Warning: There is a slightly graphic descriptions of blood
-XXX-
Lady Clarisse tapped her glass and the 30 girls quieted and looked at her. "Thank you. As princess or queen, you will be in charge of planning events. As such, this Saturday, a ball will be hosted. Everyone will have a part in making this ball happen."
A few existed whispers rose up from the crowd.
She raised her hand for silence, "Also, I have already chosen your partners and your assignments. There will be no trading and no complaining."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Julchen, Ashley, Melody, and Samantha will handle the guards. Ambrosia, Chiara, Eren, and Nova will handle the food. Perla, Evangeline, and Koli will chose the theme. Lumaria, Alexia, and Elsa, and Lily will assemble part of the guest list." Lady Clarisse list of more of the names and their jobs.
Chiara looked over to Koli and shrugged, "Lo siento." She mouthed.
"I'll be fine." Koli mouthed back and smiled.
-XXX-
"NIEN. Nien. Nien. Nien." Julchen crossed her arms, "Nien."
"Um, Julchen?" Sam said lifting up her hand, "These are the guards the Queen wants us to pick from."
Julchen sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Sam, Mel, and Ash. Shush. I know what I am doing. My father has trained most of these men, and my brothers have trained alongside them. I know their weakness and their strengths." She turned toward the line of men, "No offence."
"Why would that even matter?" Ashely asked.
"The guards will be escorting the girls. As such, they must know how to dance and communicate. And I have to completely trust them." Julchen picked up the pad of paper which was on the table. She wrote a list of names down and handed it to one of the guards. "Everyone on that list will be escorting the Selected girls."
"Sir! Yes, sir!" The guards saluted and left the room.
Melody laughed, "Wow. Really, wow. I had no idea a Selected girl could have complete control of the guards."
Julchen closed her eyes and grunted, "You don't know anything about me. Don't make assumptions."
-XXX-
Koli wasn't fine. She was the farthest thing from fine. "Can we please not 'ave de theme 'ave anything to do with b-blood?" She begged.
"Oh, she's stuttering now," Evangeline laughed, "Darling, there's two of us an one of you. Your hopelessly out numbered."
Koli's line between reality and memory blurred.
Your hopelessly out numbered darlin'. There's three of us, only one of you, and nowhere to run.
"Perla, what do you think about this theme?"
Koli froze. The red seemed to spread across the gray like, like-"Charlie." Koli whispered. Within those moments, she was thrown back into the past.
8ish year old, incredibly malnourished, dirt and grime covered Koli sobbed into an identical looking tiny 5 year old. Red blood spilled across the stone alley, filling up cracks and staining the oversized shirts the two wore.
"Charlie! No! Please! Charlie! Ah can't-ah can't lose ya! Charlie!" Eventually, little Koli slipped into unconscious because of exhaustion.
Unfortunately, 16ish year old Koli did not. Again she was faced with another memory.
"Go! Run! Get out of here! Go!" And boy with mud caked into his dark blonde hair. "Wanda! Take Koli and run!"
"No, Pietro!" Wanda sobbed, "Not without you!"
"DERE COMIN'" Koli screamed, looking behind her.
"GO!" Pietro screamed.
Wanda and Koli scrambled up the stone wall and balanced on the top. Koli froze in shock and a bullet pierced Pietro's heart, sending splatters of blood everywhere. A few hit Koli's face and she lgarbled shriek.
"Guards! Guards! Help! Koli collapsed."
"PIETRO!"
-XXX-
At breakfast no one really mention Koli's absence. The only unusual thing was that Lumaria with alternating between calling someone and yelling in French or frantically texting someone. Most people just brushed it off as an acting thing. Until the front doors burst open and a man stormed in, trailed by a smaller boy and a man in a suit.
Lumaria jumped out of her seat and greeted the man, "Mr Pratten, its a pleasure to meet you. I hope your ride here was well."
"It was great, Miss Bloom!" The boy chirped.
"Enough of the pleasantries, no offense." Mr Pratten crossed him arms and glared at the Royal Family, "Apparently, I was not informed by any of your staff that my daughter was in the infirmary. Miss Bloom called me as soon as she heard, sent her personal plane and pilot to pick me up, and flew me here. I want an explanation, and I want it now."
"Mr Pratten," King Edmund stood up, "I had no idea that Miss Pratten was in the infirmary. We shall go down and figure this out immediately."
Chiara and Ambrosia nearly jumped out of their chairs, "Koli is in the infirmary?" They exclaimed in unison. "We're coming too." Chiara stated.
Viktor pushed back his chair and also stood up, "Let's go."
It only took a few minutes to get to the infirmary. There they found an unconscious Koli literally strapped to the bed.
"What is happing here?" Viktor asked.
One of the doctors came over. "What do you mean, your highness?"
"Why wasn't I told my daughter was here?" Mr Pratten barked.
"Mr Pratten, Miss Koli is not your daughter." The doctor tried to reason.
"I knew it. I knew this would happen." Mr Pratten muttered.
"Yes. He is." The boy said, "Edwin Pratten is Koli Else Pratten's father in everyday but biological. And if biology is the problem, we found Koli bleeding to death in the winter. We took her in, healed her, and helped her adjust."
"Kid, you don't know what your talking about."
"I do." The boy lifted his chin and looked the doctor straight in the eye, "I am Eden Pratten. Koli is my sister. I know everything about her."
"Oh really?" The doctor challenged, "Then why did she freak out and need to be restrained."
"PTSD. Post Tramatic Stress Disorder. Her mind is messed up."
"Eden, a 16 year old can not have PTSD."
Eden glared, "If you have lived the life Koli has lived, you can have PTSD when your 14. But you haven't, so you don't understand."
The heart monitor went wild as Koli woke up. She thrashed around trying to escape. Edwin went over and cut off the straps holding her to the bed. He carefully pulled the needles out, then took her off the bed, and placed her head into his lap. He began to stroke her hair and Koli's eyes refocused.
"Edwin?" She asked.
"I'm here, baby girl. I'm here and you're fine. You're safe."
"Where am I?"
"Just in a different hospital room." Edwin reassured.
Koli's hand snapped up and gripped his wrist, "Is Wanda safe? Is she okay?"
"Yes, princess. She's fine." Edwin motioned for Chiara, Ambrosia, and Viktor to move back, "Koli, do you remember anything different or strange?"
Her eyebrows knit together, "Yes...a girl. No. Two girls. One with orange 'air. Named Amber? And de other 'ad, brown 'air. Key? Ah think. Ah-d a boy, Vic." Koli's green eyes didn't move from Edwin's face.
"Okay, Koli. Thank you. You can go to sleep now." He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes.
"Will she be okay?" Ambrosia asked.
"Will she want to leave the castle?" Viktor asked.
"She'll be fine." Eden said looking at the Royal Family, "Koli may seem fragile, but she's not. I saw her break her arm and brush it off like it was nothing. I've seen her heal and be back on her feet in two weeks after nearly bleeding to death. I've seen her fight men three times her size, just because she could stand around and watch. She's tough."
Eden paused and then looked at Koli, "But she's weak. She's got a fragile psyche. She has a major form of PTSD and she afraid of everything and nothing." He looked up at them, his big blue-green eyes shinning, "Don't try and hurt her."
"PTSD is normally found in soldiers when they come back from war." Chiara said, "What could have Koli gone through?"
A/N: Hiiiiiiiiii...yeah. Oops. I probably just killed you. Sorry?
Questions:
What do you think of the snippets of Koli's past?
What do you think of Koli's PTSD?
Ahh...yeah. Sadness.
