Seraphina groaned as she opened her eyes and sat up. "Oh shit." She held her head, she had no replication of what happened last night. She looked around seeing she was in her room - finally. Usually, when Seraphina is drunk she sleeps at a stranger's house or sleeps at the tavern - never going back home because she didn't want her mother to worry. Seraphina is fine with people judging her, but she doesn't like people harming her family. She turns to the side of the bed when she heard a groan, and saw a pretty teenage boy. Seraphina rolled her eyes, this was the 8th time she slept with a stranger and also the first time bringing a guy from a tavern to her bedroom. The princess got off the bed and put on her clothes from last night.
Seraphina waited for 10 minutes for the boy to wake up. When he did Seraphina grabbed the teen's clothes and threw them at him. The teen sat up as he held onto his clothes and rubbed his eyes and looked around. The covers held his naked body when he looked and his eyes stopped on the young princess. The princess gave him a cold stare.
"Morning, sweetie." the teen said.
Seraphina rolled her eyes. "What are you still doing here? I told you no one spends the night here! Now get out!" She raised her voice, showing her Inix side.
The boy scoffed. "You're serious? I thought we had something special. I lost my virginity because of you." The boy got up from her bed Seraphina forgot that the teen was still naked as he still held onto his clothes.
"Well, that was your mistake, not mine. No one told you to sleep with me, but you did it anyway actually thinking we had something "special" I can't believe you believe I was a virgin." Seraphina laughed.
The teen put on his clothes, angrily and walked out the door as Seraphina followed to the throne room which led to the front door. The boy opened the door seeing the light bounce off his skin. He turned around and looked at Seraphina and without warning, he slapped her hard. And then kissed her. "I hope I see you tomorrow." He said smiling showing his dimples.
Seraphina looked at him in confusion and then snorted. "You're kidding right. Sorry sweetie, not a chance." The boy's smile fell. "Look I feel you're still angry about taking your virginity and-"
"No, it was 100% worth it. I just feel-"
"Listen, Barnett, there isn't going to be a tomorrow. Quite frequently, like you said there is no us."
"My name is Blaze not Barnett. I thought it was the greatest night ever. I thought there we were having a moment."
"No, you thought you were having a special moment. To me, you're just like any other guy I had a one-night stand with. You're all the same. So bye, Brent." The princess slammed the door in his face as she turned and went to her room. As she went she saw her mother and sister put up old paintings. The princess went up to them to see her great grandparents who once ruled the Foix Village, she smiled seeing the people who she didn't know, but every time she will think that they were still in the kingdom. "Hey," she called out.
Lady Alinta looked at her daughter, dressed in a silk red robe and had robes around her eyes. She must've woken up early for putting the picture. Or so Seraphina thought.
"It seems you're finally back." Lady Alinta said.
"Finally? What do you mean by that?"
"I mean sleeping with random strangers and spending the night at their house, never telling your mother you were gone. Making me worry so much about you."
"I spend the night at their house for you not to look for me," Seraphina said as she heard Fiamma sigh and shook her head.
Alinta's eyes were fueled by anger. "What?! Not look for you! I had to wait for 24 hours for you to come home, not even getting an ounce of sleep in over a month. You missed everything, you even missed Fiamma's 18th birthday. If only you would've learned your lesson from what happened that night." Seraphina's eyes were teary she wanted to forget those memories, especially the one that still haunts her. She looked at her older sister, but Fiamma just didn't do anything. The princess rushed to her room and slammed the door..... She didn't mean for her mother to be this damaged. She wiped away her tears and went over to her closet and took out a pair of shorts and a tank top. As she put them on the notice a reflection in a mirror she turned around and saw a letter on her pillow. She furrows her eyebrows in confusion before she put her hair in a ponytail. She went to the mysterious letter, picked it up, tore it open, and read.
Dear Princess Seraphina,
This letter will change your life, you and a few kids are invited on a dangerous journey to see things you've never seen before. Are you tired of being left out - tired of someone judging you - tired of not having an adventure and tired of hiding? Then come to the lunge and wait and see.
She didn't have to be told twice, the princess took out a bag and put a few things in there as she went out the door. When she went to the throne room she saw her mother sitting on her throne, Seraphina didn't take a second glance at her as she went out the door and wat h the sun glimmer on her skin. The princess didn't wanna leave her mother alone, but something was making her do bad decisions that she doesn't even wanna do. She ran to the Gounge even though the Gounge is in the Zaw Valley and it will take her 5 weeks to get there. She ran fast feeling her footsteps beating on the ground leaving prints, her body burst into flames as she darted to the Zaw Valley leaving everything around her in flames. When Seraphina crossed the bord line she notice the Zaw Valley was quite different from the Foix Village she couldn't see very much, the only thing she saw was Xincs fishing or swimming in the water. When Seraphina was running she heard a noise she turned around while still running when she looked back ahead she suddenly felt pain as she fell to the ground. She groaned and noticed that she wasn't breathing well, her nose was dislocated. She held on to her nose and put it back in place hearing a crack as she got up from the ground. Seraphina saw a person on the ground - She went over to that person and saw him hug himself Seraphina saw the person holding the envelope. The person looked up before seeing the young princess extend her hand Seraphina noticed that the person was a teenage boy when he grabbed onto her hand and hauled him up.
"I'm sorry I should've looked where I was going." The teen said, wiping her tears, even though he didn't have to apologize.
"No, you don't have to do that. It was me who didn't look where I was going."
The teenage boy sighed as he picked up the envelope wiping the mud off of it. Seraphina studied him. He was handsome and quite short - like around 5'3 he has ashen skin with dark green marks, fiery white black hair that held his white horns and bright amber eyes with black specks, but she noticed something odd about him - his neck was covered by bruises too signaling he was strangled to death. "I'm Bourne." He introduced himself.
"Seraphina." The princess's eyes were focused on the envelope. "Do you mind me asking, but is that the letter to the Gounge?"
Bourne nodded. "Yeah, I was going there right before this happened." He chuckled softly.
"Well I have one too, maybe we can go together."
"Yeah, but let's get there faster."
"What do you mean-" her voice was cut off as Bourne's hands turn blue as he made a fireball and three it making a portal. The portal sparks everywhere. "I didn't know Xinc's can make fire portals " Bourne grabbed her hand and went inside the portal. They landed on their feet as they looked around and saw a table and a few chairs where a group of teenagers was looking at them in shock.
Seraphina and Bourne sat in the last seats and waited. Seraphina looked at the teens as they looked at her and Bourne. "I'm Seraphina and this is Bourne."
"I'm Aspen." Aspen had pale skin with blue-white hair that had a grey end and baby blue eyes.
"I'm Iclyn, Aspen's big sister." Iclyn had ashen skin with blue-white hair and pale blue eyes. They were Inixes.
"I'm Cypress and this is my twin sister Bianca." Cypress was beautiful with ivory skin, golden blonde tousled hair, and bright blue-violet eyes that were by glasses which made his eyes look huge. Bianca had ivory skin with white-blonde hair and dark blue eyes. "I'm Aspen's girlfriend," she added.
"I'm Hermione, Sierra's best friend." Hermione had lime green skin with pale green eyes and black hair.
"I'm Dion, also Sierra's best friend." Dion was a human with dark skin, jet black hair, and turquoise eyes.
"And I'm Sierra." Sierra was gorgeous. She had green skin with dark green eyes and long red hair that was braided into a bun.
They all waited and talked to one another, knowing about each other, about their life. That's when they heard a noise. They all looked around and saw the clouds were getting dark as a yellow beam shot out from the sky and into the ground - right next to them. The beam extended into a person. The person was a man. He had golden skin with black marks around his arms as electricity shocks came out of his arms shocking the teens. He had purple-black hair and dark blue eyes. He smiled showing his sharp teeth. "Welcome to the Gounge." He said.

© Breanna Holton