➳ Camille

I was exiled. I couldn’t go home to my family or stay in Grand Olea. I was exiled to the dumpster country of Skog. The story behind my exile was a harsh one, a tragic one… an insanely stupid one.

I had been training with the Grand Olea army for a week or so. I had been gaining sword skills and learning the ways of elves. I still, however, voiced my opinion. I was still against the war. Counselor Boggs, being the biggest supporter of the war, hated me. It was a mutual relationship. 

One fateful morning I awoke to a mass of guard in my room. Only a second after I opened my eyes, they began tying me up. 

“What’s going on?” I shouted.

They told me, in a harsh voice, that Boggs was dead and I was apparently responsible. 

I got no trial. I told the guards that I was innocent. I told them I was just as confused as everyone else, but it was no use. They wouldn’t give me any sort of trial. They wouldn’t even suggest one.

I was glad to leave Grand Olea, but what really angered me was the fact that I was banished from Cerevaux. Apparently, Grand Olea was going to declare war on them until they voted me out of citizenship. 

I had nowhere to go but the armpit of Ienus. That place was Skog. The place for the outcasts, miscreants, criminals… and apparently me.

Skog was a country for the hopeless evil. I was doomed to live there.

William’s dad earned the name Counselor Warren, according to the guards who I questioned mercilessly. I begged and pleaded to gather my things from Anemone’s house, and, after a while of pitiful wailing, they agreed. I was to be deported to Skog directly after.

The car ride was miserable. I was sick with the thoughts of Skog. Of never seeing my family again. Of never seeing Anemone and William, my only friends. Was William even my friend anymore? Or was he on his dad’s side?

When we arrived, I slammed open the door. “I KILLED COUNSELOR BOGGS!” I screamed with a broken laugh. 

Anemone stood at the top of the stairs with a confused look on her face. I mirrored her face when I noticed the baby in her arms and the dark-haired boy standing next to her.

She shoved the baby into the boy's arms and ran down to me, her face gradually getting warmer.

“Camille! Oh goodness. You’re back!” She pursed her lips, returning her face to a state of confusion. “Did you really kill him?”

“Apparently,” I muttered. Then I looked Anemone in the eye. “Who’s the boy?”

“Donovan. He is staying here for a while.”

“Who’s the baby? Did you get a ring?”

Anemone blushed. “No! That’s Hex, she was just born. William is the father.”

“Oh. Wait, it takes two years to have a child?”

“For elves, yes. It takes a while to form the child’s powers.”

Donovan had, at this point, given back Hex and was standing beside Anemone. “Her name is Camille, right?” he asked, looking me up and down.

“Yes. Now come, I need to get my stuff quickly.” Truthfully, there wasn’t much I wanted to grab, but I didn’t want to talk around Donovan for too long. He chilled me in a strange way.

“All you have is winter clothes,” Anemone said as we walked up the stairs. “What are you going to do?”

“Do you think I could sell them?” I asked.

“I would think so,” Anemone said. Donovan snorted.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Nothing. Just be careful selling things in Skog.”

“You come from Skog?”

“Yeah. You have a problem with that?”

“No.”

“I have an idea!” Anemone interjected. “Why don’t Donovan drive you home? You could bring one of the guards if you really needed.”

I looked over at Donovan. His jet black hair took all the light away from his eyes. He’s face was neutral. His eyes glowed with rough evil. I didn’t trust him. But I didn’t have many alternatives.

I quickly grabbed my things and we made our way outside. Anemone rushed over to talk with the guards, propping Hex on her hip. Soon, they were nodding along with her plan. She rushed back with a small skip in her step.

“You, Donovan, and the guard will all ride in the same car. Donovan’s car will be towed behind. Once you cross the border, Camille will ride with Donovan to his house in Skog,” Anemone said.

I looked over at Donovan. Ride in his car? In Skog? I was weary. But it soon clicked that I had nothing to lose. Who cares if he killed me? At the time I had no purpose in life.

I agreed and a guard came back to pin my hands together and shove me in the back of the car. I heard them mutter to each other about Anemone being too trusting. I tried to ignore their verbal jabs as I attempted to sit up straight in the car.

Moments later, Donovan climbed in beside me. I held in a sigh.

“Why can’t I drive in my car?” Donovan asked the guard getting into his seat.

The guard chuckled. “You’re from Skog. You can’t be trusted,” he said coldly.

“My records are clean,” he insisted. 

“Shut it. Okay?” The guard pressed a button and an opaque metal wall came down between the front seat and the back seat. 

The windows were blacked out. The only light we had was a small light at the top of the car. It was incredibly private but at the same time… it wasn’t. Donovan was beside me, inches away from touching me.

The car started to move and I pushed the thoughts out of my head. I couldn’t let myself be so afraid. I had nothing to lose.

“What’s wrong with you?” Donovan asked. “Did you kill someone or something?”

I sighed. I remind myself that I had nothing to lose. 

I told him about my simple life in Cerevaux, how wonderfully predictable it was. I told him about the letter that I had received from Anemone, the invitation to Grand Olea. I told him about the dreams, the propaganda, the future foretold. The war was coming that no one could stop.

I told him about the car, the one that had taken William and his father away. I told him about Anemone’s sobs and her cries. I told him about the planned rescue mission.

I told him of our failure. How Anemone was sent back and how I stayed. I told him about Boggs, now dead. I told him how I was accused.

I told him everything.

I was angry by the end of it. “I should get revenge on Grand Olea,” I muttered. 

“You’ve had dreams?” 

“Yes, you idiot. I said that a while ago.” I wasn’t sure why I was afraid of him before; he was dumb as a rock.

Donovan looked taken aback, but he quickly recovered. “About what exactly?”

“War, blood, rage, all that. Did you not listen to a word I said?”

“You’re Camille, right? You have lived in Cerevaux for sixteen years, your whole life. Even though most people don’t believe you, your natural hair color is snowy white. You hate your art teacher because she always hovers around you. Your closest friend is Anemone because barely anyone in Cerevaux has room for another close friend. You use a sword because it’s more powerful, but you like daggers better. Your mom worries about-”

“Diggle-berry! I just told you all of that!” 

“What if I told you that I knew all that information before I even met you? What if I told you I was pulled to the edge of death so that I could guide you? And what if I told you that I’ve also had those same exact dreams?”

I looked deep into the eyes of Donovan. They were dark and mysterious. I searched deep into his soul for a lie. My eyes began to water. I wanted it to be a lie. I hoped-

No, he was telling the truth. I just couldn’t believe it.