbled caustically.
“Trouble?” Kelsey said shaking her head.
“Yep,” Kieran said, “Fitting name. Do you want to know the town motto?”
“I don’t think so,” Kelsey said nervously. Kieran ignored.
“Welcome to our town. If you’re here, you know you’re in trouble.” Kieran said with a smile.
“Why would they name a town Trouble?” Sonya asked naively.
“Sounded better than Deep Shit,” Kieran said, “Though that would have made a more accurate motto.”
“Shut up, Kieran!” Kelsey snapped, “If you’re such an expert than you can lead us through it!”
“Personally, I would rather sleep in a thorn bush in The Midnight Forest over the safest inn in Trouble any day of the week,” Kieran pointed out.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Kelsey snapped, “I asked you to lead us through the town. It’s getting dark and I’d rather spend the night indoors.”
Kieran let out a sigh, “Fine. Just stay close, keep an eye on the twerp, and do NOT make eye contact with ANYBODY!”

“ARE you sure you heard her right?” Katy asked Vanessa. Vanessa nodded emphatically.
“She called me goddess!” Vanessa cried, “She also said some other things that weren’t as nice, but she called me a goddess! One of three!”
“So… let me get this straight,” Katy said slowly, “You think that me, you and Kelsey are goddesses?” Vanessa nodded again. “Oh,” Katy said, “Okay.” A few seconds passed before Katy burst out.
“ARE YOU ON CRACK OR SOMETHING?!”
“I’m serious!” Vanessa insisted.
“Do I look like a goddess?” Katy demanded, “Don’t answer that!” she added quickly. “Oh when you tell Kelsey this… she’s gonna laugh herself into next Friday!”
“WHY?!” Vanessa demanded, “Why is it so weird?! We just magically appeared here in the middle of a snowstorm! Nothing should seem weird compared to that!”
“It’s just… ridiculous!” Katy cried.
“No, it’s not!” Vanessa insisted, “And I can prove it! I just have to find that dancer…”
“Dancer?” Katy asked skeptically.
“Yep,” Vanessa said, “Her name is Sheila. We need to find her. She clearly knows more about why we’re here than we do.”
“Why don’t you just ask Aiden?” Katy asked. Vanessa gave Katy a look. “Never mind,” Katy said, “I see your point.”
“Tonight we’ll search the castle!” Vanessa said, “I’ve been snooping around trying to find some more answers, but we’ll cover more ground if we both work together.”
“I guess so,” Katy agreed, “But how do we get past Mi Hi?”
“I’m sure you can think up something,” Vanessa said.
A wicked grin spread across Katy’s face. “Oh this is gonna be fun!”

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” Kieran cried in disbelief.
“Kieran!” Kelsey scolded putting her hands over Sonya’s ears (and noticing their odd shape again) “Language!”
“Woman!” Kieran snapped, “Language is the least of the kid’s problems now! What the hell is all this?!” He had Kelsey’s wallet in one and was rapidly rummaging through it. “Strange looking coins, bits of green parchment. A picture of YOU?” He threw aside Kelsey’s change as well as several one dollar bills and Kelsey’s driver’s license. “There’s no cash in here!”
“That is cash in my world!” Kelsey snapped as she scooped up the money. “And give me that! It’s no use to you anyway,” Kelsey snatched the license out of Kieran’s hands.
“Great,” Kieran grumbled, “We have no money. So much for sleeping indoors.”
“We can’t just sleep on the streets!” Kelsey cried, “We’ll be mugged in our sleep!”
“Sounds like I’m going to have to reel in a few favors,” Kieran grumbled, “Come on.”
Kieran stomped into an inn. Kelsey scooped up Sonya and followed after him.
A toothless innkeeper greeted them once they made it inside. “Why Kieran!” he cried happily, “I thought you had left our dear little town for good.”
“I tried,” Kieran said shooting a glare at Kelsey, “Look, I need a room.”
“I don’t give rooms for free, Kieran.”
“I thought you’d say that,” Kieran said, “That’s a shame. Say, have you talked to that girl who works the corner down the block?”
The innkeeper grinned, “More than just talk.”
“That’s nice,” Kieran said with a grin, “Perhaps I should introduce her to your wife. I think they’d have a lot to talk about.”
The innkeeper suddenly went very pale, “Okay, I get it. There’s one room left for the night. It’s yours.”
“Thank you,” Kieran said with a smile, “Come on, this way.”
“That was more of a threat than a favor,” Kelsey muttered.
“If you have a better way to get a room be my guest,” Kieran snapped, “Otherwise, you can sleep on the streets.” Kelsey clamped her mouth shut.
The three of them went upstairs to inspect the room. Kelsey crinkled her nose in disgust. The entire room suck to high heaven and it had very little furniture. It had a bed, dresser, and a small bucket of water sitting in the corner. “Is this it?!” Kelsey cried.
“I’m sorry,” Kieran snapped sarcastically, “I didn’t have any blackmail on any other innkeepers.”
“There’s only one bed,” Kelsey pointed out.
“I know,” Kieran said, “Sonya can sleep in an open dresser drawer, she’s small enough. And you can sleep on the floor.”
“And I can sleep… WHERE?”
“On. The. Floor.” Kieran said enunciating every syllable.
“Why do you get the bed?!”
“Because I got us the room!”
“I am NOT sleeping on the floor!”
“Well, neither am I!” The two glared each other down for a few moments. Finally, Kelsey grumbled.
“You better stay on your side!”

SONYA was settled in and fell asleep almost instantly. Kelsey and Kieran lay awake, back to back on the bed. “This sucks!” Kelsey grumbled.
“Tell me about it,” Kieran agreed, “I didn’t plan on coming back here.”
“It’s a horrible place to live,” Kelsey said, “Your childhood must have sucked! No wonder you’re so messed up!”
“Hmmph,” Kieran snapped, “I’ll have you know, I wasn’t raised here. I just ended up here.”
“Where DID you grow up?” Kelsey asked, “A gutter?”
“Basically,” Kieran answered tensely. Kelsey instantly regretted her tone. “I grew up in The Royal City. The capital of our realm, Caelestis, the heavenly city.”
“It wasn’t a nice place?” Kelsey asked, catching his tone.”
“Depends on what side of heaven, you live on,” Kieran said with a sigh, “I could see Crown Prince Aiden frolicking in his gardens while I was begging in the streets.”
“Robbing in the streets,” Kelsey muttered.
“That too,” Kieran agreed, “So do you have some sort of plan as to what we do next? I don’t even know where we’re going. Kelsey?” Kelsey?”
He looked over at Kelsey. Her eyes were closed and her breathing heavy. Kieran let out a sigh and rolled back onto his side. Suddenly, Kelsey’s eyes snapped open and she kicked Kieran hard. Kieran rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Kelsey sprawled out across the sheets. “HA!” she laughed evilly, “The bed is mine!”
On the floor, she could hear Kieran grumbling. She didn’t catch all of it, but it sure sounded like, “DAMN FEMALES!”
Kelsey giggled to herself, “Good night, Kieran.”