Part LXX

The sprinkling continues but the priest's voice gets lower by the second, probably giving up on me already. I look up at him and see a really bored look on his face, I look towards Sean and he has a really disturbed look, I look towards the crowd and see laughter and mockery in their eyes. They probably expected this and are happy this is happening.

Finally, a concrete reason for them why I shouldn't be queen. My face falls and great sadness takes over my heart but I can feel laughter bubbling from within me as my eyes become moist from the pent up tears. How could I possibly have thought things would go smoothly for me.

Crystal Anderson, the girl with the worst luck in all history! Such funny title. Unable to hold it in any longer, I chuckle loudly and the priest immediately stops sprinkling and talking. Sean's eyes go wide and I suddenly feel like I've made the worst mistake I could tonight. Way to go Crys! I high-five myself in my head and giggle lightly.

"Did you just laugh?" The priest asks me and I smile, nodding my head and looking at him through my teary eyes.

"Are you making fun of our -"

"Crystal." Sean cuts him off and crouches down to my level, holding my face in his hands and looking into my eyes. "Not now."

My smile only goes wider and the laughter becomes even harder to keep in, his worried eyes is really sad but in a funny way. Deep down, I know I shouldn't laugh or make light of the situation on ground but then, I can't help but see everything from a funny angle.

My heart is full of pain and hurt but my head is filled with all sorts of ways to make my problem funny.

"Look at me." He says seriously and I giggle, "look at me goddamn it Crystal!". His voice is unintentionally loud and gasps are heard from the people but we ignore it and my laughter ceases as a tear falls from my eyes onto his hand.

"You can do this." He says lowly to me and tears start to fall freely.

"I can't. I'm human it won't work. I can't do anything."

"Yes you can!" He says in a harsh whisper, his own eyes looking like they're about to spill some tears but I'm sure he won't let it, not in front of these people.

"Listen to me. You're Crystal. Human or not, it doesn't matter. You are who you want to be and nobody has the right to make that decision for you, not even me. I want you to choose now. Stay with me or go back to earth. You once asked if you could go back and I said yes, with help from a powerful being you can. That powerful being is right here in front of you, all you have to do is say the words and you're back home on earth.

So what's it going to be, go through this and stay with me or forfeit and go back to your home?".

Home? Is earth really my home? There's nothing to go back to aside a house filled with dreadful memories and I've already come to terms with my new life, with Sean. I can't imagine a life without him nor Dylan, that would be even worse than now.

"You're my home." I smile and hold his hand on my face. He smiles too, almost laughing and he wipes my tears with his thumb. He nods reassuringly and stands back up, telling the already angry priest to start over again with me.

I can do this. I won't let him down. I won't let me down.

The priest starts to speak in the weird language and begins sprinkling the water on me. I close my eyes and concentrate deeply on his words, ignoring the goosebumps that formed on my arms from the sprinkling of water.

The water droplets starts to get really cold on my skin but I keep my eyes closed, concentrating on the words of the priest and not letting my mind wander off.

Again and again he sprinkles and the water gets even colder by the second, the temperature reducing drastically. My teeth starts to chatter from the cold and my palm becomes dry and frozen.

The image of an astoundingly beautiful woman with long black hair plays in my head, clearer and clearer it becomes. I soon find myself in an open wide and cold space with no one, animals or plants whatsoever aside from the lady.

She walks towards me as I stay kneeling on the ground, unable to move my already frozen body.

She smiles warmly, stretches out her hand for me to take which I do with shaky fingers. The cold triples the moment my hand connects with hers and strikes my bones causing me to fall to the ground and shout in pain.

The cold becomes unbearable that I almost blank out but try my hardest to keep my sanity. I can't die here. I have to live through it no matter how hard it is.

She lets go of my hand and walks away, still smiling and not affected by the cold in any way.

Help me. Who are you. Help me please.

No words come out of my mouth as I keep my hands stretched out, calling out to her to no avail.

My hands fall to the ground and I try to move my fingers but they stay painfully frozen. My eyes refuse to close and my entire system seems frozen as it becomes even harder to breathe. My whole body lies frozen like an ice sculpture and the pain is immeasurable but I know I won't die, not today.

I lay there in the cold, freezing to death like a chicken. Are the people watching me like this? Am I in this state before the eyes of the entire kingdom?

No, that can't be. I can't be such an embarrassment and disappointment to Sean. I have to stand up. I can't die. I won't die. Not now.

Not today. Still unable to move, I lay helpless on the ground, trying to bear the pain and clinging onto the thin string of my life that's left.

Minutes later, I start to get used to the cold. It's almost like a normal thing, a normal temperature. I try to blink and realise I can, my fingers aren't so stiff and the pain isn't unbearable anymore. What's happening?

Just then, the clouds start to fade into a ceiling and the iced floor fades into the normal hall ground. I immediately look around and find myself back at the hall, the cold no longer as severe as it was and I feel no more pain.

"Crystal?" Sean's voice brings me completely back to reality and I see myself kneeling in the position I was before, the priest is standing farther away from me than he was before with a scared face and Sean is looking at me with really wide eyes.

I frown at that and look back towards the people to see everyone standing with wide and scared eyes. What happened?