C2 02 - DEPARTURE

-SAGE-

I moan as the bright sunlight hits my eyes making me dig my face into the pillow.

I wrap my hands around the pillow I was resting my head on and snuggle more into it and . . . no. The pillow won't grow arms and hug me like you expect it to, it's just a pillow.

I open my eyes yawning as wide as my mouth could open to see Enrique walking out of his closet while tying his tie.

" Hey." I chirp as he looks at me with a bright smile.

" So the sleepy head finally decided to wake up." he chuckles sitting on the bed near me.

" Morning," I whisper.

" Morning my little love," he says leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on my forehead.

" Where are you going ?" I mumble rubbing my eyes with my fists.

" I'm going to pay a visit to the professor and pick my results. It's my final year so I can't mess this up," he says as I could see how nervous he was.

" You never mess up. I'm sure you'll make it." I smile.

" Hope so. I also have to go pick mom up from the airport today." he smiles happily.

I also smile as excitement bubbles in me. Enrique's mom left when I was barely four, I don't remember how she looked like but Enrique never stops praising his mom, he has two albums full of her pictures. I'm sure he is really happy that she is coming to attend our wedding.

"Now, take a bath and get dressed. I'll come back before breakfast and I want you and that brat, Elliot, on the table," he says standing up buttoning his blazer.

" I don't wanna go. I wanna stay here." I whine snuggling into the sheets which gave off his scent.

" And yeah, I've told the maids to clean this room up so please don't forget your any jewelry here. The room has a thick smell of sex." he cringes his nose at the smell.

" Yeah, like I was the one who wanted to have sex in the first place." I roll my eyes sarcastically.

" Sage, let that sour mood go and cheer up. Bye." he chuckles waving at me before he walks out of the door.

I roll my eyes and get out of bed. Being too lazy to wear my dress back on, I wrap the sheets around me and check my neck to see my necklaces there.

I groan placing a hand on my waist like a pregnant woman and walk out of Enrique's room to my room which was thankfully on the same floor.

Enrique was the only one who had his room up on the fourth floor but since I had to visit him more and more after we fall in love, I moved up on the fourth floor.

And Elliot being Elliot had to visit me so much that he also had to move up to the fourth floor much to Enrique's dismay.

I take a quick shower and wear a long-sleeved maxi dress. I look down at the two necklaces around my neck.

One was my mother's crucifix, she believed no evil could touch me until I had it on and the other was Enrique's mom's necklace. It was a simple necklace with a tiny diamond pendant.

Enrique gave me this the night he took my purity ring off. It was his mother's memory which he never took off his neck but that night, after claiming my innocence which I always saved for him, he gave me his most precious thing. I felt like he gave me a part of him and I care about it more than myself.

" Ta da." Elliot screams bursting into the room.

" Oh hey Khai." he smiles walking into my closet.

" What's wrong ?" I ask as he rummages through the side where his clothes were kept.

Elliot had half my room filled with his stuff and I had half of his room filled with my stuff because we always shared the same room.

" I can't find my hat." he pouts sadly.

" Found you, you little sucker." he laughs maliciously at the hat.

I roll my eyes putting on the diamond earrings Sabrina gifted me. Elliot turns around finally looking at me as his eyes go wide.

" Whoa. What's wrong with you, dude ?" he asks frowning at me.

" What's wrong ?" I ask looking back at the mirror.

" So many mosquitoes bit you," he says sadly pointing at my neck.

" Get lost." I giggle punching his shoulder.

" Did Enrique leave already ?" he asks.

" Yeah, he went to pick his results up." I smile puffing some perfume on me.

" Damn, he's the only one who is always in the hurry to get his results. We never run that quick , if it was for me , I would tell the teacher to keep it never give it to me." he sighs shaking his head as if Enrique is a huge disappointment.

I giggle at his words and apply some makeup before we both link our arms together and run down the stairs giggling to ourselves.

But the scene on the first floor wasn't what we expected. Enrique's arm was bleeding while Eleana was crying and Enrique was screaming about something.

" Enrique, calm down." Mr. Princeton yells shutting him up.

" I'm sorry it was my fault." Eleana sobs.

" It wasn't your fault sweetie. They are bastards." Mr. Princeton says hugging Eleana.

Elliot and I share a look before slowly descending the stairs.

We stand at the end of the stairs holding each other's hands and watching everyone panic through.

" Enrique son, let me bandage it. It's bleeding so bad." Josephine sobs trying to hold his hand.

" Stay away from me. You're not my mother so don't try to be like her. You're just my father's wife, don't forget that." Enrique yells at her.

My eyes water seeing him this angry as Elliot places his arm around me and pulls me close to him.

" Enrique mind your words." Mr. Princeton growls.

" What wrong did I say? She's only the woman who warms your bed but she can never make a place in our hearts." Enrique yells earning a growl from Mr. Princeton.

" Stop it, Enrique. Imagine how you'll feel if I say that to Sage. She's only a girl who warms your bed and nothing else, huh ?" Mr. Princeton growls as Enrique roars like a beast.

A sob escapes my lips as I stumble into Elliot's arms. The crude language and fight early in the week of our wedding wasn't something I ever expected.

" How dare you? Sage isn't my bed warmer, she's my love." Enrique growls.

" Did it hurt you? Sage is like my daughter and I won't forgive myself to say those words to her but now you'll understand how much it hurts me when you talk about my wife like that." Mr. Princeton growls at him.

" Enrique apologize now," Sabrina says placing her hand on his shoulder.

" But he is wrong," Enrique grumbles.

" He isn't wrong. Just apologize to your dad and put this thing to an end. You're getting married in three days." Sabrina says as Enrique sighs loudly.

" Fine. Sorry," he says.

" To Josephine too," Sabrina says.

" Sorry," Enrique says in a strained voice before throwing himself on the couch.

Sabrina sits beside him as she begins bandaging his wound up.

" Kian," I mumble taking baby steps towards them.

Enrique's eyes go wide as he sees me, he immediately jumps out of the couch but Sabrina pulls him back to treat his wounds.

" Sage, we didn't mean anything. I'm sorry," he says looking towards his father and then back at me.

Enrique knew how much important this week is for me. It is my wedding week, ever since I was a child, I dreamt of this week and told Enrique about all my fantasies about it.

"It's okay," I mumble when Mr. Princeton holds my hands into his.

" I'm sorry my daughter, I didn't see you there. I just said that to make him realize what he says each time is wrong." Mr. Princeton says as I smile nodding my head.

" I know." I smile. Mr. Princeton won't ever say that to me, he treated us as same as his own kids and I knew he was just trying to put sense into Enrique.

" How did this happen ?" I ask sitting beside Enrique watching Sabrina treat the gash.

Immediately Enrique wraps his arm around my waist and hides his face in the crook of my neck inhaling my scent.

" I went for the morning walk with Sabrina," Eleana says as she and Shawn sit on the couch opposite us.

Elliot grumbles something to himself about the annoying morning and sits beside me placing his head on my shoulder.

" There were a bunch of boys whistling and calling us names," Sabrina mutters as Enrique clenches his fist again.

" We didn't pay much attention but when they began calling us nasty names, I went there and slapped one of them across his face." Eleana mumbles.

" They got violent. They began groping us when Enrique's car passed by. I thought he didn't see us, but he stormed towards us beating them all up. He got injured during that." Sabrina grumbles finishing with the bandaging.

" You shouldn't have beat them up, Enrique," Shawn mutters.

" And let them continue groping our women," Enrique growls.

" No. But you could have just scared them and got Eleana and Sabrina home. They weren't any danger but you've beaten them up and god knows what revenge they might be planning against you." Elliot mumbles as Mr. Princeton grumbles.

" They won't be able to do anything. We are the Princeton's and the Martinez's, no one has the power in the touch to touch us. We are all safe." Our dad says sitting down beside Mr. Princeton as Enrique scoffs.

" Just like our girls were safe today. No one is allowed to go out without a bodyguard, got it ?" Enrique growls as we all nod.

" Come on kids. It's time for breakfast." Josephine's soft voice comes as everyone slowly stands up heading towards the dining room.

I look back at Enrique who still had a frown on his face.

" Hey. Nothing is going to happen to anything. They were just a group of stupid boys and they're probably enough afraid of you to ever tease any other girl. Everyone is safe." I smile kissing his nose.

" Yeah." he smiles as the shine gets back into his eyes.

" Are you guys coming or planning to eat each other for breakfast just like you did for dinner last night ?" Elliot wiggles his eyebrows.

" I'm leaving," Enrique says getting up.

" Breakfast?" I pout at him.

" I don't have time for that, love." he kisses my nose.

" Okay, I'll drop you at the door." I smile standing up too.

He smiles placing his arm around my waist as we walk to the door in silence. He kisses my forehead turning to leave but I hold his hand as my eyes water.

" What's wrong love ?" he asks wiping my tears.

" I don't know. I just feel like something bad is going to happen." I sob hugging him tightly.

" Don't go, Enrique. Send the driver or a servant just don't go." I sob clutching onto him.

" Sage, listen to me love. I can't send anyone else, she's coming back after fourteen years, she'll be hurt if I'm not there to pick her up." he says kissing my forehead.

" I feel something bad is going to happen. What if you meet an accident or something, I'm scared." sobs wreck through my body as the bad feelings grow more.

" Sage, nothing is going to happen to me. I'll be fine. It'll just take me a few hours to come back." he assures me kissing my forehead and my nose.

" Here," I say taking off my mother's crucifix and making him wear it. It was a small golden crucifix with diamonds on it.

My mother left the crucifix for me when she died, I never took it off me from that day. Sabrina told me that my mother believed that the crucifix will always protect me and save me from any harm.

" No Sage, your mom made it for your safety," he says.

" I'm safe Enrique. I'll be at home with the others, I'm scared for you." I say caressing his cheek.

" You never take this off," he says.

" Because I never got the feeling I'm getting today. Please, Enrique, don't take it off until you come home. Mom always believed that it will protect us." I mumble as he nods.

" Stay in the house and don't go out until I come, okay ?" he asks.

" I love you," I whisper.

" I love you too," he says kissing my forehead.

I watch him leave with tears in my eyes until his car disappears out of the huge gates.