I’ve just been calling it time travel.”
“Right. I forgot you know how to Globe.”
Tiara blinked. “You knew? How?”
“Archrin told me.”
“He did what?” She blurted.
Was that wrong of him? Olinia pulled a face, hoping she didn’t just get him into trouble. She decided to change the topic. “Why were you in Tlaid? Were you captured by the Kendrens?”
Her plan worked in getting Tiara’s mind off of Archrin. Tiara ran her tongue along the back of her teeth. “No, not exactly. I helped destroy the Kendrens.”
“What!” It was Olinia’s turn to be surprised.
“It’s true. The Kendrens are dead.”
“Then, who took their place?”
Tiara smiled slightly. “That would be me. I’m the official princess of the Saerds.”
“How?”
“I’m the real heir to the throne,” she replied simply.
Olinia was dumbfounded. “What do you mean by real?”
“My grandmother is your grandmother’s older sister.”
“We’re cousins?” Olinia exclaimed, a little louder than she’d meant to. “Is that why we look alike?”
“So, some guy came up to me today at tennis practice.”
The female voice surprised Olinia, but was a reminder that she still didn’t know why she and Tiara were there. She rounded the corner of the room first.
It was for dining, with a doorway to the kitchen in the opposite wall. The rectangular table and tall-backed chairs were a dark wood and sat in the center of the room. A long mirror hung on one wall, making the room appear larger than it was. The walls were painted a deep red. At the table, a teenage girl with choppy, shoulder-length hair and round blue eyes was studying several textbooks in front of her. More books were in front of the empty chair to her right.
“Oh yeah?” Came a muffled response from the kitchen.
“It was kind of weird,” the girl called back.
“Why? Because he was trying to flirt with you?”
Even before the person reached the doorway to the kitchen, Olinia knew who was going to walk through it. To her, the man’s voice was unmistakable. Olinia suddenly felt ill, and found herself trembling. When he appeared in the doorway, Olinia had to use the wall to keep herself on her feet.
Tiara blinked. “Is that...”
“Will.” Olinia finished for her.
He looked just as she remembered him. The same dark blond hair, angled jaw, and eyes the color of a stormy sky. He was in jeans and a short-sleeved white polo. Ethon apparel was truly his style. The Other World clothes he had worn did not give his figure justice.
The girl at the table rolled her eyes as Will joined her, a can of soda in his hand. “No, he wasn’t trying to flirt with me.”
Will laughed, a sound that made Olinia’s chest ache. “Then, what was so weird?”
“I think he was trying to recruit me for something. He said he’d been watching me practice for the past couple weeks. He said I have a rare set of skills.”
“That’s not weird. He’s just a talent scout.”
“No.” She shook her head slowly. “He wasn’t referring to my tennis. He kept bringing up my reflexes and how I’m different than most people, saying I’m special.”
“Different how?”
“Like how the reason why I’m good at tennis is because I can predict what my opponent will do next.” She frowned. “How did he know I could do that?”
Will took a sip from his soda. “You can really predict their next move?”
“If I concentrate hard enough I can. It doesn’t happen all the time though, just when my game is really on that day.”
“What is she talking about?” Tiara asked from beside Olinia.
“Tennis is an Ethon sport,” Olinia replied. “Sports are a big deal in Ethon.”
“Did he say anything else?” Will set his can onto the table.
“Yeah, he mentioned some East Coast after-school program he was bringing out here.”
“What’s it called?”
The girl’s face scrunched up. “I can’t remember it’s real name. The initials were DS, though.”
“No way.”
“Right. I forgot you know how to Globe.”
Tiara blinked. “You knew? How?”
“Archrin told me.”
“He did what?” She blurted.
Was that wrong of him? Olinia pulled a face, hoping she didn’t just get him into trouble. She decided to change the topic. “Why were you in Tlaid? Were you captured by the Kendrens?”
Her plan worked in getting Tiara’s mind off of Archrin. Tiara ran her tongue along the back of her teeth. “No, not exactly. I helped destroy the Kendrens.”
“What!” It was Olinia’s turn to be surprised.
“It’s true. The Kendrens are dead.”
“Then, who took their place?”
Tiara smiled slightly. “That would be me. I’m the official princess of the Saerds.”
“How?”
“I’m the real heir to the throne,” she replied simply.
Olinia was dumbfounded. “What do you mean by real?”
“My grandmother is your grandmother’s older sister.”
“We’re cousins?” Olinia exclaimed, a little louder than she’d meant to. “Is that why we look alike?”
“So, some guy came up to me today at tennis practice.”
The female voice surprised Olinia, but was a reminder that she still didn’t know why she and Tiara were there. She rounded the corner of the room first.
It was for dining, with a doorway to the kitchen in the opposite wall. The rectangular table and tall-backed chairs were a dark wood and sat in the center of the room. A long mirror hung on one wall, making the room appear larger than it was. The walls were painted a deep red. At the table, a teenage girl with choppy, shoulder-length hair and round blue eyes was studying several textbooks in front of her. More books were in front of the empty chair to her right.
“Oh yeah?” Came a muffled response from the kitchen.
“It was kind of weird,” the girl called back.
“Why? Because he was trying to flirt with you?”
Even before the person reached the doorway to the kitchen, Olinia knew who was going to walk through it. To her, the man’s voice was unmistakable. Olinia suddenly felt ill, and found herself trembling. When he appeared in the doorway, Olinia had to use the wall to keep herself on her feet.
Tiara blinked. “Is that...”
“Will.” Olinia finished for her.
He looked just as she remembered him. The same dark blond hair, angled jaw, and eyes the color of a stormy sky. He was in jeans and a short-sleeved white polo. Ethon apparel was truly his style. The Other World clothes he had worn did not give his figure justice.
The girl at the table rolled her eyes as Will joined her, a can of soda in his hand. “No, he wasn’t trying to flirt with me.”
Will laughed, a sound that made Olinia’s chest ache. “Then, what was so weird?”
“I think he was trying to recruit me for something. He said he’d been watching me practice for the past couple weeks. He said I have a rare set of skills.”
“That’s not weird. He’s just a talent scout.”
“No.” She shook her head slowly. “He wasn’t referring to my tennis. He kept bringing up my reflexes and how I’m different than most people, saying I’m special.”
“Different how?”
“Like how the reason why I’m good at tennis is because I can predict what my opponent will do next.” She frowned. “How did he know I could do that?”
Will took a sip from his soda. “You can really predict their next move?”
“If I concentrate hard enough I can. It doesn’t happen all the time though, just when my game is really on that day.”
“What is she talking about?” Tiara asked from beside Olinia.
“Tennis is an Ethon sport,” Olinia replied. “Sports are a big deal in Ethon.”
“Did he say anything else?” Will set his can onto the table.
“Yeah, he mentioned some East Coast after-school program he was bringing out here.”
“What’s it called?”
The girl’s face scrunched up. “I can’t remember it’s real name. The initials were DS, though.”
“No way.”
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