The Crystal by Jones M (the chimp paradox .txt) 📕

bullies. They also knew about the emotional scars I had and the therapy I had to endure to treat them. In fact, all of them helped me in recovering from the marks I obtained from the last bullying incident. My mother told them, and to say they were angry would be an understatement. They earlier wanted their heads on platters, especially when they discovered they were witches.

"How are you dealing with all this, Emery?" the Queen inquired as she took a bite off her scrambled eggs.

"I'm doing well, actually," I replied.

"Are you sure?" my mother asked. "Because two of them followed us as we carried you to the room where you slept last night."

That left me shocked.

"I already slapped one of them. I guess he didn't take what I was saying seriously. Do you need me to hit all of them? Possibly with a huge mallet? I can conjure one right now." My mouth dropped open at my mom's ridiculous yet deadly serious offer.

"I could offer to beat them up for you," Prince Erick said, earning a nod of agreement from Justin.

"Guys, there is no need for violence," I replied, only to receive a look of anger from my mother and the Queen's sons.

"You say that now? If you have forgotten, Emery, they beat you half to dead! Why shouldn't we teach them a lesson about hitting you like a sack of potatoes?" Justin asked as he stood from his chair.

"Because," I said as I stood up from my chair as well, "I know how your lesson will end. They are known worldwide! Their disappearance would cause a global search for them." I nodded my head in agreement of what I was saying. "Also, we are not like them."

"The f—" Justin said, only to be cut off by his mother.

"Language!"

"Emery, what are you saying?" Erick said with a confused look.

"If you are telling us to back off from beating the shit out of them, then to hell with that," Justin took off from his chair and left the room.

The Queen sighed as she placed a hand over her head. The air was tense, making everyone lose their appetite.

"I'll deal with him," I said as I moved from the chair to follow Justin.

"I'll come with you," Erick said.

The both of us wandered around the castle, searching for Justin. We came to a stop once we were in one of the castle's towers. We were on the top floor which consisted of green marble floors, gray brick walls and an open door leading to the castle's roof. My eyes turned, and I spotted Justin staring out the window near him.

We slowly approached Justin's form.

"Leave me alone," he said without turning his head. I approached him either way with Erick trailing behind me. Once I was within Justin's reach, I wrapped my arms around his form, leaning my head on his left shoulder.

"I'm kind of surprised you're acting like this, Justin," I said. My eyes wandered to the view, which was of the mountains. Justin sighed as he turned to face me.

"I just don't want history to repeat itself," he replied. "I don't want to see you hurt again, Emery. You're like a sister to me, you know?"

"I know," I said. I turned to face Erick, ushering him to come towards us. He did.

"I need your opinion on something," I started. "I'm thinking of forgiving them."

There was silence. That was the opposite of what I was expecting.

"I don't think this requires our input," Erick said.

"No, it definitely needs it," Justin opposed. "Don't forgive them!"

"But what good will holding a grudge do for her? She needs to face her fears and to move past them," Erick countered.

So much for not giving me his input.

"Fears?" I asked with a confused expression, purposely ignoring Erick's turn on his decision to not interfere.

"Fears. Are you still plagued by nightmares that have your bullies in your dreams?" I stared into the distance, which seemed to answer Erick's question. Before I was forced to seek psychiatric help, I used to have vivid nightmares of my bullies. Actually, they were memories that haunted me in my dreams.

"And don't forget what your therapist said. If the effects take up most of your life, you need to deal with it. I believe you need to get closure. Don't you now agree with me, Justin?"

Justin remained silent, pondering over what Erick said. With a defeated sigh, he nodded.

"I hate it when you're right," Justin said, earning a smile from his brother as a reply.

"But if you don't want to go through it, I understand," Justin said. "Besides, the only reason they are even allowed in Crystalia is that we need all the help we can get in dealing with the erwiches. They could possibly die when they are attacked."

I laughed out loud at what Justin said. Erick gave us a look, but it soon slipped as he began laughing with me.

 

Harry's P.O.V

My mind had been swarming with the last words Prince Erick muttered to Zane and me on the previous night. 

I felt hatred for myself at that time. The look the guy gave us was enough to have me move to another planet. He knew who we were and what we did. I spotted the anger and instant dislike the guy had for Zane and me. If it were possible, I would have gone back in time and stopped myself from ever bullying Emery. 

However, no one can go back in time.

Zane relayed what we were told to the rest. In the conversation that unfolded, Liam said that the person who talked to us was Prince Erick. He was the son of Crystalia's queen. 

That explained the authority radiating off him.

He had also warned us to stay away from Emery. I didn't know what to feel from the demand. I was angry at first because he didn't get why we wanted to see Emery. He only knew us as her high school bullies. Then that conclusion had me understanding his demand.

He still saw us as her high school bullies.

The guys and I just had to prove to him, and especially Emery, that we were truly sorry and that we had changed.

I shrugged the thoughts away once I teleported to Crystalia. I was with Liam, Ethan, Logan and Zane. Every witch was called back to Crystalia after the crystal was chosen. The day was apparently a celebration for the selection of the crystal, who happened to be Emery.

The sight that met us was decorative. Balloons of different colors were floating around the garden. If one observed well, they would notice the white strings attached to them that were tied around rocks and nearby trees. 

The guys and I walked into the castle where many witches roamed around. Some were in small groups, laughing as they chatted about whatever was going on in their lives.

The event seemed like that of the previous night. The only difference was the change of clothes that people had worn.

I looked around and spotted the Queen and Prince Erick. The two of them were with another individual who looked familiar to the prince. I squinted my eyebrows, trying hard to focus on the figure who had their back turned towards me. Then the person turned.

I blinked. I blinked furiously and rubbed my eyes, momentarily considering to slap some sense into me as I tried to comprehend who I saw. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Was I going crazy? Well, there was one way to find out.

I tapped on Logan's shoulder. He turned to face me with a questioning look. I pointed my finger at the figure that I still couldn't believe was who I thought he was. In an instant, Logan's eyes widened and his mouth dropped in disbelief.

"What's going on, guys?" Liam asked as he stared at us with weird looks. Logan motioned to the person who had our interest. Liam also looked shocked.

"Is that..." Liam started.

"...Justin Bieber?" Logan finished the question.

By then, the rest of the guys were looking at Justin.

"He's a witch too?" Ethan asked, also in shock. At the time, Justin was talking to the Queen and Erick. They were smiling as they talked, looking like they knew one another.

"I knew he looked familiar!" Zane said, which confused us all. "He must be Justin's brother." We all instantly picked up that he was talking about Erick.

"Do you think that Bieber's a prince too?" Ethan asked. We all shrugged, not knowing what to say. As I thought about it, it seemed weird. If it were true, I would have never imagined that Justin Bieber, a famous pop star, was royalty and a witch.

"Where's Emery?" we heard someone shout. I searched the room and spotted who it was. It was Selena. Her outfit was like that of the previous night's, only that she had worn a green velvet dress.

Before I thought of walking towards her and greeting her, Justin approached her. They looked worried as they talked to one another.

Justin pointed behind her and they both sighed. I turned to the direction they pointed at, but I saw no one. Shrugging my shoulders, I walked to the tables where there were appetizers. The guys followed me, seemingly not sure of what to do.

Liam soon took the lead and had us introduced to everyone in the party. There were so many names, I doubted I would remember all of them. Many people in the party didn't know that we were famous or that we were in a boyband. 

It was a huge relief for all of us. We planned to be coming to Crystalia more often.

Thirty minutes later, I felt bored. I looked around, searching for my fellow bandmates. They had dispersed once we were done greeting everyone. I began my search for them, but I didn't spot them. Maybe they were outside. 

I felt awkward just standing there without anyone to talk to, so I advanced towards the exit of the castle. 

Once I was outside, I took a deep breath of air. Being in the castle was a bit overwhelming, especially with people I didn't know. It felt like I was a teenager and it was my first day of high school. 

As I stood and observed my surroundings, I was mentally thankful for the fresh air and a lovely mountain scenery that Crystalia had to offer.

I walked around the garden and let my thoughts wander. I finally came to a stop about a meter away from the castle garden. I was still facing the beautiful mountains that made Crystalia look like a holiday getaway. I moved to walk further, but I found myself bumping into a somewhat hidden object.

Okay?

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as my hands felt around the air, only to stop onto the same unseen object. I was more confused. My hands moved around, trying to trace the distance that the thing covered. I walked as my hands traced around the invisible surface, and I thought my mind was playing tricks. 

It covered a large area! 

I moved some meters away, instantly losing the position of where I found the object. Moreover, It looked like there was nothing stopping anyone from leaving Crystalia. There had to be something I was not seeing well. 

I looked around on the ground, searching for anything to throw. My eyes landed on a rock. I grabbed it and threw it onto the 'object.' The rock hit it, making some kind of electric sound. Then blue stardust appeared before spreading from the point of the rock's impact. I looked at the stardust as it spread upwards and around. It illuminated something that looked like a thin blue glass wall before going back to its invisible self. I turned to look around where it was heading, only for my eyes to land on Emery.

She was slowly approaching the garden while her eyes danced across her surroundings. My first thought was to call out to her, but I instantly silenced the idea. I didn't want us to have a disagreement, not after the talk Zane and I had with the Prince. My eyes searched upwards for the stardust, but it didn't appear.

Maybe it disintegrated in the