The Story of Udonia

Chapter Two: A Void is Opened

I had a peaceful sleep that night until about 1:17 a.m. It was now April 21st, my brother Tim's birthday. I was awoken by thunder outside my window. I instantly got nervous. Before my family left on the yacht, they checked the weather. It was supposed to be clear, but this storm made me feel anxious. There was suddenly a knock at my door. Lacey entered the room. She seemed distressed. I sat up in my bed and she came to the foot. A bolt of lightning flashed outside the window. With the sudden burst of light in the dark room I could properly see the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes. I became really concerned.
"What's happened?!" I got out of my bed with my heart swiftly pumping.
Lacey took in a deep breath. "We just got word..." She sniffled. "The 'Udonian Treasure' has sunk." Her tone was sad yet concerned.
The words she spoke didn't really sink in. "What?!" I started to pace around my room. "Are you sure?!"
"Yes...we heard that the boat went down after the coast guard went to investigate after their distress signal was sent out." She explained in a somber tone.
It is still difficult for me to describe all the emotions flooding into my head. Most of it was sadness, some was anger, and there was also some confusion. My heart beat was still up and my breathing increased. My eyes teared up. I just lost my entire family! My sister, my best friend was now gone. My brother died on his birthday. My father, the King to our kingdom was gone. My mother, the Queen was gone too. I instantly began to think about all the things we didn't talk about, all the things they will never see me do, all the things I would never see them do. I realized quickly that I couldn't feel my hands or feet. Then everything went black. I passed out.
When I woke up it was morning. I was still in my bed. Part of me thought that it was just a dream, but something deep inside of me knew that wasn't true. It happened and I immediately began to cry. My face was drenched by my tears and by my running nose. My whole world had just been turned upside down.
Lacey made a statement to the press about the loss of ship and it's occupants. She also asked that people respect my privacy and wait for me to make a statement about my feelings. This only upset my more because they really should know how I'm feeling. I was crushed. My heart had been ripped out. At this point, I didn't know what to do anymore. I just wanted the pain to go away.
That evening I was in the kitchen. I was thirsty and reached for a glass. I was about to put water in the glass when I saw the arrangement of various drinks on the counter. I reached for a bottle of wine and poured the red liquid into the glass. It filled a void in my heart by making me so drunk that I couldn't focus on being sad anymore. I drank the entire bottle. This resulted with me prancing and dancing up and down the halls until I finally passed out on the dining room table.
I missed the next week of school. The funeral was on Wednesday. I managed to stay sober enough to make my public appearance. On the ride back to the castle, I drank some champagne in the limo. It was provided...typically to be used for happy occasions. I watched as four empty coffins were lowered into the ground in our graveyard in the western gardens. All the previous royal family members were in that graveyard. I put my family near the fountain under the pear tree.
I returned to my room after finishing the bottoms of champagne. The high provided by the alcoholic drink wasn't good enough for me. I could still feel. I didn't want to feel. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of scotch. It was my father's favorite drink. The bottle was almost empty, so I finished it off. This time I was sad drunk. I weeped as I fell asleep.
I didn't return to school till Monday. It was awful! Everyone kept coming up to me with their condolences. I didn't want to hear any of that. I just wanted to get through the day. I managed not to cry while at school, which was good. I think that some of my teachers felt bad for me, because I managed to pass senior year with a B. Or maybe they just feared me.
The fact was that the Kingdom was without a ruler. I was going to become the next Queen when I came of age, 21. Until then, I needed to choose an acting ruler. I also needed to choose someone to be the new C.E.O. Of Udonia Tech, the company that was started by my grandfather.
The choice for the company was simple. I left it all in the capable hands of my father's C.F.O., Venessa Andre.
She was a very smart and beautiful black woman. I had no doubt that she could handle the company and do so to my father's standards. As for the kingdom, I needed someone who could just maintain the simple things. Most big decisions would be brought through me. I chose a man named John Locke. John was my father's personal adviser when it came to all political decisions. If my father trusted him, than I could too.
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