• I watched the two eggs bob in the tub as the steam rose, the soapy waters foaming up around the two as the steam made the light colored designs on the shells sparkle in the dimly lit dorm bathrooms. Their shape was perfect, the weight nearly as light as a bag of sugar, yet all the while sweeter to me. They held a perfect shape to the point where the eggs would’ve been identical if it hadn’t had been for the design that wrapped around the shells. They had come after so many years of waiting, hopeless days of anticipating their arrival until I found myself once again realizing I wasn't going to get them.

    Rosarians had depended on their Knights, were basically attached to them at the soul and, in the end, would die with them. If one was found to have no Knight they were shunned from their society, their parents had a right to disown then from the point of their 13th birthday on. If anything happened to that individual no one would care. The world was everything but kind to the person who didn't receive a Knight.

    On my 13th birthday I received a letter apologizing for the lateness of my Knight, my family, as well as my community, was in utter shock. The days that followed were filled with more apologizes and the realization that my childhood was quietly becoming a curse. The children I had once played with turned their backs on me, excluding me for their games and even hurting me if they could. I found myself turned into an exile, hoping for acceptance, yet, gaining nothing but more pain. Looking back on those many years I felt as if they would never arrive, I would be overlooked from jobs and schools I wanted just because I didn’t have a Knight at my side. Yet, here they were five years later, nestled in the blue blanket wrapped in a box and handle with the care of a mother.

    I found myself staring at both of them, the letter that came with them asked for my forgiveness for the extreme lateness of my Knight. They listed rules that confused me as I watched the two eggs carefully in the tub. The number one rule was no one was supposed to have more than one Knight. If so, why had I received two?

    The University had taken me in out of pity and talent. Once they saw my portfolio they were hooked, they offered me a full scholarship which most of the students questioned. I found my roommate and her Knight, a lovely Polar Bear Fae, understood the situation perfectly, defending me at times when I needed it. They had left before the Hurricane Season started; a large storm loomed over the East Coast of the super continent that reserved most of the land of Rosario.

    At one point I had met with one of the Guardians, one of the higher ups who protected the world from the separation of kingdoms, creating peace and ruling with a gentle hand, unlike the tyrants who ruled before. The Kings and Queens were said to have been greedy, but no one spoke of them anymore. The Guardian had questioned why I didn't get a Knight. When presented with the letter he simply nodded and tossed it aside. He explained that it was great that no one persecuted me for being different, but I felt something deeper than that as he stared me down, a low resent boiling up within him or a quiet desperation for a deeper conversation, but our time was limited.

    I dried off the two eggs and rewrapped them in the blankets, cradling them in my arms lightly. I smiled, giddy that they had come finally. It was amazing that they were still in their eggs after five years, but something rang in the back of my mind. The letters fell out of the box as I tossed it toward the door to remember to take out later. I picked it up quietly, looking it over, my brown fingers caressing the dried ink of the letter that littered the page.

    'Lynnette,' it read which surprised me the most. Knights were mainly passed out at random, none personalized letters came with them. 'Keep them a secret, stay safe, do not trust anyone who bears the crest of the Guardians, and stay true to your birthright. Rosaria is a cold place without the proper leaders, we ask of you to withhold any information with the best intent at heart. If you have any questions, feel free to turn toward your family. Until we meet. L.L.T.H.C!'

    My thumbs caressed something imprinted on the page, making me hold the flimsy paper to the fluorescent light above me. The small crest was barely noticeable, though it sent chills through my body. Something about it scared me. I watched the paper fall to the floor lifelessly, taking a step back. There was something I was supposed to remember, something important.

    I felt my breath quicken, my heart pound. The wind started rattling the dorm windows as I found myself panting, closing my eyes to search my memories. Maybe it had something to do with my parents? The crest felt so familiar, most families had something to use as their signature, but that wasn’t my family crest. I had felt it before, seen it somewhere, it was like a warning.

    I rolled my eyes at myself. "That's all you need, Lynnette," I sighed, shaking my head and fixing myself a quick cup of hot chocolate. "To bring up the past you don't remember.” I sat on the couch, putting my face into my open palms. “That’s all you need at this moment, not to mention that fact that your parents drop the bomb that you were adopted, oh no, that makes it worse. What family do I have to talk to? And now look at yourself, sitting alone and talking to nothing," I looked at the eggs, smirking. "Well, not exactly alone."

    I picked them up and planted a light kiss on their shells. Within each I swore I felt a small nuzzle or disturbance. Outside the storm was brewing, a storm that would devastate if not properly prepared for. I placed the eggs in my messenger bag, wrapping them lightly in a blanket and covering them. I grabbed my rainbow umbrella and slipped out of the door which naturally slammed behind me. Outside a cold wind humid wind stirred the campus as the first flimsy branches found they were too weak for the impending storm as I made my way toward the library, my phone vibrating in my back pocket.