"You are the not the boss of me!" I shouted, slamming my hands onto the table with such force that it rattled every container on the surface, causing them to sway and roll over.
"Future king," my father countered, jabbing a thumb in the direction of his chest.
"Future queen," I argued.
"Not for a long time," my father snapped, a smug sneer on his face as he realized he was winning the argument.
"Why not? It's not that dangerous!"
"Actually," Logan coughed from the sidelines. "Considering the fact there's someone in this town that wants to kill you, it's pretty dangerous." He was siding with my father on the fact that I should not be able to go to the mall with the Player Trio.
So it's been four days since that text message Alec received. And whoop-de-doo, I've been under house arrest for four days. Everone else has been hard at work at attempts to try and find the hidden assassin.
Zen has been hard work, spending all his free time on his super-technical, expensive, one-of-a-kind laptop (don't mind me, I'm just upset that I couldn't be using it myself to track the signal coming from the person who wants to kill me). However, Zen--Zen Li, the prodigy son of the one of the biggest software inventors in the world--could not hunt down the signal.
It did the same thing it had back in the summer. The signal jumped around the world, not even staying in one place for a fraction of a second. I sat there once, watching as Zen practically screamed at the signal to stay still.
But screaming at inanimate objects didn't really do anything.
Imagine if yelling and talking to things that aren't alive actually accomplished something. My life would become at least fifty times easier.
Meanwhile, during the moments of Zen shouting in both Korean and Japanese at his computer screen, Logan was with his father at my house. On the second day, I was bored and sat on the stairs. They asked for as many eyes trained on the city as possible. Every free agent was to be sent here, every available monitor was to be searching through Paradise's records and files.
Most of the days that passed by slowly with me sitting in the kitchen with my father standing guard over me. Alec and Elijah had the fun job, doing rounds around the two, guns in their hands as they searched abandoned buildings for any suspects.
Today, someone (James Mayfield, to be exact) called and asked Alec and I to meet them at the small, outdoor town mall that was wildly popular. Mainly because it was the only place that kept up with New York City trends.
And that request landed me here, with my father and I locked in a heated debate over the subject of me leaving the house.
"Did I ask?' I snarled at Logan, shooting him the most dangerous glare I could muster. He didn't quail, just like I expected he wouldn't. His golden eyes narrowed at my brown ones, warning me of the choice I wanted to make.
"It's just the mall. I know there's probably a sniper out there, aiming a bullet my face, but let's face it. They haven't been able to hit me once. What makes you think that they can do it now? When I have...." I raised my hand and counted the number of trained hitman in town with me. "When I have five trained agents in town."
"It's still too risky! You are not going!" my father argued. "Even Alec agrees with me!"
"What?" Alec coughed, clearly not paying attention to the argument. I knew though, that Alec wanted to stop searching and relax.
"No, Alec is on my side," I argued.
"Since when?" my father gasped, looking insulted. "Alec is on my team!"
"Did you save his life?" I retorted. I got on my tip-toes, trying to shorten the height distance between my father and me. Gosh darn it, everyone just keeps getting taller and taller. I was a solid 5''8' but I guess that wasn't good enough in this family anymore.
"Did you father the girl that saved his life? I think not!"
My father crosssed his arms against his red t-shirt, his gray and black scarf scrunching up under his arms. "I said no."
"Father, you can't keep me cooped up in this hole forever," I groaned. "If that's the case, we should just go back to Cimeria."
"Your Majesty, if I may interrupt," Alec said, coming up to the table. My side, if I may so gloatingly add. "I think it's in our best interest to let the princess out of the safety of the house. First and foremost, because she''ll shut up if we do. Second, we may be able to draw out the stalker."
This caught my father off guard, for surprise flickered across his face. "Really?'
"If whoever is after her life is actually watching her, and they see her out and about, they'll come after her. They won't shoot her. They'll try and get her as hostage. So she won't be under any immediate harm as long as she knows how to run."
"Knows how to run," I scoffed. "How about I ask you if you know how to run? What kind of question is that?"
"So," Alec said, raising his voice to override us, "you should just let her out. Logan and I, even Elijah. Hell, Zen and Minnie will probably come along. We'll follow her, keep hidden. If they make a move, then we'll retaliate."
"No," Logan hissed angrily. "That's putting her in too much danger already. She's already being watched, now you want to have her chased? Have you lost your mind? I thought you wanted to protect her!"
"No," Alec said. "That's your job. And if I were you, I'd start doing a better job."
Logan paled greatly. His skin was so white that it made his eyes pop like white against black. Gold was laced with fury as he glared at Alec. And, like water dripping down a table, a pale scarlet began to shade his face as anger began to fully take over. He stood up straight and his knuckles were clenched in chalky white hatred.
Oh, shit.
My father and I made a grab for the two. I pushed Alec behind me while my father grasped Logan's shoulders firmly, hoping to calm him down. "Alright, boys. My kitchen is a place of happiness and sunshine. Rainbows and unicorns. Daffodils and ponies. No punches, no insults, and certainly no hatred. Except for my daughter, but no one can cure her of her dreadful personality."
Excuse me? I'm right here!
Logan threw another dagger-worthy stare at Alec before marching out of the house, his foosteps angrily slamming on the wood of our porch before I could hear nothing else.
"Good job," I said to Alec. "You've gone and upset my bodyguard."
"He'll come around," shrugged Alec, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "It's not my fault your boyfriend's a sassy little knight who can't stand the truth."
"He's not my boyfriend," I groaned. "Now, can we focus on the true matter at hand? Father, can I go?"
The future king of Cimeria stood there, pondering silently over whether he sided with Alec or Logan. It was one of those few moments where my father wasn't being childish and immature. In that moment, I saw my brother in him, and the king that was born to rule. I understood why my father was so hesitant about letting me out of his sight. But he's taken risks to his life before. Why can't I?
"Alright," he agreed, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "You better not return home with a bullet through your side. Or else I'm putting you on full lock-down. At the castle. In your mother's closet."
The punishment of the gods. I gulped nervously, thinking about all the dresses my mother probably secretly bought for me while I was away, stashed away in boxes and bags in her closet, where I couldn't find them easily and burn them all.
Guess I can't get shot then.
In a hurried frenzy, I rushed upstairs to change into actual clothes, instead of sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt. Quickly, I pulled on dark blue jeans that were beginning to fade at the knees, hugging my legs like a pair of tights. An autumn season in Paradise was rather cold, so I pulled on a dark red thermal and a gray fitting sweatshirt overhead. For the final touch, I undid my ponytail and pulled on the red wig, which stood out vividly against everything on me.
You know, sometimes I wonder why I chose such an attention-drawing colored wig.
I threw on white sneakers and dashed downstairs, where Alec had already changed. Logan had decided to reenter the premises, lounging on the armchair across from Alec with a deadly look on his face. They were both wearing matching black jackets, black jeans, and each had on grey sneakers. Alec wore a mint green t-shirt underneath his jacket. Logan had another dark gray hoodie underneath his, for the hood was pulled over his dark hair.
"Park," he uttered. "We need to talk."
"Do you guys realize you look like brothers right now? Or best friends forever while we kill a bunch of demons at night and set cities on fire and burn the world down?" I said quickly. "It's like you two are soul mates."
Alec and Logan scowled at me, clearly not pleased at my observation. What? I'm not allowed to voice the obvious anymore? Then how can I keep my title of Captain Obvious? I need to be obnoxious and tactless.
But truthfully, they did look like brothers, what with their dark hair, unusually bright eyes, pale skin and attractive looks. Even their glares were alike that it started to creep me out.
"That wasn't the best moment to say that," Alec whispered to me as Logan grabbed a hold of my elbow and steered me towards the door. I shot him a confused look--what did Logan want with me? He knew that it wasn't best to argue with me on things I was set on doing. Was he seriously going to try?
Finally, we reached the front porch and Logan closed the door. His face was tense, a dark grimace set on his face as he faced to talk to me.
"Do you agree?" he asked softly. "I'm not really working to be your bodyguard anymore, like Darkwood said."
My mouth opened but soon after I shut it, unsure of what I should say. He really hasn't, ignoring me, grudgingly following me, his eyes taken off me too soon for a truly protective bodyguard. He left me alone for too long, long enough for harm to come to me.
"I haven't noticed," I lied awkwardly, not sure what to really say. I didn't mind, honestly. Having a bodyguard that hung over me like a shadow was a bother in the past. He cared enough to keep a watch on me, but he had dropped the habit of clinging to my side. Whether others may see that as failure to keep up with his duty, I saw it as a way for us to move on.
"Liar," he pointed it instantly. "You play with your hair when you lie."
Did I really do that? On reflex, I put my hands behind my back and bit my lips, trying to look like I was telling the truth. Though, if I was him and I was talking to myself, I'd always think that I was lying.
"You bite your lip as well. Work on that," he said. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know I've been an asshole, and I want to make it up to you."
He sounded so sincere and formal that for a moment, I could register that it was Logan standing in front of me. Logan was usually filled with a cold, hidden passion for what he truly cared about. He didn't show it until you took a hammer and slammed it fifty times.
"Is there anything I can do to help you?" he asked. Logan took a step towards me. "Please, I want to make it up."
"Alec's words really had an effect on you, didn't they?" I observed. He gave me a crooked smile, but there was a self-hating shadow in his eyes. I didn't need his answer. He was hating himself right at this moment for finally realizing what he's been doing.
"Just make sure I don't get shot," I joked lightly. Logan rolled his topaz eyes and pinched my cheek before banging on the door. "Darkwood, are you ready for some shopping or not?"
* * *
Four hours later
Mark had gotten sick earlier, and Josh had been yelled at by his mom for not completing three questions on his homework. The past thirty minutes had been spent with James and I wandering the mall, buying whatever food we could and talking about our feelings.
I'm not kidding, James had a lot of girl problems that I could have never imagined that he had.
While he spoke about the girls that he actually liked and the girls that would never leave him alone, my eyes strayed from people to people, stores to stores, lines to lines, crazily believing that my naked eye alone would be able to spot the assassin.
"....and then she would not stop calling me!" James groaned. We had been sitting on the stone blocks that surrounded squares of soil and flowers. Some of those blocks had trees planted in the middle. Since it was already mid-October, gold and scarlet leaves hanging above us.
In the corner of my eye, I saw Logan picking up a croissant and shredding it into pieces. Alec sat beside him, sipping on a macchiato. In front of me, I could see Minnie peacefully reading a book, her legs crossed, looking lost in the world the books painted.
Zen, of course, was sitting at another coffee shop, his legs propped up on the table with a pair of Gucci sunglasses on his face with his laptop settled on his lap.
So far, no one made any attempts to try and strangle me. No one's fired a sniper at me. No sign whatsoever. My mouth slopped in a frown. Come on and kill me, you frightened, cowardly son of a traitorous pirate.
"Thinking of Logan?" James suddenly asked. He appraised me with watchful eyes, a cocky smirk placed on his lips. I smiled softly. I've forgotten the haughtiness of the leader of the Player Trio. It was refreshing, to be doing something normal.
"No," I replied. "I've been preoccupied for a while."
"Princess stuff?" he inquired, his voice soft. "Sometimes, I keep forgetting that you're a famuos princesss and heir to a rich kingdom. You're so mean and cranky, and so...."
"Un-regal?" I smirked, recalling my mother telling me almost the same thing James just told me. James clapped his hand.
"That's the word!"
"It's not even a word," I laughed. He stuck his tongue out at me, angry again at the fact that I was indeed smarter than him. "To answer your question, yes. Princess stuff. Dresses and laces and tea parties. You know, all the typical princess stuff you read about in Disney.'
"So you're not a Disney princess? What kind of princess are you?"
"Mulan," I said. "At least she fought for what she believed in. She didn't fall asleep or wait for Prince Charming."
James snorted, shaking his head as if he expected this answer. Well, if he expected it, he shouldn't have asked! It's like when people ask, "Are you asleep?" Well, now I am, thanks to you, you nosy dementor!
Suddenly, overhead, a rain of static overcame the mall. My posture straightened into the rigidness of a ruler, my eyes snapping to the sky. The music was cut, now there was only the babble of the curious crowd to listen to.
"Hello, can everyone hear me?" a boyish tone sang into the intercom. "I'd like to dedicate this confession to my princess, who's out there in the crowd."
The unknown boy cleared his throat, and began to read. His every word dripped horror into my veins, making my blood run cold and my bones to turn into ice.
"I know it's been a while since you've ever seen my face, dear princess. I know that I am not good enough for your attention. We've had our differences in opinion, and that drove us apart. But I'm telling you now that I will always find you, no matter where you are. I know that you can't see me right now, but I'll be there at the most unexpected moments, when it's the biggest surprise for you. Don't forget, my princess."
I sat frozen for a moment, my mouth hanging wide open. And in a flash, I was running towards the maintenance of the mall, sprinting like Hell's hounds were on my heels. Joining me was the rest of my friends, the same darkness copied on their faces I had mine.
We were so close. This close! I could see the office straight up ahead, where a young man with a gray hood thrown over his head was walking out. He turned around, his face hidden by sunglasses, and must've seen five teenagers dashing at him.
He booked it, pushing people out of the way in a rush.
"Split up!" Logan roared. "We have a better chance of closing in on him!"
Logan and I took the right side of the mall, Alec went straight, and Zen and Minnie veered off to the left. People shrieked and cried as they moved out of our way. It must've been a strange sight, seeing people as fast as Usain Bolt hurry past them in the mall.
"He's headed towards the parking lot," Logan snarled. I already figured that, seeing as it was the only way he could get away from us safely. He had accomplices. Or maybe this was her hitman doing the job. Or his hitman. I still couldn't determine the gender. Get back to me on that.
The parking lot came into view, rows and rows of cars parked closely to each other. I didn't see Sunglass Dude yet, and I put some more adrenaline in my run. My breath was beginning run out, my lungs started to burn.
No, no, no! Don't you dare fail on me at this moment, Body!
I slipped between the space between an Audi and a large Sedan. Just as I stumbled onto the free granite of the parking lot, I saw him slipping out beside me as well, Alec close on his heel. Sunglass Dude caught a glance of me and tried to head for the other way. Too bad for him, Minnie and Zen showed up right then, looking as out of breath as I felt.
Alec and Logan split so that we faced him in a perfect square. Even though Sunglass Dude had his face covered, judging from the jaw that was dropping open, I knew he was scared.
"Leave me alone! I didn't do anything!" he screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at each of us. "How the hell did you all run so fast anyway?" The sleeve of his gray sweatshirt slipped down his arm, its hem wet with sweat. A tattoo of a swirling blades caught my eye, engraved on his arm like a gauntlet.
I turned my gaze to Alec for a split moment. Darkwood went white with fear, his pale jade eyes widening with terror as he gazed at the same tattoo I had been gawking at. There was more meaning to the tattoo then just a piece of pretty art.
A screech wailed behind me, loud, disgusting, and ear-splitting. We all turned around to face a black car with night-dark tinted windows speeding at us at a very illegal speed. Especially for a parking lot. What was this, Grand Theft Auto?
"Move!" Sunglass Dude snarled, shoving me out of the way. Well...not completely.
Just before he let go, he grabbed my arm and hissed, "I'd move out of the way, princess, before you get hurt." And he raised a fist and punched me in the eye.
Stars wheeled in front of me, dancing like fairies in the middle of the night. My vision didn't recover fully, but my anger flared like a fire being fueled. A feral snarl burned through me and I dashed towards him, forgetting the car, forgetting my ability to see with both eyes at the moment.
I wanted blood.
A car door slammed, indicating that he got in. That's fine, then. I'll just have to rip the doors off the hinges. There was shouting and screaming behind me, someone yelling for me to get out of the way.
I heard the squeal of tires against pavement, and I knew the car was headed for me. At the moment, the black vision in my right eye returned, right at the moment I saw headlights a bit too close for safety comforts.
Someone tackled me to the side, knocking us both to the pavement. My head slammed against the ground, and the last thing I heard was my name being screamed by multiple voices before darkness took me completely.