I Of the Storm

Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Tasting Talons

Miles

My teeth scrape against each other in rage. The furious lecture my mother laid on me replays in my head, turning my thoughts to mush. I don't even think anymore as my arm pushes the rag against the body of the airplane. Scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing. If only I could scrub the smirk off my mother's smug face. Could she not see what that girl was going through? She had lost her life, for goodness sake. She lost her kingdom, her family, her mother. She had nothing left, so why did my mother insist on continuously trying to break her down further? It drives me to such anger, such rage to see my mother kick her while she was down. She was trying to stay strong, she was a queen for goodness sake, but she was not indestructible. She was breaking ever so softly and she needed someone to hold her up, not crush her.

"I'm not so sure that's how you get the paint off." A high, sarcastic voice sings from behind me. I don't even look up, I ignore her and continue to work off my rage on the plane. How could she? Mistreating royalty, mistreating that innocent girl! She didn't deserve it, she had done nothing! Because her life was a bit more comfortable and the fact that my mother was jealous made her a qualifiable subject to my mother's torture?

"Go away, Citrus." I spit, when a hand drops on my arm, trying to stop me from scrubbing. A hand that's too cold, I realize, to be my sister's.

"I'm sorry," A small voice whispers. I turn around to see her red hair, light blue eyes that looked like they held an eternity in them. I realize I don't even know her name.

"No, you're fine." I insist, my anger drifting away as soon as our eyes connect.

"Are you okay?" She asks, though her voice is hesitant, you can still hear the confidence of a leader in her tone. Her natural presence gave me a sense of wanting to stand up straighter and hold my breath.

"Didn't they teach you to introduce yourself when you meet someone, or someone saves your life in your Preparation For Becoming A Queen class?" I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth, but she doesn't look hurt or even angry. She laughs.

"Yeah, most of my training went down the toilet after the crown was actually on and everyone knew my name." She grins at me so my heart falls down into my stomach and attempts to burst through my skin. My voice stops in my throat as I begin to make another smart remark. "I have a name that no one can pronounce, so you can call me Iy."

"Eye?" I ask, pointing to my pupil. She laughs again.

"No, Iy. Like short for Iya."

"Why can't I just call you Iya?"

"If that's what you want to do." The brilliant grin on her face tells me she finds our argument quite amusing.

"Maybe Icy, instead." I say, thinking out loud. "For your hands." I explain, a smirk tugging at the corner of my lip.

"Should I leave?" We both turn to Citrus, I had forgotten she was even here. It is quite easy to get lost in this girl. She is dangerous for such an innocent and vulnerable person. I notice that Iya's hand grips on to my sister's forearm, like she's hanging on for support. Like she's afraid of me. Of my mother. Of my family. I see that Citrus already has her in the palm of her hand, like she does everyone. My throat tightens a little when I realize that Iya is oblivious that Citrus is the most dangerous of us all. She's clueless as to the power that each of us hold. Though I don't intend on handing our secrets to a person who is very much still a leader of our country, still a part of our hated government, I feel like she needs to be warned.

"No," Iya assures, shaking her head. "please, you still have to show me around and I'm sure Miles has other things to do." I want so badly to tell her that I don't. To tell Citrus to go back to her crazy shenanigans and let me do the tour. Perhaps my sister sees that, or feels it, or whatever it is that she does.