One Half of a Whole

Chapter 4: Kidnapped

Mary

These past few days have been nothing but busy. Yet I don't care how busy I may be as long as I am going to see my family.

My village is called Timmouri, and it is quite poor. Many families are farmers who make just enough money to buy other necessities by selling their crops to neighboring villages. I grew up on the farm working with the animals and planting potatoes. It was not the most exciting job but it did have its perks. One winter my family was in a financial struggle and one of the royal advisors was in town. He offered me a job. All the money I earned would be sent to my family and I could quit whenever I wanted, and when I turned 18, I would get to keep the money I made for myself. Last year, I earned the first check I could keep, but I didn't need to. Ever since I left them, I have sent every payment back to my family. I can't wait to see them. I hope they have put my money to good use.

Princess Kamara is the happiest I have seen her in a long time. Her brother leaves that same day we do, so she is spending lots of time with him. I'm glad she is happy with him, but that also means I have to pack her wardrobe all by myself. I grab a few formal dresses and some casual gowns, packing them in the bottom of a suitcase. I layer some casual - but still quite extravagant - shirts and skirts on top. I grab her a few pairs of pajamas and right before I zip the case up, I grab a few of her extra casual clothes from the back of the bottom drawer. She thinks I don't know about them, but they were not too hard to find. I just hope she enjoys some comfortable clothes on this journey. I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself.

I walk out of Kamara's room, carrying her suitcase. I have to bring it to the front entrance to be loaded into the carriage that will bring us to the train tomorrow. On my way, I run into Austin - one of the guards.

"Morning Mary," he says, slightly louder than most people might. That's the thing about Austin. He is a loud guy, quite unlike his brother, Noah. Austin loves attention...which might be why he doesn't much take to Kamara.

"Good morning, Austin."

"Where are you heading?"

"Just the entrance to bring Kamara's luggage to the carriage." At the mention of her name, he loses part of his enthusiastic demeanor.

"Well at least in a few days the castle will have her gone," he says.

"Austin!" I scold. "You can't talk that way about the princess. I know you don't like her, but -"

"It's not like I have no reason to dislike her - she was fine once upon a time, but now her attitude is just - ugh. She simply loves being a pretty, perfect little know-it-all."

"You know that isn't all her fault. She has a role to fill. Thousands of people look up to her...and she has to act accordingly."

" I guess," he mutters under his breath.

"Anyway," I say, switching the subject. "Are you coming with us to Timmouri?"

"Yeah, we were debriefed this morning. Since we're staying within the kingdom, there's not much of a security force needed. It's just me, Drexel, and Leon coming as guards."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. I have lots of things to do before we leave."

"Alright, see ya."

The rest of my day is filled with preparation for tomorrow. By 10:00 pm, I have finished everything and say goodnight to Kamara. I can tell she is elated about this trip, so I leave her room early to let her reflect. I head to my quarters and pack my bag. It is small, but I don't need much. I pack my clothes in a tight bundle, and at the very top, I lay the two letters I wrote for my parents which tell them all about my stay at the castle. I know I wouldn't be able to tell them everything during my stay, so I wrote it down in about 10 pages each to give to them in person. Tomorrow is going to be amazing.

Morning comes fast, and before I know it, I am watching Kamara say goodbye to her family. I can tell they are concerned, but this is a big step for Kamara. She is finally getting the freedom she has always wanted.

As we board the carriage, I open the door and Kamara slips in. She waves goodbye and I slide in, shutting the door behind me.

"Okay, how pumped are you?" I ask. A small smile forms on her lips as the carriage starts to move. Once her parents are out of sight, she answers the question.

"OH MY GOD! I can't believe we're doing this!" This is the happiest I have seen her in... well this is the happiest I have seen her ever.

We talk and laugh the whole ride to the train station. Soon, we are walking onto the train car with an eight-hour journey ahead of us. In the car are a bed, a couch, and a small table. We are the last car on the train, and the guards are in the cabin in front of us.

The first hour, I talk with Kamara about my village.

The second hour we play cards.

In the third hour one of the guards, Drexel, comes to check on us and brings us dinner.

In the fourth hour, Kamara decides to take a nap before we arrive. It is currently 6 pm, and our arrival time is 10 pm. We have lots to do before we can sleep, so her decision is an educated one. I leave and head to the guard car so as not to disturb her.

Upon entry, I notice their car is very different from ours. For starters, it is a different color. Red and yellow rather than green and blue. It also does not have a bed, but it does have two couches along the sides and a large table on one end. Drexel is talking on his communicator, probably updating the castle on our location. Austin and Leon are playing a card game. Soon, I am playing with them, all of us laughing and talking.

I hear something hit the top of the train car and I jump. I can see the concern on everyone's face.

"It was probably just a branch hitting the top of the car," Drexel says, trying to calm me down. Then we hear the noise again, louder this time. I hear voices and then a blood-curdling scream.

Kamara.

We are all on our feet running to the door between the cars. Leon pushes me back to keep me out of the way and I slam into a car door. I can't see anything for a moment, but I hear yelling, crashing, screaming, and then a gunshot. The screams are quieted, the crashing stops, and someone moans. I run into the quarters, finding the place a mess. I look around frantically, hoping she is just hiding under something, but then I see the look on Drexel's face. Panic sets in as I look around. Austin is on the floor clutching his shoulder. Leon is on the ground next to him. Drexel is talking into his communicator. I might be in shock. I start hyperventilating, not listening to anything or anyone. My lips move like a ghost, but I don't hear my own words.

"She's gone."