The Melody Of Destiny

Chapter 7

Anastasia

Bzzzzz, Bzzzzz, Bzzzzz. What the... Bzzzzz, Bzzzzz Arrgh shut up I mumble slowly waking up as a soft annoying sound plays in my ear over and over. It takes me a while before I realize it's my phone. Seriously. It's like 2am. I tiredly fumble for it, squinting at the blindingly bright screen. 3:21 fantastic. What idiot calls at 3 in the morning. I irritatingly hang up chucking it under my pillow. Bzzzzz, Bzzzzz, Bzzzzz. Oh, you got to be kidding me! I grab the dam thing: "What? Who is this?" I whisper yell a little too loud.

A drunk nonsensical voice splutters through the phone a slurred word vomit. Oh, for goodness' sake did Mateo give my number to some idiot again? I hang up as the guy starts ranting about psychopaths. Absolutely fantastic. How long is it gonna take me to fall asleep this time? Bzzzzz, Bzzzzz

"You got the wrong number buddy!" I exclaim pissed off. I swear Mateo, I'm going to, going to... I don't know but he'll regret it. The others start to stir as this guy starts rambling enunciating every word: "Do not hang up do not Ana why why did you hang hang up hello hello can you hear me hello I don't know where I am ... know ... where... where am I Ana Hello?"

I slowly sit up. You have got to be kidding me? There is two people who call me Ana, and this isn't my 11-year-old sister.

Slowly sitting up – please be a wrong number. It has to be a wrong number, right?

"Who is this?" I ask my voice husky from sleep.

"It's me." He explains.

"Congratulations Me, she gave you the wrong number" I say.

"Oh, shut up Anastasia why do you have to be such a brat, such a brat.

"Excuse me." I exclaim. I don't have the energy for this. I'm about to hang up when he continues his word vomit.

"Alex, Alex you know, The prince. That is supposed to mean something... mean something." He slurs sounding desperate and scared.

A pillow slams into me. It's Zama glaring at me. "Sorry." I whisper getting up heading to the bathroom. Great I woke them up. Just what I need pissed off colleagues after an 18-hour shift. I blink squinting in the painfully bright light jumping onto the counter yawning: "You seriously expect me to believe you're the royal prince."

"YES!" He screeches through the phone causing me to yank it away.

"Oh, na aah if you're gonna yell like a banshee I'm hanging up." I exclaim.

"I do not know where I am." He repeats like a broken record.

"Just call an uber buddy." I say stifling a yawn struggling to keep my eyes open

"A what? I don't know how to do that. Can't you do that? I am your prince after all." he asks bewildered.

"Listen here just because you lost a battle with a whiskey barrel doesn't make your story any more believable." I say annoyed.

"Anna It's me, me." he exclaims.

Staring at myself in the cracked mirror I find myself saying against my better judgment, "prove it, prove why, or better yet how would the prince have my number, mmhhmm?".

"Me, prove to you? You prove you are you." he spouts back making no sense at all.

"Good night." I say

"No, wait – you gave me your number." He exclaims.

"No, I didn't – "

"It was on your mothers' phone." He states

"You stole my mom's phone?"

"You pushed me into a fountain, fountain. Cold... so cold. I'm cold Ana." He continues.

What is he ... oh that ... are you serious right now. Fine I can play along let's see shell we.

"You destroyed that phone." I retaught back.

"It was a piece of junk. You yelled at me. No one yells at me, and a fountain Ana. A fountain." He rambles on.

"Why, why would you even remember it." I ask seriously contemplating just hanging up on him.

"You're different. Always were different." He says.

Suddenly he yells out: "What are you looking at? Leave me alone, stupid commoner." Followed by the sound of shattered glass.

"What just happened?" I ask bewildered.

"Stupid girl wants her phone back." he says dismissively.

"You can't steel someone's phone." I say exasperated.

"Steel who said anything about steeling. I'm borrowing it." He says.

I take a deep slow breath, tapping my knuckles against the wall, annoyed. It's the prince all right. Just my luck the guy remembered my number.

"Where is your shadow, I need to talk to him... sir." I say annoyed pinching my nose in annoyance.

"He's goonnnne they're all gone." he slurs.

"Alex." I say my voice sharper than I intended. "You're not making any sense who's gone? Did your entire security detail spontaneously combust."

"Deserted they deserted me I'm alone." he whispers "always wanted be alone. No shadows..." his voice trails off.

"Alex." I say my patience fraying you're the crown prince. "You can't just vanish. People rely on you."

"But I want to be alone he insists no more responsibilities no more." He rambles.

"Well congratulations you're alone. Good luck." I say.

"Ana." Please come get me, get me." He then goes into a low whisper: These commoners they are psycho, psycho."

I can't believe this is happening, of all people he calls me, drunk and high off his rockets. He's hardly making any sense. I want to hang up, but I can't, instead I find myself saying "I'll get someone, can you tell me where you are your royal highness?"

"NO!" he yells, "No, No, you, I want you, not shadows, they eat Ana, they eat your soul".

What on earth is he tripping on, I don't have the energy for this nonscience. I take a deep breath physically forcing myself not to throw the phone, when he threatens me. The royal idiot actually threatens me.