Memories

Home - Jaxx

Between the thousands of parents, hundreds of reporters, and dozens of other competitors taking pictures of the top seven, I feel more like I'm on display than the third place winner of the 02006 Ice World's Competition. I remember feeling like this the last time Jaida and I both came in second at the 01996 world's. That is, until the other members of the Royal Panel come to take us to the Elemental Royalty house.

What I still can't wrap my mind around is the fact that Jayden equals Jaida. How did I miss it? She looks almost exactly what I would have expected her to look like nowadays, and she got a perfect score at a competition, and claimed she had really never competed before outside of a couple comps at age eight. You don't just get a perfect score at a comp unless you are a god/goddess or you've practiced a lot. And considering she had the bad version of Gardner's, it's definitely the former over the latter. She even told me and the facts didn't line up in my brain. Maybe I was picturing someone I didn't want to be around, because I thought she was way out of my league. Not that she is any more in my league now than before.

I guess I just missed the signs. A lot of signs. I mean, they were never presented at the same time, so putting them together would have been a miracle.

"Here are shielded phones. They can't be tapped, hacked, or basically anything that involves getting the data off the phone can't be done. No one can track your phone outside of the other phones, and if instructed, it can turn into a bomb at will." A bomb? That's a bit... excessive. "Don't give this phone number to anyone. It is pre-programmed into everyone's phones. You may not use these phones to contact your families. There are phones at the house for that. We will be heading to get your cars and driving to the private plane that will take us to the South Royal House." So, that's what it's really called. The public has chosen to call it the Elemental Royalty House since the true name of it is hidden to everyone but those who live or lived there.

We lead them outside, where thousands of people are flooding the streets with cameras and blinding lights that I have to shield my eyes from. Too bad we picked a hotel really close or I would have called a taxi. This is horrible. It's impossible to walk more than ten feet a minute because the public won't get out of the way.

"There are five limos coming down in a few minutes. Grab your things from your cars and hand the keys to one of the guards. They will find your families and ensure your cars are taken care of." Somehow, by the time we make it to the hotel's parking garage, there is no one inside, probably because they forced the public outside.

"Jaida, Jackson, this is your limo." They point to one of five nearly identical limos, and I try to pick out the differences, but just don't see them. "The insignia on the side of each limo is different. Yours is ice-based and has more white than the others. You will have one main driver that will serve you for the majority of your time here. There are backups and replacements in the event that your main driver cannot serve you, however that is not likely to happen any time soon." Handing my keys to one of the many guards, I close my trunk, carrying my two suitcases and backpack to the limo at the end of the line. Jaida has three suitcases and a small backpack, but women tend to pack more anyways, so it's not a surprise she has more suitcases.

"I am Omaj, at your service, Your Highnesses." The driver, dressed in a black and white suit, bows, before opening the door to the limo and taking our suitcases. Jaida climbs in first, looking away from me as I climb in. Is she mad at me about something?

"Jaida? Are you mad at me?" I touch a hand on her arm and instead of shrugging it off, which is what I would expect, she just lets it sit there. "Hey, Blue Jay."

"Hey, Jack in the Box." Wow, I haven't thought about those memories in years. Jaida used to call me that whenever I called her Blue Jay. "I'm just really gonna miss them."