TEN SECONDS , The Kenny Ackerman Story BOOK ONE~ ORIGINS ,by Melly O'Hara

URI

CHAPTER 13 URI

Like he said, with that ring as my I.D., I had no problem getting' past the Military Police or inta the palace, nor even for seein' Reiss himself. Well... see, is prob'ly the wrong word, 'cause I don' believe I ever actually saw him, at all.

Once granted entry ta the palace, I were ushered inta, what looked like, a deserted, unused wing; dusty, the curains drawn, furniture drapped with what were prob'ly once white sheets, now brown, an' the air thick with the scent o' mould. Through the dis-used corridors I were led, 'til we finally reached a darkened room, where he stood in the shadows. There were no minders, no guards, jus' him an' me an' an envelope o' money on the table, lyin' in the filth o' the dust.

He told me that the envelope had been there since our last 'chat', jus' waitin' for me ta arrive an' claim it. He said he never gave up hope; that he knew I'd come, didn' know it'd be this long, but he never doubted that I would come, an' now it were time for me ta do my duty an' help put the right King on the throne.

Then he left, not quite sure how, secret entrance or tunnel, I assumed, an' I were greeted with Palace Guards that escorted me back through the corridors an' back out inta the sunshine. The whole thing only took five minutes an' it were over so quick, 'twere like it had never happened at all. But I didn' care. Jus' so long as I got this done quick, an' got Kuchel an' Levi out inta the sunshine afore they lost the healthy flush they had in their cheeks, that were there now."

" So it began. I still tracked Uri, still saw you, " I smiled, lookin' at Jas.

"An' that's when I began ta notice that when he rode out, he were ridin' out with less guards, an' sometimes only jus' with his brother Rod. I got ta know his new schedual. He weren' out as much as he used ta be afore he were king; Kingly duties, I guess. Well, 'cept for his duty o' makin' Paradise safe for the Ackermans!

It stopped bein' a job an' I got angrier an' angrier at how, once again, I'd been betrayed by my faith. Once again, I'd believed in someone. An' once again, they'd let me an' mine down! I began ta understand what Grandpa had ment 'bout a blood-feud o' generations we Ackermans had against the King.

An' I guess that's partly why I made my mistake."

"Mistake....you, Kenny??!" Jas chided, with a look o' mock horror on her face.

I tussled her hair an' she laughed.

"Yeah. Me. But that's not why Uri's alive today", I continued, " 'cause when I rode out trackin' Uri an' Rod that day I'd decided ta finally kill the King, I were so full o' anger, still that's not why my shot missed. Actually, I'm still not completely sure it did miss. An' it sure as Hell, ain' why Silver Lady failed ta even injure him. 'Cause after that shot were fired, outta nowhere, a full grown, real, giant-ass Titan appeared! It were the biggest thin' I ever seen in my life, sorta half human, half monster, an' it jus' picked me up from the ground. Uri were nowhere ta be seen, an' Rod, well he didn' seem scared, he were jus' yellin' for it ta kill me. I remember thinkin' , "Is this what Gramps ment when he were talkin' 'bout the King havin' the power o' the Titans, an' how they could command them? But why were Rod tryin' ta command it? He weren' a king. Or didn' it matter 'cause he were a Reiss? But if so why weren' it killin' me?"

Not gonna lie Jas, I were shit- scared. I were cussin' it an' tryin' ta stab it, an' then pleadin' like a baby for it ta spare me, all while I were held tight in its grip, 'bout twenty feet in the air. Its hand engulfed my entire body, with only my head an' shoulders pokin' out o' the top o' its hand an' my feet the bottom. I were waitin' for it ta crush me, takin' no effort at all, while it were wavin' me 'bout an' inspectin' me. I jus' couldn' believe that shit like this really existed! I mean, seriously, What The Fuck?! An then it jus' sorta drops me down, but not too hard like, an' I'm layin' on my ass in the grass, with Rod still yellin' at it ta kill me.