Untitled Princess Carolyn Project

CHAPTER 20

The entire city of Lastreshire was busier and more chaotic than the Vex had ever been. People were running through the streets carrying boxes and bags. Shopkeepers shouting the various sales they were having. I prefer it this way.

3 weeks ago, these people had all gathered around the front of the large Crystal Palace of Lastreshire. Officers had forced the crowd to separate to form a large aisle. Jace took my arm, Garvin took Iris's, and Dean took Blue's. They had walked elegantly with us from the aircraft hangar all the way to the palace. The entire crowd screamed for the lost princess and her friends.

They weren't screaming anymore. Some smiled and nodded in my direction. A few tossed a "hello" in my direction. I always smiled and nodded back. I had hoped to make a few friends either in the palace or in the city. Unfortunately I hadn't made many new friends.

The Crystal Palace is the main palace in Norlin. It's like in Onekmont, all the children under the age of 19 stay in the city for classes and training. From ages 4-7, everyone in Lastreshire, including children who weren't nobles or royals, went to a specialized academy in the center of the city. There, they learned how to control their powers, basic reading and writing skills, and the way that powers worked. After that, the nobles and royals would continue their studies and training inside the palace. They would learn more about powers, science, math, history, reading, writing, and some would learn other languages. Royal children would be in a special class to learn how to rule, behave, and lead as a royal.

At age 10, The children would be split up (not completely) depending on their powers. For example, healers would be taken to specialize in learning human anatomy instead of the science class the others would take. They would also begin practical training. Every other day of the week was for physical training. Any ailos would learn to use other weapons/tools, while the Powerful kids would learn how to use their powers to help those around them and/or to fight. Royals would also have a special class which would consist of battle strategies and other things like it. The classes would get more advanced until they finished school at 19.

Children in school would be required to stay in Lastreshire with the exception of breaks and summers. You're allowed to enlist in the military before you're 19, but any time spent away from the military would be in Lastreshire and in classes.

Blue was dragged away almost immediately. I rarely get to see her anymore. She's memorizing every single vein, artery, organ, bone, and disease. Jace told me that she's basically learning how to put the entire human body back together.

Iris has been here, though. She says I've been more distant. I suppose it's sort of true. I've taken to wandering around in the forest behind the palace after classes. Part of it is to avoid Father, as he's demanded I refer to him. He's...not quite the father I imagined. When I was told he started an entire war over one of his children, I'd mistakenly pictured a protective, kind father. I was wrong.

The other part of it was because I miss the forest at home. This one is much thicker and it doesn't have the creek. It also doesn't have Blue and Iris. Blue's obviously too busy, but Iris has refused to come with me. She says she's too busy, but we have all the same work. We do it together.

Today I decided I want to have a picnic in the woods. I'm wandering the city to find something good to eat. I find a place that's advertising gourmet chocolate milk. I decide to go in and I end up ordering a peppermint slimander chocolate milk and french toast with chocolate sauce and bananas stuffed inside.

As I wander back towards the woods, I silently make note of the work I need to get done by tomorrow. I have an essay about the dissection we did on a slimander that's due two days from now. I have to remember the names of almost every single King of Norlin ever.

I wonder when they'll let us visit home. I know Blue's dying to take a break. She's smart, but everyone gets burnt out eventually. I'm sure the stuff she has to study is 10 times harder than anything she had to learn in the Vex. Iris has said multiple times that she misses how things used to be, so I'm sure she'd love to take a trip home. It'll be like how things used to be.

I head back into the palace and into the place I usually sneak out of. There's walls all around the palace preventing anyone from getting into the palace's side entrances. Those walls are a lot taller and have guards posted everywhere. Meanwhile, the back wall in the main garden is easy to jump.

The kitchen is bustling and getting everything ready for lunch. I slink into one of the many hidden hallways that servants can use to travel the palace quicker. One leads directly out to the garden and that's exactly where I'm going.

I make my way to the back wall. Then I stuff the cloth bag with my food and drink in it into my mouth. I grunt as I run up the wall and vault over to the other side. Landing gracefully on my feet, I continue on to find a nice log to eat on.

Usually I don't care what clothes they make me wear, as long as I'm not being strangled, suffocated, or having my circulation cut off. Iris adores all the frivolous clothes she gets to wear, and dresses lavishly for every occasion.

Today, I picked out a short, sweet, dark blue dress with quite a few buttons and frilled edges. It kind of looks like I'm wearing a cape. I have my "mud shoes" or the shoes I'm supposed to wear when we train outdoors. They're brown and go all the way up to my knees. I wish I had a pair when Blue, Iris, and I would go stomping around in the rain. It would've saved a lot of socks.

I rip off a piece of french toast to munch on while I walk. Right as I take a sip of my chocolate milk, I hear shuffling to my right. I freeze, looking around. I realize I've gone way deeper into the forest than I ever meant to. Slowly, I pull out a rather large dagger. You're always required to keep a weapon of some sort on us. Even if you're a Powerful. Father is also very paranoid.

"Is someone there?" I ask loudly.

I jump as another bunch of leaves rattles to my left. The leaves rustle again and I take a step towards the bush. The whole forest seems to be holding its breath. It's dead silent as I take another step. As I'm about to take another step something screams and flies out of the bush.

I scream as loud as I can and jump backwards. My ankle twists painfully and I fall onto my back. Blindly, I swing my dagger in front of me. The thing screams again and I hear wings flapping away. I open my eyes to see a big red bird flying away.

I half sigh with relief and half groan with annoyance. I stand up only to fall back to my knees. I must've sprained my ankle. I groan again. It was barely even a fall, and I sprained my ankle? I struggle back to my feet and limp along.

I should probably go back and get help, but before I'm able to fully consider it I feel something smack the back of my neck. I scream and fall face first. I reach back and pull out a weird looking dart. The floor begins to swirl, so I flop onto my back in a last attempt to stop whoever's after me. I see the faint distorted image of a young girl, about my age. She has shoulder length hair that appears to puff outwards. It's a bright blue that kind of reminds me of cotton candy.

I reach my hand out to shock her, but my hand goes limp and not even a spark comes out. I watch as the same big red bird from earlier flies down. It turns into a woman-like figure and stands right next to the young girl.

I hear them start to say something, but all of my senses have faded away. I feel like I'm falling.

"She was really pretty." I think to myself, and then it's all gone.