Princess Callie

Chapter 23: Harem

I heard what sounded like distant female voices speaking. It sounded like they were talking about me. As my mind cleared, I was able to hear more clearly. I tried to remain still and listen to their conversation.

"So she's the new girl?" someone asked. Her voice was soft and gentle.

"Yes. That's what the guards told me. Supposedly she's also the Princess." a high pitched voice answered.

"A squid is the Octarian Princess?" a third person replied in disbelief. This person's voice was much lower than the rest.

"Personally, I'm just excited to see a new face. It's been a while since we've seen anyone else." the high pitched voice squealed.

"Poor girl. She's probably scared and confused. I know I was when I came here." the soft voice said with compassion in her voice.

"I don't understand what Chekhov sees in her." the low voice replied with disdain.

"I don't know... She's quite the looker. Chekhov has a good eye. We've got some serious competition." the soft voice said.

"Hey I think she's waking up." the high pitched voice said. Then the room went silent. I mentally cursed myself for shifting a little bit.

My eyes fluttered open and I was able to observe my surroundings. The room was mostly empty save for two doors. One led to a bathroom and the other, a small closet. I was laying on a small bed. At the foot of my bed three octolings standing side by side. I tried to pretend I hadn't listened in on their conversation. "Who are you? What happened? Where am I?" I asked.

"You're in Octovalley." the octoling with a soft voice answered. Her tentacles were tied into a pony tale behind her head. "My name is Ashley."

An octoling that looked to be about the same age surged forward and stopped near my face. Her tentacles were thin and drooped to the sides of her head. "I'm Alice. It's so great to see a new face! You are going to love it here!" squealed the high pitched voice.

"And I am Amber." the last octoling said. Her tentacles were thick and were done in a style similar to the regular octoling soldiers.

I sat up. "What's going on? The last thing I remember is falling asleep. That jerk Chekhov drugged me! He- mmph!"

Ashley grabbed my mouth and held it shut. "Shh! You don't want any of the guards to hear you say that." she said while looking at the door to see if anyone was coming in. When she was sure it was safe she finally let go.

"You have a lot to learn. Callie was it? Don't worry we're going to help you settle into your new life. Just one thing before we get started." Amber leaned in jealously and said in a threatening tone. "I heard Chekhov say he wants to make you his first wife. So let me make one thing perfectly clear. I am Chekhov's first wife. Leave him to me."

"What are you doing?" Ashley pulled her away in a panic. "You have no idea what Chekhov would do if he found out you threatened her, do you?"

"Do you?" Alice asked.

"Well... no. But it can't be anything good." Ashley answered. She took a deep breath then tried to laugh it off. "Sorry about that Alice has been under a lot of stress ever since she became Chekhov's first wife."

"Listen ladies. I'm not here to fight over Chekhov. I just want to get out of here. Go back home and put this all behind me." I said.

"Aww. You're not staying?" Alice frowned.

"Sorry to burst your bubble Princess but once you're here. You're never getting out." Amber replied.

"What she means is..." Ashley took a deep breath and tried to calmly explain. "We've all tried to escape at some point. There was this other girl-"

"I thought we agreed not to talk about Anna! She got herself killed!" Amber yelled.

"Who's Anna?" I asked.

Amber took a deep breath. Then decided to explain. "She was another girl before you. She tried to escape many times but..." Amber shuddered. "Chekhov would catch her every time she tried to escape. He would... do things... to her. One day he found out she was a spy working for the OIB. She was executed the next day."

I looked around and saw the three octolings starting to cry. I pulled everyone in for a hug. "If we work together I'm sure we can all escape."

"Please... no. I don't want to risk losing anyone else. You're all the family I have." Alice whimpered.

"It'll be much easier for us to stay put. Let me worry about Chekhov." Amber told me.

A moment later, an octoling boy armed with a splattershot barged into the room. "You ladies better not be planning anything."

"No! We're just welcoming the new girl." Ashley answered.

"Right... anyway... Chekhov wants to see her." the guard was not convinced.

"What? Why?" I asked. Instead of answering the guard grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the group. He dragged me through the hallways until we reached another room. It was the same room I was tortured in. The guard shoved me in then closed the door.

In front of me was Chekhov. He looked relaxed. "I want to try something else today. Come sit."

I noticed there was a metal chair and a table in the center of the room. Without any other options I decided to sit. Chekhov sat on the other side. Chekhov pulled out the abdication form and placed it on the table. "While you were asleep there was a meeting. The democratic convention knows you're here. They're not happy you refused to sign the abdication form. They're planning to put you on trial for crimes against liberty. Believe it or not, I'm on your side here. I made a deal with the others. If you sign the forms they'll drop the charges. If you don't I can't do anything to stop the trial from happening."

"I'm still not going to sign it." I replied standing my ground.

Chekhov sighed as if he was giving up. "Very well. I'll give them the bad news. Wait here." He got up and walked out the room.

As soon as he left I waited a few seconds hoping he really did leave. Then I ran to the door and tried to open it. The handle wouldn't turn and I could tell it was locked. I stood there for a few minutes trying to force the door open. I could see a keyhole but I didn't have anything to pick it with. Before I could start looking for any alternative escape routes, the door swung open and hit me in the face.

An octoling guard came in. "You're under arrest for crimes against liberty. The trial will begin immediately."

"Wait right now?" I asked shocked we were starting immediately.

"Yes right now!" the guard lunged forward and grabbed my tentacles. He began to violently drag me out of the room. I hope I'm ready to defend myself.