Chapter 2 - Hidden Powers

Charmaine POV

It was a fun experience to talk to guys and feel normal for once in my lifetime. The way Dany, Engel, and Nathaniel were relaxed and playful all around me and Serena was a breath of fresh air.

I hated the fact that I had to hide my own identity from them. After a couple of gatherings, I considered my friends, yet I was unsure as to reveal the truth about me, the way I had made it with Serena.

“Serena, I feel awful! I should tell them…” I said to my best friend for the tenth time.

“Char… How about we try to get you, as yourself, to get along with them before we break the truth to them…” Serena suggested,

“Yeah? And how do you plan on doing that?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest in a defensive way.

“Mmh… maybe at school I can invite you to sit with us… after all, Mia doesn´t attend the same academy as us…” She winked at me.

“Yeah, that might work… Do you think they will warm up to me?” I was uncertain of the outcome of this little experiment.

I loved the sense of freedom, normalcy, and empowerment that Mia provided. For the first time in my life, I felt like living. After finding out about that new unheard ability of transformation, I was a bird in a gilded cage. Now I am a girl experiencing normal growing up, teenage activities, and self-discovery.

In my alter ego, I found myself. I was not Charmaine, the princess that has unlimited power of healing. The one that can be used to save everyone and everything. It was me, the nerd with a passion for romantic novels, it was me the music freak that loved piano and all kinds of music, it was me the one that loved to dance and laugh and play…

I got really good at sneaking out of my duties and from my ever-watching sisters. I made sure to keep this ability well hidden and concealed from them. Ayla had been super busy with her royal duties. She was of age four years ago, and she has had many marriage proposals. All of these were turned down because she was adamant about finding her fated alma.

I could tell she expected a lot from herself, and she has recently had a stick stuck up her ass. She is always asking me and Ariel to do the right thing, the expected thing, our behavior should be the proper one… and so on. It was tiring, and I missed my loving sister. In my own selfish opinion, she needs a boyfriend or a casual friend, but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon.

On the other hand, Ariel… My fierce sister decided to take a chosen alma. Quite the opposite thing from Ayla´s choices. She had already told mom and dad about it and they had accepted Jaziel as her chosen alma. They just requested from them to get to know each other better for one solid year.

They already knew each other, he was her private fighting and weaponry instructor. Ayla was appalled while Ariel was bouncing happily with her decision. When speaking to my sisters, Ayla expected me to agree with her that waiting for a fated mate was ideal, while when speaking with Ariel she was so happy that it made me agree that Jaziel was the best choice for her, even if they were not fated to each other.

This whole issue has strained my relationship with my sisters. We have always been tight with each other, and now I feel strained in one way or another. Somehow, I yearned every day to be Mia instead of Charmaine. Charmaine was losing her sisters, she had a s**t ton of responsibilities and duties, and she was trapped. The way I saw it, my future was not a fun one to look for.

Pushing down my family drama, I let out a sigh, because today would be the day that I would casually sit at Serena´s table at lunch. Usually, I decide to hide behind a book in the library, instead of hanging around, because let´s face it, nobody wants to hang around me. As soon as I approach someone new, they feel adamant, scared of my powers, and suddenly they choke on the idea of me being someone normal instead of this out-of-reach deity. IT SUCKS!

Taking a deep breath, I walked towards the cafeteria. With Ariel gone from the academy, I was the only princess left there. As soon as I entered the premises, the soft murmur and chatter started dying down.

There was no way my presence was unnoticed by the sea of teenagers around the cafeteria at that time. I lowered my gaze, my walk speeding for a little, trying to reach the safety of Serena´s table, where Engel, Dany, and Nate sat along with her.

“Hey…” I greeted them.

“Hey, Char!” Serena quickly stood up and motioned for me to sit down. I found an empty spot next to Dany, and as soon as I moved closer to the spot, Daniel jumped out of his seat. His food was half eaten.

“I have to go… I forgot about an assignment…” He stuttered, and suddenly fled the area.

I gave Serena a pained look. I knew exactly why he left that suddenly. He left like that because of me.

Before he was completely out of there, Engel yelled “Wasn't that a group thing?” looking for an escape.

“Sure thing… Come on... We need to finish it!” Dany quickly said back, making Engel and Nate jump out of their seats. They said goodbye and left without even sparing a glance my way.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I was certain I didn't want all of these people and bystanders to see me defeated and unwanted. It hurt because, as Mia, I was fond of them. They were my friends, and the pain was almost unbearable.

“I have to go… I am sorry…” I mumbled to Serena, and she tried to follow me but I lifted my hand, stopping her. The pain in my eyes was evident… I just needed a moment, alone obviously, to sort myself out.

I walked out of the school grounds and made my way into the path that led to the pond behind the school. It was a beautiful place, usually my place of solitude. I sat on a rock and left all control loose. Tears ran out of my eyes like a river. The loneliness and the pain of being rejected were almost unbearable. I wished I could vanish into thin air, I wished things were different, but here I was, alone.

I took a deep breath and decided that I would cut my sneaking out and stop my transformation into Mia. If I was not being appreciated as myself, I would stop cheating myself into believing I could be free and myself, when, time and time around, like I was proven wrong.

Dante POV

I sat on the chair in my office. I was appointed king a year ago, when my father, the sinister demon king, died. Well, he was captured in a surprise attack on our realm, judged, and then sentenced to death.

My father had been abusing his power for decades, and when all the wrong things came to the ears of our natural enemy, it was the perfect excuse and opportunity to get my father done for good.

King Engelebert, the powerful angel king, was known to be a fair ruler, and thus, he walked into our realm in his powerful angel form and demanded to check the conditions of our people. He accompanied himself with other rulers, and that cornered my demented father.

My dad never showed mercy or weakness, and as such, he attacked the visiting king and his allies, making the whole thing a messy bloodbath, ending in his demise.

I had mixed feelings about the whole thing. With my dad gone, the demon realm could breathe at ease once more. No more ruthless killings, torture, and brutal rapes. Those actions unnerved me. Also, it marked a new era for our realm. Our broken realm is full of misfits and fallen creatures from other realms.

I always thought our realm was the place where all of those misfits and broken people would find solace and peace. A refuge for them, but dad made sure to turn it into the ultimate place of pain. For f***s sake, my dad even tortured me, his own flesh and blood. He even showed less mercy to me than the others.

I was surprised when, after everything that went down, King Engelbert came to me and asked me to step into my father's shoes. I was hoping that someone else would take that position. I was not fond of becoming a King… and against all odds, the angel king put the decision to the vote with every other realm, and they voted for me to be in charge, making me instantly the Cursed Demon King.

All I yearned for was a tranquil life, a lonely life for that matter, because thanks to my father's wrongdoings, I was cursed. My father tricked a witch and before she died and I was born, she cursed me into loneliness, stripping me away of the ability to find and identify the most precious gift that could be given to any supernatural, our mates.

Thanks to my dad, the thing I yearned for the most, was the thing I would never ever have in my life. I found out about the curse when I was just turning into puberty, and from that moment on, I decided to seclude myself, knowing I was unable to love and be loved in return took a toll on me and when I was sent to boarding school, I was a shell of the kid I once used to be.

My red eyes, a clear sign of my curse, led to more pain when kids started pushing me away and bullying me. I experienced a glance at what my future would become. Until I met the only friend I have, until this day… Maximus D´Angelo, the future King of the Lycan Realm.

Anyways, that was a long time ago, and ever since I became king, the demon realm started thriving… I managed to change some l laws and then renovate schools, housing, and so on. We were not the wealthiest of realms, but we fended for ourselves, and that was all that mattered.

It's been a hard year… but it pointed to a new era, and has the demon realm become what it meant to be from the beginning, a refuge for the misfits, a place where everyone was accepted and valued…

The phone on my desk rang, and I immediately picked it up. I was certain that it was Max. Nobody else called me anyway.

“Hey, Max…” I answered,

“Hey Dante, How is everything going?” He asked I was appointed several months before him, and sometimes he called me for advice. I have no idea why, but he did.

“Good, working as usual…” I managed to say,

“I have great news to share with you…” His voice was bright and happy… “I found her!... I have finally found my mate… Her name is Aurora, she is young and beautiful, and everything I have dreamed of…” He said with excitement.

I knew he was looking for her, he was getting desperate to find her. I felt happy that my only friend was getting what he wished for, but deep down, envy and jealousy burned my soul. I wanted that… I wanted to love, a mate, a family… a life shared with the woman that would complete me, not what I have… a life condemned to solitude.

“So when is the wedding?” I asked,

“It is going to be very soon… I hope I can see you there…” Max said, making me feel uneasy. I barely stepped outside my realm, because people feared me and avoided me like the plague. I couldn´t bear all the pain from their judgemental stares and rejection.

“I'll try… anyways… I am really happy for you…” I said to my best friend and we finished the call.

I sighed, and before I realized it, a tear slipped between my shades and my skin. I wished I could find her, I wished that there would be a solution to my curse, but no one had heard of such a powerful being, one able to break a curse placed from birth. Sometimes I wondered if there even existed a person with hidden powers that would be able to cure me.