The Heart of Cars

Chapter 22

I groan when someone moves me and I wake up. I look up to see my dad carrying me to the hotel. I yawn and go back to sleep. I sleep dreamlessly for the next couple of hours and wake up refreshed and ready to go to the most stressful day of my life. I open my eyes and see I'm on the couch. I push off the blanket and sit up slowly and look around. My dad is sleeping on the chair by my head and he does not look comfortable, at all. I get up and put my blanket on him since he didn't have one and put the pillow I was using under his head. Wow, he sleeps so deeply for an officer. I go into the kitchen and pour myself a glass of orange juice. I sip on it as I goes into my room. I set down my orange juice on my bedside table. I get on my knees and look under my bed. I see the piece of paper that fell from my bag. I reach and can barely grab it, but I do. I unfold it and read carefully what it says.

~~~Letter~~~

Miss forester,

I'm sorry for the inconvenience but you are a part of my plans. You are needed to strike fear into my enemies. I need you to achieve my goals. Tell no one or everyone, I don't care. I will see you soon Princess.

With hopes of your misfortune,

M.S.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I grab my juice and walk into the living room to see my dad start to wake up. I go and start the coffee maker. I sit at the counter and drink my juice as I twirl the flimsy piece of paper wondering if I should tell everyone. Of course I'm going to tell my dad but I don't think everyone needs to know about it yet. I don't think at least. I sigh and drink the rest of my juice as my dad comes into the kitchen. "Hey Kid."

"Hey Dad."

"How long have you been up Jo?"

"Not long. Like fifteen minutes or so."

"Then why do you look so tired?"

"Gee, Thanks." I laugh and hold out the note to him. "I found the note I told you about." He takes it gently and reads it over multiple times. "M.S?"

"Yeah, I thought that was weird too."

"Who could it be? What is your thoughts?"

"Well, since they called me 'Miss Forester' Then maybe they are saying their title and their last name." He nods slowly and folds the note again. I put my glass in the sink and wash it. I take a deep breath and go sit on my bed. I hug one of my pillows and fall asleep. I wake to someone jumping on me so I yell and push them off. Brittany lands on the floor with a thump and I look over the edge of my bed at her. "Hey Britt. Whatcha doing on the floor?" She glares at me as Tyler laughs from the doorway. "I told you that wasn't a good idea, B."

"Oh shut up Tyler!" She snaps and gets off the floor. "Why aren't you showered and dressed?"

"Because I was sleeping?" I say cautiously and Tyler looks at me sympathetically and leaves. Brittany gives me a look that says she isn't happy with my answer and I groan. I get up and shower quickly. I get out of the bathroom and get pushed back in so I can blow dry my hair. I finish blow drying my hair and go back into my room. "Today, I get to do my own hair. I just want it how I usually have it."

"But-"

"No. I am going to leave my hair down and have it curl naturally. No doing my hair today."

"Okay. I still get to do your make up though right?" I sigh and nod as I get the black dress on. I stand there in my bath robe and she gets all her make up out. "Girls! Food!" I hear my dad yell and go out into the kitchen. "Nice robe."

"Shut it Jared." He hands me a plate and I get two pieces of extra cheesy pizza. I take a bite and hear Brittany walk into the kitchen to get her lunch. "Your daughter stinks at trying to look nice." Everyone laughs, including my dad and Brittany, and he shakes his head. "Do I really have to try to look nice?" I say after I take a bite of pizza to annoy her. She throws a napkin at me and laughs. "No but you need to try and have some manners." I smile and continue eating as everyone makes small talk. I see the note on the counter and ask my dad if he showed everyone the note. He nods and takes a drink of his water. "Any idea of who it is?"

"No but he told us your idea and it seems very plausible." Jared answers me calmly, he did very well in his military training but he decided not to continue with it. "So a Mr. S is trying to hurt someone here. We need to find out who."

"Well, he was watching Colton at the carnival. And we know it isn't you since the note said you were just to get to his target. " I nod at Tyler's thinking and stop after a second. "Wait, Dad, did you grab my phone from the carnival?"

"You mean the one you broke? Yes but I can't get anything off of it."

"Yeah, Sorry about that part, he was just pissing me off."

"Wait, don't you have the same phone that I do?" I look at Tyler and shrug. "Yeah, why?"

"Because if it's your battery that isn't working or SIM card then trade mine out with yours and it should work."

"Yeah, her screen isn't cracked so I don't think it's the actual phone that is broken." My dad joins me and Tyler's conversation. I nod and my dad puts the phone on the counter. I open the back and Tyler does the same to his. I take out my battery and trade it with his. We all wait patiently as my phone reboots. Brittany looks at the clock and figures we have about 3 hours before the festival starts at five then the dinner that is afterwards, but the dinner isn't mandatory so nobody usually goes except me and my dad and the royals and a few other families. I get into the text messages and hand the phone to my dad and go into my room knowing Brittany wants to get ready so we don't have to hurry. I brush my hair as she takes a shower and changes into her black dress and puts on the hotel's robe. She gives herself the smokey eye effect with the usual colors and does regular eye liner. She curls her hair in spiral curls and pins her bangs back. She puts on the tiara she has to wear for all events like this. I help her use bobby pins to hold it in place. I sit on the edge of the bath tub and think about who could be the one following us. Brittany puts on her mascara and nudges my foot so I look at her and snap out of my thoughts. "Your turn." I nod and close my eyes gently as she picks out the colors she wants. I sit there for about twenty minutes opening my eyes and closing them when she asks. I soon get to stand up and see what colors she chose. She chose a gray and blue color for my eye shadow and clear lip gloss and regular eye liner and mascara. I nod and smile at her in the mirror. I go into my room and go to grab purse but she stops me. "I brought a gray one and the matching flats or I have a blue purse and black flats."

"Aww thanks for not wanting me to face plant in heels tonight." I laugh and she soon joins in. I put on the black shoes that have some sequence on it and am glad that we are the same size for shoes and clothes. We walk out and hear them still talking about who it could be. I go sit on the stool I was using before. "What if he tries something tonight? If we don't know who they are after, we don't know who to protect most and we can't be spread out enough to have all of you guys protected equally." I can feel Tyler and Jared's eyes on me since they hardly ever see my with make up on and now they have seen it two days in a row. "You're right about that."

"Dad, we only have like an hour and a half. We won't be able to figure out who he is after in that amount of time."

"Well, since Colton and Sam will be next to you we can protect the three of you at the same time, plus they have military training already. Tyler and Brittany and the rest of their family will already have enough people to protect them. Jared, you will be the toughest to protect."

"What if you reinstate him for the night? He can help protect the royals and have himself be protected. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten his training in eight months." My dad nods and looks at Jared. "That is up to you Jared. I can ask the king and I'm sure he won't be opposed." Jared runs his hand through his hair and looks around the room. "If it's the only way to keep me safe along with everyone else, then I'll do it." He nods a little and my dad says okay as he goes out of the room.

*edited*