Royal Academy: The Beginning

Chapter 11

Luca's POV

I'm running as fast as I can. My chest constricts and burns as I take deep breaths while continuing forward. It's pitch black around me, nothing and no one in sight. The feeling to keep running is in my head. My eyes sting and I feel a single tear run down my face.

"Luca! Help me please!"

There it was again. A cry for help that causes me to pick up my pace. I'm looking around as I continue running but there is no end to the darkness around me.

"Stop child" a serene voice enters my mind and I skid to an immediate stop.

I bend over with my hands on my knees, gulping down air into my burning lungs. As I straighten my posture, I see a glowing light coming towards me. As it draws closer, I squint my eyes to focus.

The light starts to take the form of a person and the figure of an old woman begins to come towards me. As she approaches me, the hood of her cloak falls back and I stare at her in complete awe.

Never have I seen eyes with golden irises, skin so flawless and an aura so bright. Her very presence brought a calmness in me that I haven't experienced in all of my seventeen years of life.

As she took her final step towards me, a serene smile graces her face. She holds out a gold orb towards me and it immediately becomes engulfed by flames.

I step back a little more out of shock than fear. I look at the flames as they dance around the orb and begins to levitate off the woman's outstretched hand.

"Luca Pierce. Son of alpha Caleb of Crystal Lakes. Do not fear me child."

The fiery orb comes closer to me and stops just shirt of my chest. The flames begin to dim as the orb comes closer to my chest. Suddenly, the flames start to crackle and the once orange flames change to a vibrant blue.

"Just as I thought, the goddess made her choice" the ominous woman spoke again before she reached out to the orb again and it slowly returns to her palm. The blues flames die down and the orb returns to it's original illuminated form.

"Wait, what are you talking about? What choice did the goddess make? Who are you?" the many questions that are swirling around in my head come rushing out my mouth.

A small chuckle causes the woman's entire body to shake but her face glows with pure joy.

"So many questions. Your questions will be answers in due time child. Never doubt choices made by the goddess. She obviously knows best" she smiles again and then moves to turn away from me.

"Hold on! That can't be it!" I take a step forward when I suddenly feel a heat on my chest. I look down to see a blue sapphire encased by a clover pendants hanging from a chain around my neck. It glows bright before falling on my chest, snug against my chest.

"The goddess has spoken. You two are meant for great things. Time to wake up child" the woman walks away and then disappears in a puff of smoke.

"What are you talking about??" I yell after her retreating figure but I'm alone again.

Wake up Luca.

I think I hear a faint voice but it's now pitch black again and I have no idea where to go.

"Luca wake the hell up!"

I'm suddenly being shaken like a rag doll and my eyes pop open. Alexis is bent over me, a worried expression on her face. Stefan is by her side, looking worried as well.

I sit up in my bed and wipe away the sweat from my forehead. My hand automatically goes to my chest but there's nothing there. I sit there patting down myself as though I'm searching my entire torso for something.

Both my siblings look at each other and then turn back to me, still worried and equally confused by my behavior. When I finally look up at them again, Alexis looks slightly annoyed and Stefan seems relieved but still alert.

"What's up with you two?" I ask casually.

Alexis's face contorts with anger before she lunges herself at me and grabs the front of my t-shirt with both her hands.

"Have you lost your freaking mind? You were screaming the neighborhood awake!" she yells at me, her voice going up an octave.

I look from her to Stefan. He let's out a breath and then sits on the foot of my bed while folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm with Lexi this time. It was different this time. We've been here for almost 15 mins trying to wake you." he stares at me seriously.

Alexis releases my clothes and places her hand on my forehead, while placing her other hand on her own forehead.

"You're no longer burning up. What the hell was that Luca?!" she looks at me expectantly.

"I'm fine, no worries" I try to brush her off.

"No dude, not this time. Tell us how it was different this time" Stefan speaks up again. For him to back up Alexis meant I couldn't talk myself out of this one.

I run my hands through my hair and take a deep breath before facing my siblings again.

"I saw a woman this time. She mentioned dad and then there was this blue glowing stone on a chain" I groan in frustration when I hear the complete chaos of words that just came out my mouth.

Stefan and Alexis look at each other and then they both look at me as though I've grown an extra head. Alexis reach out a hand and grabs mine before squeezing it slightly.

"Luca, none of that makes any sense to us. Where was Eliza this time?" Alexis looks at me, concern creasing her forehead.

I automatically reach out to brush a finger over her forehead before giving it a small flick.

"Ouch! what the hell!" she yells out while jumping back on the bed.

Stefan and I laugh at her before both shielding consecutive punches aimed at our faces. A three way wrestling match ensues until I disentangle myself from them and stand on the side holding my sides from laughing too hard.

While watching them on the sidelines I immediately recall something. The image of a green emerald encased in a silver pendant morphs in my mind. My head snaps up when I remember giving that pendant to Eliza the other day.

Eliza's POV

My eyes snap open and I look around my room. My eyes adjust and I focus on the steady flow of the curtains with the wind at the window.

The hairs behind my neck stand on end as a jolt runs up my spine. A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead and beads of sweat run down my neck and back.

Why do I feel like I just ran a marathon?

I place my hand on my chest to calm my racing heartbeat. Looking at the clock on my night stand. The screen read 3:30am. I let out a small groan and lay back on my pillow.

What the hell is going on. Why did I dream Luca again?