me.
‘Um, who are you?’ I ask nervously.
The two then hold their wrists up. The girl has a gold bracelet and the boy a silver bracelet, both on their left wrists. The girl flicks her red hair over her shoulder and smiles. ‘I can’t believe you’re here, the final addition to our generation’s collection!’
I stare at the gold bracelet. I got it wrong last time, but maybe… I ask, ‘Are you the one who united with Successor Arin a week ago, the one from the newspaper?’
She nods. ‘Yes! Well, we actually united three weeks ago. But we kept it a secret. I didn’t want anyone to ruin my actual uniting day; you know terrorists or worse, paparazzi. In case you’re out of the loop, which I assume you might be, I’m Anrella Montarus.’
‘You’ll always be Anrella Baxton to me,’ the guy says. ‘Oh and I’m Demmi Hopps. Before you ask – yes, I am aware I have a feminine name. I’m the youngest of eight. All my siblings are girls, and I think my parents just expected me to be a girl too. So they named me Demmi anyway.’
‘To make it worse…he’s Demmi Hopps the…’ Anrella starts giggling.
Demmi frowns and sighs. He says to me, ‘I’m Demmi Hopps, the “male bride” with a girl’s name. Life hates me, okay? The public already taunt me enough, not to mention my old high school friends who… I now no longer speak to because they won’t let me.’
‘Yeah the Guardians do that,’ Anrella says with a nod. ‘And I didn’t mean to laugh, I’m sorry.’ She gives him a quick, almost fake hug. I can see they’re quite close, despite their ages.
I smile and laugh gently. The two turn their attention towards me. I say, ‘It’s nice, and strange, to finally meet some normal people. I was starting to think everyone in this place is warped.’
‘They are,’ says Anrella. ‘Members of the Tower live in their own little worlds.’ The pretty young woman slides closer on the bed, placing her hands under her chin. ‘So…Leo finally picked himself a bride. I want to hear all the details! You two have only recently met, right? How did you convince him so easily? He’s a tough nut to crack.’
‘I didn’t convince him. He decided this on his own,’ I reply strongly.
‘That’s so strange,’ Demmi says, turning his head towards Anrella. ‘After all those meetings and dates...’
Anrella rolls her eyes. ‘Honestly, it’s no wonder he didn’t pick any of them. All the girls that he’s been “matched” with were self-centred rich bitches. I can see why none of them appealed to him. They all fawn over his status as a Successor, kissing his butt. But I don’t think any of them really gave two shits about the person Leo.’
The two imitate the actions of what happens when fans clamber around them. It’s funny, but it makes me think maybe that’s why Leo did this. Not that it changes my mind in any way.
Anrella turns to me once more, asking for details about our meeting. The two sit staring at me as I begin recounting the story. They listen quietly and seem genuinely interested. I guess they know better than anyone that the Guardians always get their way, no matter what.
Anrella frowns. ‘It’s sad to hear that you and Leo have been forced together on such harsh terms. Plus the fact that your father hates them makes it worse.’
I nod. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to meet a Successor? You both seem pretty normal. I mean you’re not really from rich families, are you?’ I ask.
Anrella smiles and says, ‘Well not rich per say. My family has always had connections. My father is a successful business man who owns a lot of buildings in Poridos. A year ago we got invited to a posh event here in the Tower. It was honouring a Sentry officer who had been a member of the team for over 40 years, in some way or another. The event was lovely, lots of food and drinks, but I was so bored! There was no one my age and everyone was talking about their own importance. So I
‘Um, who are you?’ I ask nervously.
The two then hold their wrists up. The girl has a gold bracelet and the boy a silver bracelet, both on their left wrists. The girl flicks her red hair over her shoulder and smiles. ‘I can’t believe you’re here, the final addition to our generation’s collection!’
I stare at the gold bracelet. I got it wrong last time, but maybe… I ask, ‘Are you the one who united with Successor Arin a week ago, the one from the newspaper?’
She nods. ‘Yes! Well, we actually united three weeks ago. But we kept it a secret. I didn’t want anyone to ruin my actual uniting day; you know terrorists or worse, paparazzi. In case you’re out of the loop, which I assume you might be, I’m Anrella Montarus.’
‘You’ll always be Anrella Baxton to me,’ the guy says. ‘Oh and I’m Demmi Hopps. Before you ask – yes, I am aware I have a feminine name. I’m the youngest of eight. All my siblings are girls, and I think my parents just expected me to be a girl too. So they named me Demmi anyway.’
‘To make it worse…he’s Demmi Hopps the…’ Anrella starts giggling.
Demmi frowns and sighs. He says to me, ‘I’m Demmi Hopps, the “male bride” with a girl’s name. Life hates me, okay? The public already taunt me enough, not to mention my old high school friends who… I now no longer speak to because they won’t let me.’
‘Yeah the Guardians do that,’ Anrella says with a nod. ‘And I didn’t mean to laugh, I’m sorry.’ She gives him a quick, almost fake hug. I can see they’re quite close, despite their ages.
I smile and laugh gently. The two turn their attention towards me. I say, ‘It’s nice, and strange, to finally meet some normal people. I was starting to think everyone in this place is warped.’
‘They are,’ says Anrella. ‘Members of the Tower live in their own little worlds.’ The pretty young woman slides closer on the bed, placing her hands under her chin. ‘So…Leo finally picked himself a bride. I want to hear all the details! You two have only recently met, right? How did you convince him so easily? He’s a tough nut to crack.’
‘I didn’t convince him. He decided this on his own,’ I reply strongly.
‘That’s so strange,’ Demmi says, turning his head towards Anrella. ‘After all those meetings and dates...’
Anrella rolls her eyes. ‘Honestly, it’s no wonder he didn’t pick any of them. All the girls that he’s been “matched” with were self-centred rich bitches. I can see why none of them appealed to him. They all fawn over his status as a Successor, kissing his butt. But I don’t think any of them really gave two shits about the person Leo.’
The two imitate the actions of what happens when fans clamber around them. It’s funny, but it makes me think maybe that’s why Leo did this. Not that it changes my mind in any way.
Anrella turns to me once more, asking for details about our meeting. The two sit staring at me as I begin recounting the story. They listen quietly and seem genuinely interested. I guess they know better than anyone that the Guardians always get their way, no matter what.
Anrella frowns. ‘It’s sad to hear that you and Leo have been forced together on such harsh terms. Plus the fact that your father hates them makes it worse.’
I nod. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to meet a Successor? You both seem pretty normal. I mean you’re not really from rich families, are you?’ I ask.
Anrella smiles and says, ‘Well not rich per say. My family has always had connections. My father is a successful business man who owns a lot of buildings in Poridos. A year ago we got invited to a posh event here in the Tower. It was honouring a Sentry officer who had been a member of the team for over 40 years, in some way or another. The event was lovely, lots of food and drinks, but I was so bored! There was no one my age and everyone was talking about their own importance. So I
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