Chapter Twenty Three (Make a wish)

Chapter: 23(Make a Wish)

 

 

            “Madison!” Addison smiled brightly as he swung me up in his arms and made a quick circle before planting me safely back down on the cobble ground.

            “You look beautiful!” He laughed, as he looked me up and down appraisingly. “Wow, remind me to tell Jennifer that she is amazing.” He joked. I tried to swat him but he quickly danced out of my own reach.

            “Happy Birthday to you too brother.” I mock frowned up at him. He was wearing a pair of snug fitting black trousers coupled with a white button shirt and black tie. He cleaned up even better then I did.

            Nicholas had hurried me back through the confusing maze of dark hallways of the Guild and through the threshold of front of the building. He then quickly escorted me through the center of the courtyard, following the winding cobble stone pathway to a small secluded cluster of trees. Right outside of the thicket he paused momentarily to look at me and take hold of my hands gently, my fingers warm against his. He looked into my eyes, light dancing within the bright green sea of his irises.

            “Happy Birthday Madison,” He breathed. The words coming out just slightly, above a whisper. I felt his breath slowly roll across my neck sending shivers down my spine. He then smoothly bent down and lightly brushed his lips against mine.

            His lips tasted of salt and I swooned. Feeling as though my legs had turned to jelly in an instant. Luckily, Nicholas broke the kiss before I actually did faint within the circle of his arms.

            “Your brother is waiting,” He nodded towards the trees and grinned. “Go.” He said as he let his arms slip away from my waist and he disappeared into the darkness of night like velvet.

            Now as I looked over at my brother I noticed that he was standing over a small blanket neatly laid out on the grass and he had a small picnic basket on the center of the blanket. I looked back up at Addison and grinned. He just smiled widely and wrapped his right arm around my neck in a brotherly hug. We had always been close and even though most boys his age would never be caught even hanging out with his sister, we had always enjoyed each other’s company.

            “Happy birthday, sis I am glad I get to be older then you for two more minutes.” He joked. He was born exactly two minutes ahead of me and we always joked that he got to be the older brother just for a short one hundred and twenty seconds.

            We both sat down at the red and white blanket. I crossed my legs under myself as Addison opened up the basket and pulled out two plates wrapped in aluminum foil.

            “I know it’s not the usual giant chocolate cake we get but this is the best I could do under such short notice.” He half grinned apologetically as he unwrapped our plates. Thick cheesecake slices lay on their sides on each plate. He quickly produced two white birthday candles from his pants pocket along with a small travel sized lighter. As he lights each one gently, cupping his hand around each one I studied his face underneath the glow of the flame.

            I thought about how much he looked like mom and dad. He had our fathers strong chin and hard nose, but he also had our mothers soft round eyes and thick eyelashes. I felt my breath catch in my throat for a moment. I was happy. No matter what had happened in these last few days and not mater what was to come, I would always have Addison, my twin brother by my side to protect me.

            “Make a wish Madison.” Addison smiled at me as he finished lighting the candles and sat the lighter down on the blanket between us.

            “On three.” He said as I looked down at my candle burning brightly, creating its own small glow of brightness against the dark night air. I thought about how big the night was and how small the candle was but yet it was able to create its own small world of light. I sighed deeply and with all my might, I wished that I could be as strong as the candle. That I could be strong enough to bring Mom and Dad back to safely. I wished that I could create my own small world of happiness, bright enough for our parents to find their way back to us.

            “One… Two …..Three.” I heard Addison whisper across to me. On three, we both blew out our birthday candle. For a moment, the world was enveloped into a thick darkness from where our eyes had adjusted to the additional light the candles had given off.

            “Happy Birthday.” I heard from across the blanket as my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.

            “Happy Birthday to you too Addison.” I smiled as I was beginning to be able to make out his silhouette against the dark background.

            “That wasn’t me, Madison.” I heard Addison say, his voice croaking out of his throat. I could hear the fear crackling like static electricity within his voice.

            Before I could completely stand up Addison was already in front of me his arms spread to his sides like a shield. We both peered into the dark cover of trees where the voice seemed to have drifted from.

            “Who is there?” Addison growled into the night. “Come out where we can see you.”

            Directly in front of us, deep within the shadows of branches and leaves, two figures began to appear from within the tangled mess. They moved slowly and smoothly as if carried by a carpet of mist. They stopped just on the edges of the darkness, keeping their faces hidden and no more then a fine silhouette.

            “I see you two have found out our little secret. I’m sad you had to find out this way.” One of the voices drawled out slowly. “We should have known Jackson would bring you here. He is young and foolish and just as corrupt as the rest of them.” The voice was barely above a whisper but it seemed to swirl around me. Something about it seemed familiar. It tickled the edges of my memory.

            “Listen carefully children,” The other voice spoke deeper then the other. This voice seemed just as familiar as the other one. “It isn’t safe for you to be here. We made sure you never came to this place for a reason.”

            It seemed like forever since the day that Zavion had burned their parents away from them and since that moment, I had been wishing with all of my might that my parents would come back to us. My stomach dropped and I gasped. I knew those voices! It was mom and dad. They had finally come back! My heart swelled in my chest. I swung around Addison and headed towards the trees at full speed. They had come back for our birthday. Everything would be all right now. I felt tears threatening to spill over as I neared the trees.

            “No!” Our parents shouted in unison. I could see their dark hidden bodies back step deeper into the undergrowth. I stopped in my tracks. My heart beating against my rib cage. “It’s not safe for you to be seen with us. Not here, anyway. The Guild isn’t who they seem to be. They are dangerous. We didn’t just leave because we wanted you to have a normal life. We left because we knew that when you both were born that you would have been in danger within the Guild’s hands.”

            I felt a hand rest gingerly on my shoulder. I looked up to see Addison standing behind me. His face was tight and constricted. His eyes were dark. He seemed to battling something deep within himself.

            “How do we know it’s really you? How do we know what you are saying is really the truth?” Addison spoke in the direction of the shadows. My mouth dropped open slightly. How could he think that wasn’t mom and dad? It was them I knew it! We were going to be okay. Our lives were going to go back to the way they were supposed to be. We would go home and forget this thing ever happened. Blind happiness seeped out of every pore in my body.

            “I know that things are a mess right now sweetheart.” I heard my mother croon. “But I promise that we are going to tell you everything soon enough. We can’t talk here. We need to go somewhere safe to talk. Zavion could be following us. We came straight here once we got free of that horrible place. We must go but your father and I want to meet you somewhere more private.”

            “Go? Where are you going to go?” I took a step forward. They just got here and we have been so worried for them. It wasn’t fair. I felt like I was on the verge of having a royal temper tantrum. I wanted to kick my legs and scream.

            “We know a place that we can talk freely without worrying about people finding us.” My father explained, his words enveloping me in relief.

“Meet us tomorrow during dawn at the old coal mine. It’s not far from here. Come by yourselves. Do not tell anyone of your plans. We can’t trust anyone from this point on.”            

            As my father quickly spoke to us, they began to back away from the edge of the thicket. They moved slowly as they spoke, the shadows growing thicker around them until they seemed to disappear into thin air.

            “What do we do now?” I turned to Addison. I felt fear growing in the pit of my stomach. Were we really not safe here? What could the Guild be hiding? Why were my parents acting so weird? I had a growing feeling of danger in my stomach.

            Addison looked at me seriously. I could see that he was thinking the same worrisome thoughts that I was.

            “We need Jackson.” He said resolutely before turning away from the grove of trees and heading swiftly back towards the Guild, leaving the picnic and our cake alone in the darkness.