Coward Prince

Chapter Nine

It was morning and we are eating breakfast in our house. Stephanie still looks decent but there's something bothering her. I know there is because I know that she is still hiding something very important from me. If I will ask her, I'm afraid there is a chance that she will get drunk again. I don't want that. I want her like this, a mom, a caring one.

I looked at Rico eating like a royal highness in front of me. I smiled a bit because I thought it was funny, the way he eats. The scar that we both have isn't just a coincidence. It's like it was placed there for a reason that we both don't know. Can I truly be his guardian? Is he really my royalist? What these words really meant is something that I should search for. But, I don't know how?

"Steph..." I hesitated for a minute. "Can you help me find them?" I asked with all seriousness.

"Who are they?" Stephanie finished her meal and walked straight to the sink to clean her plate.

I followed her while I twiddle my thumb because of nervousness.

"My parents Stephanie. The real ones? The one you're hiding from me." I told her.

"I really thought I could hide it from you." Her eyes are blank as she stared at the sink. "Maybe its time that I should tell you what's your mother's name." She smiled faintly at me.

"Wh-Who is she?" My lips shivered with excitement.

"Minnelinda Ravenot." Stephanie said firmly.

She couldn't stop her tears from falling so I hugged her as tight as I could.

"Shh... Come on Stephanie, its not like you're going to die because you said my mother's name. I think you're being too dramatic." I laughed.

"I'm not going to die because I said it. I'm going to die because I know you will be leaving me after this."Stephanie hugged me tighter and cried on my shoulder.

"Hey! Of course I won't. And, if I do, I will never forget you and I will come back. You are my mother, you are the one who raised me and even you are not perfect I still love you. I love you Stephanie, and I'll always will." I smiled and a tear brushed my face.

"I love you too Karly." Stephanie held my hand. "But I don't think you would come back. You can't, if they find you."

"Who's looking for me?" 

"Guardians." She told me.

"Why? What's so important about me? Why would they want to capture me?" My head started to ache.

"You are special child. This is what I should say to you, you couldn't trust any guardian." Stephanie told me with certainty.

I heard a sudden gun shot. My ears ringed and Stephanie felt heavy on my arms. There was a rush of doubt and fear that washed over me. I gulped hard and wished that I was wrong. It couldn't be. Why did it have to happen? Why now? Everything seemed to be in slow motion when I heard the window pane shuttered and broken glass fell on the floor. A man grabbed me, pulling me away from Stephanie. Her body thudded on the floor as I yelped and kicked.

"Stephanie!" My voice was hoarse when I called her name.

Two men wearing a leather uniform yanked my hair and carried me. I tried to get away but they were too strong.

"We got her. The thief is dead and we are heading to Alidonia. Yes, we are bringing her alive." A woman in a black fitted uniform was talking in the phone.

She had this jet black hair. Her eyes was as cold as ice. She ordered the two men to take me away. 

"Let me go! Who are you?" I shouted. "Where are you taking me?"

"To your mother, that's what you've always wanted right?" She told me with a deadly smirk on her face.

I got hold of a knife around the kitchen. They were too occupied and confident to notice it. I stabbed the man hard on the back. He yelled in pain. I was finally out of his grip and I continued to run as fast as I could. I stumbled into a couple of chairs as my breath became heavy. I hid inside the closet upstairs as my breath grew fainter. It's probably not the best plan but I have nowhere else to hide. There was silence but I'm sure they were still there. I heard the door creaked and footsteps are slowly heading my way. My heart thumped hard as the closet door opened. I grabbed the baseball bat that I had when I was five and I hit him as hard as I could. Then I stopped.

"Rico?" 

"Let's go! Before they find you again." He told me.

"And where will you go boy?" Its the voice of the woman.

He clasped my hand and stood beside me. "What do you want from her?" He asked her.

"Its none of your business. Now, step away or I will shoot you." She gave him a deadly stare.

"I won't." Rico stood by me but I could feel his hand trembling.

"Well, you should suffer the consequences." She pulled the gun.

There was a shot from outside and the woman got hit on her shoulder. We took the opportunity to run and get out of the house. We went past the other man who was busy exchanging gun shots from people who looked like guerrillas. I don't know if they were an enemy but I know that I have to go. I still have my baseball on my hand as we finally went out. A girl wearing a bandanna stopped us. She had short brown hair and tanned skin. She looked she was only five years older than me. She wore a camouflaged shirt and shorts. She looked like she doesn't mean any harm but I still couldn't trust her. She was unarmed and I raised my baseball on her.

"Woah! Wait! I'm not your enemy." She told us. "You might want to take some cover because its getting messy out here.

I looked back and saw our house was already flaming. Rico pulled me to take cover. I don't have the strenght to resist it anymore so I followed her in the jeep. My heart felt heavy but my eyes couldn't shed another tear. I can't believe that the house that I grew up with was already burnt. I felt dead inside. Then I remember Stephanie. She didn't deserve to die like that. The gun shots are ringing in my head as the jeep drove away from our house.

"Who are they? What do they want from me? Why did they kill my mother?" My voice was full of anger.

"You are taking too much. You might want to rest before I explain some things for you. You mind wouldn't comprehend at this rate." The short haired girl, wearing a bandanna told me.

"Who are you?" It sounded like a squeak when I said it.

"My name is Angela Green. I work for the royalists but I'm not a guardian. You see, guardians aren't the people who they were before. Its kind of ironic that we still call them guardians." She explained. "Don't worry we won't harm you. We are friends." She smiled.

"Everything is going to be alright." Rico gave me held me tight and kissed my forehead.