Underground

46

Leeciy
I was chained to a wall. Odd.
There was a girl in front of me, crouched over in front of me. She looks about eight, small and scrawny.
I looked up at my arms, which were slashed sideways, blood pouring from the wounds.
"Leeciy-Po." The little girl says. Which translates to Prince Leeciy.
"I'm not him anymore." I croak.
She smiles, her white teeth matching her hair yet perfectly contrasting with her Maori skin. "Leeciy-Po."
"Leeciy." I correct. "Just Leeciy."
She grins deviously. "Leeciy-Po."
I swallow my pride and sit against the wall of the old throne room.
The throne I sat on once was covered with fabric, a black mourning fabric.
My father's throne is covered with a similar mourning cloth, and my mother's smaller but beautiful.
"Leeciy-Po." She calls.
The girl leans closer, placing a hand over the mark, which pulses with my slowing heartbeat.
"Aegis." She lifts her hand and places it on her own chest. "Aegis."
"What's your name?" I ask.
She giggles. "Cirus."
"Cirus?" I ask.
She nods. "Cirus."
"Okay." I say. "Can you get me some help? I'm bleeding out."
She shakes her head. "Leeciy-Po."
I shake my head. "Leeciy."
"Bye." Then she places a caramel hand over my eyes and I black out.
I wake up in my throne. The familiar crown of princes on my head.
I sigh as my father beheads a prisoner from the prison.
He speaks in perfect English. "Leeciy, where's your mum?"
I shrug. "Probably shagging that one souper."
"Shut up." He turns, his monsterous sword dragging on the floor.
My mother hadn't murdered him yet, so I am only ten.
A guard resumes his position by the door.
"Bring me Estelle Zaveri." I order. He leaves to bring her to me.
"Leeciy-Po." Cirus' voice rings from the back of my head.
The gaurd comes back and tosses a frail Estelle on the ground.
Her eyes are wet from unshed tears.
"Hello friend." I smile.
She glares. "You're a monster." Her voice is how it is above ground, slightly melodic, but mostly caring.
"Take that back." I say.
"You wear a crown of fingers, you can't take their lives back." She growls.
It was true, the prince's crown was made from the finger bones of guards that died protecting the castle.
Cirus' hands cover my eyes. "Bye."
Once she uncovers my eyes, I'm back in the castle, my mother fixing my coronation outfit.
It was all the same, my mother fixing my suit, her hair in a bun.
She reaches up and plucks the prince crown off my head.
"Mom." I say.
She looks up. "Yes Leeciy-Ki?" King Leeciy.
"I want to go below." I say.
She drops the crown, which shatters on the ground. "Don't ever say that again."
"But I want to." I say.
"No." She says.
I throw open the doors to the balcony. "I want to go below!"
Mother drags me by the collar of my suit back inside. "Fine, we'll get you out of here."
"Bye." Cirus says from behind me as she covers my eyes.
I shoot up, wide awake.
I had fallen asleep over a book on the couch again again, my lamp still on and the radio playing softly.
Reiba made herself comfortable on my books pages.
I reach up and flip off the lights, gently move Reiba, and shut my book, leaving my radio playing softly for Reiba.
I jump off the couch, eager to sleep in an actual bed.
Hopefully, Cirus doesn't occur in my dreams.
***
"Leeciy!" The shrill voice of Logan rings through my apartment.
We had become friends a while ago, and she wakes me up every morning with piping hot coffee and croissants.
"I'm going to choke you!" I yell, to her.
"How'd you sleep, honeycomb?"
"Fine!" I say.
"Are you decent?" She asks.
"I am but Adelaine isn't!" I yell.
"Did you have another one night stand?" Logan asks.
"Yep." I groan into a pillow.
She walks into my room. "You liar!"
"Haha." I singsong into my pillow.
"I thought I was going to have to explain how I am asexual and aromantic, again!" She says.
I push myself up. "Who's the latest pangaean?"
"Why? I usually give this info to Estelle."
"Just wondering." I say.
She sighs. "Whatever, I brought you the usual."
"Yum." I toss the blanket off myself.
"You wore jeans to bed again?" She asks.
"I fell asleep reading, in my jeans apparently." I say.
Reiba walks over to me and meows lazily.
I bend down and pick her up.
She purrs softly.
I grab the brown bag that holds my delighted breakfast. "What time is it?"
"Eight." Logan says, adjusting her 'ugh' sweater.
"Ugh." I say.
She snorts. "You're an idiot."
I nod. "An idiot who can learn geography quicker than you."
"It's not my fault that you have super powers." She sighs.
"It's called an Oura konnes." I correct.
"Whatever." She scoffs.
I take a drink of my coffee. "How's college?"
"Boring, honestly." She sighs, playing with her iced coffee straw.
"What are you learning?" I ask.
She shrugs. "I haven't been paying attention."
"Maybe that's why it's boring." I say
"You're boring." She sticks her tongue out.
"Sure Ms. Geography, I am boring." I joke.
"Whatever." She tosses a dip-dyed black to blue stand of hair over her shoulder. "So how is the military?"
"It's coming along." I sigh. "Half of them don't have their Oura konnes yet."
"Stage an accident, make them all really scared, so they all unlock it." Logan says, like it's obvious.
"How?" I ask.
She shrugs, flinching when her phone bleeps.
"Who is it." I ask, grabbing a pencil to sketch on a napkin.
"Marilane, she just visited her grandpa." She says. "Couple of pictures."
I start my sketch. "Read me the names."
She drawls off around ten names as I sketch. "How'd you know?"
I pull away from my drawing, looking at the sketch of Cirus. "Know what?"
Logan rolls her eyes, as if I was joking. "Last one, she's got the mark of Aegis, Cirus Yir."