I didn't know why I ran away from grandma but I guess I needed some time alone. I had lived for the past twelve years hoping to see my dad again but now it seems he is gone forever. I was so close to my Dad even more than my mom which made her jealous sometimes, she would frown and say "Nadine, you love your father more than me" and then I and my father would give her a hug and my father would tell her " you know we both love you so much". I sat down on a rock in one of the ruins and it was almost morning, this place used to be my room but there was nothing left of it anymore. I recalled the time I spent with my parents here, how they made me laugh and told me stories while putting me to sleep. I stood up and went to the place which used to be the palace garden. It was now a deserted place with no plants except a little flower which was growing at a corner of the broken fountain. I went over to the flower and bent down to hold it. My mom loved flowers, my father used this to get closer to my mom when he was courting her. Although my parents were mates, my father still had to marry her the human way. Mates in the demon world is a couple who are have a strong bond and share a connection with each other, for demons after mating they would both be able to sense and feel each other, but my parents weren't just mates, they loved each other very deeply and a lot of people in the kingdom envied the king's love for his Queen. I kept touching the flower, it's leaves and it was beautiful. it had purple and a few pink petals and light green leaves which reminded me of my eyes. I was so engrossed in the plant that for a moment I forgot about everything when a hand touched my shoulder. I was startled but then I realized it was only grandma , we stared at each other for some time before she broke the silence. " April...", "I know grandma, I'm sorry for running away but that was the only thing my instinct told me to do" I said to her sitting on the ground. She sat with me and said " I understand", she sighed and then looked at the flower as well then she said " do you know who this flower reminds me of?" , " no" I bluntly replied. "you, it reminds me of you " she said while I turned and looked at her "how exactly?, I know I look nothing like a plant" I said to her while she smiled at my remark. " of course you don't but look at it" she said and motioned for me to look at the flower. " look at how it's growing from the corner of the stone, there's not enough water for it and the sun shines on it all day" I still couldn't figure out where all this was going " All other plants gave up but don't you see that the plant struggled to grow and now it's very beautiful". " bad things will happen, you will fall but the important thing is that you should always get back up and move on and I believe in you. I know you can get through this" grandma said to me while stroking my hair. I couldn't hold it anymore and I cried on my grandma's shoulder, " it's okay, it's okay April" she said holding me. " come on let's go home, you'll be late for college" she said and stood up to make the portal. " wait" I said as I dug out the flower," I would like to take this back with me If that's okay with you" I said politely holding the plant in my hand. "sure if that would cheer you up" she said and opened the portal, " let's go" she said as she held my hand. I looked at the ruins one more time before I went through the portal with her. we appeared back in my room, it was still early so I had a lot of time to prepare for college but I don't feel like going anywhere today. " maybe I should skip college today" I said to grandma who immediately frowned at my thoughts. "when you have a situation, you don't run away from it , you face it" she said to me, " you're right I'll go get ready" I said. " good girl" she said and left, I called Martha and asked her to plant the flower in a pot for me then I went into the bathroom.
I had no idea how I managed to drive to college safely, at this point I didn't care about the cops. I just wanted to get the day over with, at class I wasn't as attentive as usual but I don't think anyone noticed because I still got the questions right. " you should get better sleep, you look weary" Mrs Jones told me after she dismissed the lesson , yes she noticed. " yep baby girl, you look stressed" Riya told me on our way to the cafe, " have you been thinking too much,hmm is it about a guy you like?" Riya said as we went into my car," you're talking rubbish" I said to avoid the topic she was about to bring up. " let me guess, it's Chris" she said obviously teasing me. " Riya! I don't mean I don't like him but not in that way" I said feeling hot as I turned on the AC but Riya wasn't going to shut up so easily "then what way do you like him?" " Riya just keep quiet" I said to her pleading. " I know you have a crush on him" I said playing the teasing game as well, " I do not, after all you two get along so easily" she said trying to shift the situation to me " but don't forget he called me cold and sarcastic during our first presentation together" I told her raising my voice a little. " well I can't blame him, you called him a old man and he looks so handsome" she said smiling, " I was complimenting him" I said defending myself. " what kind of compliment is that? you should really keep your compliments to yourself" she said" it means he's wise and see you're taking his side" I said feeling childish. " no I'm not" she sharply replied, " whatever forget it we're here" I said to her pointing at the cafe.