City of Secrets

T R O I S

I cannot believe that in a few months I am going to be visiting the famous France.

I can actually try to prove that Des is alive.

I need to talk to Harry and Jaylene.

I know these tickets are expensive, so the limit of friends to bring is two.

Luckily, I have two best friends.

I run to my room to get my phone, which had fallen under my bed.

On my phone, I look for the groupchat I have with Harry and Jay. Almost like every week we have a new inside joke which causes us to change the name. This week's name is some random pun from last Monday.

AdaPiñaColada: Hello.

I wait a few. My phone starts to ding.

QueenJay: HEY ADA WHATS UP MY GIRL
KingHarry: Ada, what's up?!

I start typing.

AdaPiñaColada: We need to talk. Meet me at the rooftop @ 9.

Oh, I didn't mention this before. We have a rooftop which is like our little hangout spot. But don't worry. It's safe.

In fact, it is our safe spot.

This is where we talked about Jay's abusive ex Quenton and Harry's ex.

I head up quietly to the roof. My parents think I am "sleeping".

Readers, are you wondering if my dear friends know about the mysterious cousin?

Yes. Yes they do.

Well, in fact, when we were all younger, we all used to hang out together.

We were the three musketeers and Harry was just a random villain.

Okay, now that I think about it, sometimes Jay liked to be the villain.

But nonetheless, we were family.

I hear footsteps and the faint sound of talking.

"No Harry, because I am the Queen and should be the superior woman, I should decide Velerio's fate."

It falls silent.

"I cannot argue with that."

Obviously, they are not actual royalty. They were assigned partners on a history project.

They're adorable.

"The King and Queen have arrived!", they say dramatically.

I bow, "Your majesty, it is I, Princess Adalene of um.."

I look around.

"Rooftopolis!"

"Seriously, "Rooftopolis?"".

We all laugh. I love them so much. I would never ask for better friends.

"So fille and garçon, I have amazing news!"

They take a seat on some bean bag chairs I had put out for us.

"I am going to Paris for my birthday!", I say, smiling.

They start cheering and I tell them to keep it a little bit down.

"But that's not all! I am bringing you guys with me!!"

And there is the screaming again. Only this time, I kind of let them.

"This is so exciting! All the French food, French culture, French people...", Jay's mind leaves elsewhere.

"I'm excited too. I'm happy to finally leave the area for a bit. The longest I have gone away from home was at my cousin's house when the weather caused us to stay indoors.", Harry sighs.

And I don't blame him. That same day was his birthday, so instead of going outdoor go-karting like what was planned, we all went to our separate homes.

"We do not have an exact date yet, but of course I will let you know."

"Hey", Jay says, "Now that we are all out here, we should play some board games like we used to do when we were younger."

I take out the Jenga box from a cardboard box labeled "Baby's games."

That is another one of my nicknames, just so you know.

This Jenga is different: Each of the wooden figures has a question for the person to answer.

My mother came up with this idea when I was starting the fourth grade. My class was having a "Get to Know Your Classmates" day which is basically us doing school activities with a twist. I brought this Jenga. Every year we have updated it to look more modern and have modern questions such as "Which Hogwarts House Do You Belong In?"

After we finished building our tower, I decide to go first. I carefully move the wooden piece towards me. It reads, "What is your favorite memory?"

"Well, besides meeting you two, my favorite memory is when Harry got stuck in the swingset two years ago."

I remember it like it was yesterday:

"Come on, you need to do SOMETHING!", Jaylene was getting impatient.

The three of us were playing truth or dare. It was Harry's turn to go but he was being a chicken.

"But I'm scared that you will make me do something I will regret."

"I'm not going to hurt you, promise me."

He takes a deep breath. "Fine."

That day ended with him trying to explain to the nurses at the hospital what had occurred.

We were banned from the little kids' park for about two months.

-end of flashback-

It was a beautiful night. The stars were shining brighter than usual.

Though that seems rather odd, I like to think of it as something good.

Sometimes, the world isn't as ugly as it appears to be. We just have to focus on the small details that let it stand out. And I think that is beautiful.

For example, Jaylene has freckles on her her face which look like small constellations and Harry has these green eyes that resemble small forests.

It is days like this I cherish.

The roof starts shake to shake.

Man, those winds must be powerful.

All of a sudden, the sky falls. Everything around us has turned to dust.

Everything we have ever loved has been destroyed.