diary of a teenage girl

Chapter 18: certified eavesdropper (Hikaru's POV)

March 18th

    I wake up to Aspen's pesky bird alarm. We aren't allowed phones, so they give us these little devices that you can hardly do anything with but contact other guards and set morning alarms. They monitor everything you do on it. "Aspen, shut that thing off!" I yell, covering my ears with my pillow. He groans and scrambles for his device. He finally turns the stupid thing off. His alarm goes off at four every morning. He likes waking up early apparently. I was 'lucky' enough to be roommates with Aspen and Jackson.
    I kind of miss James. Okay, I miss him a lot. I think about him while I'm brushing my teeth. I wish I had access to music, I'll take anything at this point, even some weird techno stuff. "Good morning sunshine," Aspen says to me as my eyes drift closed while I scrub my gums much harsher than necessary. I sigh. "I hate erfy morgigs," I say, struggling to speak with toothpaste in my mouth. "Yeah, I can tell." He says. "How could you understand all that gibberish?" Jackson says, patting his face clean after he washed it.
     "I'm fluent in Hikaru's morning groans," he says. I finish buttoning up my suit and I head out for roll call. We fall into a tight line of men, all of them just as tired as the other. I have no clue what I'm doing here or why they would want me as a guard but all I know is this job sucks. "Quit making that face like you're gonna punch the first person you see," says Aspen, leaning over my shoulder. I swat his face away without looking.
    An older looking well-groomed man walks past every soldier in line and stops at me. "Hikaru Jin?" He asks, looking at a sheet of paper. I nod. "Yes, sir." I answer. He looks at me. "How old are you, son?" He asks. "Seventeen, sir." I say, getting nervous. He looks shocked, then confused, but his expression soon vanishes and he walks away quickly, telling me to follow.
    I struggle to keep up with his increasingly fast pace as he bounds down the hallways. He brings me to the end of the hallway and pulls open a thick, gray metal door. There is a stairwell inside. I close the door behind me and a rush of cold air hits me. He leads me down small metal stairs and eventually I'm on what seems to be the first floor. He leads me back out and I'm in the kitchen.
"A kitchen?" I ask, despite the answer lying right before my eyes. "Yes. I'm told you can cook well by your sister, Sakura. You will have a minor role as a chef. But before you work in the kitchen, you have one more shift to complete as a guard. Jackson will be working in the same sector as you." He says, patting me on the back. "I believe Mrs. Tiana is a friend of yours, yes? She will show you where to go." He says, tapping Tiana on the back. I hadn't noticed her tagging along behind us.
"Yes, we're . . .friends." I say hesitantly. I wish we were more than friends. I block my wandering thoughts of her out and try to focus on my work for today but my gosh she looks even more beautiful today than ever. She is wearing a simple uniform, a plain black polo shirt and skirt. Her hair is tied into a tight bun, but her bangs are still out. She smells like dove soap.
"Come on, let me show you where your shift is," she says, taking my hand. My heart beats hard against my chest. "So, what job do you have?" I ask. She chuckles. "I'm a maid. I clean empty rooms all day." She tells me. I haven't seen her in what feels like forever. "How is everyone? I haven't seen the three A's in a while," I tell her. The three A's being Anastasia, Amaria, and Amani. I haven't seen Iris either. "They're alright. I can't stand Amani. Especially because she's so likable," she says.
I smile. "I don't believe James would cheat on Iris. There's no way, he loves her too much," I say. I just don't believe it. "He didn't. I don't know what happened exactly, but from what Amani has been saying, it seems like she did the kissing." Tia says, dusting off her skirt even though it's already spotless. "I haven't seen you in what feels like ages," I say. She looks at me. "I miss seeing you," she says. I feel my cheeks get hot. Does she mean something by that? Or do I just want it to mean something? "Me too," I say.
For once in my life, I'm speechless. She suddenly turns a corner and pulls me into a large, dark room. She closes the door and I can hardly make out her silhouette.  "Tiana?" I call, wondering what she's doing. I feel her cold breath on my neck. She grips my hand tighter. "Hikaru?" She says. I nod even though I know she can't see me. "I have a confession," she says. I hear my heartbeat in my chest. It's beating so fast and I'm scared she can hear it.
"I'm listening." I tell her. I grab her other hand. She opens her mouth to speak, but closes it. "I can't," she whispers. "Can't what?" I ask, now confused. "I thought I could say it, but I was in over my head, oh gosh, what am I doing?" She says, putting her hands on her head. "Tiana, what is it? Tia, tell me." I say, getting a hold of her wrist. I can see the sparkle in her eyes as she looks up at me. She so gently puts her hand on my face and leans up. I lean down to close the distance and I shut my eyes.
I kiss her so gently because maybe I'll be too harsh and I'll wake up. It'll all be an illusion. But it isn't, and she's still here when I pull back. I taste cherry chapstick. "I couldn't put it into words," she says quietly. I feel my cheeks getting hot. She smiles softly, a dimple denting her left cheek. "I think I get the message," I say. She looks up at me. "And your response?" She asks.  "I fancy you as well." I say. She laughs.
"What?" I say, confused. "I fancy you as well," she says in what I'm guessing is supposed to be my accent. "What about my accent is funny to you, huh?" I jab her ribs in a playful way. She simply laughs harder. I run after her and she sprints, laughing so hard to the point where she can't breathe. I catch her and throw her over my shoulder, trying to hold tight as she squirms and kicks her legs. I set her down and wait for her laughter to die down, along with my own.
"Come on, we should go," I say, ruffling her bangs. "Hey, my hair!" She shouts, going to fix her bangs. I laugh at her distress. Jackson is waiting for us at the end of the hall, Iris by his side. For some reason, Iris is wearing a dress and her hair is done in a long braid down her back. I'm not sure what kind of braid it is, though. She waves excitedly at Tia and I. Tia runs to her, "Iris, I haven't seen you in ages!" she says, smiling. "I know, a lot has happened," she says in a much less excited tone.
James walks out from behind the wall. My jaw stiffens. What do I do? I have mixed feelings about him. Where is Aspen when you need him? I don't know what I'm freaking out about, how hard could it be to talk to a friend? Iris is here, I'll see how she acts towards him and I'll just copy her attitude. She . . . Hugs him? I thought she thought he cheated? Why does no one ever keep me in the loop? I need some tea for my nerves, geez.
"Apparently the princess and queen both want for us all to meet them for something, I don't know." James says. I'm confused. "Aspen, Amaria, Sakura, Anthony, Amani and Anastasia should all be here soon," James says. I nod. "Maybe they'll finally tell us why we're all here," Tiana says. James and Iris make an odd face. "Why are you two looking all suspicious like you sold meth in the back of a Walmart? What is it?" I ask.
They look at each other and Iris opens her mouth to speak. "Hey guys, what's up?" Anastasia says, walking in with everyone else. I take a second to decipher her French accent. Iris and James look relieved for an interruption. "All of you, get over here now." A man says, standing by one of the many ballrooms. We rush to him. "There are some people who would like to see you all," the man says.
When we walk in, there is princess Valentina again, and. . . Some random grandma? wait. The queen. The queen never shows her face because she thinks the unknown is more powerful. Am I looking at the queen of France right now?? I should've worn better socks for this.
"Everyone, sit." The 'queen' says. I do as she asks. "Okay, I'm just gonna ask what we're all thinking. Are you the queen, is Jackson's dad royalty or something and why are we here?" I say, crossing my arms over my chest. The princess cocks one eyebrow up. "You're certainly upfront, young man," she says. I roll my eyes and scoff. "Well I think if you were beat up, kidnapped, shipped to France and sitting across royalty for what seems to be no reason, you would be bold too." I say.
She sighs. "Well, we could start by saying she killed my mom, who was her adopted sister." Iris cuts in. My jaw drops to the floor. "What." I say, stunned. "I would've told you everything if you didn't storm out," Princess Valentina responds. "Yes, I'm the queen. And Jackson's father is . . ." The Queen looks at Valentina. She nods, approving her mother to speak. "Jackson's father is the prince of Iraq." She says. I inhale deeply and sink in my chair. Jackson simply excuses himself and walks out with a mumbled profanity.
James lays his head in his hands. "So . . . Iris is royalty?" Sakura asks. "Yes," Iris exhales. "And Jackson is too?" Anthony asks. The princess nods. "So then why are we here?" Anastasia asks. "Well, we originally intended to only bring Iris, but you guys were stubborn. We couldn't get her without getting you all. Plus, why not? It'll be fun here. Think of it as . . . a vacation." The princess says. "Bullshit." Amaria says, rolling her eyes. "Excuse me, young lady?" The queen says, her eyebrows dropping to a scrunch.
Amaria leans forward. "I said, bullshit."  The princess and queen are utterly taken aback. Tia snickers beside me. "Pathetic." Says Aspen, getting up. "Hey you come back here young man!" The princess calls. He just keeps walking. "This is certainly not a vacation, it's called kidnapping. Send us all home, right now." Amaria says. Amani remains silent. The princess just gets up. "Fine. You may all call home except for Iris and Jackson. Everyone has the opportunity to leave tomorrow morning except for Iris and Jackson." She says.
Everyone stays silent. "Volunteers?" She asks. I twiddle my thumbs. I can't leave Iris nor Jackson here. "Oh, and I forgot to mention something. If you stay, I will pay you well." She adds. I can't help but perk up. "How much?" Amaria asks. The ends of princess Valentina's lips pull upwards. "Name your price." She says.
I wanna say I don't need the money. But our parents' money is dwindling. We are going to sell our house and fire all of our servants. My sister has to pay for medical school with the rest of the money, and I will have only our inheritance to live off of until I graduate high school. Crap, high school. I missed the last few days of school. It's over now. My sophomore year is over and I didn't get to see the end of it.
"I'm staying." I say. Sakura darts her eyes to me. "What?" She presses. "I'm staying. Our parents' money won't last us. I won't be able to pay for college." I tell her. The queen smiles. I swallow bile. "As am I," Sam says. I turn to him, stunned. "What do you need money for?" I ask. He shrugs. "I don't. I'm just not leaving you by yourself here." He says. "Okay, well he won't be alone. I'm not letting my baby brother stay kidnapped in a foreign country by himself. I'm coming with you." My sister says.
"I'm staying also," Anthony says. Sakura shakes her head. "No, you're not." She says. He puts his hand on my sister's stomach. What? "I have to." He gives her a look. A look that says something. "What?" I ask, eyeing their gazes. Sakura looks up at me nervously. "Not now, Hikaru." She says. I scoff. I hate secrets.
"Okay, so Hikaru, Aspen, Sakura, and Anthony are staying. Who else?" Princess Valentina asks, her tone coated in buzzing honey. She's too pleased. I have officially decided I hate this woman. "Shut the fuc-" Sakura shoots me bullets. I bite my frustration. "-ck up," I whisper to myself. "I'm staying," Amaria says. "Alright, who else?" Valentina asks.
Tia sighs. "Tia, no." I tell her. She shakes her head. "I have to, Kari." She says. Chills drip down my spine when she calls me that. "No, you don't." I whisper in her ear. I run a finger through her soft hair. "I can't leave you and Iris here. And . . I feel like I need to be here. Like I'm meant to be here. Like something's going to happen here. I need to know what," she says.
"Got it. So, should I just count everyone as coming? because I know you all will, whether you want to or not." The princess says. I have to remind myself I'm a boy and I cannot hit a lady. "Jackson and Aspen aren't here, you can't count them." Anastasia says, tears in her eyes. "Oh, sweetheart, they're staying." She says.
"Fine. Okay, princess. You owe us all twenty million. Each. You are royalty, after all." I say. She grits her teeth and her jaw sets. "Why aim so high, London boy?" She asks. Tia calls me that. "Don't call me that," I say. She smirks. "Why? Are you offended, orphan?" She says. Suddenly sadness chokes the anger bubbling up inside of me. "You'll regret this one day." I say, shoving past her to leave. "And you owe us 240 million, by the way!" I say, flipping her off. I hope I did my math right, or that would be embarrassing.
Tiana trails behind me. "What are we gonna do?" She says. "We're gonna destroy their government." I say. "Umm okay . . ." Tiana says. "How are we gonna do that?" Iris asks to the left of me. "No clue." I say.

End of book one.