Mine

Chapter 10

Hi, guys.

*Insert sad sigh here*

My teachers decided it was a good idea to give us as much homework as they could during these past two weeks.

Yet, I only have about two weeks left until WINTER BREAK. (:

Thank y'all again,

Kendall

***

"Seriously, I don't think this is a very good idea," Ricky said, running his fingers through his tangled hair.

Sighing, I pushed myself off of the wall I had been leaning on. My bare feet padded against the cold tile as I walked from my side of the hallway to where Ricky was sitting on a small loveseat. He's been icing his 'you-know-what' since I so brutally elbowed him down there.

It serves him right. I most defiantly do not like to be told what to do. I could have done worse. For example, I could have grabbed the scalpel that was sitting not an arm's length away from me and gave him a good thrust right in the thigh.

I owe him too much for that.

"I'll be fine. You and Samantha will go get some sleep in the remaining room of the Guest Castle while I sleep in the Royal's Castle. I know you haven't known me for that long, but you should know that I'm fully capable of taking care of myself; I'm a big girl. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" I asked, cocking my hip while raising an eyebrow.

"Remember that one time when you told Blaze you were good enough to snowboard down the 'Black Diamond' course we visited Colorado?" Blaze asked with a sigh.

Putting aside my confusion as to why he was bringing this up, I nodded.

"You got halfway through the course, and then a deer decided to streak in front of you. You fell, flipped down the mountain, and broke your arm," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hey, I didn't know that deer was going to come in front of me!" I argued, stomping my foot like a five-year-old.

"Yes, but it still happened."

"That doesn't mean it's going to happen again! I don't think that they'd let a deer into the house of the King and Queen anyways. I am vetoing your opinion; it is irrelevant," I said, turning around to head towards the lobby where my father was waiting for me.

Turning the corner, my arm was yanked and I was spun around by none other than Ricky! Crossing my arms, I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What?" I snapped.

I know I was acting like a child and he only wanted what was best for me, but hey! I am very stubborn person and I like to get what I want.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he used his fingers to pinch the space between his eyes.

"J-Just, be careful," he says with a sigh, dropping his fingers and opening his eyes to reveal his blue-green orbs.

A sly grin spread onto my face as I looked up at him.

"I knew you'd cave."

With that I skipped away with not a care in the world.  My sneaker-covered feet made minimal sound as they padded down the cold, marble stairway to the room in which my father was waiting for me in.

Jumping down the last two steep steps at once, I landed the jump with no wobble.

Mockingly, I raised my arms over my head and chanted:

"And she sticks the landing!"

"You definitely are your brothers' sister," my father's voice rumbled while he chuckled.

My eyes widened as I thought about my two brothers. When I thought about reuniting with them, I felt the same excitement, anticipation, and worry as I did when it came to meeting my father.

I tried not to focus on the negative aspects of the situation and have faith in their opinion of me. Although, there was still that thought that was nagging away at my brain:

'What if they don't like me?'

Before I had more time to ponder my brothers' feelings towards me, I was pulled back into reality.

"Well, let's get going," my dad said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "It's about 7:00 p.m. and I told your mother we'd be home by 7:30; she really can't wait to meet you."

My heart skipped a beat when he mentioned meeting my mother. The same worries I'd had with meeting my father manifested in me and I found myself wishing I'd stayed with Ricky.

What did I get myself into?

Excitement was present in my father's eyes as he held his hand out for me to hold. Well, there was no turning back now.

Placing my small hand in his much larger one, I tried not to show how nervous I was. Chewing on my bottom lip, I evaluated my situation.

They'll either hate me or love me. Although I was hoping for the later, there was still the large possibility that they'd be upset with me fraternizing with the enemy and resent me. 

These thoughts were unusual for me. Courage was always something I would strive for and this self-doubt defeated that purpose. It ate away at my core like a corrosive IV of fear.  

"Lana?" my dad asked, waving a hand in front of my wandering eyes, crashing my morbid train of thought. "Are you going to get in the car or did you plan on walking all the way to the castle?"

Rapidly shaking my head, I hurriedly gathered myself and scrambled into the car. Looking down, I scowled at the black leather of the seat I currently sat on.

Smooth Lana...

Looking out the window of the sleek vehicle, I watched the scenery pass by. We passed by trees of all kinds and pigments that sat underneath the summer sun. Shops and towns disappeared as we traveled further and further away from the hospital.

Soon, the car came to a stop. Snapping out of my daze, I looked forward. Sure enough, we were parked in front of the castle. Well, if you consider it a castle.

The 'castle' was actually a large grey estate. It was built of bricks and featured armed men surrounding it. Windows of all sizes and styles were scattered about the walls and few children played outside under the supervision of adults. Next to it was the slightly smaller guest home where Ricky and Samantha would be staying.

Trying my best not to be noticed, I kept my head down and walked behind my dad who was leading the way into the daunting building.

Discomfort swallowed me as I approached. My attire was not at all appropriate nor was it flattering to my appearance and I possessed no comfort blanket. I attempted to slow my uneven breathing by taking deep breaths but it was all in vain as the doors opened.