stepped toward us. “Very.”
“ I’ll blast you,” Henry cried.
“ Cal, I told you to stay away from the children.” I looked up the shore to see my dad heading for us. He looked really mad.
I glanced back at the stranger. He laughed, and in a flash of black light, he was gone.
“ Daddy?” I ran up to him and he picked me up. “He was a bad man. Henry said so. He had black eyes.”
Henry nodded. “Real bad.”
My dad looked at me, then at Henry. “I will make sure he never comes here again.”
“ Good,” Henry said. “Do you want me to tell my father? He’s a king. He can make bad people go away forever.”
“ His name is Prince Henry. He’s a real prince.” I looked up into my dad’s blue eyes. They looked a little darker to me…maybe I was imagining it.
“ Henry,” my dad smiled. “I don’t want you to tell your father. I will tell him myself.”
“ Are you sure?”
He nodded, setting me beside Henry on the ground. “Yes, in fact, I think it’s best you don’t tell anyone this happened. We don’t want them to think the beach isn’t safe. They would never let us play here again.”
Henry shrugged. “Okay. But I’m still hungry.”
“Then lets go eat,” my dad said, leading us back up to the house.
My head throbbed. I winced from aches and pains in places I didn’t know could hurt. But voices speaking quietly met my ears, keeping my attention, preventing me from slipping back into unconsciousness.
I blinked at the dim light filling the room. It was morning, and the TV was on low, which explained the voices.
Huh?
Wait, why was I in Henry’s room?
I tired to get out of bed, but something had me pinned. I lifted the covers. Henry was curled around me, had thrown his leg over mine and his arm was hooked around my waist.
Prince Henry.
The title more than fit, he owned it.
How come I never noticed before?
How come I never remembered before?
I always thought he acted differently because of his parents. They were English. It wasn’t a vastly different culture, but enough to set us apart.
I shook him awake. “Henry?”
“Hmm?” it took him a minute, but squinted up at me sleepily. “Hey, how do you feel?”
I floundered for a good answer, “I’m…confused.”
He was awake now, and sat up next to me, running a hand through his hair. “Do you remember what happened last night?”
In one big rush I recalled everything, hitting the tree, hurting Cal…I hurt him. I made him bleed. The snap of his leg echoed in my head and I gasped.
“Oh, God!” My hands shook and my teeth chattered violently. Each breath I took came faster, my chest heaving painfully. What had I done? What did I do to that man? I probably killed him!
“Venna, you’re all right, calm down.” Henry caught me in his arms, holding me tight enough to subdue some of the tremors coursing through me.
I gripped handfuls of his shirt, trying to make him understand. “No, I’m a monster! Did you see what I did to him?”
“You were protecting yourself. You are not a monster.” He soothed, lips pressed against my ear.
“I made him…bleed…just by touching his face.” I shuddered, staring at my hands. “How?”
“I’ll explain everything. Just try to relax, you’re sending yourself into a panic.”
Henry didn’t think I was a monster. But what was I? And my brother, what was he? It was like he sucked down a vat of jet fuel and took off!
Pressing my ear to Henry’s chest to hear the rhythmic beat of his heart calmed me. My body relaxed as he held me, and I began to feel better, aside from the fact that my head hurt like someone had dropped an anvil on it.
Henry handed me a glass of water and two aspirin that had been sitting on the bedside table. I took them, eager for the pain to dull. Although I wasn’t feeling as bad as I thought I would. Cal really put me through the ringer. A normal person would’ve been in the hospital.
He set the glass back on the side table and pulled me
“ I’ll blast you,” Henry cried.
“ Cal, I told you to stay away from the children.” I looked up the shore to see my dad heading for us. He looked really mad.
I glanced back at the stranger. He laughed, and in a flash of black light, he was gone.
“ Daddy?” I ran up to him and he picked me up. “He was a bad man. Henry said so. He had black eyes.”
Henry nodded. “Real bad.”
My dad looked at me, then at Henry. “I will make sure he never comes here again.”
“ Good,” Henry said. “Do you want me to tell my father? He’s a king. He can make bad people go away forever.”
“ His name is Prince Henry. He’s a real prince.” I looked up into my dad’s blue eyes. They looked a little darker to me…maybe I was imagining it.
“ Henry,” my dad smiled. “I don’t want you to tell your father. I will tell him myself.”
“ Are you sure?”
He nodded, setting me beside Henry on the ground. “Yes, in fact, I think it’s best you don’t tell anyone this happened. We don’t want them to think the beach isn’t safe. They would never let us play here again.”
Henry shrugged. “Okay. But I’m still hungry.”
“Then lets go eat,” my dad said, leading us back up to the house.
My head throbbed. I winced from aches and pains in places I didn’t know could hurt. But voices speaking quietly met my ears, keeping my attention, preventing me from slipping back into unconsciousness.
I blinked at the dim light filling the room. It was morning, and the TV was on low, which explained the voices.
Huh?
Wait, why was I in Henry’s room?
I tired to get out of bed, but something had me pinned. I lifted the covers. Henry was curled around me, had thrown his leg over mine and his arm was hooked around my waist.
Prince Henry.
The title more than fit, he owned it.
How come I never noticed before?
How come I never remembered before?
I always thought he acted differently because of his parents. They were English. It wasn’t a vastly different culture, but enough to set us apart.
I shook him awake. “Henry?”
“Hmm?” it took him a minute, but squinted up at me sleepily. “Hey, how do you feel?”
I floundered for a good answer, “I’m…confused.”
He was awake now, and sat up next to me, running a hand through his hair. “Do you remember what happened last night?”
In one big rush I recalled everything, hitting the tree, hurting Cal…I hurt him. I made him bleed. The snap of his leg echoed in my head and I gasped.
“Oh, God!” My hands shook and my teeth chattered violently. Each breath I took came faster, my chest heaving painfully. What had I done? What did I do to that man? I probably killed him!
“Venna, you’re all right, calm down.” Henry caught me in his arms, holding me tight enough to subdue some of the tremors coursing through me.
I gripped handfuls of his shirt, trying to make him understand. “No, I’m a monster! Did you see what I did to him?”
“You were protecting yourself. You are not a monster.” He soothed, lips pressed against my ear.
“I made him…bleed…just by touching his face.” I shuddered, staring at my hands. “How?”
“I’ll explain everything. Just try to relax, you’re sending yourself into a panic.”
Henry didn’t think I was a monster. But what was I? And my brother, what was he? It was like he sucked down a vat of jet fuel and took off!
Pressing my ear to Henry’s chest to hear the rhythmic beat of his heart calmed me. My body relaxed as he held me, and I began to feel better, aside from the fact that my head hurt like someone had dropped an anvil on it.
Henry handed me a glass of water and two aspirin that had been sitting on the bedside table. I took them, eager for the pain to dull. Although I wasn’t feeling as bad as I thought I would. Cal really put me through the ringer. A normal person would’ve been in the hospital.
He set the glass back on the side table and pulled me
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