Spoiler
this is the last part in this novel. I am very proud of it. I will be editing the whole novel, once I am finished publishing it all.
Chapter 1:
Aniline and Jeremy were running through the burnt, hot forest when they heard it. A long scream ripped through the stuffy, humid air. The cry telling everyone that prisoners had escaped. They ran even faster, reaching the red gate in the nick of time. Almost. Soldiers ran up to them, and the two stood their arms raised for a fight. Aniline’s mind was whirring, as she fought with a long silver dagger.
Jeremy stood, in the midst of a pile of dead bodies. Aniline was sobbing, her silver gown stained with red blood. “Come” he said waving her towards the gate. She looks so powerful, standing there. He thought as he opened the gate, letting her pass through. She didn’t even spare him a second glance. He caught hold of her hand, gripping it tightly. “Gorgeous, I-” she cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Don’t speak to me Jeremy.” She walked ahead, ten steps, then collapsed, blood spilling from her wound, flowing like a river down her legs, arms and face. He rushed to her side, scooping her up. He walked, quickly to the end of the sun and hopped off, praying they would land on the moon.
~
“He is dead.” The woman’s voice was unfeeling, as if she could care less about her son. “No, it can’t be” Aniline stated, running past the woman, into the hospital room. He was there, blood soaking through his bandages, “Gorgeous,” he murmured reaching out a shaking hand. “I see the light…” then his hand feel to the bed, saturated with blood. His face lifeless. His heart no longer beating.
Aniline awoke, screaming. “What- hat?” a sleep voice mumbled “what’s the matta’?” the voice grunted. She opened her eyes. Jeremy was sitting there, his hair tousled from sleep, looking perefect. What if your dream happened today? Aniline thought, her heart beating faster and faster. What if you never forgave him? “Jeremy…”
“Yes Gorgeous?”
“I…”
She wished her tongue would form the words she wanted it to, it would be so simple.
Jeremy sat up, his eyes alert. “Is there something you want to say?”
She sighed and looked at him.
“I’ve never been good at words.”
“Well this time you’re going to have to be.” He doesn’t look happy. She thought, her heart welling up in her throat.
“I forgive you.”
He jumped up, his face alight with happiness,
“Really and truly?”
“Really and truly.”
He was at her bedside in a second, his arms on either side of her, his face close to hers.
His breath smelled like peppermint, his lips smooth and so close to hers…
A clearing of a throat pulled Jeremy from the happiness encircling him. The queen walked in, her face a mask of anger.
“How dare thy kiss my daughter!” she screamed, raising her hand. An unseen force yanked Jeremy away from Aniline, leaving him binded in a chair.
“Mother!” Aniline sat up straighter, And raised her hand. A silver wisp of smoke came out of the palm of her hand, and circled the queen in a silver cage. An opal gag covered her mouth.
The queen’s eyes bugged out and she struggled to remove the bonds.
“Now I want you to listen very carefully,”
said Aniline, her aura glowing against her pale skin. Radiating power.
“I love Jeremy. I will not stop seeing him or kissing him and you cannot stop me from marrying him. When the time comes of course. You married my father to become queen, and ended up falling in love with him. I feel in love with a servant, and you banned me from seeing him. He came back, ten days ago; because he had heard I was marrying someone else.”
Jeremy let an audible gasp escape his lips; she just lied for me… LIED TO HER OWN MOTHER FOR ME! He thought.
Aniline continued
“I ran away with him, and those were the best times of my life. We were so comfortable together, we didn’t need anyone else. Then he admitted something to me I did not want to hear. We fought. Sun minions captured us and we escaped. AND I WANTED TO KISS HIM, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!” She raised her hand and the bonds that delimited Jeremy lifted. She threw herself on him, and kissed him long and hard, while her mother watched with disgust. Aniline rolled off him, and lifted her hand to release her mother.
“Leave!” Queen Cecilia spat, “Never let me see your face again.”
Chapter 2:
Aniline was stunned, “I was just kicked out of my own castle…” she said disbelievingly
Jeremy looked pained, “I’m sorry-” he began but Aniline cut him off with a wave of her hand. “It’s fine, fine.” She grabbed her hand. “I have a place we can go,”
he looked at her warily,
“How?”
“Just come on.”
She moved in a circle, quickly, concentrating on the place she had in her mind.
~
“Ouch” Jeremy grumbled, standing up.
She had teleported them to a small cottage, It was obvious they were still on the moon, though all he could see of the palace was the tallest spire.
“This is my special place.” She said, taking his hand and leading him inside. He noticed nothing, except the handsome young man standing there in the kitchen. “Jeremy, this is Youn,” she walked over to Youn, who wrapped her in a hug. He’s very comfortable with her… Jeremy thought, green blood coursing through his veins. “Youn, this is Jeremy, my boyfriend.” Youn held out his hand and Jeremy took it, gripping it as hard as he could. See the way he puts his arm around her shoulder, Jeremy thought his eyes he was sure, were burning with jealousy.
“Youn is like a big brother to me.” Said Aniline coming back to stand near Jeremy. He let his arm slip round her waist and pulled her close.
“And with that comes responsibility.” Said Youn jokingly “so if you hurt her, you come see me” Jeremy swallowed and tried to smile, though it came out more of a grimace. “I’m sure that will never happen.” Jeremy said coldly, sitting down on an arm chair and pulling Aniline onto his lap. Youn moved towards the steps, “I’ll get two rooms ready then.” He said staring down at Jeremy, his mouth sat in a frown.
“Okay.” Said Aniline, wrapping her arms around Jeremy’s neck. As soon as Youn had left the room, Jeremy stood up, dumping Aniline into the floor. “Hey!” she cried standing up and hitting him playfully across the arm. “How exactly do you know this Youn guy?” he questioned his heart beating fast. She’s not going to like this… he thought as Aniline’s face became a mask of anger and bemusement. “My mother hired him as a butler for this place. Or rather hired his father, and when I was a child I lived here with my governess Lady Lelhia instead of in the castle.” She stood up and walked to the window; pointing out over the rolling hills “I would play for hours with Youn, under the birch trees. We built the tree house on that big branch with Ella one summer...” She smiled a sad smile “when I was nine my mother brought me back to the castle, to be taught by the best tutor in the country. And that is when I met you.” She plunked down on the sit-upon, crossing her legs in an Indian sitting position.
“oh.” Jeremy felt foolish, you stupid, stupid person, he is just a childhood friend. Nothing more, he thought to himself, stupid, stupid, stupid.
~
Aniline awoke to a pounding at her door. “Aniline, FIRE!” shouted Jeremy, fiddling with the door-knob which was locked from the inside. “FIRE!” Aniline sat bolt up-right throwing the bedclothes onto the floor. Fire? Wait, how? Turning the key in the lock, she ran out the door, Jeremy right behind.
“Where’s Youn?” she shouted, as they ran to the window at the far end, “don’t say that traitors name!” Jeremy growled, throwing the window open. Aniline froze, her mind racing, her heart beating what does he mean? Traitor? No! Not Youn. NO! It can’t be Youn. But as she prepared to kick Jeremy, another thought surfaced in her mind. A memory that she had banished from her mind.
“Youn!” Aniline shouted her voice an octave higher in anger. “Hmm?” said Youn, turning towards her arms out stretched. “I missed you so. What’s been happening?” She thrust the paper she had found waving like a flag, “what is this Youn? What?” His face paled when he saw it, snatching it from thin air.
His eyes scanned it quickly. “I don’t know Aniline. I have no idea” she stared him down. “I don’t believe you.” He shoot her a look, then walked away, towards to the barn his shoulders hunched over in anger.
Aniline shook her head. She had decided years ago that the note had been meant for someone else. But now, she wasn’t so sure.
~
Aniline stood outside the burning house, Jeremy’s arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder. “Look!” she burst out, throwing his arm of her. “a person!” she ran towards him, one thought in her brain: please let it be Youn! Once she reached the man, she groaned. It wasn’t Youn it was a boy she had never seen. Wait… she thought staring at him. How on earth did this man get in the house? She tackled him, pinning him to the dry, burnt grass as rain began to fall.
The M.P.D. (moon police department) arrested the man, whose name was Vlad. As Jeremy stood, Aniline sobbing into his shoulder, Vlad confessed everything.
“Youn called me several weeks ago and asked me if I would be interested in a job. I was on leave from the Sun soldier academy and I thought ‘why not?’ Youn said he had been spying on the princess of the moon for a long time and he knew exactly what her plan would be, once she returned to the castle and was banished. We got ready, collecting the explosives we would need to set fire to the cottage, hopefully trapping the princess inside. We hadn’t planned on him though.” Vlad jerked his head towards Jeremy, shooting a nasty look at him. “When they arrived we knew the plan probably wouldn’t work. We decided to try it anyway, and look where it got us.” He snarled at the princess and her boyfriend.
“are you going to press charges?” the M.P.D. officer asked Aniline, dutifully looking away from her tear covered face. ‘Yes” she rasped, and turned away, walking towards the big birch tree. Jeremy began to follow her, but she waved him off. “I want to be alone” she sobbed, running, to the tree house in the birch tree.
Aniline sat in the middle of the platform,in the tree, her head between her knees. The tears streaked down her face, and the pain was the screams that escaped from her mouth.
Everyone kept far away, though she caught Jeremy walking towards her, then walking away again. It continued to rain, and she retreated under the roof of the tree house. An hour after the sun had risen, she heard footsteps on the staircase that lead up the side of the tree. “Go away” she shouted
“No can do” Ella’s voice rang, clear and sweet from the other side of the platform. “When my best friend is in need, I gotta do what I gotta do, no matter what she says.” She came around the side of the house, carrying four yogurt cups, two blankets and a couple of spoons. Aniline sighed, tears still flowing silently down her face. Ella had tear tracks on her face to, and her nose was red. Ella knew Youn to. Aniline thought, the pain of losing a friend and knowing he was a traitor rising in her throat. She was friends with him to… And suddenly the two, had flung themselves into each other’s arms, and the sobbing rose to a fever pitch as each poured her heart out to the other one. For there is nothing like a best friend to cure deep wounds.
Chapter 3:
Jeremy paced back and forth in front of the window, every now and then glancing out the window. Aniline was sitting in a tree, talking earnestly to Ella while eating Pink Berry yogurt cups by the dozen. She had refused him, but willingly let Ella into the tree. A small part of his brain (the part not consumed by jealousy) knew he was overreacting. But that didn’t stop the thoughts that were reverberating around his brain. She really cared about Youn… And it’s obvious she shared many good memories with him. And Ella. Why can’t I accept that? Why does it bother me that she had a life that didn’t include me? The M.P.D. still was outside, conversing with the fire department. Vlad sat, in the back of police van, his face sat in a hard line. He caught Jeremy looking at him and mouthed three words. Beware the Magi.
~
Aniline felt much better, She and Ella had fallen asleep in the tree house, and then someone, in the middle of the night had carried them down. She had slept in a bed in the barn, which hadn’t been burned in the fire. When she woke, she looked around, Jeremy, an M.P.D. officer, Ella and James the hired hand were sleeping on bales of hay, similar to the one she was lieing on now. The horses were neighing softly, obviously hungry. She walked towards her horse, Morning star, feeding her from the bin in the corner. A crazy thought filled her mind and she grabbed Morning Star’ bridle, saddling her up. The Pegasus neighed, knowing they were going for a ride.
Aniline took a deep breath of the clear air, her hand relaxed in the reigns. She and Morning Star sailed through the skies, over top of the moon. She stared down at the rocky region, the flat region, the beach region of the moon, then looked at other planets: Earth, Mars, Saturn and Pluto; far off in the distance. When she couldn’t ignore her rumbling stomach she headed back towards the farm and Jeremy she thought. Then laughed at herself. Your so head over heels for him.
When she reached the gate, she saw people scurrying about, shouting her name. “I’m telling you, she took Morning Star for a ride!” Ella shouted exasperatedly. “She used to do it all the time.”
Jeremy was running up to the big birch on the hill. “Morning Star is in her stall.”
“No she’s not.”
“Yes she is.”
Aniline laughed, causing the searchers and Ella to turn around. “No she’s not.”
Jeremy rushed to her wrapping her in his arms.
“what’s the matter? Why is everyone making such a fuss?” Aniline said, pulling free of Jeremy’s grip.
“well” said Ella her eyes twinkling;
“They don’t understand you grew up here. They think your some hoity-totty princess who can’t take care of herself.”
Jeremy blushed. “Don’t exaggerate Eleanor.”
“Jeremy, I didn’t even know I was a princess till I was eight. I was perfectly able then and still am now.” Aniline said regally “Now if anyone would care to join me, I’m heading to the Shake to get some breakfast.”
Jeremy, Aniline and Ella stood outside the shake, an old fashioned diner in the middle of downtown East Burro where the Farm was located. They entered, and Aniline breathed in deep.
“Ahh the smells of deep fried pancakes,” said Ella her eyes misty with memories.
“remember when we used to come in here after school?” she said to Aniline as Jeremy led them to a table.
“yeah. And Youn, Scott, Shiloh we all order the moon rock pizza” The two girls giggled, remembering sour those pizzas were.
“And we found Pink-berry blueberry flavored yogurt.” Ella said grunting with laughter.
A waitress, gum smacking against her jaw came over. “Yvette!” Ella and Aniline cried, at the same time she cried
“Ella, Aniline!” The three young women hugged, while Jeremy watched uncomfortably.
“who’s this?” Yvette said, looking Jeremy up and down.
“my boyfriend” said Aniline her face red.
Now you know how it feels. Jeremy thought, as Yvette’s face visibly fell.
“Oh well… what can I get you?” she said quickly, her face red, making her freckles stand out on her face.
Jeremy scanned the menu,
Fried biscuits? Poached Potato’s? Boiled Cherry pie? What is with these foods? Jeremy thought, his mouth hanging open. Aniline and Ella immediately rattled off complex orders, as though they had memorized them. Which, they probably did, He thought bitterly.
All through the meal, Aniline and Ella kept jumping up to greet old friends. Scott, Rosalind, Shellie, Kate and Mercia; each time, the girls would look Jeremy up and down, then back away when they found out that he was Aniline’s boyfriend. And each time they would all plop down in the booth with them. Soon they were surrounded by ten people. Aniline was loving it, and Jeremy was hating it.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN? WILL THE MOON WIN? WILL THE SUN? STAY TUNED FOR THE EPIC BATTLE: SPECIALY PUBLISHED, STAY TUNED!
