So I know how much you all hate the rebels! So I made you hate them more in this chapter. :) your welcome. :)
As always, I'd like to thank all my reviewers!
Dl9571, winterprincess, GloryToTheWind, avaatquevale2250, lilythemermaid, prnamber3909, Who cares, maggiebswim
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Your reviews are what keep me writing this story! So keep it up! I love all your reviews so much! Thanks!
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME:
From outside the ballroom, there was yelling. Then the alarms went off.
The rebels. They were attacking. There were too many people to fit in all the saferooms.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Most people, not knowing what the bell even meant, panicked. People were running this way and that. It was chaos. Simply chaos. There were people surrounding every exit. But the doors weren't open. WE WERE LOCKED IN! Maxon grabbed my hand and Amberly had my family follow us. He showed me a door that only royalty used. That was locked too! I looked at Maxon with wide eyes. His lips crashed to mine. We kissed like it was our last- which it was probable it could be.
The main doors burst open on the other side of the room and we all looked. One man, who walked like he was obviously the leader, walked in, flanked by men in all black carrying machine guns. The doors closed and locked behind them. The men shot multiple rounds in the air to get everyone's attention.
"How lovely!" The leader man said. "What a lovely, wonderful ball you have going on here! Are you all having a good time? Oh! How rude of me! My name is Thaddus Ramirez. Such an unfortunate name, don't you agree? That's why I want you to call me Ram. Just like old friends, yes?" His men started walking around the room, as if patrolling the people. Most of the people have either gotten down on the ground or clung to the walls. "I heard of a royal engagement! Is that true? Well, come forward! I want to congratulate you!" Maxon's hold on my hand tightened. He slowly moved us, so we were in the corner, with him blocking me from view. "No? Well…. I didn't want to do this, but…" He motioned to one of his men.
"EVERYBODY! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! NOW!" He shot rounded in the air, as if a warning to what would happen if they didn't. We all obeyed.
"Where is the lovely bride-to-be? Come now, Lady America- or should I say Princess America. Don't you want your engagement present?" He asked. I clung to Maxon's arm even harder. "I promise you, Princess, I am not opposed killing every single person in this room until I find you. Oh and your younger brother and sister? Such cute little children, no?" That snapped me. That snapped me in half. I got up and started to run towards him.
"AMERICA! NO!" Maxon yelled from behind me.
"Don't touch them! Please! Don't touch them! They have nothing to do with this! Leave them out of this! Don't hurt them!" One of the men covered in black grabbed my arms in one of his hands. He zip tied my hands behind my back and held onto my arm.
"Now where's the Prince? C'mon, boy. Come out and save your Princess." The man turned so I faced where I came from, where Maxon was. I shook my head no slightly. I don't want him to risk his life for me. "No? You're not coming out? Well you're a coward! You're nothing but a coward. You can't even come save the woman you love."
MAXON'S POV
I knew he was right. I'm nothing but a coward. The words cut deep. I looked at America again. The man had a knife to her throat!
"Maybe you just need a little persuasion." NO! I can't! I need to stay strong. They're just trying to get to me! I can't! I looked away. I can't watch the fear in her eyes, as she looked straight at me.
"NO! WAIT! DON'T TOUCH HER!" He yelled. I looked over. Oh no…
"Hmm… Not exactly the Prince." The leader said to him. "But the father-of-the-bride will do." Then he took out his pistol. And shot him clean in the forehead.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" America screamed. She sobbed as she saw her father's body lay crippled on the ground.
"No? Seeing her emotionally crippled isn't enough?" The man in black tightened his hold on the knife at her neck. Blood started dripping down her neck. "Don't kill her." The leader warned the man. The man stopped. I let go of the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "So the pain of your love isn't enough to bring you out then. How about the pain of your people!" The men started spraying bullets everywhere but where I was, with my mother and America's family. I don't even want to know how many people were killed.
I HAD TO STAY STRONG! If I don't, if I come out, then they'll just kill me AND America. If I don't, they'll at least keep her alive to bring me out.
"Enough." The leader said. They immediately stopped firing. "Let's head out!" The leader walked out, followed by his men- one of which was dragging America with them.
"No! Maxon! Maxon help! No!" America screeched as they dragged her out. The second they were out, the gunfire stopped outside the room. The attack was over.
Those of us alive stayed down for a few minutes, just to be safe. But once everyone started standing up, I checked the door to the royal private rooms we were by. They were unlocked. I disappeared.
AMERICA'S POV
They dragged me out of the room. Why wasn't Maxon coming to save me?! Where was he? I screamed then sobbed then screamed then sobbed until we were out of the castle. Eventually they got sick of that and put a cloth over my mouth.
When I woke up, I was in a dark room. I groaned. I tried to move to get up, but I couldn't. I heard a noise behind me and looked back. Chains on the cold cement floor. They led from the wall, to my ankles.
"Oh princess! Good, you're awake!" The leader man walked into the room. "I know this isn't exactly the five star living you're used to. Oh wait! You are used to it! You're a five!" He slapped me across the face with so much power, I fell back. "Get off the ground you filthy animal." He said gruffly. I glared at him. "I said get off the ground!" He yelled when I didn't obey the first time. I struggled to get up. And once I did, I hugged the wall behind me. And I glared at him.
He slapped me.
"Don't you look at me like that, you ungrateful little girl!" I held my stinging cheek. Tears started welling up in my eyes and I tried to fight them. But it was no use and burning tears ran down my cheek. Thankfully, he ignored them. He unlocked the chains keeping my to the wall. "Let's go," he said gruffly. He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room.
When we reached a room with a white blanket over one wall and a camera, he put a piece of paper into my hands.
I stood in front on the white sheet, facing the camera.
MAXON'S POV
I stood by the TV. The Singers sat with my mom. But I can't sit. Not now. Not while she's in danger. The TV flashed on without any of us touching the remote.
"Hello, your Royal Majesties." A faintly familiar voice came on. Ram! "I believe your princess has something to say to you." The screen went to her. I gasped and held my breath.
Her usually red hair was dirty and messy. It look like she's been sleeping on the ground (which she probably has). The material of her dress was ripped and stained. She had a hand mark on her cheek. Her cheeks, now that I looked there, were hollow and her eyes and bags under them… my poor girl. I wanted to cry. She looked up.
"Maxon." She whispered like she could see me. Could she? She looked at the paper in her hands. "Maxon, they want a million dollars in cash. For every day you don't give them the cash, they'll-" her voice cracked. "They'll hurt me. And every day you don't hand in the money, another hundred dollars will be added to it. If they don't get it by January 20th, they'll kill me. They want you to deliver the money personally and alone. They want you to drop it off at the Skittle Square Train Station in locker number 638. The key will be dropped off at the castle…" She stopped reading. Then she sighed, crumpled up the paper, and threw it aside. "Maxon, I love you. Make sure my family knows that I love them, too. But you don't have to do this." A man appeared on screen. He punched her, but she kept on talking. "Don't put yourself in danger just for me! I'll be fine! Really!" He continued on beating her but she screamed the words out. "I love you!" Then the screen went black. Then the TV came back on. But it was Ram this time.
"How beautiful true love is! Remember, every day I don't have money, she hurts. Act fast." Then the camera went back on America, who was not bloody and bruised, laying on the ground. My heart jumped up my throat and I couldn't breath. "The pain starts now." A man in black kicked her and punched her, and stepped on her arm until it bent in an unnatural direction. Then the man stepped away. The camera let us take a good luck at all of her bruises and cuts and her now broken arm. Then the TV was black.
I couldn't think of anything else. I couldn't think of May crying in my mother's arms. Or Kota trying to ignore me. Or Kenna looking at me sympathetically. I just ran out of the room.
I swung my bedroom door open. I had to get that money. I had to get that money. I had to get that money. I had to get that money. I had to get that money. I had to get that money. I opened one of my drawers. I threw out onto the floor every shirt made of valuable material. When I found every piece of clothing that could be of value, I threw the drawers out of the dresser out of frustration. I went onto jewelry. I found every pure gold cufflink and every solid silver watch. I knew my mother was watching the frenzy from the doorway. So I started talking- more to myself than her.
"I need that money! I need to get her home! I need her safe!" I finished with the jewelry and sat in the middle of the mess on the floor. And I cried like a baby. I knew I had no right to cry. No right to feel bad. No right to hurt at all. Because I was safe, in my palace, surrounded by trusted guards. While my fiance was surrounded by the enemy as they hurt her and hurt her and hurt her.
My mother looked at me sympathetically and walked into the room. She said nothing. She simply sat down next to me on the floor, and held me as I cried.
It could have been seconds or minutes or hours later, but finally I was out of tears to cry. Mom helped me stand up. She hugged me and led me out of the room.
She brought me to the kitchen. I remember all the times when I was younger. After my father would beat me, I could cry and cry alone in my room. Whenever my mother found me, she didn't ask what happened. I don't know if it's because she knew or she didn't want to know. But she would simply dry my tears. Then, when I was done crying, she would take me to the kitchen. We would both devour half pints of ice cream. Moments back then, and now, she wasn't worrying about hiding her emotions, or acting proper- like a Royal Queen. She was my mother, trying to cheer me up.
I devoured my ice cream and asked for seconds. But she denied me before the cooks could say yes.
While we ate, my mother didn't say a word. She knew I was thinking.
If I couldn't get the money, why don't I just get her back without the money? I need to talk to the Parliament then the military. NOW.
"I have a plan. I'll be back." I kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."
AMERICA'S POV
My arm was broken. I was no doctor, but simply looking at the unnatural angle my arm was bent and the extreme pain it's causing- it's broken for sure. But they didn't care. After my beating, they dragged me to a room. They threw me in and slammed the door behind me. I cried out when I landed on my broken arm. I struggled to get up, but when I did I went to the door. It was locked. There was no use wasting energy trying to get it open. I looked around the room. It was dark, dreary, and cement. Just like the last room. But this one had a small sleeping mat on the floor. And a tray of food next to it! I ran (well limped, but with the amount of energy it took to do it with, it might as well have been running). It was barely anything. A stale bun, and cup of water, and some crackers. I decided to save some, so I took half of everything and left the rest.
I didn't realize how tired I was until I laid my broken body on the mat. I fell right to sleep.
Poor Maxon! I'm so glad he has his mother to help him through it. Should, just a matter of opinion, who thinks I should bring Aspen back into the story? Not as a love interest, of course, but just as another character? Yes, no, maybe? Anyways did you think the rebels were a little too much? The whole ransom thing? Yes, no, maybe? Any other opinions?
Anyways! Thanks for reading!'
Love,
C.A.M.3