The plane ride was almost over. And thank God, too.
I was excited, almost too giddy for my own good. I couldn't believe that I was going to a boarding school. A boarding school. The words seemed almost too good to be true. I was finally getting away from that horrible prison. I was finally getting away form everything: the cameras, the manners, the dresses that I couldn't breathe in, and the pressure.
I was finally getting away from home.
It wasn't really home. Home was that place where you could feel like you actually lived in it. A bedroom was where you could throw everything aside and jump on your bed. Family was that group of people who would hug and kiss you if you came back after not seeing them for three months.
My whole life was a lie. My home was just a museum with gold. My bedroom was basically a room with a bed and nice things in it. And then there was my family. The truth was, I don't think I've ever had a family.
We owned Tameran, which happened to be one of the most superior countries today. Our palace was basically covered in gold from top to bottom. And to top it all, I was the heir to the throne. I would someday rule a country and make laws. I was the one that was pressured, the one that everybody took pictures of. I always knew I was different, like I was never destined to sit in a throne. I was into playing with knives and guns ever since I was five and hitting anybody who was stupid enough to get in the way of whatever I wanted. With artillery and courage as my skills, I knew I could do anything I put my mind to.
My father had died when I was at an early age. After that, people looked up to my mother for order and soon began to question her strength.
It was a hard thing, seeing her being forced to marry again, especially to someone she didn't love. My new stepfather was a duke. He stepped all over my mother, abusing her and treating her poorly. I was pretty sure that he still did now. Almost every night I stayed up hearing them yell and scream at each other until it ended with the sound of a slap.
My sister Koma was one of the better people in my life. We were the only friends we had. I could remember years ago when I used to sneak across the hall into her bedroom to talk with her. And then one night she burst into my bedroom in tears…
…..
"Kori, I can't take this anymore," she said, weeping.
Instantly I ran to her side and guided her to a chair. I never saw her cry until now. I had always been the sensitive one; she was the strong one, the one that never showed any sadness.
Now she tears were streaming down her cheeks fast. Her sleek, black hair was in a tangled mess, and her amethyst eyes were blotchy and red. The left side of her face was almost scarlet.
"X'hal. Koma, what happened?" My voice was full of worry.
Her lower lip trembled and for a minute she could speak. "Caklan…he..." Her voice trailed off as she spat out our stepfather's name. "…He hit me," she whispered hoarsely.
I could feel angry tears welling up in my own eyes. "How…how could he? I going to go to him right now and-"
I rose out of my seat but she grabbed my wrist and roughly sat me down again. Before I looked at her face I promised myself I wouldn't cry. Not again.
"But Koma," I protested, my voice coming out as hoarse as hers, "You can't let him get away with this. We have to do something."
"I know." She looked at me with a serious face. Something in her eyes made me afraid of what she was going to say. What if she ended up doing something stupid? "That's why I'm leaving, tonight."
She was doing something stupid. The least she could do was do something stupid with me. That way we'd have each other to lean on.
"You're taking me with you, right?" I said hopefully. I walked over to my closet and began to take out every piece of clothing that was in front of me.
She was silent.
"Right?" I asked again. I turned around to face her. She was looking down at the floor.
This couldn't be good.
After a few minutes, she looked back at me with sober eyes. "I can't."
"What?" I almost shrieked. My voice came out like a squeak and I looked at her with wide eyes.
"You know what'll happen. Caklan will come for us. If you stay, the throne will be passed on to you. Kori, you can't let him keep it."
Now I was the one crying. "But what about me?" I cried as my voice wavered.
"I'll come back for you," she said. She pulled me into a hug and I dug my face into her neck. My tears were getting her good shirt wet. And she hated that when that happened.
"I'll come back, I promise," she said again.
…..
She was gone by the next morning. And she was right. Caklan did not look for her. But I was sure he would have if I had gone with her.
I shuddered at the old memory. It made me sick.
"Ms. Anders, the plane will be landing within a few minutes."
My breath began to run short when the clouds started to clear. I saw a school almost as big as our palace. It was like a Victorian castle. I put my hand to my mouth in awe.
There was a smile on my face.
It was one that I hadn't seen in a long time.
-sTaRfIrExrObIn
