A quiet whirr was heard as Nadia opened and closed her heavy eyelids. In front of her was a pale-skinned girl, whose lashes dipped ever so slowly. Her face was streaked with dirt and there was crust collected in her closed eyes. She looked somber, peaceful even.
Nadia glanced around the room. It appeared to be a large train car, with all the windows blocked out. There was nothing inside but her and the girl, with a door on one end of the car. She saw a silhouette of someone pacing back and forth, most likely on the phone, though it was muffled and she could hardly hear anything.
Nadia's head spun as everything came rushing back to her. Lola, the stranger, and seeing a dart land on Yuki seconds after one stabbed her. And...that dream.
She wasn't sure if this was fate, but she did know who the stranger was.
Delilah.
She should've remembered, it could've saved their lives! But she couldn't. She'd let herself be blinded by the myths of friendship...
But even so, she didn't know if Delilah was trying to kill them. If she was, she would have tried a long time ago, right? What if Lola and Yuki were attempting to lead Nadia somewhere and Delilah wanted to stop her? After all, she knew nothing about the two girls, whereas she'd known Delilah for two years.
But did she really know Delilah?
The door slid open, an ear-splitting screeching noise coming from the inside. Delilah, as expected walked out. She was still wearing the blue hoodie and black jeans, but her long curly hair was tied in a low ponytail that grazed her waist. Contacts replaced her glasses and her cheeky grin was now a straight, thin line.
Nadia could feel her heart jump out of her throat, and for all the wrong reasons. Delilah, who was completely ignoring Nadia's presence, walked over to the small control screen and muttered a few commands, making the hyperloop go faster.
She turned to Nadia and acknowledged her for a short moment. "Stupid tranquilizers..." She muttered.
Yuki stirred nearby and Nadia turned to study her face. The girl's milky white skin was streaked with dirt, which she had no doubt been dragged in. One arm of her denim jacket was ripped completely off. Her dress was covered in dirt, and a few red droplets that she assumed were blood. Just seeing it made her own blood boil.
Yuki's long lashes opened slowly, revealing her striking eyes. The pupils squinted as they adjusted to the bright light of the hyperloop.
She struggled to speak, and images of icy terrain flashed through Nadia's mind. "Where- where we?"
Nadia would have responded if she could. Her own mouth was frozen over.
Delilah looked at the two and laughed, sending the cruel vibrations over the unfortunate objects that were in the room. "What a bond. And you two have known each other for what, a day?" She scoffed.
Nadia suddenly found her words again. "I've known you for more than a year, and our bond wasn't even real."
Delilah smiled, chipper as ever. "You got that right!"
Nadia was struck at how blunt Delilah was. She didn't even care about the friendship and memories. It was all something she could scrap as soon as she felt like it.
"You were the one who followed us," Nadia continued. "You shot us with- with tranquilizers. Care to explain?"
Delilah circled the room. "Don't mind if I do. You see, Nadia, I was assigned to keep watch over a few certain people. People my boss thought were...from Antarctica."
Nadia thought about the pictures of all the pale-looking people she'd seen in Delilah's home. The papers that were lying everywhere. They weren't just random pieces of paper that had formed clutter, they were files. And she was there.
But Nadia wasn't Antarctician.
Delilah busied herself with her hair, twirling curls around her finger. "Anyways...I had to get close to you somehow, so why not become your friend?" She said the word with distaste in her mouth, though her tone was bright.
Nadia squirmed in her seat. Betrayal just seemed worse when it was expected.
"I kept track of you, and asked you questions about Antarctica, but you knew nothing. Nothing. I was about to give up on you when she came into the picture." Delilah pointed one mocha-colored finger at Yuki.
Yuki growled at her, the sound vibrating loudly in her throat, shattering the icicles.
"When I saw you leave with this girl, I knew what was going on. She was going to take you home."
The words hit Nadia hard, like speeding boulders. She would be crushed flat by the impact.
"I had to stop you, somehow. When you came to the alleyway, I made a distraction to get Lola out, and then shot you two and brought you here." Delilah said the last words with glee.
"This-this doesn't make sense... I'm not from Antarctica..." Nadia didn't really even believe herself anymore, but she just wanted an explanation, one that Delilah could give her.
"Want to bet that? Because it's real weird how your say you aren't adopted, but it just so happens that you look nothing like your siblings." Delilah flashed a coy smile. "But that's not an excuse since your mother confessed the adoption documents."
Delilah fished around in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
A crinkled adoption certificate.
Nadia felt shocked, but deep down, she knew that she probably was adopted. It just didn't make sense- her mother had so many children, why want another one as useless as her?
Delilah read her mind. "I wondered why she wanted you- I mean, she already had a truckload of kids. I dug a little deeper, and guess what I found?"
She went into her pocket again and pulled out a photo of two young women, who appeared to be laughing and sharing a meal. One was clearly Nadia's mother in her younger years, with her striking red hair pulled out of its tight bun. The other woman, she'd seen, but not personally. On television, on her holoscreen. Everywhere.
Daniella Ember, Queen of Antartica.
Nadia heard a choking noise, but not from her. Glancing to the side, she saw Yuki, displaying yet another emotion on her usually expressionless face- shock.
Delilah slipped the photo back into her pocket. "They were good friends, your mother and the Queen. So when the queen had a child that she couldn't take care of, she asked for a favor from your mother and passed you on to her."
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
The soundless aura strangled Nadia as she grasped the information.
She was the child of a queen. She was a princess.
Nadia couldn't believe it, but at this point, she could see it was possible. Turning to Yuki, she saw the girl was unfazed. Maybe she'd already known? But if she had, how could she keep such a big secret from her?
Delilah sneered. "I think you get the idea. You're valuable, surprisingly."
Nadia stood straight up. "Valuable? Are you some sort of...human traff-"
Delilah cut her off, waving a single hand in the air with gusto. "A human trafficker? Tsk, tsk, Nadia. No, I'm not a trafficker. Where's the fun in that, where you could get caught? No, I work for the government. A special wing, dedicated to the dirty work."
Nadia drew back, still struck by Delilah's casualness. "Dirty work?"
Delilah's expression grew dark. "Yes, dirty work. The government officials themselves don't want to dirty their hands, so that's what we are here for. And recently, Antarctica has been being very uncooperative."
"The gems...and barriers?" Said Yuki, who hadn't spoken the entire time.
Delilah snapped her fingers. "Bingo! Antarctica has things that other countries would kill for. Who wouldn't want to get their hands on a heat-emitting gem? It's priceless." She turned around, her curls twirling with her.
"But according to the vice president, Antarctica isn't giving those things up. Those revolutionary things. We were going to stop being so persistent but..." Delilah's gaze landed on Nadia, and her lips curled upward.
She trailed a finger on the arm of the chair Nadia was tied to. "We found a ransom. The queen, oh the sweet, sweet queen won't be able to refuse." Delilah lifted Nadia's chin. "Unless she doesn't value her daughter's life."
Yuki growled and yanked herself forward, pushing Delilah back a bit. The kidnapper herself wasn't fazed but just amused. "This mute was sent by a group of Antarctican's who worked for the queen. They caught a whiff of our plans and needed to get you to safety."
Delilah turned around again. "But failed." She sneered. "Horribly."
Nadia was visibly shaking. It was like her body couldn't hold the information that had been pounded on her in less than two minutes.
Yuki's voice filled the room. "Take me."
Delilah turned to face them, one eyebrow arched. She walked up and grazed a finger along Yuki's fair skin, pinching her cheeks so that they would swell red. Nadia wanted to tell her to get her grimy hands off, but no words could leave her mouth.
"I'm sure some nice customers would pay plenty for a pretty girl like you," Delilah snickered. Yuki's eyes narrowed and flashed with visible anger.
Delilah pointed to Nadia. "But not as much as her."
Yuki just gave her another look of steely resolve. "I'm worth as much."
Delilah looked curious but also unbelieving. "Really? Tell me, who are you? I'm sure Nadia here is wondering as well."
Yuki sucked in a breath, taking the room's oxygen with it.
"I am Princess Yuki Ember, second heir to the Antartician throne."