The Chosen One

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“You don’t have to follow me” Estelle shouted hastening her steps. She was actually stomping her feet, she was that petrified

“Estelle please listen to me’ Jason begged.

“No” Estelle denied, “I want to leave.” She insisted “right now”

“Okay go” Jason shouted, “GO”

“GO AWAY”

Estelle stopped all of a sudden “excuse me?”

“If you want to go” Jason took a deep breath so was Estelle breathing heavily as she held the side of her stomach bending to take deep breath. Her lack of physical activity catching up on her “nobody will stop you.”

“Nobody should” Estelle repeated, “Nobody gets to decide what I want to do what I don’t.”

“Right” Jason nodded

“Nobody gets to decide where I go where I don’t”

“Right” Jason nodded again

“Nobody gets to force me to stay here nobody’

“Right again”

“And nobody” Estelle was frustrated at the calm demeanor of Jason. She knew her staying there was necessary for the Ordonites but she wont be forced into anything “nobody ever decides whom I’d marry even if I am the chosen one.”

“It was not in our hands.” Jason said meekly “you are simply the chosen one.”

“Is that a punishment?” Estelle furrowed her perfectly arched brows “is it that bad that I am nice and not evil?” she cried not realizing that she was holding it for so long “the only reason I was staying away from my family, my parents was ” she wiped the stray tears flowing down her cheeks “I hated to come back to an empty house but I picked it.” Her breathing now normal “I chose to stay alone. I was tired of them telling me what I should do and what I should not.”

“I understand” Jason stretched his hand to comfort her but pulled it back

“She has no right to decide whom I’d marry” she took a deep breath “I am yet to decide if I ever want to get married and I am sure it is definitely not going to be arranged by some one who thinks or who is god or some super power.”

“She never said she is God” Jason clarified “we here at Casa De Ordon do not believe in God or superpower. We only believe in goodness and doing good.”

“That’s good” Estelle was being sarcastic “but don’t you think representing her as God mother all the time is like giving her false impression that she is some almighty, someone who holds power and according to your own word “ she waved her hands “too much of power is evil”

“Come on Estelle” Jason couldn’t help close the distance “since the day we opened our eyes what we got from someone other than our mother, someone we couldn’t help but love even though she wasn’t our mother and the fact that she taught us that donating or giving love is the kindest form of benevolence is her.’

Jason knew Estelle was listening so he continued “we do not want to call her mother because it would be unfair to our own mother so the next best acknowledgement of her is God mother.”

“It is not helping her and her ego?” Estelle remarked still furious at Cupid.

“No Estelle all Mother Cupid would do is look out for others, even if she suggest yours and Triczar’s wedding is so that her other children; all the Ordonites are benefitted.

She isn’t going to gain anything by that.”

“So you say she is looking out for all others. She loves all the Ordonites But me.” She was loud by now “and why would I be loved and cared by her?” she answered for herself “I am not an Ordonite. I have no significance for her.”

“No Estelle” Jason tried to calm the crying Estelle “you are important” he stressed “Very important. You are The Chosen One.”

“Well” she raised her fingers “I do not want to be the chosen one.” She yelled now “which era are we living? Somebody else chooses my life partner. Well I get to have an arrange marriage and guess what I have no say in who’d be the groom or if I ever think is the right person for me to spend life with.”

“Estelle. You are thinking too much” Jason tried to be convincing but his voice failed him “Triczar is one of the nicest human being. He is an Ordonite and all Ordonites are givers, they intend to be selfless and work for happiness and betterment of others. He is flawless. You both…”

“And what if I do not want flawless?” Estelle stopped him midsentence “I don’t want to marry someone who is a great human being or perfect. I if I ever want to get married would want to be with one whom I love.”

“Love is in abundance here” Jason said excited. He was confident about something.

“No Jason you don’t understand.” Estelle tried to express herself “I don’t mind flaws. If my husband, my love my boyfriend whatever name you give him is flawed, its okay. I’d know if I love him enough to marry him even with those flaws. That’s what definition of true love is.” Estelle stated dreamily “Its not that the person you love or marry is perfect, it’s the imperfection that you accept and in spite of those flaws you love him enough to spend your entire life with him.”

“So” Jason breathed finally he had something steady to deal with here “you cannot walk away. You have to give him chance, stay here, spend time with him and then decide if you want to marry him”

“No” Estelle was adamant “I cannot do that. Staying with a guy, befriending him and then deciding whether you want to marry him or not especially when there is that nagging truth, the pressure that he is the chosen one. I don’t want to be here. I cant” she walked ahead.

Jason watched as she was leaving, his heart breaking at her every step.

Hope ignited in him when she stopped few feet ahead of him

“Jason” she called helpless “I don’t know my way back” she said tired.

His hopes deflated as he realized her words “I am sorry My Cza..” he stopped “I should have known’ he nodded avoiding any eye contact with her, not that he was crying or something.

He thought she’d read his emotions, his sadness, his desperate will for her to stay.

“Lead” he said

“How can I lead when I do no know the way around?”

Estelle huffed a bit annoyed

“You chose your own way” Jason murmured which Estelle chose to ignore.

She did not know whether Jason realized or not. She was equally hurting. Her short visits or her dream visits to this land had also made her affectionate towards it but the idea of being forced or subjected to loveless marriage to someone she barely knew shuddered her.

She had to leave.

“This path ahead will take you to wherever you want to go” Jason said

still was jumping on her toes.

The narrow glowing strip was what dividing her world from his.

She knew once she crossed that strip she wasn’t going to meet him ever again.

He’d asked her if she wants to remember his land.

“No” was her abrupt and curt reply.

Curt as much she wanted to sound but deep down she knew she wanted to remember every little detail of the Ordon land.

But it would hurt so much and she’d want to come here often. She might even break her resolve and come back which wasn’t fair.

Not to her, not to Mother Cupid who in her own strange sense believes that marrying her son Triczar would help her kingdom.

How much so ever convincing Jason was that Cupid meant only love for her children, she wasn’t.

“So that’s good bye” this time it was Jason.

“Hmm…” Estelle stalled “good bye it is.” She sighed “I’ll miss you” she lunged him for a hug and he obliged

“Tell Triczar” she said “I am sorry. I just cant.”

“You cant or you wouldn’t try?” Jason didn’t give up on his hope.

Estelle nodded and walked ahead

Her one foot had already crossed the line but she had to try this last thing

“What if you erase my memories about the marriage with Triczar and we’ll be good to go.

A drop of tear had now nestled at the rim of his eyelids as he smiled “it is not magic Estelle you know” he nodded his head “I cant”

He murmured something but it was a blissed whisper as Estelle had crossed her other foot, the pathway might have brightened and it would have been so much light that she might have not realized when she entered complete darkness and back home.

Estelle woke up to the blaring of her good old alarm clock.

She realized she brought this alarm clock only because it annoyed the hell out of her.

Alarms set in phones were better as she always had the option of snooze

However after missing breakfast for two consecutive weeks she finally spotted this good old grand ma’s alarm clock in the cheap antique shop and bought it immediately.

Today the ringing wasn’t annoying her.

She realized that she missed her sister’s engagement party due to her sickness and high body temperature but she felt perfectly health now.

She stretched and stood on her feet.

Nopes no headache, no fatigue nada.

She pressed the left side of her chest.

She had this nagging hollow feeling.

The one you get when you miss someone.

She remembered having that feeling when she dropped her best friend who was shifting to another country altogether and they knew they were never going to see each other again.’

She was 15 then.

She rubbed her chest ‘Must be acidity’ she murmured to herself trying to reach out to the can of milk in the refrigerator.

One gulp and she had to puke it out , it old and spoiled.

Gracefully she used the sink to spit out the stale milk. She hated to clean after vomits.

Filling the glass of water and picking the granola bar she decided to open the curtains before she went for a bath.

She barely managed to balance on the slippery floor

‘But I never vomited??’

Estelle checked her mouth which was dry and no sign of vomit, she pushed the curtains to see both her mom and sister sprawled on the floor, an empty bottle of expensive wine lying besides them.

Estelle nodded to herself.

“I cannot take their hangover” she muttered before taking the sprint to her wardrobe.

She took the first dress that she could reach to and like tail on fire she rushed to the washroom.

She prayed as she sat behind the steering of her bummer

Estelle’s face lit up at sight of her best friend “I missed you too”

“I never said I missed you” she nevertheless hugged her.

Once Estelle was wrapped in the comfort of her friend arms she shrieked “aaaaaaooww’ in horror

Greg immediately removed his huge mask and his small face under the humungous costume of Thanos popped up.

“Why would you wear that?’ Estelle furrowed her brows, tiny wrinkles on her forehead appearing.

She nodded her head knowing it would be silly “even Halloween is next October”

“She told me day before. Blame her!” Greg pointed his accusing finger with much difficulty from his huge costume “that she loved all the characters of Infinity and End game.”

“So he” Mona huffed “dressed up as Black panther yesterday.”

People started bending and hugging him as tribute to Chaswick. Can you imagine?’

Mona started walking away embarrassed at Greg’s behavior.

“Yeah” Greg nodded his head still walking like a penguin in his attire “I thought you are jealous. Nobody would hug Thanos. So here I am” he gave a bow but ended up falling on the ground.

Estelle had to put a lot of effort to lift his body which was more like tortoise inside his shell.

“you change right away otherwise I am going to break up with you” Mona yelled.

“Break up?” Esteled was confused “how long have I been gone?’