Rebellious Princesses

Chapter 7

“I am thinking of going to the same school as yours.” She shrugged, taking off her air pods. He was shocked and tried to understand how her decision changed.

“Is there a boy or a girl behind this decision?” He teased her.

“No,” she retorted defensively. “Going to the same high school as you will help me get all the notes and I won’t have to work hard. I need to get some benefit of having a nerd brother.” She answered after thinking for a while.

“Sure.” He muttered not believing his sister. He stood up taking the dishes with him, “if you want my notes then you have to earn them, start by doing the dishes sis.” He dropped the dishes in the sink and walked towards his room.

“Jerk!” He heard his sister curse and chuckled at her cuteness. For Christian no matter how rebellious and rude his sister is, he loves her the most. Xavier always tried to be there for the kids when Celestina was away but sometimes Christian would be her sole guardian. Xandria might look like she doesn’t listen to anybody but when Christian asks her to do something or advises her, she tends to listen to him. Christian shut the door of his room and sat on his study table. More than the study material, he has books and notes on the uncovered mysteries of the world. He just can’t seem to let it go. Celestina also helped him to collect facts but she had other matters to attend so she couldn’t give much time to it. Seeing her son’s obsession with that structure, she did make sure that the castle’s condition was maintained. He started to go through all the facts once again to make sure he doesn’t miss anything. This was his daily routine. He was about to go to bed when his phone started ringing, it was Cooper.

“Hey, whatsup!”

“Dude, you are gonna want to see this. Owen and I are near the castle and we think that there is someone in there.”

Christian sprinted out of his bed and rushed out of his home, putting on a jacket and grabbing his car keys. This is the most he had heard anything related to the castle in ages. People of Fall Rivers avoided going to that castle as they were scared of that place and Cooper wouldn’t be freaked out if it was some teenagers using the abandoned place to get high. Christian stepped on the gas and rushed to the lake. He was excited and anxious at the same time. When he reached there, he saw Cooper and Owen pacing anxiously.

“Who is in there? Are you sure it’s not our classmates?” Christian interrogated them.

“Trust me, I checked but the doors are locked and some kind of fire is lit up. Do you think someone decided to claim this place?” Owen asked.

“There is only one way to find out,” Christian said and started to walk towards the main gate. The castle was beautiful and due to extra care the exterior was renovated but it was completely ruined when it first appeared. His sister’s touch somehow manages to repair it 10 years back but right now the castle was glowing. He couldn’t understand what could have happened to cause such dire results and how one touch could affect it in this way. He knocked gently; Cooper and Owen kept on looking around. Christian didn’t pay any attention to them and kept on knocking on the door. He focused on hearing any kind of movement from inside and he heard a set of footsteps, and two heartbeats, one steady and another very faint. The door was finally opened by an old lady who looked like she didn’t want any company. “Hello, I am Christian.” He introduced himself, she just squinted her eyes at him. Christian wanted to see the person with a faint heartbeat; even Carson was craving this unknown person. Christian saw that she had no interest in welcoming a guest. “If you don’t mind me asking, what you are doing here ma’am, this place has been abandoned for almost a decade.” He tried to be as respectful as possible to the old lady. The interior was lit; it looked so lively opposite to what he has seen for 10 years.

“We do mind,” Another calm voice cut him from behind the door. “I don’t think we have to answer anybody to stay at our own house.” A girl of his age appeared with her hands crossed on her chest. Christian was taken aback by her beauty, her voice, and most of all her confidence. Carson was quiet in his mind focusing his eyes on the girl in front of him.

“Sweetie, he is just concerned.” The old lady calmed her.

“Um yes, I am sorry for intruding but this castle has been abandoned and no one has registered the ownership either. So we were concerned when we saw you in here.” Christian wanted to ask them about the castle’s history but he has to take it slow. If they were really the owners of this castle then they should be able to quench his curiosity.

“It’s completely fine and thank you for your concern. Would you like to come in?” She offered to the boys. The lady who wasn’t ready to entertain anyone was now entertaining him, he was confused.

“We need to be home, but Christian can stay.” Cooper and Owen escaped leaving him alone. He sighed but he wanted to stay, not just to get his answers but also to talk to the new girl. The old lady welcomed him inside whereas the girl kept on looking at him, keeping an eye on all his moves.

“I am Camilla by the way and this is my granddaughter Evaleen.” Evaleen, the name increased his heartbeat. Carson was wagging his tail excitedly.

“Hello Evaleen, I am Christian.” He preferred not to say his last name as people tend to change their behavior when they find out he is Xavier and Celestina’s son. “We didn’t know anything about this castle but my mom really wanted to protect this place.”