Being back in my shorter stature, my muscles much weaker than I was currently accustomed to, I looked around, realizing I stood just outside the King’s Suite door. Frantic, I spun in a circle, searching for Nell. Movement in this body was so awkward that I nearly tripped over the floor.
“I’m here with you, Cotton,”Nell said in my mind.“This is only temporary, and I’ll pull you back whenthe time is right.”
I released a shaky breath, knowing exactly what awaited me behind that door. Reluctant to go through it again.
“Surrender your control. Let the memory guide you.”
My shoulders ached from the tension, so I took a breath, focusing on relinquishing control to the memory and allowing my child self to lead me forward.
My anxiety melted away, and in its place, excitement—or rather, my memory of it—took over. A grin overtook my features as I prepared to tell my momma all about the new skill I’d just learned in the training room with Scarlett.
My tongue, my fully intact tongue, scraped against my teeth. Some were too big for my mouth, and a few baby ones still clung to my gums, while other adult teeth were in the process of growing in, leaving gaps for my tongue to snag on.
I rushed forward, letting my younger self take control, wishing that this wasn’t just a memory. More than anything, I wanted to stop him from entering the king’s chambers altogether, but I knew that it would do no good. What was done was done, and I couldn’t reverse it. Now, it was time for me to put to bed the memory that had been haunting me for too long.
My hand reached for the door handle, and I rushed inside, sprinting with careless abandon to the kitchen to find my momma. As usual, the King’s Suite was quiet and empty. The king was usually out at this time of day, but I was allowed to stop by from time to time if I needed to for my mom. As the king’s personal chef, she spent most of her time here, beginning in the morning and leaving after dinner.
Dread pulled at me when my younger self reached the expansive kitchen. Two large refrigerators housed an overabundance of food just for the king and his adopted daughter. My mother hovered over the counter, chopping vegetables, lost in her own world.
“Momma!” I ran to her side, unable to contain my excitement. Oh, I had almost forgotten what my voice last sounded like.
My mother jumped, her hand clutching her chest. “Cotton, baby! You scared the wits outta me.” She giggled, shaking her head.
My laughter was free, innocent like nothing bad existed in the world. “Sorry,” I mumbled as I wrapped an arm around her narrow waist. “You won’t believe what just happened in the training rooms!”
Momma narrowed her eyes at me, pinching her lips suspiciously. “What have you and Scarlett been up to now?”
“I got Scarlett pinned from—” My words trailed off when I spotted what she was doing. My stare fixed on the mortar and pestle she worked, followed by the black stone off to the side. I rotated, spotting the stainless-steel stovetop where a pot of steaming soup sat. “Momma?” I asked, looking at the small pile of crushed black crystal on the cutting board.
The cognitive dissonance of a nine-year-old couldn’t piece together why his sweet, kind, and lovable mother would be putting ground black crystal in the king’s food.
My mother halted her movements. “Cotton,” she whispered. “You need to leave. Now.”
But I was too shocked, confused. Why would she do that? Black crystal wasn’t even poisonous to Kinetics. It made no sense. My younger self couldn’t decipher if she was attempting to poison the king and his daughter. That couldn’t be right. Even if my mother were capable of doing such a thing, surely she knew black crystal wouldn’t harm them.
“What are you doing to their food, Momma?” I asked, unaware of the volume of my voice.
“Go, now, Cotton,” Momma demanded through clenched teeth. “You saw nothing. Now, go home. I’ll be there for dinner.”
Footsteps approached from behind me, causing my back to straighten, my heart going into overdrive. When I spun around to leave, I came face-to-face with King Forest entering the kitchen. His overbearing energy stripped any bit of confidence I ever thought I held. I never felt so small as I did when in the king’s presence. Princess Gray strolled in behind him, her black and white hair pulled back into a single braid.
The king whipped around to face his daughter. “Get out! You know you’re never welcome in the kitchen, child!”
Gray’s eyes rounded, tears pooling from the harshness with which her father spoke to her in front of others. “I was–I was just?—”
“Either you lack any brain cells, or you’re just an insolent little brat. Either way, I’m getting sick of it. Now, get out!” the kingboomed, and my heart broke for the princess. Never had I imagined that the king would talk to her so horribly. I’d never heard so much hatred come from a parent in my life. And up until that point, I didn’t realize how lucky I’d been to have such loving parents.
Gray dashed from the kitchen, leaving my mother and me alone with the king’s wrath. Maybe he couldn’t see the powdered black crystal from where he stood.
“Cotton, what a surprise to see you here.” The king towered over me, his rich green beard rippling and his nostrils flaring. I swore I saw his eyes spark with something dangerous as he glared at me from above. “Daisy hadn’t mentioned you were expected to stop by.”
“I just wanted to tell her that—” My voice trembled as I spoke, the alarm bells in my head blaring in my ears. “I was just leaving, Your Majesty.”
The king’s stare stripped me open before he flicked his predatory gaze onto the black crystal. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, you were.”
I dipped my head and dropped at the waist to give him a bow before I ran out of the kitchen. When I rounded the corner, I glanced back over my shoulder one last time at my beautiful momma. Her long, silky hair was tied neatly at the top of her head, the color a true match to my own. She’d always been tall and held so much confidence, but the way she drooped her chin to her chest in defeat cracked something inside me.
I crept away from the corner, wishing I could snatch my momma out of the kitchen with me. Once I entered the living room, a little sniffle startled me, making me stumble. Princess Gray stood at the balcony doors overlooking the city, her body shaking from the tears. If it had been another time, I would’ve gone to her to make sure she was okay. But being in the King’s Suite with the king himself present made me susceptible to his scrutiny.
