Monday, New Continent of Atlantis

This is the commentary part by me, Lia. I'm going to write about the interesting things, as this book is supposed to be unisexual, and not offensive to either genders. Plus it's good to see Atlantis in two Points of View: the New Yorker one, and the Atlantean one. And Atlanteans speak English too, just like New Yorkers. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's because great minds think alike.

That day Atlantis resurfaced was a normal day. I was in my class, chatting with that cute blonde aristocrat. We were engaging in an engaging conversation about how we can improve our technology when there's this huge explosion, and the continent just vibrated as the protective, waterproof sphere surrounding our city deflected the decibels and impact. Then several interesting things that defied all laws of Physics and Nature happened:

My hair just fizzed out from my two plaits. Just like that, all standing up, too. Like the earth doesn't have a gravitational force called gravity.

We all shot up into the air, like we're on space (even though Atlanteans have never been outside the ocean before, we have several theories about the multiple dimensions, and we decided that gravitational force must not exist beyond earth, so we call it the space.

That cute blonde aristocrat, James, just pulled me to him, like he was scared of losing me, but I highly doubt that. Most likely he's been gentlemanly, seeing as I'm lighter than most of the boys and if nobody hold me I would float right up.

Atlantis suddenly zoomed upwards. There was a volcanic eruption, and the lava had punctured a hole in the protective sphere of Atlantis, which was waterproof, not lavaproof. Anyway, we floated right up above the water, the air whizzing out of the sphere propelling us upward like a motorcycle.

Anyway, everyone rushed up to see the world. We all crowded upstairs, and saw miles of vast expanse around us. Aeroplanes were passing above. Ships were sailing past us, and the people onboard looked at us in amazement. Engineers hurried to build airflyers and watercrafts out of blueprints. Ambassadors were sent out to other countries. The RAPF (Royal Atlantean Police Force) were sent to find the estranged Crown Prince.

Lessons were suspended for the day. We are given a holiday to visit our family.

My father was busy chatting with her, the bane of my existence.

My aunt/stepmother. Her two kids, Amelia and Cieronna, were giggling and all. They don't go to school; they go to this hall where they sew and ogle at guys.

Amelia, slender and, as guys say it, beautiful, looks down at me like I'm dirt, and goes all haughty. "Why, it's the great scholar!"

My father pretends not to hear. Amelia is not his child, but Cieronna is. Turns out they had an affair way before my mum's death.

My mum is this beautiful and kind lady, but she was very pale and sickly. I wish I could do her proud by being beautiful and ladylike too, but I resembles more like a ladybird than a lady. With my red hair with black streaks, of course it looks like a ladybird. My mother is the redhead, my father the black-haired one.

I'm also tomboyish and wears pants, instead of (heaven forbid anyone should see me in) a peplos, which is the ceremonial dress of Atlantis, but still, or hoop skirts or petticoats. And I do not have a slender wasteline/shapely long fair legs/ample bosom to speak of. I resembles a boy, tanned and wiry.

Maybe that's why I adapted to the boys' school so well. But Amelia (who likes to be called 'Mia', because Mia is the name of this princess. Like in the Princess Diaries, except that Amelia is more like Lana Weinberger, what with "dirty-blonde tresses and sky-blue eyes" (I ask you, what is it with blonde hair and blue eyes? Atlantis is a multiracial metropolis! Still, people like Amelia treats themselves like royalty and looks down on people with red or black hair and grey or green or brown eyes). Or Cieronna, with blonde-brown-in-between colour of hair and brown eyes, is fine, except that I just can't stand the "Bambi eyes".

And then my father was called to attend the Royal Dinner in the palace to celebrate the arrival of the Crown Prince, since the Seer has predicted that the Prince was found. I'm not sure if I believe in seers and oracles and stuff, but everyone else seems to believe them, and it's better to keep your mouth shut if you don't understand the "Mythical Forces" or Fate.

I begged my father to let me go with him. Women don't usually attend public ceremonies unless they're queens or princesses; they just sit back home and watch people feasting. I mean, that's completely unfair. I must admit that I'm a feminist, perhaps the only one in the whole of Atlantis.

So I got there, and was bored out of my mind. I mean, the Crown Prince doesn't look authoritative at all, in fact, he was rather shy and frightened, and a bit of wimpy-looking. Then maybe he was confused, he had never heard of Atlantis before, so I decided to be friendly to the poor soul and smiled at him. I think he must be quite

bored as well, so I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk, and we did.

Then we talked, and I found that he's quite interesting and intelligent (as boys go), and quite a refreshing change from Mitchell, and he's an environmentalist like me, and would like to be a scientist in the future (like me!)

And then we got to the diary part, and when he finally agreed to write a diary and publish it (but we mustn't look at each other's entry before it's published, which I later violated this rule).

And you know what? I've finally made a best friend. Me: stubborn feminist/environmentalist daughter of the Royal Advisor, made a friend. And that friend is a BOY, and a PRINCE!