Chapter 1: First Meeting

Chapter 1:

Boom! Boom!

Concentrate, concentrate....Boom! Boom!

My weary eyes looked up from the book I was reading. The noise from the boom box outside had plagued me for the last time. I placed the bookmark at my stopping point in the book, since I think that dog-earing the corners is so wrong. Then laid the book gently, yet forcefully down on the table. I took off my glasses, and laid them down next to my still steaming cup of hot cocoa. I had been completely focused on my books today. It had been a long time since I had gotten any reading done. But that was so hard to do when there was nothing but that infernal rap music playing loud enough to make my ears bleed. I got up form my comfy, overstuffed chair, and walked with intention to the checkout desk. Bending down in order to get to the shelves inside it, I brought a box out, and laid it on top of the counter. Taking the lid off the box, I rifled through the selection that was in there. Me, personally, not liking some rap music, such as the kind that was being played out side, calmly took out a CD that I knew that they would dread. I opened the case, it squeaked slightly as I did, I turned around and placed it in my own boom box. I pressed play when it was done loading.

Lonestar's Amazed suddenly blared out of the speakers. I turned the volume up as loud as I could. The music started to course through my body. Looking around, from what I could see no one was in the shop, so I started to twirl around the room. Soon I was so caught up in the music, as I was swinging around, I grabbed a near by broom . I danced around the room with it. Using it as my dance partner, and my microphone, I danced until I got dizzy. My gypsy style skirt was twirling about my legs, my anklet was jingling with the bells it contained. Suddenly, it seemed like I was taken backwards in time. My long hair flowing unbound and wildly down my back. It was night, but it was also light because I was by a camp fire. Dancing not to Lonestar, but to tambourines and violins. I could smell the cooking of chicken over the fire, hear the shouts and cat calls of men. My hips moved in a seductive movement in time with the music. I could feel eyes boring into my back, so I turned... and became mesmerized with a pair of powerful, beautiful green eyes.

That was all I could see of the man hidden within the shadows of a wagon. They impaled me, sending shivers through my body. But they were shivers that felt good. I felt like I knew him some how. I winked saucily at him, and crooked my finger for him to come closer. I saw white teeth flash in the darkness, and he unfolded himself until he was standing to his full height, to which I judged to be at least six feet tall. He came to stand in front of me. His arms wrapped around me, and his hands settled on my waist. And I threw my arms around his neck as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Our hip started to move together, in time with the music. We were soon dancing around the camp fire, our bodies moving wild and free. Twisting and turning we went, round and round. The music suddenly picked up in tempo, one last final spin from me, and a dramatic dip at the end, with his head an inch from my heaving bosom.

We stood up, and our eyes locked. Green eyes met hazel, my breath hitched, and his stopped. I could feel my heart pounding with the same rhythm as his, and i knew instictively that this man was mine for the taking. He would do anything I asked him to do, because... he loved me. And, even though I couldn't see his face, I knew that I loved him too.

Suddenly I had the overwhelming urge to tease him. Sliding my body from his arms, I ran. Away from the campfire, and away from my lover. Laughing gleefully as I went, I felt his persual behind me. I looked back, but no one was there. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Where was he? I turned back around and ran smack into something hard, and down I went.

The something hard I had bumped into turned out to be a someone. And that someone had the gender of a male. His long, dark lashes made dark shadows against his cheeks.

"Oh my gosh," I said. "I am so sorry,"

No response from the man I lay on.

"Oh my goodness," I whispered. "I think I killed him,"

"I assure you Miss Smith," came the dry response from beneath me. "That it would take alot more than a simple knocking over of my person to kill me,"

His eyelids flew up, and I was staring into a pair of beautiful baby blues.

I slid off him, and onto the floor. I glanced at him warily.

"How do you know my name?" I asked him.

Using his index finger, he reached out, and flicked my name tag with his finger.

I looked on my chest. The tag read, Adelina Smith, Owner.

I glanced back up, and half grinned.

"Oh yes, right. Sorry, blonde moment,"

He chuckled, stood up and then held out his hand to help

me up.

I grasped it, and he pulled me to my feet.

Then, with the hand he was holding, he bent over to kiss it.

I couldn't remember if I had ever had my hand kissed. Really I couldn't. The only part of my memory intact was the last two years of my life. Before that was a complete blank. I had no recollection of who I was before my adoptive parents found me. The only key to my identity when I was found was a silver locket that was around my neck. On the front, a rose was etched, with a red bud, and a green stem devoid of any thorns. On the back, engraved, it said, "To Adelina with love,"

So my parents just assumed my name was Adelina. True, it was very unusual to be adopted at eighteen. But me, having no where to go, graciously accepted their more than kind offer. I took their last name of Smith, and here I was today.

Just a few months ago came a most unusual letter, claiming that I had inherited a bookshop. It was from a lawyers office named, "Enchanted Law,". But when we looked it up on the Internet, there was no such law firm to be found.

But I took up the book shop anyway, and here I was. I was twenty years old, about to turn twenty-one, and trying to get into the college of my dreams. Of course, not knowing who I was, I was not sure if I had a college education. So I had to get my G.E.D., and, amazingly, I knew all the stuff on the test. I passed it with flying colors.

The shop was on a small strip, next to a clothing boutique, and a chocolate shop. Clothes, books, and chocolate what a lovely combination.

"My name is Alex Ionescu," the man said.

Ionescu. The name seemed so familiar. But just as the memory was about to come, just when something was about to come into focus. But then a sharp pain ran from my forehead to the nape of my neck. I cried out in pain, and starting falling to the floor. I felt something catch me before I fell, and then I was cradled in strong arms.

"Adelina!" I heard, and then nothing....

I was having the vision again, of the gypsy camp. Except this time, there was no dancing. All was quite, and the man who was dancing with me before was sitting down, his back against the wheel of a wagon.

I was laying on the ground, my head in his lap. We were gazing up at the stars. The crickets were chirping, and the fireflies were buzzing around. The man was gently stroking my curls with his hand.

"Why can't she just leave us alone, my love?" the me that was not me asked.

"Because she wants the throne," the man said. "And you know she will go to any links to get it.

I groaned. "If I knew she wouldn't abuse the privilege, I would let her have it. Sometimes it's just too much trouble,"

He chuckled. "But you are the most important woman in history, my darling. You can't just give up your birth right,"

I pulled myself up until I was actually siting in his lap. I took his face in between my two palms and kissed him, my lips lingering slightly. Then I teasingly pulled away.

"Do you promise to always be by my side?" I asked him.

"Your desire is my duty, love," he replied, and pulled me back up for a kiss.

But before he could reach my lips, a firefly came up to us. But, it wasn't a firefly. It was a fairy. As I watched, it curtsyed in my direction.

To my immense surprise, I could interpret her tinkling.

"My lady, the ice approaches," she twinkled. "You must leave at once!"

On instant alert, the man scooped me up in his arms, and made his way into the forest.

"No!I must stay and fight!" I protested.

"This is one thing I will not agree with you on, Addy," he said, and sprinted with inhuman speed into the wood....

I awoke to water trickling down my neck. I shivered, and opened my eyes... to see a face I didn't know. I screamed. A pair hands held me down to what was I thought was bed.

"Miss Smith, Miss Smith," came a calming voice. "Calm down."

Finally I calmed down enough to fully come to terms with my surroundings. I was sitting in a hospital bed, and the guy I met in the bookshop, the one I had, oh yea, knocked over, was sitting on the bed, gazing at me with concern.

There was a nurse on the opposite side of the bed. She was the owner of the kind, soft voice I had heard.

"What am I doing here?" I asked.

"Well, you passed out," Alex explained. "And I was worried, so I brought you to the hospital,"

"There is no need to worry this happens all the time," I explained, and went to swing my legs over to the side of the bed, to get up.

Hands that were firm pushed me back down on the bed, and I glared up at the nurse that I didn't know.

"I would like to go home now," I said.

"You will have to have someone check you out," the nurse said firmly.

I narrowed my eyes at the nurse.

"I am twenty years old," I told her. "I can take care of myself,"

"Yes, but I need to k ow that you are in capable hands,"

"I will take her," piped up Alex's voice.

I glanced sharply at him.