geeky and childish as this may sound, i'm a bit in love with the song and i thought it fit quite nicely because guess who's home (in the book--it's not me--i'm in my home right now).
also, dedicated to Purple_Giraffe for the banner she made!!
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"I want the queen!" I cackled triumphantly, holding my hand out. Logan groaned as he plucked the black queen from his stash of chess pieces and handed it over. A frown was on his lips as he saw that I was at an advantage now. I was in possession of his white queen, one of his knights, a bishop, and a rook. He only had my rooks and a black bishop.
"I guess I've got to get serious now," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair as his eyes danced all over the black and white chess board.
At first, I was ecstatic, knowing that the possibility of me winning this round was high. Then, move by move, the elation turned into despair and hopelessness as Logan began to dominate the chess board, knocking out my black marble army until finally, his queen (which he had won back) faced my king.
"Checkmate," he smirked. I gave him a sour glare before I grabbed my king and flung it at his chest.
"Every damn time," I grumbled, slumping back in my seat. "That's it, I'm not playing anymore."
"Oh, don't be a sore loser, Sparrow."
I opened my mouth to remind him that he had four years of being Cross Academy's chess club president when a voice boomed throughout the jet.
"Good morning, Your Highness. I'd just like to announce that in about forty-five minutes, we'll be descending into Riveria, Cimeria. If you look out the windows, you'll see the Karvaggen Mountains."
Sure enough, a glance out the small windows showed showed me the vast, marvelous evergreen-infested mountains that served as a border around the kingdom. My chest swelled up as the familiarity of the landscape began settling in. I knew this view--I had flown over it before and gods, I didn't know how much I missed seeing the pine trees reach towards the brilliant sky until now.
Right then, one of our stewardesses, Nora, stopped by our seats. She gave Logan and me a quick bow before she spoke. "Your Highness, is there anything I can do for you before we descend?"
Around this time on a properly scheduled and organized flight, Nora (or someone else) would hand me an outfit to change into, courtesy of my mother. She handpicked my "arrival outfits" and then convinced my grandmother to pass them on, so that when I arrived, I would literally look like a Cinderella, puffy blue gown and all.
Judging from the lack of clothes in Nora's arm, I guessed the flight was put together too suddenly for my mother to finalize her decision on my outfit and send it off.
I send a 'thank you' to the stars before saying to Nora, "I'll just be in the bathroom for a bit. Thank you, though, Nora."
"Of course, Your Highness." Nora gave two more bows before walking away towards the cockpit. I slid out of my seat and stood on my toes, reaching towards my backpack. There was a sudden rumble through the plane and both mine and Logan's backpack began sliding with uncontrollable speed out of the compartment--their trajectory being my face.
Before I knew it, I was yanked backwards and Logan gave this loud shout, followed by a groan of pain. I twisted around, watching Logan massage his lower back with an expression of agony on his face.
"What the--are you okay?" I asked.
"I think there was a bit of turbulence, and you nearly got yourself a concussion," he answered through gritted teeth. "No wonder I hate planes."
Just then, several flight attendants came charging towards us, three of them gripping first-aid kits, all of them with expressions of utmost worry. However, the concern dissipated when they caught sight of us. That's when I realized the two of us were in quite the compromising position. I was on his lap, our faces practically brushing against each other.
I shot upright and away from Logan as fast as I could. I flashed an awkward smile at the attendants, some of whom were exchanging grins with their coworkers. Right. This wasn't uncomfortable whatsoever.
"Nothing to worry about here," I announced, picking up my bag and backing away towards the bathroom. One of the attendants began giggling right as I slipped into the bathroom, and I closed the door, feeling heat rise to my face.
That wasn't mortifying at all.
What's with you, Sparrow? I thought to myself as I pulled a pair of black jeans out of my bag. So you fell on his lap--big deal. You're a big girl, it's not like you haven't been put in compromising situations before.
Exactly. But then why didn't my heartbeat feel quite right?
I tried to brush aside the incident as I seized a white blouse Whatever, it's nothing, I thought over and over again. Don't make such a big deal out of something so little. Next item in my hand was a dark blue blazer.
By the time I was securing my hair into a messy chignon, I had set aside all the embarrassment. I zipped up the light brown ankle boots before proceeding to exit the bathroom, only to walk straight into Logan.
You know what, I take my back my prayers to the stars. Clearly, they hadn't been simply generous. I still had to be put in an embarrassing situation since I didn't have some oversized gown to do the embarrassing for me.
"Took you long enough," Logan grumbled as I stumbled backwards.
"Beauty takes time," I argued. My bodyguard stared at me, a brow raised as he cocked his head to the side. Then, his fingers came up to brush a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
"I didn't realize beauty like this looked the same as ugly," he smirked. I scowled at him, but he ruffled my hair and disappeared into the bathroom. The door was shut and locked before I was even given the chance to utter a threat.
"Don't be rude just because you're not as good-looking as me, Cross," I called out loudly before dragging my backpack over to my seat. Since the incident with the turbulence was still fresh in my mind (put aside, yes, but the memory was still there), I left my bag on my seat by the window and then collapsed onto a seat on the right aisle.
The sparkling skyscrapers of Riveria could now be seen and the glass buildings twinkled like a handful of polished diamonds. My eyes flickered to a close as I recalled my last memories of the city. It was an August afternoon and the rivers running through the city never looked so blue, the surface sparkling like the aquamarine tails of mermaids. I could almost hear the chatter from guests seated on balconies that belonged to old-fashioned bistros, jutting out above the rivers.
I'm almost home.
"Don't fall asleep now," said Logan's voice. "We're almost close to landing."
I opened my eyes to gaze up at Logan. He had changed into a simple white t-shirt accompanied by a dark blue jacket with a grey hood sewed on, and his black jeans were stuffed into his brown boots. He hadn't bothered to flatten his hair, so several strands stuck up at odd angles thanks to the amount of naps we took during the flight.
"Pray tell, my dear bodyguard, what's our game plan once we get off this plane?" I asked as I struggled to sit upright.
Logan slid into the seat across from me. "Once we land, there'll be five cars waiting for us. Two in the front, one in the middle for us to ride in, and two in the back," he informed me. "We'll be taking the country road to the palace."
"Elijah should know that I've gotten abducted off that road as well," I mused.
"True," Logan agreed, "but the ratio of attacks made on the main road versus on the country road says that we should head to some farmland."
It was like no one ever bothered to listen to me. I've told my family countless times that the country road was always more dangerous. Sure, there were more than enough attempts performed on the highways, but those had a much lower success rate than the ones committed on vast dirt roads. It was always harder for me to run for cover in the countryside as well, since I was out in the open, vulnerable to any threat.
I relayed my thoughts to Logan, and he listened intently, his golden eyes narrowing with every reason I pointed out. When I finished, though, I knew from the look on his face that nothing was going to change.
"The queen gave the command that all units directing her Royal Highness to the palace must follow the route set by Elijah Bishop," Logan said. "You can't override her Majesty's orders."
Idiots. Someday, something will happen once again on the countryside, and I could not wait to say, "I told you so."
Logan lapsed into silence, his eyes glazed over as he stared out the window. A good amount of time dragged on as the two of us sat still until the jet landed smoothly upon the runways of Riveria International Airport. Another fifteen minutes ticked on by, then the captain himself personally walked up to us and escorted Logan and me to the exit.
Nora stood at the mouth of the door and handed us sunglasses as we exited into a bright day, filled with sapphire skies. The roars of dozens of engines thundered around us as planes took off and landed. A handful of agents lined themselves along the stairs, while another group stood by the doors of polished black cars, which glistened like jewels under the sun.
"Welcome back, Your Highness," the agent standing at the foot of the stairs greeted, giving me a stiff bow as my boots touched upon the concrete.
A smile spread across my lips as I took in his words. My eyes met with Logan's and he grinned as well as the two of us took in our surroundings.
I'm home.
When the captain of the jet stopped right behind us, Logan and I quickly made our way towards the middle car. Two of the agents bowed after they opened the door and gestured for us to sit in. Logan started towards shotgun, but an agent with cropped blond hair placed his palm on Logan's chest.
"You're to stay by the princess' side," the agent commanded. A tense minute passed before Logan turned on his heel and nodded for me to get in the car, but there was an expression of intense displeasure on his face.
My mouth opened to ask him what was wrong, but there was a strong feeling in my gut telling me to just shut the hell up for the moment. Things would only get worse if I spoke. Without a word, the two of us seated ourselves in the back and I found myself jumping at the force being used to slam the car door into its frame.
Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
Logan leaned over to my seat, fastening my seatbelt for me. I was about to call him out on babying me (I was seventeen--I was perfectly capable of securing my own seatbelt) when the engine started and our vehicle gave a lurch forward. The next thing I knew, Logan's lips were against my ear, whispering, "Be ready."
He drew back, a mischievous smile on his lips but it contrasted greatly from the grave look in his eyes. Logan suddenly resembled a predator about to strike, and the ferocity remained in his eyes when he settled back in his seat and looked forward, the grin still on his face.
I resisted an urge to sigh. I just couldn't catch a break, could I?
Halfway through our trip, in the middle of some overplayed CImerian pop song as we exited the highway and onto a road that lead to the countryside, the agent in the passenger turned around. He had on a broad smile, void of the hostility from before, but in my peripheral vision, I saw Logan's fingers clench into a fist on his armrest.
"I never got the chance to say this, but it's a pleasure to have you back home, Your Highness," the agent said, warmth dripping off his words.
I offered him a crooked smile. "It's good to be back."
"It's a pity you won't be back for long."
Suddenly, the surface of sleek metal flashed into the open, but just as the agent began to squeeze down on the trigger, Logan's shoe came out of nowhere. A loud bang echoed throughout the car and a smoking hole appeared on the roof of the car.
All three cars pressed down on the gas, and we were thrown against our seats thanks to the sudden acceleration. That didn't stop me from regaining my momentum and surging forward to throw my fist into the passenger agent's face.
The driver began fumbling around in his coat, but before he got the chance to pull out a gun or a knife, I seized his wrist and pulled it back. The driver howled in pain, giving me a chance to slam his head into the wheel. A loud honk ensued and he was knocked out cold.
The driver's foot must've remained on the accelerator because our car shot forward with an uncontrollable velocity. The passenger agent was completely unprepared and his head smashed against the dashboard.
That wasn't the only thing that was going to crash.
"Come on!" I shouted to Logan. I unlocked my door and threw it open before grabbing Logan's hand dragging him out with me as I jumped. I could feel bruises already marking my body as I tumbled onto the ground. Rocks dug into my back and legs, scraping my cheeks, and there was the taste of iron and salt coating my lips.
Just up ahead, I saw the car collide into the back of the SUV in front of it, but I also watched as the third car began to slow down, stop, and turn around. Logan and I got to our feet, exchanged what-other-choice-do-we-really-have looks before sprinting away.
This was bad. Very, very bad. Was reinforcement on the way? Don't ask me, I didn't have a single clue. I didn't even know if my phone was still in my possession after that stunt. There was virtually nowhere for the two of us to take cover at while waiting for someone to finally realize, "Hmm, the princess sure is late."
Gods, I can't wait to just rub this into Elijah's face.
There was a scream of tires behind us, and I shot a look over my shoulder to see that one of the black cars was no advancing with frightening speed. There was no chance of outrunning these guys. They had wheels, weapons--a sense of direction. Logan and I were practically sitting ducks.
Sense of direction.
All XYZ agency cars had a hidden tracker installed in every car produced by the agency. The overseeing group would be able to pinpoint the exact location of the vehicle in case the driver got lost or a group of kidnappers took control. That meant someone was monitoring our paths right now--and they had to know something was wrong.
All Logan and I needed was some sort of delay.
The unscathed vehicle screeched to a stop and a group of men climbed out, all of them holding up guns. Oh, joy.
"I don't think this was supposed to happen," I said, taking a step forward.
"No, Sherlock, this was just a welcome-home party your father decided to throw," Logan scoffed. "Surprise, Park! Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Has anyone ever told you that you're quite rude?" I said, shooting him a smile. "Come on, Logan. How about a grin?"
"Sparrow, do you even understand the situation we're in?"
"I thought we were having a surprise party."
"You're killing me."
A third party joined in our conversation. "If you're done chatting, listen up!" a gruff voice shouted.
Without hesitation, Logan grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him, shielding me with his body. I peeked around his frame, watching as our enemies directed their aim at Logan.
"What do you want?" Logan barked.
"Hand over the princess and we'll let you walk away alive," the man in the middle bargained. He had pale fuzz covering the top of his egg-like head and a nasty scar contorted the side of his face, extending from his ear to the corner of his lips.
"Over my dead body," Logan growled.
A grin spread over the man's face, further twisting his features. "My pleasure."
I didn't pause to think. I stepped forward and smashed the side of my body against Logan's, forcing him to tumble onto the ground before I hopped over his legs. My arms were raised, and now the aim was on me.
"Park, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Logan groaned, attempting to get up. My boots stepped onto his arm, pinning him down as I kept my attention focused on our enemies.
"Guys, don't you think there's a more diplomatic way to approach this situation?" I asked, keeping a light tone. "How about we put the guns down and talk this out like normal people?"
Laughter ensued. "You think you're so funny, don't you, princess?" the middle man scoffed. "You're going to come with us or we'll kill the both of you."
"Actually, I think I'm hilarious," I grinned. "You know what else is hilarious? The fact that you're even trying to lie about shooting me. We all know none of you are allowed to do it."
Come on, XYZ, where are you?
"Our orders were to bring you in alive, but if you put up too much of a fight, we were welcome to shoot you and anyone else who interfered with our plans. And right now, you're becoming a bit of a hassle."
My blood chilled--these weren't the same people I was used to dealing with. My ordinary kidnappers either took me to get a handsome ransom, or they were working under her, ordered to bring me and persuade me to give up my royal title.
None of my kidnappers had been under direct orders to kill me.
Still, I kept my strong stance, crossing my arms and holding my head up high. "You're bluffing," I called out, hoping to seem unfazed.
"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" the man inquired.
"How about I bet yours?"
Logan managed to wrench his arm away from my hold and he got to his feet, once more pushing me behind him. "On the count of three," he said softly, "you run."
"They'll just gun us down," I pointed out.
"Who said I was running?"
My head snapped to the side, my eyes widening to the size of Jupiter's moons as I glared at Logan. He was facing the enemy with a dead-set determination that would've filled me with awe except for the fact that I was about to throttle this boy.
"Absolutely not!" I refused.
"One!" the man shouted.
"I'm going to push you behind me and you're going to run," Logan instructed, his voice cool and collected as though he wasn't about to face death.
"Two!"
"Logan, I'm not leaving without you!" I grabbed his arm, and that was when he faced me. Shock flittered through me for a split second as I saw the desperation and fear coloring his features.
"And I'm not letting you die." He seized my grip, his hand blanketing mine, and I knew he was about to shove me away from him when a shot rang through the air.
The man in the middle collapsed, his gun falling from his hand as his body slammed onto the dirt road. His partners in crime exchanged panicked looks, their heads darting from left to right before more shots rang out, and soon, all of them fell.
A swarm of agents appeared off in the distance, on both left and right sides of the fields surrounding the dirt road. They held their guns high as they approached the scene with much caution. Three helicopters appeared on the horizon, seeming like small birds. It wasn't long before their metal wings sliced the air with a steady hum and rhythm overhead as the pilots searched for an area to touch down. Meanwhile, a long line of black cars sped towards us with lightning speed, halting to a stop right before the first car was about to slam into the SUV parked in the middle of the road.
Well," Logan began, a hint of amusement in his voice," that was quite the welcoming committee."
I relinquished my vice-like grip on his arm but his hand trailed downwards with mine, his fingers finding the spaces between my own before he gave my hand a tight squeeze. A smile came onto my face and his expressions echoed mine.
"Looks like the countryside was a bad idea after all," he half-laughed.
My chest swelled up at that statement. The butterflies over the hand-holding, the adrenaline from the attack, the fear of Logan losing his life for me--all of it vanished. This is my moment, I thought with zeal.
"I told you so."
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Let's play a game called, "Let's see how many chapters I can write in order to make up for the weeks I've been so behind on."
This should be fun.
On a less playful note, I am very sorry about the inconsistency with the updates. I can't promise quicker ones--I will promise TO TRY--but positive results are not guaranteed.
But hey, for old readers--in three/four chapters, you'll be meeting a very loveable someone so tune in for more updates!
For new readers, thanks for reading! You guys are fantastic, and I hope you realize by now that I am a shitty author who can't keep her promises (i'm so so so so sorry).
ciao for now -- knee