That damned clock is sure to make me scream one of these days, I just can't stand it's echoing ticks and booming tocks circling around me in this empty corridor anymore. In ten minutes and twenty-seven seconds, it'll be noon of the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the year twenty-three seventeen. The importance of this point in time is that the president from my home country is coming to see me, and I've been one of the only ones allowed to come from America to England in the past fifty-three years.
All those years ago, there was an American invasion on England. American military forces were much stronger than those in England and soon there were bodies scattered as far as the eye could see through the streets and fields of every city. London was the last to be attacked. The queen, so sure of her military, never went into her bunker until it was too late. The Americans built tunnels as they attacked each city and, once she was locked in her bunker, the queen was shot repeatedly by two Americans who had broken into her bunker. The king was away in Australia when he received the call stating the tragedy of his wife's death.
I, of course, was not born or even thought of yet, but my parents and grandparents remember it all. My parents hadn't met until after the invasion, once the treaty was signed and my grandpa on my dad's side was killed during the takeover of Birmingham. Both grandparents on my mom's side stayed out of the invasion due to my mom being heavily ill at the start.
The Treaty of Loyalty was signed on the ninth day of the fourth month in the year twenty-two sixty-four and stated that no one from America could enter England as no one from England could enter America. All trades were made at the borders and anyone breaking the means of the Treaty of Loyalty was, and still is, shot on the spot they are found, blah blah blah.
So how did I get to be in England if I'm an American? Well, as of two months ago, the king of England requested peace between our two countries. The president of the United States and the king of England came to an agreement and so it was made that from the first of January in the year twenty-three seventeen to the thirty-first of December of the same year there would be one man and one woman from each country that stays with the superior of the opposing country. It just so happens that those people were chosen at random and my name got pulled along with Alixx Perth as my female companion. We met the two English candidates, Samuel Leon and Natalie Baker, at the military's air force base. I've got to say, they're a lot different than what I thought they would be.
I now have three minutes and six seconds until the arrival of the president and I still haven't introduced myself to you. My name is James Keeler. I'm six foot even with dark brown, shaggy hair and grey-ish blue eyes at the age of twenty-four. Until I was picked to come to England, I had never left my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. I love all sorts of rock music and cats. I never have really amounted to anything significant in my life, other than being my parent's only son, due to my lack of social skills. I've always been afraid of death but am constantly using the expression 'I want to die.' I guess you could call me humble and shy but I'm just a loser in my opinion.
Ten, nine, eight... I hope I don't look like a goof in this suit that the prince gave me to borrow. Four, three, two, one... Ah, there's that damned clock chiming away. The president is seven seconds late but I'll greet him in a professional manner anyways.
"Mr. President, good to see you again." King Stalek shakes the president's hand first.
"And the same to you, Your Majesty." He turns to look at me and slightly chuckles, "No need to get so dressed up for me, boy. I'm no royalty."
I smile and shake his hand, "I knew the tie would be too much. It's nice to see you again."
As President Gerard shakes Alixx's hand, Samuel and Natalie walk up the steps and greets the king. I just stand there awkwardly not knowing what to do before my hand reaches up and touches the knot of my tie. It's definitely too much. I think to myself before loosening it the slightest touch.
"You really shouldn't have worn a tie" I hear the prince speak lowly behind me. "You look like an agent with it done up tight but you look like a sleazy reporter with it loose. That'd be my fault, sorry."
He gives me a small, apologetic smile before everyone heads inside for dinner.
***
I lay in the middle of the empty hallway, the only people around would be Alixx, Samuel, and Natalie but they're in their rooms. They've probably been asleep for around four hours now. King Stalek, President Gerard, and Prince Michael were in a private conference room on the other side of the palace when I last went that way to get a glass of water. You'd think in a huge palace that they'd have more than one kitchen, but I guess if it's the size of this one, you only really need the one.
The clock chimes beside me and I count to see that it's now two in the morning. The boredom had evoked me to start counting the ticks and tocks of the old clock but now I'm beginning to feel antsy. I've switched the way I've been laying six times now and I'm not going to do it a seventh time. Standing up, the blood rushes through my body and I feel slightly dizzy at first but find my grounding quickly. I walk through the entire west corridor before deciding to go to the north where the patio, dining area, library and recreation areas are. I wish I was royalty just so I wouldn't have to use public gyms to run on a treadmill or use public libraries.
I hear a ball bouncing and the squeak of a shoe on hardwood floor and turn to see Prince Michael playing basketball alone in the gym. I watch him do layups and different techniques of shooting until I feel it's time to leave him be. Just as I turn to leave, he must've looked my way because he shouted out to me through the door. I winced as I knew I probably shouldn't be wandering the halls this late at night but turn and open the gymnasium doors anyways.
"Sorry, Your Highness, I was just walking to pass time since I can't sleep." I excused myself while looking down at my bare feet.
"Can I tell you something?" he inquired and I instantly felt uneasy with his tone.
"Y-yes, sir. Say whatever you please." I stuttered as I looked up at him.
"There's not going to be a better future unless my father gets over the past. The president feels no remorse over the death of my great-grandmother and my father would prefer if he did. There's no good future as long as there's a bad past."
And that's when I first realized that mankind is it's own killer.
