Royally Flushed

Scathing History

~Malia~

Daniel was hovering over my head and for a short moment, I conjured up a memory of us at the lake, a long buried memory that I didn't allow myself to reminisce in because of how much pain it caused to think about.

We had been sitting on the bank of a murky man made lake trying miserably to catch a tan, at least for me, and he was steadily skipping rocks out onto the dreary water.

"What are you going to do when you graduate?" He had asked me, and I pondered the thought for a long while.

"Is it sad to say that I want to be a professional athlete?"  I had laughed then, wanting to accentuate my words with humor to disguise the fact that I wasn't actually joking.

"Hey, you're a track star. I don't think it's that far fetched.  You can do anything you put your mind to, Lia. I love you, you know that right?"

I gazed up into his green eyes and blinked hard, the memory swimming away into a haziness as bleak and colorless as that day at the lake, the clouds becoming murky ink blots blacking out the sky above.

And then he was there again, over my face and inches away from touching.

"Daniel." A breathless hush that cracked on the second syllable.

A corner of his mouth twitched a bit and I took the time to soak in his features, a face I never thought I'd ever see in person ever again.

He had aged into a man, as he was only eighteen the last time I'd set eyes on him, fine lines creeping around his eyes and accentuating them even more, the jade green I remembered making way for a more hazel tone.

His nose was slightly off center as if it had been broken one too many times but it made his face seem tougher, as if no one would ever want to mess with him, like he'd been through plenty of fights and knew how to take care of himself.

I wanted to reach up and trace my hands along his jaw, the squareness of it half concealed with dark brown stubble that seemed like it wanted to grow into a full beard but he just trimmed it at the last second.

A throat cleared in the room and it took me a minute to realize that we weren't the only people in the room.

Mar looked concerned and disapproving and my grandmother looked straight up scandalized, her hand across her heart as if the scene before her had given her a heart attack or something. My grandfather on the other hand had taken to drinking with a short glass of what looked like bourbon in it raised to his mouth as he gulped down the amber liquid.

Coughing, he wiped his mouth with the back of his aged hand and began to speak.

"Malia, we realize you have had a...troubled past, but you can't be seen with the Prince after having met the royal family and then have another boy come calling at our door. It might send the wrong message, and we definitely have press getting coverage now, they're simply vultures. They can tear a person apart and they will never get their reputation back...you understand?"

His gruff voice was something tangible, an essence that I could hang onto to allow myself to gather my wits.

"Of course, it's not an unfair request. And this is highly inappropriate, as the boy before you has no business being in this house. I'd ask for an apology but even that would be too kind. I really just want you to leave."

Daniel's biceps bulged on the ground where he was crouched by my body which was still laid on the ground from when I had fainted, though I was slightly raised up to look everyone in the eyes.

Mar came forward, still biting her tongue though I wasn't sure why, and helped me up, her arms a comfort that I felt myself melt into as she reminded me so much of my mother, someone that I desperately needed in that moment to do what I needed to do.