Above is the painting Mina paints in her room. (You'll see what I mean later on).
Mina's POV
I took my foot away from his chin and stood normally.
"Let's go," I said to Sora and we walked out of the movie theater like a boss before the security could kick us out and ban us forever.
Aiko's POV, next morning
"So how was your first day at school yesterday?" Mina asked Isamu and I at the table as she served us pancakes and fruit.
I shared a nervous glance with Isamu. 'Should we tell her?' I asked telepathically.
Now, you see, Isamu and I have a special bond. We can umm... Send each other telepathic messages as long as we can see each other in person.
'No, I don't think so. We can't risk it,' he said.
"It was fine sis. More importantly, how was your date?" I asked with a smirk.
"Heh, it was awesome!" Mina said with a determined-like pose, "I even got to kind of beat up my ex! It was awesome."
I stared at her with a dumbfounded founded look. I expected to see my sister blush for the first time in ages, but nah. All she does is strike a determined pose with her left hand on her hip and her right hand clenched and brought up near her chest.
"Well... that sounds, umm. Interesting..." I wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Isn't beating people up bad?
"If you two don't leave soon, you'll be late y'know," Sora pointed out as he sat down at the table with a plate of food in his hands.
I glanced at the digital clock on the counter and it read 7:55.
'Dangit! We're gonna seriously be late for our second day!! We better leave now, it takes 20 minutes to walk. Bring your roller blades too,' I mentally told Isamu.
He nodded and we both got up to quickly get our stuff ready. At 7:58 we were out the door and sprinting down the many flights of stairs. We got to the bottom and Isamu slipped on his roller blades. I didn't bring mine because I prefer to run or jog. I've always been a very fast runner and it has always been my dream to be an Olympic runner.
Sora's POV
"Hey, I never told you yesterday that your grandfather wants to see you this weekend," I told Mina after the two left.
She dropped her the fork she was holding as soon as she processed my words.
"M-my grandfather?" She stuttered. Mina looked at me wide-eyed and a scared expression.
"Yeah, is something wrong...? I'm pretty sure it's important."
"Umm. No," Mina replied after a few seconds. I could tell she was obviously lying to me, but I didn't want to pry.
Mina's POV
'Oh no... I'm not supposed to be dating "peasants" like Sora... What am I gonna doooo??' I thought. I felt like crying. Why did I have to be born a princess?? Not to mention, the HEIR TO THE THRONE???
Next weekend
"The helicopter should be here any second now," Aiko announced. Just then, we could all hear the private helicopter flying towards us.
Sora, Aiko, Isamu, and I have all apparently been summoned to the castle by my grandfather who is posing as the temporary ruler of Japan. I'm supposed to take over, but can I really rule a country properly at the age of 15?
The helicopter landed and we all boarded on with our overnight bags in hand, 'I don't wanna goooo...' I thought as I sluggishly climbed the few foldout steps.
In just 12 minutes, we traveled over 350 miles and arrived at the castle. We landed on our private runway and I sighed as I unwillingly got out.
The helicopter pilot is also our most trusted butler, Tamaki, "Please, come with me inside," with that, he walked towards the doors of the castle and we all followed. The doors burst open and everyone was flooded with welcomes from the maids on the left and butlers on the right.
Tamaki took his place at the end of the butler line and I saw that my was grandfather waiting at the end of the hall. He had a bright smile on his face, like always, so I couldn't tell if it was a serious matter or just a small family reunion.
He bowed in respect, just like all of the maids and butlers in the room. Each of us bowed back to him.
"Hello Grandfather. How have you been? It's been so long," I asked with a fake smile.
'Ughhhhh. I don't wanna be here....'
My grandfather immediately dropped the Royal act and sprang at me with his arms spread open. He squeezed me so tight in his hug that I thought I would suffocate.
"Can't.... Breath..." I managed to say.
He quickly released his arms from around me and cleared his throat, returning to royal mode, "Umm... Sorry about that. It's just that I've missed you so much Mako-chan!! I've been so lonely ever since Kako-chan and Hisahito-chan left home a year and a half ago..." he trailed off.
I immediately spun on my heel to face my younger sibling. I was stunned, "Why did you leave? Where did you go?" I asked furiously.
'God, I can't believe those two! How can they leave Grandpa alone like this?'
Neither of them answered.
"Ahh... So you must be Sora-kun then I suppose?" Grandpa asked, now focusing his attention on Sora.
"Umm... Yes Sir. I'm Sora Usui. Pleased to meet you Sir!" Sora formally introduced himself and bowed.
Grandpa bowed in return, "Haha! Please, call me Akihito! I'm not one for formalities," he pointed out.
"Oh, alright then," Sora replied nervously.
I giggled to myself, "He must be nervous about meeting the most powerful man in Japan!'
"Well, I suppose I'll show you to your rooms then," Grandpa said and led us down the hall and up the stairs. The many, many, many stairs. We stopped at the top which has a locked door, "Mako, this is yours. Please, don't leave until a maid or butler comes for you," and he led us inside.
"Oh, c'mom Gramps! Who am I? Rapunzel?? I complained as I glanced over all of the furniture. There's a lot of my favorite colors; white and black. Every wall is painted white and many of the pieces of furniture are black. I smiled. I've never seen this much of my favorite colors in one room... Finally, I glanced over to the right and saw a window. Without and screens or bars. And certainly big enough to fit through. I smirked, this is my escape route.
"Don't you even try Mako!" Grandpa warned sternly and I sighed, faking defeat.
"Fiiiine...." I groaned.
'Psshh! Have you even met me you old fart? LIEEEES!!! Of course I'm gonna try, who do you think I am? I'm the rebellious princess who is probably your worst choice for the empress of Japan.'
"Good. I'll send a maid for you at dinner time," with that, they all walked out and he slammed the door behind him. I heard a quiet click, signaling that the door is now locked.
'Alright, time to get to work!' I walked over to the window and opened it all the way. I stuck a foot on the ledge, ready to jump, but his annoying voice interrupted me.
"I SAID DON'T YOUNG LADY!" Grandpa shouted through the door. I froze at his tone and took my foot off of the white ledge. I turned around and spotted buckets and buckets of paint in the corner.
I glance at the large empty wall beside the paint and then glance at the time on the digital clock, 'Sweet, I've got like five hours to paint before dinner's ready!' I thought excitedly and raced towards the paint. There were all sorts of colors. Not only the colors on the color wheel, but all these shades. I couldn't believe how many there were. I counted 63 total and I stared in awe at them.
Sora's POV
"Hey, umm... Akihito?" I asked as he showed me my room last.
"Hmm?"
"Well, is it really alright to keep Mina cooped up in that room all by herself?" I asked, sounding very concerned.
"Probably not," he replied, clearly not caring at all.
"HUUUUH??? Then why are you leaving her there??"
"That girl needs to build up her immunity. Knowing her, she'll paint some incredibly crappy painting on the wall. That paint in her room is intoxicated with a powerful poison, a poison that is commonly used against members of the royal family," he explained.
"WHAT?? IM GOING UP THERE RIGHT NOW," I started to stomp my way up the stairs, but Akihito firmly stuff out his arm, blocking my way.
I tried ducking under, but he stuck out his leg as well. There was just enough room to leap in between his arm and leg, but when I tried, he put his other leg in the way as well.
I backed away, not thinking anything was wrong. But then I noticed that Akihito was practically levitating. I turned to him and saw that he has his hand lodged in a crook in the wall and holding up his body weight without a problem.
"What the hel-"
"Do not underestimate me boy. I can make it so that you'll never be able to see your precious Mako ever again."
"W-what do you mean?" I asked slowly and cautiously.
"Execution," he says bluntly, "Mako will be fine. She's been doing this unknowingly for years now. Ever since she was three years old. There are also many times that the Royal pharmacist diagnosed her with drugs, and she came very close to dying. But we'll see how strong she truly is with this poison. I became sick for seven months straight from this much poison opened up to me this is 59 ounces more than I had. There's a very good chance that she will die, but if she doesn't, she will be ready to be the empress of Japan," he explained calmly.
I didn't say anything. Well, it's not that I didn't, I couldn't. I was too stunned to let and words escape my lips.
"If you even go near her room, you will immediately be sick from the fumes. You may even die, depending on the power of your immune system. But Mako is strong. I wouldn't be surprised if she walks out of her room at dinner without even know she was exposed to poison."
"How. How could you do this to your own granddaughter? WHAT IF SHE DIES?" I practically screamed at him. It's not use trying to surpress my anger, it's already overflowing.
"Just believe in her Sora. She's always had a truly incredible immune system. Her mother died from this very poison many years ago actually. It was snuck into her food and the pharmacists only found three ounces of the poison in it. Mako is now most likely unknowingly smelling the fumes of the paint and 78 ounces of the poison. When she was seven years old, she could easily withstand 17 more ounces than my record which was only 19 ounces. She came out with only a small fever that lasted for less than five hours."
'Holy crap... Mina is so amazing... At such a young age she could withstand so much,' I thought in amazement.
"Would you like to see her poison records Sora?" he asked as he finally puts down his legs and arm.
"Umm. Yes please," I need to know what they've been doing to her. Akihito started to walk down the final set of stairs and I followed him.
Mina's POV
"Ughhhhh... This paint doesn't smell so nice. I think I might actually be sick," I groaned after two hours of painting. I look at the large can and read the expiration date. '6/30/09'
"BWAHAHAHHA!!!! No wonder this smells so bad! THIS PAINT IS FROM LIKE 10 YEARS AGO!!!" I nearly shouted.
"Oh god..." I groaned and raced to the open window. I let all of my fluids out and wiped my mouth with a tissue and go some sweet tea from the mini fridge I found. I looked down to see where it hit, but I found it to be just floating in midair, "The heck?"
I turn back inside and find the pointiest thing in the room- a giant plastic spiny chair.
'This will have to do...' I thought as I threw it out the large widow and I hear glass shattering seconds later. I look outside to see millions of shards of glass, a broken chair, and some disgusting fluid on the ground below.
I smirked. I walked back over to my painting and added the finishing touches. I can't leave any painting unfinished! I painted a Sakura tree that sort of twists by the ocean. Many of the petals have already fallen and there's a sunset behind the tree. The red and yellow sky caused the blue ocean water to turn the same shade of dark red. The white part of the waves are painted a light shade of pink.
I stood back and admired my work. I glanced back at the clock and notice that it's already 4:41pm. Two hours until dinner...
I grab my sweet tea from the fridge and go to the window. I grimace at the height, but I have to escape. I snatched the thick blanket from my bed and wrap it around me, letting it act as padding to protect me some from the impact. I walked back over to the window and took a running start and jumped through the window.
The cool air racing past me as the ground quickly came closer and closer.
WHAM
I hit the ground with a loud thud, but it didn't hurt too much because of the blanket. I quickly unwrap the blanket and just leave it in a pile on the grass.
Sora's POV
"This is the journal that has all of Mako's drug records and the effects," Akihito said as he handed me a slightly worn out journal in the pharmacy, "It starts when he was three wars old and all the way until now."
"Umm. Thank you," I say as I take the book out of his hands and slowly open it.
Date- 3/15/2004
Drug- Ketamine
Amount- 3 ounces
Effects- Hallucinations for about 4-5 hours and a small fever. Returned to normal in under 6 hours
Date- 3/17/2004
Drug- Crystal Meth
Amount- 14 ounces
Effects- Hallucinations, forgot who she was, withdrew herself from the world for 4 days. Back to normal on 3/22/2004
Date- 3/29/2004
Drug- LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)
Amount- 27 ounces
Effects- Hallucinations and delusions. Slight paranoia. Back to normal after just 7 hours.
Head Pharmacist note- Miss Mako is doing splendid for her age and is making excellent progress. LSD is very powerful -sometimes deadly- but she was back to normal in nearly half the time she should be.
I flipped through the book, page after page. I couldn't set it down. I didn't even notice that I was crying until a water droplet stained the page. It's just heartbreaking that they do this to her, and half the time Mina is unaware of it.
"Hey, umm I need some medi-" I heard Mina say at the doorway and I quickly turned around. She saw that I was crying and froze in place. She turned to Akihito and shot him death glares, "So I heard that you've been secretly poisoning me. Is that why I'm sick Grandpa?" she asked him in a harsh tone.
I noticed that her face was glossed in sweat and her cheeks were bright red. I got up and walked over to her.
"Get away Sora. This poison is deadly. I heard people talk about it as I was sneaking around towards here. If you even get close to me you'll feel the effects immediately. Everyone was saying that it would be amazing if I lived," she explained quickly and out of breath.
I turned to Akihito who was sitting down in a chair calmly, "How could you do this to your own granddaughter??" I shouted.
"So she will build up an immune system and she'll be safe as the empress. She won't be affected by poison as drastically anymore," he said in an annoyed tone. Then turned to Mina, "How did you get out of the room anyways? It's like seven stories high, you couldn't have jumped. And there's a metal bar on the door acting as a lock. Did someone let you out?"
"Nope, I got out all on my own. I just jumped out the window is all."
My jaw dropped to the ground along with Akihito's.
"From that height and your condition?" He shouted in amazement.
"Yep," she declared proudly and a smirk plastered on her face.
"Wait... But, wasn't there glass enclosing the window??" he asked.
"Yes."
"Then how did you through it?"
"Well, first I barfed and saw that it was just like floating in midair. Then I threw a chair down that was unusually heavy and it cracked the glass. I wrapped a thick blanket around myself and jumped. Then I made my way here, but I took quite the tumble when I went down the stairs," she pointed to her elbow and knee, which are bleeding pretty badly.
Akihito sighed, "Alright, stay here. I'll get the pharmacist to take a look at you. But any normal person would be dead right now, you are certainly fit to be queen Mako," hesmiled and started walking towards the door.
"Thanks Grandpa, but I only need bandages for my knee and elbow. Then probably a cooling pad to help my fever," Mina told him as she felt her forehead.
"You don't... Feel sick?" he asked in an astonished voice.
"Well, no not really. Just a bit feverish."
He shook his head in disbelief and walked out, "Just stay here until your fever dies down, alright?" he called.
"Yeah, ok," Mina shouted after him, "You should probably go as well, I don't want you to get sick Sora," she moved a little bit farther from the door to let me pass easier.
"Alright. Feel better soon, alright? If you're not back by dinner time, I'll bring you some food to eat," I smiled at her and walked out towards my room.
"Thanks Sora."
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Holy crap... This is certainly the longest chapter I've ever written. 3113 words in just the story. This author's note isn't included...
How do y'all like my story so far? Is there anything I could do to make it better except update more often?
Well, please tell me if you have any suggestions for future chapters and I'll see what I can do! :)
Happy late birthday PinkSparkelz6 ! I feel like such a loner right now... After the 14th everyone will be 13 and I'll be that lonely 12 year old... Well, along with Animallover746 or Cece638 idk which you use.
Have a nice time watching Šûpęr Bœwł 50! If you're watching... I'm honestly just in it for the food and commercials. xD
~Sara
2/7/2016