Air Kingdom

Chapter 12-Traitors

"WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE!" I yelled. She couldn't have done something to anger the guards this bad, right?

Father's face was blank but Mother looked a bit distressed. She knew Serena better than him and she was well aware of our friendship.

"Officer Sright, why did you harass this young lady?" Asked Father with a strange tone in his voice.

A tall muscular and dark-skinned man answered him. "I am sorry to interrupt your chat with the Princess, but this so-called 'young lady' had been caught touching the Miracle Air."

The shocking claim has left me flabbergasted. "What! That isn't possible."

"How did she even get access to it?" Questioned Mother.

"We found this set of keys in her hands." Said an officer with the name tag: Officer Crine.

"How did she manage to steal those keys?" Inquired Father.

Those were clearly my keys. I started to take the blame. "They are mi-"

"I stole them from the Princess." Serena suddenly said, cutting me off. I stared at her in disbelief. Play along was the message her eyes seemed to display. "When Princess Emma wasn't looking, I took her keys from her tiara. She had told me this secret a few days ago and I wanted to play with the MA. The trip was the perfect time to cause mischief in the palace."

I gaped in outrage but the only thing that was keeping me in place and silent was Serena's glare. Trust me was another message in her eyes. I didn't want to, but I knew my friend. If she thinks she can survive this, she can.

"Was there anyone else that saw this?" Asked another officer in a harsh voice. I couldn't see his name pin from here. 

"Yes," Serena responded without hesitation. "Michelle Christina."

Father asked Officer Sright to retrieve her. We all sat in an awkward and tense silence. Serena had bruises all over her body. Just like the match with her and Michelle. I didn't dare go near her partially because I wasn't allowed to and I couldn't blow her cover. Father and the other guards had blank faces on but Mother had concern for Serena. About two minutes later, Michelle walked in with the guard.

"Ms. Christina," Father began. "Did you see Ms. Celestia over here touch and tamper with the Miracle Air." I'm sure that Michelle has her reasons for despising Serena, but that hatred apparently ran deeper than I thought. 

She nodded. "Yes, I saw everything. Serena was fiddling with the buttons and switches with a corrupt face. She seemed to take pleasure in the destruction she was creating."

That girl was dead meat. When we got back to the Academy, I was going to knock all her perfect teeth out of her rosy mouth. However, Serena seemed relieved that Michelle said those horrible claims against her. Father lost it a bit and started shouting at the guards.

"OFFICERS! TAKE THIS ATROCIOUS BEHAVIOR TO THE DEEPEST DUNGEONS WE HAVE. WE SHALL WAIT UNTIL THE TRIAL TO DECIDE HER DREADFUL FATE. ESCORT MS. CHRISTINA BACK TO HER CLASS!" He said in a despicable tone. We were all taken aback by his sudden change of personality, but the guards dragged Serena out of the room who was screaming and kicking her way there.

Good news: Serena was gone from Father's wrath.
Bad news: I was the one who was going to take the rest of the heat.

He turned towards me with an insane look in his eyes. "Emma Lissa Sabina Fairthorn," he said in a quiet but deadly and poisonous voice. "How dare you let a girl like her steal one of the most precious things we entrusted to you."

I couldn't meet his gaze. I was still in shock of what just happened. "B-b-but-" I stammered.

"BUT NOTHING EMMA! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY US LIKE THIS! WE TRUSTED YOU, BUT YOU HAD TO TURN ALL THAT FAITH INTO DUST. THIS SITUATION IS EVEN WORSE THAN THE ONE WHEN YOU BROKE THE RULES OF FLYING OUTSIDE!" Father exploded like a grenade.