Chapter 8

The whisper was like a nudge that pulled me into a sudden realization. It spoke so subtly that it disappeared in the air before I could even try to understand it. And as I stared at Harvey with widened eyes, a crow appeared in my peripheral –– the same crow that was on my nightstand last night. I heaved a breath and placed a hand on my forehead.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” I muttered, and Harvey was only left confused.

“Why are you holding back?” he asked, disappointment apparent on his face.

“It’s just––“ but I couldn’t tell him.

Why did I feel like I was doing something wrong? Like a twinge in my chest pulling me towards something else… someone? Didn’t my body want it? To be held, to be touched, to be kissed? But did I want it to be him? Or was it because he was the only one I had? I’d grown familiar with what our connection was supposed to be: we were friends. And doing more than that distanced the bond we built all those years from what we have now.

Harvey stood from the couch and walked in front of me. He lifted my chin with his finger and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead that almost reminded me of the dream I had last night.

“It’s just the two of us, Elle,” he mumbled, his breath sent warmth to my skin. “And we’re not kids anymore. It’s always been us.”

“Harvey.” It almost came out like a plea. He put a finger on my lip to hush me.

“It’s always been you, Elle. I’ve wanted you for so long.” His hands move to both sides of my body, his thumb pressing on my hips. “Please, tell me, you also wanted this.”

What he said rang a different meaning in my head.

“Let’s give it some time.” I put my hand on his chest, but he refused to pull away.

“All those years we separated, I’ve only longed for you,” he professed, but my mind fought over his words. I couldn’t figure out what was holding me back from accepting this.

“Harvey––“

“All those years I was away from you feel worse than death.”

“Please, don’t––“

“You’re the only one I want from this world, Elle.” His grasp had become more aggressive as I resisted.

“Stop!” I exclaimed, forcefully pulling away from him. “You’re making me uncomfortable.”

“How am I making you uncomfortable? I’m just being honest.”

“That’s not the point.” I shook my head as his face contorted to a frown.

“Then what is?”

I pursed my lips together. “I told you, let’s give it some time.”

“Why? I thought you felt the same? And we had a deal, remember?”

“This is what I’m talking about: you’re becoming like your parents.” I heaved a sigh and braced myself to not offend him. “I told you we needed time, and guess what you’re doing? Putting pressure on me just like how your parents put pressure on you all your life.”

He went silent after that and gave me a blank stare. I knew I hit a nerve, but I couldn’t force myself to be locked up too soon. Not when the Goddess was guiding me towards someone else… and not when I was still uncertain of what they meant.

“And I’m sorry that this has to come out of my mouth, but you need to know that we still have a lot of things to work on –– to figure out. I don’t mean to hurt you or anything.” At that, I walked away from the vicinity and retired to my room.

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Harvey and I didn’t speak about what happened last night, nor did he apologize or talk to me the other day. This morning, I was left alone in the apartment while he informed me he’d go on a run. Maybe to clear his head, or maybe he was avoiding me.

I didn’t mean to offend him by mentioning his parents. It wasn’t my intention to bring it up out of frustration or anger. It was merely an observation, and knowing him, he absolutely didn’t take it lightly. I didn’t know how to make sense of last night: the ball, the fireflies, and the voices, the prince and his threat, the crow, and Harvey. They all stacked up –– a little bit of everything colliding, maybe led to that overwhelm.

And the fact that I had no one to open up to made the situation worse. And I wondered if I unintentionally pushed Harvey away.

A thought popped into my head as the calling card on my bedside table caught my attention. They didn’t have cellphones in Azen; only an old-looking phone that had this circular wheel you had to rotate to dial the number. So I grabbed the card and headed to the living room. It didn’t take long before I figured out how to make it work, and a few rings later…

“Hello, this is Therese’s boutique. How may I help you?”

“Hi, this is Ellie.” I bit my bottom lip, hoping she could recognize my voice.

“Ellie…” Then there was a shuffling noise and a person talking in the background. “What’s up?”

“Are you busy right now?” I fidgeted with the necklace Harvey gave me last night.

“Nope. You know what? I might have to tell you something if you can come to the boutique right now.”

“Sure. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

After hanging up the call, I grabbed a coat from the rack, headed down the street, and tried to remember the way to Therese’s boutique.

As soon as I arrived at the shop, I raised my brows at the sight of Harvey, leaning on the counter close to Therese, and they stopped mid-conversation when I entered. I flicked my eyes to both of them, and Therese just flashed me a smile.

“You’re just in time,” she said and gestured for me to come closer to the counter.

Harvey avoided my gaze and shifted from where he stood. He grabbed the bottle of soda on the counter and chugged it down his throat. Why did he get here before me? Did he tell her?

“I didn’t know you were here,” I said as I took off my coat.

“I saw a poster this morning about devastating news,” he responded, and I kind of had a sense of relief that he didn’t ignore me this time.

“The queen is dead,” Therese announced with nonchalance. “And all of the Azenians are being informed about this tragic news.”

“I thought about telling you this when I get home,” Harvey added.

The queen is dead. And it all led me back to the two royal siblings… especially Enzo.

“I know you both are still confused. As far as I’m informed, the king died during the war that happened a few years ago. Now the queen is dead… before and after even announcing the heir to the throne,” Therese explained, and she looked rather calculating than bothered.

“What’s the cause of her death?” I asked, my heart thudding in my ears.

“It wasn’t stated in the poster, meaning, they couldn’t have known.” Therese moved across the counter and leaned on her back. “But as Azenians might say, if the Goddess fated, may everything align. Maybe she was sick but I know the Azenthars couldn’t die from illnesses; they’re the children of Selene.”

A tragedy like this couldn’t have been fated because I knew ‘death’ was the antithesis of it. Especially if it was untimely. The announcement of it just after a ball and during the Azenthars’ introduction seemed too orchestrated to be coincidental. That gap would leave you questioning.

“So what you’re saying is…”

“The willow tree,” Therese said. “All lives lived in Azen lead back to the willow tree. If it was fate, then fireflies would’ve appeared that night, signifying a cycle of life had been fulfilled. But there was no fireflies or any sign of them that night.”

But there was a firefly. I saw it. It led me to the prince, to the dead werewolves, to the danger in the forest. Could it be that…

‘Tell anyone about this, and you’ll be dead by dawn.’ What the prince told me that night lingered in my head. And the whispers… could it be that those were the ‘fate’ trying to show me?

“I must’ve seen a firefly last night,” I admitted, and Therese stared at me in confusion.

“You did? Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I was reluctant. I didn’t know if I could trust them. “It was a firefly.”

“Azen’s fireflies can appear for different reasons, depending on the situation. So what did the firefly show you?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head and bit the insides of my mouth.

“You told me you went out to get some fresh air, and suddenly you came back with a ripped glove and blood on your arm. Surely, it had something to do with that firefly you saw,” Harvey pointed out, looking suspicious. “What did it show you?”

“I can’t, I’m sorry.” I hated being put in this situation. My life would be in line if they’d start to point fingers.

“If you’re not going to tell us, we’re just going to assume that you’re hiding something really bad,” Therese implied.

“Just tell us, Elle, at least for the sake of the kingdom. Everyone’s been speculating and has only concluded that she died from an illness.”

“Promise me, if I tell you guys, no one will know, not even those closest to you.” I landed my eyes on Therese, and both she and Harvey exchanged glances.

“We promise. Everything we’ve talked about will stay between the three of us,” Therese reassured.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to muster up enough courage to tell them about what I witnessed last night. “The prince. The firefly led me to the prince.” Then both of them looked at me in disbelief and waited in anticipation. “There were dead werewolves in the forest. He was there, standing in front of them. When he saw me, he threatened that if I spoke to anyone about what I just saw, he would kill me.”