Different

Chapter 1

Solene gazed out the window. She saw a flower outside her window. She opened the window and reached her hand out. Suddenly the flower began to shrink and wilt. Soon it was dead. Solene sighed as she felt the new life force fill her. This was her gift and curse.

Solene could take life forces. She could control it, but that fact didn't make anyone like her anymore. She was an outcast from her own people no matter how powerful her parents-

"Solene." Solene looked at the person in the doorway. Her mom looked regal in her gown. She had to. She was Aislinn, the Summer Queen. Solene scowled at her mother. Aislinn ignored it. "You need to get ready. The solstice will begin soon." Solene rolled her eyes.

"You keep acting like I want to hang around all night with you and Uncle Keenan's lackeys and playthings-"

"Solene," Aislinn said in a chaste voice, "you do not talk about your court that way."

"There not my court!" Solene exclaimed. "I'm the queen's daughter and they still don't except me." Aislinn took a deep breath. She and her daughter had this argument a million times. After a while she just tried to let it go, but it bothered her that her own daughter wouldn't accept the court she was born into.

Solene turned to the flower bush outside her window. She reached out to another flower until her mom caught her wrist. Solene looked at Aislinn with no expression. Aislinn's face fell when she looked into her daughter's eyes. The blur-brown eyes held relaxed shadows. They're only like that when there feed.

"Honestly, Solene, must you do this-"

"What's wrong with it? The flower would only die in another week. I just sped up the process."

"You stole its life force." Solene glared at her mother. She hated doing this with her but it never stopped her. She knew her mom disapproved of her using her gift. "Maybe I didn't steal it. Maybe it belonged to me." Before Aislinn could say anything she saw the shadow in the doorway. Seth sighed, placing his hand on the door knob. This was the universal sign that he heard everything they said. Stupid faerie hearing.

"Ladies, must we go through this every time?" he asked in a tired voice. He was sick of the constant fighting between his wife and daughter. No one ever won and it just brought constant tension into the house. Solene pulled out her mother's grasp and moved in front of her father.

"Dad, please don't make me go! Can't I stay at Aunt Donia's house tonight?" she asked. Seth looked at her with a reprising look.

"You promised your mother that you would go to solstice if let you go to Donia's house last time." Solene groaned, moving to her closet. Aislinn smiled at Seth. His eyes lit up at it. Solene rolled her eyes at them. 20 years of being together and they still act like they're teenagers with a case of puppy love, She thought. She was glad she never looked that ridiculous. Aislinn touched her daughters arm, giving her a knowing look, before leaving.

As soon as her mom left, Solene spoke.

"You know, I could leave. I'm nineteen and legal .I could leave and never come back. I'm half mortal. I have rights." Seth sighed. He kissed Solene's forehead.

"That's true." He told her. He moved towards the door as he spoke again. "But you are also the daughter of a queen and the only reason you're half mortal was because your mom and I started out as mortals. So technically, you're a faerie. Mortal rights don't apply to you." Seth closed his door.

Solene plopped on her bed in disappointment. She looked under her bed at a bag. It was packed and ready for her to carry it anywhere.

They might not apply to you anymore, she thought, but they still apply to me, despite your belief.

*****

When Solene was an infant, her family moved into a house on the edge of Huntsdale. It was bigger the loft and safer for the faeries. It also made it easier for Aislinn to keep and eye on her daughter. With a bigger house came more space for the Summer Court parties that were held practically every week. This means that this was the perfect place for the Summer Solstice, the biggest party for the summer court.

Solene hates the Summer Solstice. She always had to dress up when she did nothing but sit or stand. There's nothing but airhead summer girls and stiff rowan guards. And being a princess never helps anything. Especially the people her parents push her towards. She was wearing a red-orange dress her mother picked for her and a small gold crown with other gold accessories.

Like she needed another reminder that she was a princess

She glanced around the room at the twirling girls. She looked at her parents dancing. She sipped at her cup, hating how unnaturally sweet it was. She didn't know how much longer she could deal with being around these people. She saw a glowing figure in the corner of her eye.

Solene knew who it was before he sat down next to her.

"Hey Uncle Keenan." She greeted. Unlike her parents, she enjoyed his company. Though they settled the bad blood between them, the trust factor for them is still rocky. Not for Solene. She liked how he played the royal game. She just finds him different from the people that are "approved".

"Hello Princess Solene." He said with a smirk. She scowled at him.

"You know I hate my title."

"Why? You have anything anyone could want."

"Except freedom." She said. "True freedom. I always have to be approved and shelter for every move I make in a place that I don't want to be in. You get to go and visit and explore. I've been these same boring circles my whole life."

Keenan nodded. He could understand how she felt. He was like that when he lived with Beria. But unfortunately he couldn't do anything. "I'd rather be a shade than be summated to a life like the Summer Girls." Keenan became alarmed at the statement.

"Hey," he said in a warning tone, "don't joke like that. You know why."

"Yes, the infamous grandmother I've never met." She heard the tale at least a hundred times before. Her grandmother, Moria, died trying to escape Keenan's grasp. In a way, Solene could sympathize. She loved her parents but if it was her choice, she wouldn't belong to this court.

Solene remember the secret weekend her dad took her on when her mom visited Faerie. They went to the beach and she became the curious little kid she always was. But it was over too soon. Solene sighed, focusing to the crowd in front of her.

"I can't live like this." She said before drifting over to the fountain where Siobhan lived. It was the only person she liked in the court. She looked above her head at the sunset. Only three more hours, she thought. That thought alone made her sane.

As the sky turned black, Solene got dressed. She switched the annoying gown for a simple t-shirt and sweats. She moved like around her room like a ghost. She checked and doubled checked her stuff. She didn't want to be caught this time. The last few times were sloppy. But this time she was sure she was going to get out.

She checked the hallway quietly before locking her door. She looked one last time before catching her eyes in the mirror. She removed the hood of the block hoodie she wore. Her own eyes bore into themselves. She watched the shadows dance at the excitement her body held.

When Aislinn first saw the shadows in her daughter's eyes, she was frightened. It was possible for a child to belong to a court other than the one their parents controlled. Rare but possible. Niall told her that she was simply had too much sunlight to be of the dark court. No one had any idea why she was born that way. Except Sorcha, who refused to give the answer. This made her more nervous that her daughter held shadows. The princess was simply a mystery.

Solene lifted a hand to her face. She looked at herself, which she rarely did. She looked at her pale skin, dark hair, angular face, and blue-brown eyes. Her eyes…Solene loved her eyes. They complete the dark beauty she had. She cherished the shadows that were kept inside of them. It was what made her so unique.

She pulled her hood up over her head covering her face once again. She didn't have time to waste being vain. She opened the window and jumped out into the crisp night. She watched her surroundings. Guards would find her soon enough. She only hoped see could fight them quickly and silently.

She was only thirty yards away from the gate when the first guards attacked. She jumped over the first one before forcing the other to the ground she did a series of kicks, each one bringing her closer to the gate. She kicked at a guard's temple, making him unconscious. Then she heard the alarm. The same alarm that told her she was caught.

Not this time, she thought. She rand and pushed the remaining guards out her way. A couple tried to grab her but she dodged them. If not, the girl had amazing speed. Once she had enough room to really speed up, she was out the gate in seconds. But once she felt heat on her back, she knew she was being followed. A blast of heat sent her sprawling to the ground.

She rolled to a stop. She smirked despite the burn on her back.

"Just couldn't take the hint, could you?" Aislinn approached her daughter. The same daughter she loved beyond comparison. The same daughter that was trying to escape again.

"You're not leaving." She said. Her tone held finality. Solene stood up again.

"You're not stopping me this time, mom. You can let me leave now or we can fight and I'll still leave."

"Is that threat?" Aislinn asked dangerously. Solene snarled at her.

"No." she answered before she smirked. "It's a promise."

Aislinn was in front of her in a second ready to hit. Solene dodged the blow and tripped her mom. Aislinn rolled back to her feet. She charged at her daughter sending her down with one hit.

Solene catch her hand and threw Aislinn over her shoulder. Aislinn catch herself before kicking Solene in the stomach. Solene stumbled to the ground. Aislinn stood over her, thinking she won.

"It's over, Solene." She said. But Solene looked up and the shadows in her eyes became excited. She grabbed her mom's hand and Aislinn started to feel weak. Solene gained her mother's energy. She was healed as soon as she stood up. Her mother looked at her with disbelief.

"I'm sorry, mom, but I'm not going back to your prison." She said. Aislinn went unconscious. Solene checked to see if her mom was okay before running as fast as she could out of the city.

*****

"What do you mean she's gone?" Seth demanded. He, Keenan, and Donia wondered the same thing as Aislinn iced her head, something she only did for her major cases of vertigo. Only Solene could cause it.

"What do you think I mean?" she snapped at Seth. "She got away."

Just as she said the words Niall joined the group in the Summer Court study.

"Who got away?" he said drifting in with his shadows. Niall was perfectly comfortable with his court now. It was still kind of unnerving how kind he could be while he ruled the court of nightmares. Aislinn looked at Seth to tell Niall.

"Solene. She ran away a couple of hours ago." He summed up. Niall's eyes widened.

"You mean she finally got away?" he said, leaning on the desk, "I thought she would never make it." Aislinn was up in a second with Niall's neck in her hand. She was furious at his attitude towards this.

"Is this the kind of attitude you have in front of my daughter? No wonder she's been defiant. You've been trying to take her for your own!" she accused, her breath burning his face. Niall didn't struggle in her grip, which would only make it worst. Donia waved her hand and frost creep up Aislinn's arm. Aislinn dropped her grip. Donia stepped up calmly.

"Accusing each other gets us no where. What we need to know is how she got away." Aislinn sat down once again. Every one looked at her expectantly. She sighed before telling them.

"We fought and I had her on the ground. Then she…" she massaged her temples at the thought of what happened, "…she used her powers on me." Everyone gasped. Solene only used her powers as a last resort in a fight. They've seen it plenty of times. Her sparring partner would usually be unconscious for days but since Aislinn was more powerful, it was only a few hours. Seth placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but nothing helped the situation. An uncomfortable silence fell over everyone.

"We have to find her." Niall said, breaking it. "She's in a lot of danger. Her nativity only heightens it." Keenan nodded in agreement.

"How?" Donia asked. "I know Solene. If nothing else, the girl has two things that make finding her almost impossible. Her intelligence and speed. Not to mention her ability to fight. How can we find her?"

Niall stoop up straight.

"I'll go. My court needs a break from there king and Gabriel has been waiting for a good challenge."

"I'll talk to Sorcha." Seth said, "She's bound to know something."

"We both will." Aislinn chimed in. Donia nodded.

"I'll send some scouts. She's been over enough times over the years for them to know who she is."
Everyone talked a while longer deciding on a plan. As it formed, hope grew in Seth and Aislinn. They would find their daughter and she would be safe once again in their care. "It's settled then," said Donia. "Solene will be found."

Soon after, the Royals started too filed out. Aislinn caught Niall before he left. No one was around to hear them.

"Find her," Aislinn said fiercely, "and soon."