The Locket (27 page)

For once, she glanced away from the unicorn. “How do we know the difference between the two?”

“By whether he or she comes over when we call or runs away.”

“Oh,” she nodded, turning back to it. When she was little, the unicorn was the one fairytale creature she knew she wanted to meet if given the chance. Now that one set itself before her, a tear began to form at the corner of her eyes. It was so beautiful. But it wasn’t just the beauty that tugged at her—it was her childhood wish come true. Reality or not, this was one of the greatest things that could have happened to her. “H-how do we call it over?” she stammered.

“First you must nod your head and see if it accept your company,” he explained, respectfully nodding his head in the direction of the unicorn. When it nodded back in acknowledgment, he continued. “Second, you have to be very polite, as if you were meeting royalty,” he explained. Clearing his throat, he spoke to the being in a very courteous manner. “Excuse me. Pardon us, but we have come across the great misfortune of being trapped in this cage by a treacherous ogre. We know that you are busy, but would you mind sparing a moment to help us?”

Bowing its head again, this time in acceptance, the unicorn trotted toward the cage. Finding the lock, it lowered its horn, and with a brilliant spark and the blink of an eye, it unlocked. Once ajar, Christian tore off the lock and opened the door, as the unicorn backed away to give them space. When they were out, he bowed down to show his gratitude to the creature. Savannah also bowed, following his lead. She would have curtsied, but she was not wearing a dress, and she thought that the unicorn might have thought that a mockery. With that, it bobbed its head, happy to oblige, and scurried off into the bushes.

“It may have been a tad juvenile; however, acting tremendously polite actually helps.”

“So it appears. Where did you learn to do that?”

“From my father,” he shrugged. “I had not ever expected something so ridiculous to work. When worse comes to worse, I trust my father and what he tells me.”

Nodding, she skimmed the area for any signs of movement. “I think that we should get out of here before the ogre comes back.”

He agreed, and taking her hand in his, they continued on with their journey. The sky, now pitch black, held only the vivid stars and moon to guide their path. The trees and branches that would have normally appeared frightening were nothing but mere shadows of the night. They neglected to haunt her this time, and she was able to see now that they were, close up, nothing more than bark and wood.

Savannah felt Christian’s hand tighten around hers, and guilt swam through her veins. True, she was relieved that she was at last able to show him how she felt and that he felt the same, but … there was always a “but.” The knots that once formed in the pit of her stomach when she first discovered she had feelings for Christian constricted because now that they had started something, it would be even more difficult to end when the time came. Sooner or later she would have to leave this world, and him, and sooner or later she would find out that this world was simply a dream.

It was approaching midnight when Savannah was about to suggest settling down. Just as she was about to open her mouth to talk, a faint sparkle in the distance caught her eye. Christian seemed to have noticed it too, because his steps grew much larger and they were quickening their pace.

They reached a circular clearing where the bushes and trees almost entirely disappeared for about ten acres and all that was left was a large pond directly in front of a miniature, bulky rock face.

This was, no doubt, the Enchanted Pond. By the way that the moon glittered on the water’s surface with a romantic glow and the way the pond’s shimmer reflected in a ray of blue, green, and silver colors onto the front of the rock, it was easy to tell that this area was magic. “Finally, we made it to the Enchanted Pond,” she announced breathlessly.

“Yes, it is beautiful, is it not?” he agreed, only peering at the pool for a moment while she watched it helplessly. The truth was that he was distracted by something a bit more radiant than simple water.

He licked his lips and tried not to stare for too long. Girls like Savannah did not like to be gawked at for more than a few seconds. Instead, he placed his hand gently upon her shoulder. “Savannah …”

She turned her head, waiting for him to continue. The way her eyes shone bright, even at night in the darkest part of the forest, was so incredible. Similar to the pond, they sparkled like sapphires, lighting the most shadowy of places like a single ray of magic in a world full of lifelessness.

Forgetting that he had asked for her attention, he froze, not knowing what to say. Thankfully, he did not have to. She just elegantly smiled and directed her eyes back to the pool.

They only viewed the splendor of the pond for a few moments before they both realized they were wasting time. As they were heading toward it, a sudden splash occurred, forcing them to freeze. Unexpectedly, a fountain full of a rainbow of colors shot out from the very center of the water. While the two of them were so diverted by the swiftness and marvel of the sudden change, neither became aware that the colors had drained from the fountain to come after them. By the time they were able to steer their eyes away, the swirl of colors encircled them both and, in a flash, completely vanished along with the fountain.

“What were those things?”

“They looked like pixies to me,” Christian retorted with a puff. “I hate pixies.”

“Pixies …” Savannah tried to remember what Isabelle had said about pixies and if they should beware of them or not. But nothing came to mind. However, something else did. “The water sprites!” she shouted in realization. Seeing that he was not fully convinced, she went on. “The water sprites are supposed to make a person forget why they are traveling in the forest.”

“Then we should probably get a move on. Let us not get too close to them because we really need to … uhh … why are we here again?”

Savannah was about to say something, hesitated, and then brought her eyebrows together in uncertainty. “I—I don’t know. We were here for something, weren’t we?”

Christian shrugged his shoulders and began walking. “Well, if we cannot remember it, then it must not be all that important. Besides, it is about time that we settled down. I will go and fetch the firewood.”

“I guess that means that I am the one stuck with finding the place to sleep,” she mumbled to herself while he left. As she found an area comfortable and safe enough, Savannah grabbed at her head in pain. The world was spinning, and she was starting to feel dizzy. Little by little, she was forgetting everything. Why was she here? When did she get here? How did she get here? She even forgot the person that was with her. Who was he? A friend? A relative? How long had she known him? Obviously they had to have cared for each other on some level, seen as how they were holding hands, staring at the pond, before he left for the wood.

The one thing though that did not escape her mind was her mother. Somehow she was involved and somehow Savannah knew that she would know everything. All she had to do was find out how to get out of wherever she was and find her. Then she would remember.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that startled her. “All right, I believe I have enough firewood to last us the evening. Now, let’s eat.”

“Eat? Eat what?” Maybe there was something in the pack that rested over her shoulder.

The man reached into his pocket and showed her a couple of red berries that he had picked off a nearby bush.

She was not sure if she should be eating those. After all, it was practically common sense that the red ones were the poisonous berries. “I don’t think that that is such a good idea,” she announced right as he was about to pop one in his mouth.

“Why not?” They may have known each other and cared for each other well enough to wrap their hands together, but then why would he sound so snobbish and egotistical to her in one single question? Maybe he was her brother.

“Because the red berries are usually the poisonous ones. Haven’t you ever gone to Boy Scouts?” She crossed her arms.

“What are Boy Scouts?”

Either this guy was from a different continent, or he was just plain stupid. “Never mind,” she said, plucking a berry from his hand and observing it. “What kind of berries are these anyway?”

“I have no idea,” he answered, shoving one in his mouth. “But I know that they are not poisoned. Taste one for yourself.”

She shot him an infuriated glance. “The taste has nothing to do with the berries being deadly. Maybe I should wait and see what happens to you first.” As if on cue, her stomach disagreed with her and growled

He lifted his shoulders again with a smirk. “Suit yourself. But you know, you should do something about that empty stomach. It is not good for a maiden to skip meals.” He intentionally scanned her over with eyes that iced her heart with loathing. “Then again, maybe you could afford to.”

Venom poured in Savannah’s eyes. While he went about smirking and cracking jokes at her, she wanted to slam his head into a tree or throw him into the pond a couple of feet away from them and hold his head under. Instead, she plainly put the berry in her mouth, chewed, and then swallowed, making sure that he watched as she did this.

Rolling his eyes at her, he turned and headed for the pond. “Where are you going?”

“Those berries made me thirsty,” he replied. “I am going to get a drink.”

“But you don’t even know if that water’s polluted or not! It could have oil or something in it!”

He gave her a goaded look. “I doubt that there is anything in this water. It appears decent enough, and aside from that, who honestly is here to pollute it?” Once more, he rotated himself around and walked on. Shaking off her suspicion, she followed him.

On their way, a miniature green light came out of nowhere and all of a sudden began flying madly around, as if to stop them from reaching the water. “What is that?”

“Just a pixie,” he answered, although he kept walking. “And it does not seem at all happy that we are going near the water.”

“Wait, shouldn’t we listen to it or something?” He snorted at her remark. “Maybe it is trying to help us.”

The boy faced her in irritation. “Listen, pixies like those do not go crazy over trying to help people like us. I know because I have been studying these kinds of creatures for far too long and know enough to get a drink when I want one.”

He left her standing with a mixture of infuriation, speechlessness, and impatience. Who was he to talk to her like that? This boy was really getting on her last nerves. “Excuse me,” she said, taking a place next to him at the pool. “What is your name again?”

“Christian.”

“Christian. What is it about this place that makes you think that the world revolves around you? Honestly, do the trees compliment you every day? Do the bushes think that you’re their god?” He cupped his hand in the water and took a sip without even truly paying attention to her. “How is it that you think that with the snap of your fingers, you can get anything you want?”

He motioned for her to drink some of the water. This time, she gave in, but not without a groan of frustration.

“Because I can.”

Savannah gave a little laugh, as if she did not believe what he was saying. “Uh, what?”

“You heard me,” he said, aware that she had taken her third sip of water—the water that she said was most likely polluted. “I said that ‘I can.’”

They both stood up once they had finished quenching their thirsts and proceeded to the campsite. “That’s impossible. Unless you are some magic warlock or something, there is no possible way that you could immediately get what you want, when you want it.” Then, just as quickly as a blow to the face, Savannah realized something. Her mother could not explain to her anything … she was dead! She could not ask her where she was—if she were ever able to find a way out of this strange place—how she got here, or whom she was with. She could never ask her anything, ever again. She put a hand to her throat as if to either puke or choke, when she felt a piece of jewelry tucked under her shirt.

Gradually, everything was coming back to her. The locket, the world a mother once told a daughter she could escape to, Lance-a-Lot, the palace, the royal family, the forest, Isabelle, Bertha, the cottage, the Enchanted Pond, the cage, the unicorn, Christian. Christian … the man standing next to her.

Peering up at him, she admitted now that she recognized him. When they met, they were not so friendly to one another. Then, after a series of events, they finally were able to make decent conversation, and she could tell him anything, except for how she had begun to feel about him. Savannah’s belly twisted the minute she remembered when she turned him down after he tried to kiss her. But it loosened back up, recalling what happened while they were being imprisoned in the cage. That is was why they were holding each other’s hands when he suggested getting the firewood.

She remembered everything. But did he?

For the last time, Savannah clutched the top of her head from the tremendous ache that the spell had caused her. It was a spell, right? The water sprites put a spell on them to make them lose their memories? Either way, she now understood how they were able to regain what they lost. The king had told her to eat the red berries and drink from the pond, and that is exactly what they had done. Coincidently.

She peered over at Christian. Was he too remembering everything? He kept his head held high and did not say a word. All he did was twist his face in confusion, then recognition, then confusion, and finally in deep thought.

She decided to wait until he wanted to talk. Why not give the man some privacy? After all, he would probably be uncomfortable discussing his past history with a girl that he was barely sure he knew. Startling her from the break of the silence, he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately, bringing back the same romance and heat that had occurred earlier.

Drawing apart, he made one of those charming grins that made her knees grow weak. She was literally melting in front of him, leaving only enough time for him to catch her. “I guess you regained your memory, huh?” She held her arms strongly around his neck as he brought her back up.

“So this was all the—”

“Water sprites? Yes,” she answered, sitting down on top of the leaves. “They tried to make us forget everything. But we somehow were smart enough, or at least hungry and thirsty enough, to drink the pond water and eat the red berries. That restored out memories.” As he sat beside her on a nearby log, another thought entered her mind that made her stomach become sick. “Chris, they can’t make us forget again, can they?”