Azalea

You Should Join Choir

**AZALEA**

   We rode in silence for a while, Collin reading his book and mumbling to himself, Finn sleeping up against the window, and Duska driving. Eventually, Collin had fallen asleep, so that just left me and Duska alone with the radio playing softly. He was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, humming along to the song. I didn't recognize it, though I tapped along to it as well. Duska looked over and smiled every once in a while, but I could tell he was uncomfortable around me. I could understand why, of course. I had scratched him with a key, so when we got to where we were headed, I had no doubt that he'd hide all sharp objects from me. Roar by Katy Perry came on the radio, and I started humming along, smiling when Duska joined in too. Pretty soon, we were both singing quietly, Duska trying to sing in a shrill, girly voice, and it sounded terrible. I laughed anyways, and then I heard Collin start singing in the back. I looked behind me, seeing both Collin and Finn awake and singing loudly. They were both singing terribly as well, but it was more in a fun way than if they were actually trying. Pretty soon, we were all singing loudly and terribly, breaking out in laughs and giggles. After that, Fergalicious started playing and the boys went crazy. After a few more songs, I was tired, and started leaning up against the door. Blinking my eyes, I tried to stay conscious, but I was too exhausted to try, and eventually I drifted away.

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   I laughed, walking down the corridor, my silky green dress flowing perfectly around me as I walked. The guard to my right was following me frantically, trying to get me to listen to his ridiculous ramblings.
   "Your majesty, please, the doors will not hold for long! Think of the people, your people!" I stopped abruptly, turning to him, my smile never wavering.
   "Are you saying that I don't look out for my people enough?" I said, my voice dangerously low. The guard stopped as well, straightening his posture and looking me right in the eye.
   "I accuse you of no such thing, only that our forces cannot possibly hold under an attack such as this." He replied. I nodded, turning from him and continuing on. The guard rushed on, trying to urge me against my decision.
   "Your highness, I beg of you, this plan will bring the destruction of mankind as we know it!" He quietly rambled on.
   "I do not care for the destruction of mankind, I care only for my people, and it seems to me that this is our last chance, wouldn't you agree?" I said to him. He stopped talking long enough for me to open the alchemists door.
   "Your highness, welcome, welcome!" The girl cried, rushing about. She greeted me warmly, as if I had no idea what had been going on.
   "The spell?" I asked, ignoring her attempt to take my coat. Her eyes dropped slightly, then returned to mine with a fake happiness. Perhaps word reached her of the war, and how my husband, my king, had been fighting for little over a week now. She knew the dangers as well as I did, but she had agreed that this was our one shot. She nodded, turning and going to one of the shelves.
   "Your majesty, I beg of you once more, this will surely ruin our kingdom!" The guard said quietly. I nodded my head in thought.
   "But what is the safety of our people now if they will only crumble to bits in future generations? I'm sorry, but I want us to last longer, and if that means losing some of us now, I have no problem with that." I said, my eyes tearing up at the thought of having to lose everything, even if I knew it was right. The guard pursed his lips, wanting to protest, but knowing there was no use. The alchemist returned, a small ball in hand, and a slip of paper in the other. I despised her, even if she were the only useful source I had left. She handed the items to me, wiping a tear from her eye. She looked at me, her hazel eyes sparkling as she whispered only two words to me.
   "I'm sorry."

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   I woke to the car radio blasting Gas Pedal, my heart racing and body aching. I looked over, surprised to find Finn sitting in the drivers seat. The other two were in the back, both windows down, both hanging their heads out like dogs. I relaxed a little. We were safe, nothing had happened. A look of confusion spread across Finns face, as he glanced over to me. He spoke only so that I could hear him.
   "What's wrong?" He asked. I shook my head. I couldn't shake off the feeling that my dream was warning me of something, something important. Finn nodded thoughtfully. I hated how he could know everything, especially when I didn't even know everything. Finn looked over at me once more.
   "If it makes you feel better, I can't read your mind when you're asleep. I tried." He said simply, turning back to the road. I didn't know if that made me feel any better. Collin said something in the back that made Duska laugh hysterically, turning my attention away from my disturbed feelings.
"I'm serious man, you could join choir!" Collin said. Duska rolled his eyes, ignoring him. Finn turned the music down a little, and then rolled the windows in the back up, ignoring the protests from Collin.
   "I'm sorry bud, but everyone in the car is cold, even you. Don't try to deny it, I can see the goosebumps from up here." Finn pointed out, and Collin shrugged. It was pretty late in the evening, almost ten, and we were all hungry. We pulled over into a place called Maples, and my breathing hitched a little. I didn't want another diner disaster, but I was starving. Collin got really excited when he found out that they served breakfast all day, and was in the building before I could ask if there were other options. Finn patted my back reassuringly and followed Collin inside. Duska stopped right beside me, looking up to the open sign. He looked at me and smiled nervously.
   "Hey, I'm sorry for scratching you with the key. I was kinda scared of you." I said, before he went inside. He laughed a little, then started laughing a ton. I started in with him and pretty soon we were both crying from laughing so hard. He wiped his eyes, then stepped closer to me.
   "Hey, for what it's worth, I now know not to mess with you, even if it seems like there's nothing around." He said, his smile reaching his eyes. I laughed, then smiled back.
   "Does it hurt?" I asked, feeling a little guilty. He laughed.
   "You have no idea." He said, his face softened into a semi smile, his eyes looking away from me.
   "When I first met Finn, I tried to kill him too. Of course, it didn't work out, but I felt bad." He said. He opened his mouth to say more, but we were interrupted by something crashing inside the restaurant. Duska instantly ran inside, with me right behind him.