Brighter Than the Stars

Annabelle - Poorly Disguised Threats

We arrived in Atala the night before we were supposed to meet with M.C.; James cross because he'd tried to pull his 'I'm an adult and you aren't' card, only to be informed that Leo was now, too. We weren't actually supposed to stay at the palace–thank goodness for that, though I was sure James and I would have had fun annoying M.C. to death–but rather an inn nearby. It was fancy and nice, and, for a second, I blanked on how we'd ended up here. It'd have been something I'd have stayed in when traveling with my mother, years ago, and now here I was again, with an entirely different set of circumstances and a very different group of people.

I shared a room with Nicole, who was gone by the time I woke up in the morning. I wasn't even up late–we had to be at the meeting in a few hours–but she never went to bed and she was always up by the time everyone else woke up, anyway. She'd left a note on the dresser that said she'd left for breakfast with Leo, and they'd be back in time for him to go.

I checked the clock, discovered it was way too late, and scrambled to get ready and down to the lobby. Madeline was already down, talking to Clara, but James hadn't yet made an appearance, which wasn't supring. Ollie wasn't there, either, and I figured they'd both forgotten to set their alarms.

Leo and Nicole came in the door a minute later, Nicole in a purple short-sleeved turtleneck and black pants, and I wondered how she wasn't boiling in the Atalese spring. "Hey," Leo said, as they came over to us. "Sorry, am I late?"

"Just on time," Madeline said. "We're still waiting for James and Ollie to make an appearance."

"I'll get them," Leo said. "Be right back." He headed up the stairs and appeared with both boys in tow a minute later; they'd clearly just woken up.

"Good job," I whispered to James. "Really punctual."

"I bet you were one of the last ones in here," James said. "Don't even try and deny it."

I shrugged. "You can't prove that."

He scowled at me, and I smiled back at him. "That's enough," Leo said. "Both of you." He checked his watch. "We're going to be late if we don't hurry up."

"Leo's right," Madeline said. "We should go."

Clara collapsed against the back of her chair dramatically, and Nicole shook her head. "You and Annabelle are so dramatic. I'll buy you something or other. Just as long as you don't try to buy a building or something."

"Deal," Clara said.

...

"Please, take a seat," M.C. said, his smile oily, a glass of something or other in his hand. All I knew was that it smelled strong, and probably explained Nicole's aversion to bars and alcohol. He headed for his own seat at the head of the table. "Nice of you all to join me–though, my daughter is noticeably absent. She always was a rather flaky child."

"Nicole's not here because she had something more important to do," Leo said. "Not because she's 'flaky,' as you put it. Besides, the invitation was for Madeline, specifically, not Nicole."

He looked like he was debating whether it was worth it or not to start fighting with Leo, eventually deciding on no. "Be as that may, I called you here for a reason–one my daughter clearly didn't find important enough, but still a reason. Regardless of your current opinion of me, I do wish to begin negotiations and a relationship in the future, as it could hold great benefit for both of our nations. Atala and Itari have always been on excellent terms, and I hope to put aside our differences and continue that."

Leo opened his mouth to say something, and I elbowed him discreetly under the table. "Now is not the time for a history fact."

He smiled faintly. "Maybe he should study up on the War of Terror, then."

"We'll mention it when we leave," I told him. I had no idea what the War of Terror was, but I hadn't exactly been a great history student.

"As such," M.C. began dramatically. I wondered how he and Nicole could possibly be related–she had no patience for thearetics. She'd actually once timed me on how long it took to relay information, then repeated the same information herself in half the time. It had been an interesting experiment, although it hadn't convinced me to change anything. "I'd like to share a little something Atala has been working on."

"Oh, goody," whispered James. I tried to stifle a giggle, and Leo shot us both a look.

M.C. snapped his fingers and a servant brought out a small white box. Carefully, M.C. removed something from the cloth within, and, after a moment, I realised with a jolt that it was a syringe. I glanced questionably at James and Leo, who seemed to have no more idea than I did. M.C. set it on the table and proudly straightened up, pleased with himself. We all gave him blank stares.

"Inside this needle," he began, still with the thearetics, "is a strain of virus several top scientists here in Atala have developed. This is about the dose required for a young adult, give or take a few years. A cure is still in the works, but likely wouldn't be needed–it's not contagious, you see."

"Atalese scientists," Leo repeated. "Atala is peaceful, though–and not exactly known for advances in science. Not that they don't work on that aspect, but they've always been more focused on other things..."

"Young man," M.C. said. "Times are changing. Don't forget, my wife was from here. I know perfectly well what Atala is and is not known for, and I think it's time to explore a different avenue. With this...well, we could make a very formidable enemy. I would hate to be on the receiving side."

"That," Madeline said, "could be considered a threat, and I'm sure you don't want to have the wrong meaning taken. I would prefer that we kept these interactions civil. Itari has no wish to go to war, nor to make allies to prepare for war. If such a situation arises, then we can talk–but until then, Itari will be staying neutral."

"We may be talking again very soon, then. Good day, Your Highness." 

Word Count: 1,083