Page 4 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince
“I don’t know.”
Elden shrugs. “Doesn’t matter.” He turns and signals me to follow him. “From now on, stay close to me.”
“Okay,” I nod, and grab the plant tighter, “and you stay close to me.”
He looks at me, surprised. “Why?”
“The light likes you.”
“Grandma!” I burst through the door to our little cottage. Grandma said we could live in the packhouse, too, but she prefers it this way.
“Yes, sunshine?” Grandma peeks into the living room, and her eyes cloud with worry when she sees how I’m covered in dirt and scratches. “Who did that? This time, they went too far!”
“Grandma!” I say with emphasis. “Look, I saved this plant!” I show her the beautiful little plant with the white flowers on it. “The light loves it! Oh, and I-” I pause so I don’t sound too overexcited. “I have a friend over.”
Grandma looks at my face first, then at the flower, then at the door. “You do?”
“Yes, I-” I turn my head, noticing that Elden didn’t follow me through the door. I jump back outside, grabbing his hand and tugging him along. He tosses me an unamused glare, but I ignore it. “He saved the flower for me, Grandma.”
“Oh!” Her eyes light up. “The young prince.”
“I apologize for dropping by unannounced,” Elden says, suddenly sounding so sophisticated and earnest. “I should have announced my visit instead of disturbing you.”
“What?” I giggle. “Why are you talking so weird? You said I should stay close to you, remember?” I turn to Grandma. “The light likes him too,” I whisper.
Grandma smiles brightly. “Does it?” She reaches out her hand towards us. “Come in, both of you.”
Elden doesn’t say a lot, but I’m surprised at how polite he is to Grandma. He is so different now that no one is around. He even helps me plant the flower we saved. Grandma tells us it’s a ghost orchid and apparently very rare. She says they normally don’t grow in our area, and it’s a miracle I found one. This makes me even gladder that I protected it.
“Please grow and get strong,” I whisper to it.
Elden shakes his head. “You are weird,” he says. But unlike when the other children say it, he doesn’t sound vile.
“I thought you would be meaner,” I point out.
“And I thought you would be shier,” he retorts.
When he helps me carry the potted plant to my room, our hands touch. I can feel these tingles again and squeal. “You are doing it again.”
“It’s clearly you!” he retorts, sounding annoyed. He places the pot in its place before pulling his hands away and rubbing them.
I notice how Grandma peeks into my room. “What happened?” she asks.
“Elden is electric,” I complain.
“She is the one that’s sizzling!” he says.
Something in Grandma’s eyes lights up. She looks joyful all of a sudden, curious, and a bit excited. “That’s beautiful,” she says, and I have no idea what she is talking about. “Now come, I’ve made cake and hot chocolate for you.”
“What does she mean?” Elden asks me once Grandma leaves the room. “What’s beautiful?”
“I have no idea.” I take his hand again to tug him along.
I feel the tingles again but ignore them this time. Grandma doesn’t think it’s dangerous, and they do feel comforting.
two
Struggles
