“Well, if they aren’t there’s nothing they can do about it,” Avalon interrupted again.
“When Derrick was first crowned King, the Guard gave a blood oath to protect the royal family as long as there was any living heir. If the Guard breaks their oath they will also all die. They have no choice,” Principal Saint looked grim and tired. The lines in his face had become more pronounced, making him look ancient.
“But they definitely are the bad guys? I mean the royal family?” I didn’t really need to ask the question, I knew the answer; but I was having a hard time accepting it.
“Of course they are!” Avalon nearly exploded. “They are the reason we are dying, they are the reason we live in fear, and they are the reason your friend Lilly is in jail!”
“Lilly?” I asked in a small voice.
“Yes, Lilly.” Principal Saint replied with more control than Avalon. “When Derrick took the throne, he exiled all Shape-Shifters. He made their very existence illegal. If they were found in hiding, they were lucky to only get a prison sentence. After Lucan took the throne, their circumstances worsened extremely. They can barely call their existence living. Lilly was not hiding; she was very much out in the open. And to add circumstance to conviction she was not only attending the same school as the Crown Prince, but happened to be nearly alone with him in the middle of the forest, isolated. Thankfully for Avalon, the King currently blames her for the attack on Kiran’s life. They have not even tried to look further for more details. In his mind, she was the traitor and the orchestrator of the attack.”
“Thankfully for Avalon, but what about her?” it was my turn to get fired up and I stood up out of my stool, knocking it over behind me. My face flushed red and I turned humbly to retrieve it before sitting back down to listen to the answer.
“I don’t know, my dear. I have been called to testify, but I’m sure my testimony will only feed the jury more evidence of her crimes, since I genuinely had no idea of her true identity either,” Principal Saint looked truly distraught.
“But why? She fought against Avalon, she tried to help Kiran! It doesn’t make sense that they would blame the attack on her. Kiran and Talbott were both there, I was there, can’t we testify?” I struggled to understand what was so difficult about this. Lilly hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I know that and you know that. But my standing in the community is very precarious; I have to be careful of the battles I choose. And you Eden, are absolutely forbidden to go anywhere near that trial. You’re very fortunate Lucan hasn’t discovered you yet. I can’t say much for Kiran, but he seems to want to keep you a secret just as much as we do. I am afraid of his motives however,” Principal Saint looked down at the counter he was leaning up against and said his last few sentences quietly, as if he were talking to himself and not to us.
“Why? Why can’t I go?” I asked stubbornly.
“The simple answer,” Principal Saint looked up from the counter straight into my eyes and said simply, “They would kill you without hesitation,” I swallowed loudly, afraid to ask his reasons. By the look on Principal Saint’s face, and the tone of his voice, I understood without any doubt that he was serious.
“Amory….” Aunt Syl rejoined the conversation and gave him a concerned glare. “She’s just a child. There’s no need to frighten her,” as soon as she finished her sentence, Aunt Syl’s cell phone buzzed and she flipped it open to read a text message. I watch her expression turn from concerned to disappointed. “They need me at the hospital. Avalon, make yourself comfortable, there are clean linens on the bed and I laid out fresh towels in the bathroom. Keep her safe,” she winked in Avalon’s direction and gave Principal Saint a kiss on the cheek before exiting the kitchen. I cringed a little at the familiarity between Aunt Syl and Principal Saint, not only because he was my principal and she was my aunt, but there had to be like a huge age difference.
“Well Ok, but what about Kiran and Talbott?” I stood up and began to put the leftover Chinese food back into their respective containers.
“Talbott is not allowed to testify because of his position in the Royal Guard. By law, Titans must remain loyal to the Crown under every circumstance. Since Lucan already has charged Lilly, Talbott’s testimony would be in direct opposition to Lucan’s charges, therefore making Talbott a traitor to the Crown. And Kiran has no backbone, no sense of responsibility; the last thing he would do, is to stand up to his father,” Principal Saint accused Kiran like he was heartless and foolish. I flinched a little, refusing to believe the accusations were true.
“It’s not like he would stand up to him anyway,” Avalon yawned in the middle of his tirade. “There’s no way in hell the Crown Prince is going to stand up for a Shape-Shifter like Lilly Mason. Trust me on that,” Avalon slammed his hand on the kitchen counter to make his point.
“But why? Why do they hate the Shape-Shifters so much?” I asked out of ignorance.
“Lucan, like all of the royal family and much of the Kingdom, believe they are manipulative and untrustworthy. But even more, Lucan is extremely paranoid. He truly believes they are after his crown, and after his life. I don’t think he’s wrong to believe that now; but they weren’t always. After Derrick outlawed them, he had hundreds of them executed in the worst ways to prove his point. Things settled down for a while, but during Lucan’s reign they have escalated almost to the point of extinction. During the first several years he was on the throne, his main goal was to hunt every last one of them down. I don’t think he would have stopped killing them either, if it weren’t that….” Principal Saint suddenly cut off his sentence and shut his mouth as if he had said something he hadn’t intended to.
“If it weren’t what?” I asked hoping to glean more information.
“If he hadn’t found the one Shape-Shifter he was looking for,” Principal Saint coughed into his hand and walked over to the sink to work on the dishes. I gave Avalon a curious glance, but he shook his head as if he was just as confused as me.
“Well, you two, there is school tomorrow, so why don’t you head off to bed. I’ll finish cleaning up the kitchen,” Principal Saint moved around Aunt Syl’s chef’s kitchen as if he knew exactly where everything was. He must have been using his magic.
“Goodnight,” Avalon yawned again, raising his hands far above his head to stretch. He turned to leave and something finally dawned on me.
“You’re staying here?” I blurted out, suddenly putting the random suitcases and Aunt Syl’s instructions together.
“Yep,” Avalon barely acknowledged me before making his exit. I heard him on the stairs and then into the guest bedroom where he slammed the door shut behind him.
“We thought it best if someone stayed here with you Eden. I think it’s best that you have some protection,” Principal Saint turned to look at me, and I found it strange that we are alone in the kitchen together.
“Why? Now that I know it was Avalon behind all of those attacks I’m not afraid anymore,” I crossed my arms and fought back my own yawn.
“Yes, I know. But you should be afraid. Kiran could be very dangerous; you don’t really know him, do you?” I held back a snotty response, realizing that they were the ones who didn’t really know him. “It’s just a precaution anyways,” Principal Saint waved it off as if it was no big deal, “Besides wouldn’t you like to get to know your twin brother a little more? I’m sure the two of you have a lot to catch up on,” he gave me a genuine smile and I relaxed. After all of the information I just received I had almost forgotten that Avalon and I were twins…. actual twins…. actually related.
“I guess you’re right Principal Saint,” I conceded, sending him my own version of a genuine smile.
“Amory, please,” he implored. “I’m so much more than your high school principal.”