Royal Hearts Page 7

  After he paid for his meal and took his tray, he glanced around the busy food court for a place to sit. Most of the tables were taken, so he grabbed the first one he saw that was empty. He sat at a table that was next to the person who had bumped into him when he first got into the mall.

  He unwrapped his sandwich and tentatively bit into it. To his surprise, he liked the taste. Encouraged, he sipped his soda and found that it tasted good as well. Well, who knew? At least Earthlings knew how to cook.

  “Are you really going to go to Florida for college?” the boy behind Hathor asked his friend.

  “You bet I am,” his friend replied. “If I don’t, I’ll miss out on my destiny.”

  “What destiny?”

  His friend chuckled. “Let’s just say I’m going to finally get what I deserve.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Life hasn’t been very good to me. I’m going to change all that.”

  “How has life been bad to you? You got great parents and a new computer.”

  “But I could have so much more.”

  The boy sighed. “I miss the old William.”

  “Hey, I’m still the same William I always was. I just know when not to pass up the opportunity of a lifetime.”

  Hathor paused, his half-eaten sandwich halfway to his mouth. William? Was William a common name on this planet? Ann had dated someone named William around this time in her past. Hathor had never met William, but given he was her ex-boyfriend, Hathor wasn’t exactly fond of him.

  “You’re pretty sure that Ann likes you,” the boy told William. “But you only met her yesterday. She may decide she doesn’t want to see you again.”

  Hathor dropped his sandwich on the tray and turned around so he could see what William looked like. It couldn’t be a coincidence. This had to be the same one.

  “Oh she likes me,” William said, giving his friend a wink. “She just needs time to realize it.”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  “Carson, if you knew what I did, you’d understand.”

  “What’s to understand?” Carson asked. “You only met her yesterday. All we did was eat, play a game, and talk for an hour. You can’t be so sure she’s in love with you.”

  William shrugged, and if Hathor guessed right, he enjoyed toying with his friend. “How can I put this?” William drummed his fingers on the table then his smile widened. “Meeting her yesterday was like déjà vu.”

  Carson didn’t seem at all happy by his answer. “Could you be any more vague?”

  Déjà vu? Hathor found something peculiar about that phrase. It was unique to Earth. He was sure Ann had mentioned it at some point. If only he could remember what it meant.

  “Come on, Carson. I want to check out the computer store. There’s a cool game I want to get,” William finally said as he stood up.

  Picking up their trays, Carson reluctantly followed him.

  If Ann just met William and if she didn’t remember him from the first time she’d met him, this could complicate things. Hathor didn’t think that he would be dealing with the possibility Ann might be going out with someone else, especially someone she used to love. He wondered just how complicated things could get.

  ***

  Present day

  Planet: Olympia

  The Paler spaceship landed in a forest on Olympia. Second Commander Jaz turned to Guards Lino and Falon. “The head god is Zeus. He’s the one we should focus on in our efforts to find Queen Ann. The other gods and goddesses will do what he says. They live on that mountain over there.”

  She pointed to the mountain with the ivory steps that led to a palace. It was going to be a long journey, but they had no other choice.

  “Why can’t we just take the spaceship up there?” Guard Lino asked. “It would save us a lot of time.”

  “The gods and goddesses forbid anyone to land a spaceship near their home. They are possessive of their territory and will only greet those who walk up the steps,” she informed him.

  He grunted in disgust. “They must have an abnormally high opinion of themselves.”

  “It’s their planet so we have to abide by their rules, even if we don’t agree with them.”

  Jaz examined the area. She heard a variety of animals, although she couldn’t tell what kind of animals there were. Pale didn’t have animals on it. She had been on Raz briefly and had seen animals there, too, but her mission had been to save Pale, not check out the life forms. She tried not to be intimidated by all the life forms on this world, but it was a losing battle. Hopefully, the guards wouldn’t notice. And more than that, she hoped the animals weren’t dangerous.

  “We’re here to protect you, and we’re trained for combat,” Guard Falon assured her, as if reading her thoughts.

  She smiled at him in appreciation. “I’m fine, Guard Falon. I’ve been trained for combat, too.”

  “Come,” Guard Lino said. “The sooner we start our walk, the sooner we’ll get there.”

  They gathered their supplies, and she noticed that Guard Lino walked in front of her and Guard Falon walked behind her so that if anything should attack, she would be in the safest position. She was secretly glad for their strategy, but she hoped they did it because she had an important role on Pale, not because they thought her incapable of protecting herself.

  She wasn’t sure what they should expect when they arrived at the palace doors. She only knew the Olympians seemed unusually protective of Raz’s queen. That was the only thing that gave her confidence that their journey wouldn’t be in vain because deep down, she didn’t think they would find Ann here.

  ***

  Six years in the past

  Ann’s High School

  Dayton, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  Kent led Hathor and several other college students to the gym at the high school where they set up their display. Looking around, Hathor noticed that other colleges were there. He also noticed that different divisions of the American military were there as well. He was curious about the military on this planet. With Raz, things were simple. The queen was the sole protector of Raz. She could enlist help, but she was the one who ultimately fought the wars with the powers the planet granted her. Here on Earth, it looked similar to Pale. Pale also divided up their warriors.

  “What do you think?” Kent asked when they were finished putting the display together.

  Hathor turned around and inspected it. “It looks good. Very colorful.”

  “I hope we got enough balance between the academics and the activities on campus,” Kent said. “You got people like me who are more into the courses and degrees, but I think most students prefer social activities.”

  Hathor recalled his own education. The academic and combat parts of it took precedence over having fun. It was a new idea for him that there could be a balance between the two.

  “The juniors and seniors are coming in,” Kent said. “Do you remember what I told you about the campus?”

  Hathor nodded. “And if anyone asks a question that I don’t know the answer to, I direct them to you.”

  “I shouldn’t be so worried. I mean, either they’re interested or not. I guess it’s the perfectionist in me. I want to succeed in everything I do. Okay.” Turning to the other people in the group, he grinned. “Remember to emphasize that our college is fun. No one wants to go to a boring school.”

  Hathor’s attention went to the high school students pouring through the gym doors. His wiped his hands on his jeans, surprised he was nervous about seeing her. He shouldn’t be. He was married to her. Well, in the future he would be. Only, she didn’t realize it. And that meant, she wouldn’t remember him.

  So they had to start all over, except he wasn’t coming with a declaration he was going to take her to Raz to become queen. This time, he had to meet her as he would any other Earthling. And for reasons he didn’t quite understand, that changed everything.

  ***

  Ann followed Stacey int
o the gym. “I don’t know what the point of going to this is. It’s not like my dad is going to pay out-of-state tuition so I can go to college up here. I should be the one at the dentist instead of Teresa.”

  Stacey smiled in amusement. “Think of it this way. At least we don’t have to sit through class.”

  “That’s true.” Glancing at the other students, she noted that most of them weren’t taking this whole thing seriously. Most of them were interested in standing around and talking to their friends.

  “Hey, I didn’t get a chance to ask you about Saturday,” Stacey said as they walked over to the booth featuring the college in Toledo.

  “It went really well,” Ann replied. “He seems like a nice guy.”

  Stacey picked up a few pens and brochures. “Nice?”

  “Yeah, nice. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing, I guess. It just doesn’t sound very exciting.”

  “Well, I was nervous the whole time. It’s hard to worry about excitement when I’m trying not to say something stupid.”

  “Does he want to see you again?”

  “I think so. Lisa said he did. Carson told her that he’s already talking about me as if I’m his girlfriend.”

  Stacey put the brochures and pens from the college in Toledo into the bag one of the students from that school gave her. “That sounds promising. Do you like the idea of going out with him?”

  Ann thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I like the idea.”

  “You like it a little bit?”

  She rolled her eyes. “A lot, okay? I like it a lot.”

  “So the day was more than nice,” Stacey teased.

  “I’m trying to be low key about this.”

  “You mean cautious.”

  “I hate getting all worked up over some guy just to find out he doesn’t return my feelings.”

  “That is a bummer,” she agreed as she started collecting brochures and pens from another college.

  Ann chuckled. “Are you going to grab something from every table we come to?”

  “Why not? It’s like shopping…only I don’t have to pay for it.” She turned to Ann and showed her a pen with a picture of the state of Ohio on it. “You should keep this. It will be a reminder of your friends. I don’t want you forgetting us when you move.”

  “I could never forget you.”

  Stacey’s smile faltered. “I’m going to miss you when you go. You’re like a sister to me, except you’re better because you don’t steal my clothes or peek in my diary.”

  Not wanting to cry in front of the other students, Ann quickly wiped her eyes. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

  “Moving sucks. I wish I could go with you.”

  “If you did, I wouldn’t dread it so much.” Ann turned the pen over in her hand. It was a nice pen. She’d be sure to use it when she took her notes in class after she moved. With a heavy sigh, she put it in her pocket.

  Stacey cleared her throat. “We’d better get moving. I have a lot more stuff to collect.”

  She laughed, glad for the distraction. “It’s a wonder I take you anywhere. People are going to ask why you have so many bags.”

  They made their way to a few other booths before they stopped at the one for the local university.

  “Are you thinking of going to this school?” someone asked them.

  Surprised, since no one had bothered talking to them up to this point, Ann turned toward the cute blond haired, blue-eyed boy.

  “Maybe,” Stacey answered. “Do you have any cool pens?”

  Ann didn’t know whether to laugh or be embarrassed by her friend’s question.

  “I don’t know how cool you’ll think they are, but we do have some pens over there on the table.” He pointed to the table with a poster featuring pictures of the campus.

  Stacey hurried over to the table and started collecting everything she could find.

  Realizing the boy was still standing by her, Ann said, “The truth is, my family will be moving to Florida soon, so I won’t be going to college around here. That’s why I’m not collecting anything.” She showed him her empty hands as if to prove her point.

  “That must be tough,” he commented.

  She studied him in interest. She had the oddest feeling that he understood her. “Did you ever move while you were in high school?”

  “No, but I know what it feels like to be in a strange new place. It’s taking me time to find my way around and meet people.”

  “So did you move here to go to college?”

  “You could say that.”

  Knowing that he was experiencing what she was going to go through made her feel less alone in the world. With all her friends having been born and raised in Ohio, they couldn’t completely understand how she was feeling.

  “How is it going?” she asked. “I mean, are you adjusting to everything?”

  He hesitated then answered, “It’s tough. I know I don’t fit in, yet there are people who are good enough to help me learn my way around.” He pointed to a student who was talking to Stacey. “That’s Kent. Before I met him, I knew very little about this place.”

  Ann noticed that Kent was pretty excited as he talked to Stacey about the college. She grinned despite herself. “He loves your college. Too bad Stacey wants to go to the one in Toledo.”

  The boy next to her chuckled. “He’ll probably try even harder to convince her that his is better. I’ve learned he likes a challenge.”

  “Well, she’s here to collect as many souvenirs as she can. I don’t think anyone else is taking everything from the booths like she is. It’s like going to the department stores with her. She has to collect every perfume sample.”

  His smile widened. “My name is Hathor.”

  “Hathor? I’ve never heard that name before.”

  He winced.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. It’s just not something you hear in the United States. Are you from another country?”

  “I’m not from here.” She was ready to ask him what country he was from when he added, “What’s your name?”

  “Ann. Ann Kerwin. Do you have a last name?”

  “Uh…Raz.”

  “Hathor Raz.” It sounded weird, but then she guessed her name sounded weird to him, being that he was from another country and all.

  They stood beside each other in silence for an awkward moment before Stacey ran up to them. “Wow, you’ve got quite the salesperson at your school,” she told Hathor, nodding towards Kent. “He either loves it or it’s just an act.”

  “It’s not an act,” Hathor said.

  When another lapse in conversation developed, Ann said, “Stacey, this is Hathor. Hathor, this is Stacey.”

  “Hathor?” Stacey asked. “That’s a cool name. How did your parents come up with it?”

  “It was the name of an ancestor,” he replied.

  “It almost sounds like one of those names you could use in one of your fantasy stories, Ann. Ann likes to write fantasy.”

  Kent came up to them. “Stacey, I just had a thought. Before you commit yourself to Toledo, why don’t you let us give you a tour of our campus? Then you can decide whether or not you want to go there. It’s not fair to turn down a college before you give it a chance.”

  Ann raised an eyebrow in surprise. It appeared that Stacey had caught his attention.

  “You want us to give the tour?” Hathor asked Kent.

  “Sure. It would be the four of us,” Kent said. “You, me, Stacey and…. I’m sorry. What’s your name?”

  “Ann.”

  Stacey looked at Ann. “What do you think? Even though you won’t be going there, would you like to see it?”

  “Why aren’t you going there?” Kent asked.

  “I’m moving to Florida,” Ann said.

  “But seeing the campus could still prepare you for what college is like,” Hathor was quick to suggest.

  Ann couldn’t argue that logic.

  “Okay. Why n
ot?” Stacey agreed. “I don’t think you’ll change my mind though.”

  “I’ll let the campus speak for itself.” Kent handed her a campus map and pointed to a spot on it. “This is the Student Union. I think that would be a good place to meet. It’s where most of the activities happen.”

  Ann leaned forward and studied the map. “I know where that street is. I drive by it on my way to her house.”

  “That’s because you’re lucky enough to have parents who lend you their car,” Stacey said with a wistful sigh.

  “I can probably take my mom’s car to school this Wednesday. She’s not doing anything on that day, and since she’s not busy, she’ll probably let me borrow it.”

  “Wednesday after school. That would be about 3:30 for us. What do you guys think?” Stacey asked.

  Hathor indicated his agreement.

  Kent nodded. “That’s a good time. You will have to park in the Visitor’s Lot, over here.” He circled the parking lot on the map. “Here’s my number in case you need to reach me.”

  “Okay. Well, we better head on over to the other booths so I can collect more pens,” Stacey said. “Bye.”

  Amused, Ann added her good-bye to Hathor and Kent before she followed her friend. “Kent likes you,” she told Stacey in a singsong voice.

  Stacey grinned. “Do you think so? I was hoping he might. He just turned nineteen, so I think my dad will let me date him.”

  “You have all the luck,” Ann mused. “I have to be fixed up to get a guy, and all you have to do is rob a table of pens and brochures and some guy ends up drooling all over you.”

  “Hold on. I think Hathor may be interested in you.”

  “Really?”

  “He didn’t take his eyes off of you the whole time we were talking.” They stopped at another table, and she added, “Unfortunately, he has blond hair. If I remember correctly, blonds aren’t your type.”

  Ann glanced back and saw that Hathor was still watching her. She quickly looked away, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. “Even if he is a blond, he’s good looking.”