Enchantment Chapter 1
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I. Lascia ch'io pianga
I remember my tenth birthday as it was the last day of my life.
There was a bounce house in the backyard, a slight distance from the in-ground pool, a live band by some group called “Smashnose” or something along like, I don’t really remember their name as I didn’t pay attention to them. My mind was on the day and spending time with my friends. My parents wanted me to invite everyone I knew but I chose the seven who knew me the best: the ones who I could truly call my friends.
Like me, they were children whose parents had a lot of money, but the seven of us never played into “my daddy is rich so you must kiss my shoes” kind of attitude. Well, Bethany came close, but she was eleven and felt that she had to impress others. We tried to keep her grounded, it worked sometimes as she chose to wear a swimsuit that had a price tag of under two hundred dollars and had her parents carry her inexpensive cell phone to the party.
Her brother, who we called “Benny”-really, it was Bentley-but he hated that name so we dropped the “t” and it was all good. He was nine at the time and was always the proper gentleman—at least until it came to bounce houses. Then, he was all over the walls, jumping over everyone like a wild man. I found it infectious and jumped around with him. I’m sure there would be a rumor about us if we were three years older or so.
I considered Tiffany to be one of my closest friends. She would give you the shirt off of her back. Not because she had about three closets full of them, but because she chose to. Every month she was given an allowance and she she spent that money on gift cards that she gave willingly gave to the people on the street. She said that money was only as good as the person who possessed it. She had a heart condition, I think, at least that what she told us—and that her giving nature was to try to heal that heart.
Rochelle was the smallest in our group. She was eight at the days of the party, but she was the only one who had ever read all of the “The Hobbit” and could quote it word for word. She didn’t wear glasses and we didn’t consider her a “nerd”—because you don’t tell a person with a near photographic memory anything that you don’t want to come up in the yearbook at graduation. Whenever I needed help with my spelling words, she was better than any tutor my parents could pay for.
The newest girl to our group was Wednesday. We found out that this wasn’t her real name on the day we helped her throw things out of her room. Her real name was William Arnold Fuller but she preferred the name Wednesday. Her hair was always wild and multi-colored and some of the kids at school picked on her but they were usually stopped by Mike.
“Big Mike” was not particularly tall. He wasn’t very muscular either but he had been taking Taekwondo since he was five and if someone started to pick on Wednesday he would give the aggressor—male or female—a few chances to cut it off or he’d knock their block off. The other kids around would part or form a circle—knowing fully what was about to happen, unlike the former aggressor who was then crying on the ground or running away in sheer terror. Needless to say, Mike never used his powers for evil.
Serena sometimes did use her powers for evil. She had the power of her father owning some football team or something and she could flash out tickets to games. Like Bethany, she felt that things that were worth doing were worth overdoing: like taking all of our families to the Grand Cayman Islands. Specifically, a private island, for at a least a week. The water was clear and the sand was like sugar. Benny tried some, he said looks were deceiving.
“Kristina!” My father yelled from outside the bounce house. “We’re ready!”
“Okay!” I yelled as I let go of Benny’s hand and floundered on the bouncing floor. I think I laughed for a good two minutes as I tried to get up. Failing at that, I rolled across the floor to the exit and climbed out.
“You look like you’re having fun,” My father said. He was an older man and worked for some telecommunications company. He owned it, but he stated that he worked for the company the same as everyone else on the payroll. He once sent the janitorial staff on a paid vacation to a retreat and had the bigwigs at the office do their own clean-up for a week. I’m not sure how that went, but dad was that nice kind of guy.
“A blast!”
“Maybe we should have should have had this party on the space shuttle.”
“Can we next year?” I asked.
“Maybe, princess. We’ll see. Now, go get ready.”
“Do I have to?”
“Your mother wants to see you wear it. You said you would.”
“Okay,” I replied as I ran to the house.
Mom was waiting for me in my room along with a dress that was adorned in so many diamonds that two men with guns had to stand outside my door. Mom was a photographer for a magazine or something and all of her photos had someone wearing so many gems that she had to wear sunglasses to get the right shot. She worked my hair up as she wanted it to look with the dress.
“You need to look like a princess…one who could punch a paparazzi or two, right?”
“Yep,” I replied as I stepped up into a pair of high heel shoes. Mom then placed a tiara on my head
“Those are for only one picture,” she said as she grabbed her camera and put it up to her face. “Over here, Kristi.”
I turned and looked wide-eyed at the camera as the flash strobed and the camera clicked a dozen times.
“You can go barefoot if you to.”
“Yes,” I replied with a fist pump in the air as I took the dress off, revealing the dirty clothes I still had on.
“We’re coming out!” Mom said and opened the door.
The two guards turned and one of them opened a case. Mom handed the tiara to one of the men and the dress to the other. He didn’t look pleased at the dirt on the inside of the dress.
“Remember, gentlemen, it’s the diamonds, not the fabric. Please tell Stella thank you!”
We left the house to rejoin the party and as soon as we stepped outside the band played the song “Birthday” The surrounding crowd clapped along with the music as dad joined us at the front of a massive table. My friends were near the front of everybody else and were waving up a storm that maybe, we could all take flight and fly around the world.
“Thank you for coming, everyone. It was the years ago that Kristina Anne came into our lives and there’s nothing we would not do for our birthday girl.”
Dad spoke for only a few minutes as he once again thanked everyone for coming and that the bounce house was going to become a permanent part of the landscape as soon as he could find out how to secure it down. I personally thought that was the best present ever: My own private Disney World. My smile was so bright I may have blinded Bethany with the gleam shining off of her necklace.
The party went on for a few hours until only Mike, Bethany and Benny remained. We were three shades of red by the sun and fun we had. Bethany complained that her necklace had fallen and the diamond had cracked.
“That’s not a real diamond.”
“I know. It’s just that it looked pretty.”
“It still does,” Mike replied. “It still sparkles,” he said as he looked at me.
I didn’t acknowledge his look but I know I smiled. I smiled at everyone. I was the friendly one of our group. I only had one closet though as I only wore particular clothes. Yeah, I think I was the tomboy of the group with more in common with Mike and Benny then the girls of our group. Even Wednesday had experimented with make-up and liked it. I didn’t see the point.
Mom was hopeful I’d change my mind.
Dad wondered if I would need a bodyguard or five.
“I’m going to wear the real one to school next week.”
Benny rolled his eyes. “Gonna get it stolen by someone.”
“I will not.”
“You’ll take it off and forget where you left it.”
“No, I won’t.” Bethany said with a huff.
“Didn’t Mike find the necklace?”
Mike nodded.
“I knew where it was.”
“It was in the pool,” Benny replied.
“Ferme ta bouche!" Bethany shouted.
“Tu me fais rire.”
“It’s like I’m watching ‘Sesame Street’,” Mike said which caused us to all break down in laughter.
Their parents arrived and we said out goodbyes with an exchange of hugs. Mike held his grip on me for a little longer and, like before, I didn’t feel anything from it. I had been ten for only a few hours. The back lawn had been cleaned up and the poolside looked as if nothing had occurred. The bounce house was taken down as well but a set of stakes marking the location remained. There were several lines of orange paint cris-crossing the grass where it had been.
I thanked my parents, said goodnight to them and ran up a narrow spiral staircase; a secondary way for my parents to reach my room, but one my friends and I used to access the second floor. It was secured by a six digit code or key card. The whole house was wired with cameras and security doors—with a safe room located in the hallway leading into the living room. I had locked myself in said safe room when I accidentally trigger the door to open by babbling something—I was three at the time.
I climbed into bed and went to sleep. I want to think I had a nice dream but I woke up to a nightmare as the house alarms blared. I didn’t go to my door but instead hid under my bed in a small alcove I could crawl into. Dad always said that if the alarms went off I was to protect myself and stay within the locked room as someone would have to take half the wall down in order to force it open.
The alarm abruptly stopped and I wondered if maybe my rabbit, Madam Cwningen, had chewed a wire or maybe Dad had typed in the wrong code. I stayed in place as I had bene told to do so until one of them, or the house staff, came up to open the door or give me the code word.
There was a knock at the door. It was light at first but became rapid and thumping.
I could only think about that movie I had watched at Rochelle’s house about a guy in a white mask trying to kill everybody. I think it was called “Halloween Scream”.
The door clicked open and I closed my eyes—it had to be the killer from that movie. His next words would be “Sydney” or “Laurie” as he searched for me.
“Akrista?” A voice with a strange accent asked.
My name was Kristina, so this killer must have had the wrong house.
“Where is she?” The voice asked.
“Under the bed,” My father replied.
They had to be kidnappers who wanted to hold me for ransom in our house until my dad gave them what they wanted.
“Kristi,” he said with almost a whisper. “You can come out now.”
“Really?”
“Yes, princess. It’s…It’s okay.”
I rolled out of the alcove and crawled out form under the bed to see my dad standing next to two large men; my mom behind two other large men; and a very tall man in sunglasses who knelt down in front of me.
“Akrista. We’ve come to take you home.” He said as he took off his glasses.
“She is at home!” Mom yelled.
The tall man held his hand up and Mom started to cry.
“Why is my mom crying?” I asked.
“Your mother has been crying for years, my princess.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been sent to return you home, your highness.”
“Highness? I’m just ten.”
“You are Akrista Llewellyn, crown princess of Tyrain.”
“I’m what?”
The tall man reached out for my hand. “Will you come with me?”
I looked at my father, his face was tear-streaked. He nodded to me.
My mother screamed and bawled.
“No, I don’t want to go.”
“Kristy,” my father said as he took a step towards me. The two men firmly grabbed his arms. ‘You need to go with him. His name is Raphael and, he needs go take you.”
“Why?”
“Because you are our lost princess.”
The man named Raphael stood up, took out a cell phone. “Code Edvard,” he said as he pocketed the phone and then in a flash snatched me off of the floor and into his arms.
Mom scream again as we raced past her and down the main staircase. I remember feeling shocked. I remember feeling lost.
I remember seeing my father’s face for the last time as Raphael and the four men raced out the front door.
Enchantment Chapter 2 “Somewhere”
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Somewhere
The plane was warm and inviting, even though I felt scared and cried for who knows how long. The tall man, my father called Raphael, sat across from me with a calm expression on his face, at least his mouth looked calm. I couldn’t see his eyes through his sunglasses. He was asleep for all I knew and I was too frightened to get up from my seat.
As I said, the plane was comforting. It was not unlike my father’s private jet with carpeting, a couch or two and what looked like a television mounted on the wall. It was too dark to see much of anything beyond my seat. I opened the window and looked out into the night sky. There was no moon or stars that I could see. There wasn’t even the red strobe light that my father’s plane had.
If I was brave like Wednesday or strong like Mike I could find a parachute and a way to open the the door to escape. The days of playing as a secret agent with Benny ran through my mind but my my body froze up—because even if I made the jump, where would I end up?
I swallowed hard because I didn’t know where I was going at that moment.
“Where are we going?” I whispered to myself.
“Ty’rain,” Raphael replied in a loud whisper.
“What’s Ty’rain?”
“Your home country.”
“My home country is the United States. In Florida.”
Raphael took off his sunglasses and placed them in his suit pocket.
“Do you like stories?”
“Sometimes,” I replied as I sat back in my seat.
“Well, what’s the best way to tell this? Perhaps the direct approach is the best. The years ago, I lost you.”
“You lost me?”
“I was a part of your security detail when the family visited America. One of our, dare I say, trusted, guards was negligent when you were taken.”
“By who?”
“We didn’t know at the time but I promised your parents—your true parents—I would find you once again.”
“I’m not a princess,” I replied, “I’m just me.”
“Ah, but you are.”
“I don’t want to. I want to go back home.”
He didn’t sigh or change his expression but instead took out a cellphone and made a call.
“This is Raphael. Estimated time two hours. We will be at Code Dali. Hwyl fawr.”
“You talk weird,” I said as he hung up the phone.
“Diolch,” he replied with a slight grin.
I fought the battle to stay awake, much like I had on Christmas Eve and New Years, and just like omg those nights, I lost to sleep. A part of me thought that if I fell asleep then the nightmare that started earlier with the house alarm went off would end and I would wake up in my bed, ready to start a new day with my friends—and to see if the bounce house was actually going to be a permanent part of our estate.
However, if the nightmare continued, maybe I could use it to my advantage. If I was a princess then I could use that power, stand tall and order someone to fly me back to Florida. I could tell my friends that I had travelled to a strange land, fought the villains and made my way back to them. They wouldn’t believe me until I showed them the plane and maybe a sword that was to be mind one day. I’d give it to Mike for weapons training and we would all sit together at my house and laugh about the situation.
Oh, and Dad would have a new plane.
I woke up with the sun in my eyes. Something felt wrong so I slammed my hands dow—hopping to feel the soft down of my comforter—but instead I felt a harder seat. It was kind of comfortable and I noticed that I was surrounded by a lot of pillows and blankets—but even in m sleepy state of mind, I knew something was amiss.
The nightmare had carried over into the day.
Raphael sat across from me, his sunglasses were back on. “We’ve about to land at the citadel.”
“City-Dell?”
“Citadel. Your grandfather’s castle. Well, airport. He loved to fly.”
“Why did he stop?”
“Because I allowed his heart to break, your highness.”
“I’m not a highness,” I replied. “My name is Kristina Locke.”
“Your true name is Akrista Miathia Aylesea Nycholys Llewellyn. The crown princess of Tyrain.”
“That name is too long.”
He nodded.
“And you’re name is Raphael?”
“That’s correct.”
“Like the turtle?”
“Yes,” he replied. “Like the turtle. We’re about to land now.”
I looked out the window to see what looked like miles and miles of stone walls around a central castle—it was almost like one from a Disney movie but it also had the look of one of my father’s work sites: towers of steel, stone and glass. The the old and new came together in a natural way as we approached and as soon as the plane touched down we went immediately into an enclosed spaces and it got dark again.
“Security precaution. Don’t be afraid.”
I still gripped onto the arm rests and closed my eyes.
The plane eventually came to a stop and the cabin lights came up.
“This is Raphael. Mona Lisa on approach.” He now had a radio in his hand and it cracked back.
“Elysium, Croeso nol.”
“Are the crown alerted?” Rapheal asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt, looked at me and then to the external door.
“Acknowledged.”
“No one but Schiele.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Renaissance out,” he replied and placed the radio in another pocket. I kind of wondered how many pockets he had and if they were like Mary Poppin’s bag.
“We have arrived, my princess.”
“Where?”
“Ty’rain.”
“Where is it at?”
“Ty’rain is located off the coast of Europe. We are independent of war and poverty.”
“Do you have chocolate cake?”
“All kinds.”
“What about tea?”
“More than I can ever try in a lifetime.”
“What about cartoons?”
“I will see what we can do for you.”
“Can I ever see my parents?”
“You are about to meet your family.”
“No,” I replied and shook my head. “My family, back home.”
Raphael’s expression turned serious as he took his phone out once again. “Code Edvard.”
“Enchantment” Chapter 3 “Just Wave Hello”
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I was afraid to get off of the plane.
As much as I wanted to run off of it, I was still afraid to leave. I had been in it for all for that time and I was expected to just walk out on my own and into a strange world. The nightmare would continue with demonic dogs and a black-cladded demon would swoop in and grab me.
No, he already did that and he stood at the stairwell near the front of the plane.
“They’re waiting for you.”
Dad used to say that to me whenever he was about to enter a convention hall to speak to people.
“No, they’re not, Dad,” I would reply with a small eye roll.
“One day they will. All of this will be yours.”
“The donuts too?”
“You bet, princess. So, what do we do?”
“We march on!” I yelled.
“Right-o!” Dad would shout and then open the door leading out to the stage. I would see the flash of cameras and the booming bass sounds coming from the convention center for a brief moment until the double-doors closed. I’d then step back to see mom a few feet behind me with a smile on her face.
“We march on,” I whispered and then marched to the door.
Raphael took a step away from me and then held an umbrella over my head as the sun cascaded over us. He balance the umbrella as we stepped off of the plane and walked in the direction of six people. Four wore suits similar to Raphael: One was a woman in a mid-length black skirt; and the other three were large-size men who looked like they took take on Arnold Schwarzenegger with minimal effort. The other two were an older man and woman. The man was in a wheelchair and the woman stood next to him. Both of them had a stern look on their faces but, as we walked closer and closer, their expressions changed into smiles and then tears.
“My King and Queen, may I present to you, Akrista Miathia Aylesea Nycholys Llewellyn.”
The Queen took three steps forward and then lowered herself down to look me in the face.
“We‘ve missed you so. You look just like your mother. Doesn’t she?” She asked the King.
He only nodded.
I replied with a small wave.
“Was there any trouble, Raphael?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Oh it’s a miracle you’re back with us again, Akrista.”
I glanced all around and wondered where we were. It was an underground area but there were skylights above letting in the sunlight. I wondered if I could run away, how far would I get before one of the big guys could shoot me. Or maybe the female officer would do a few back-flips and throw me to the ground. I mean running was the main option going through my ten year-old mind.
The Queen stood back up and then held out her hand to me.
“We have a lot to talk about,” she replied with a sigh.
“Bring it up.” Raphael spoke into his radio once again.
I looked behind the group as a small room came up from the floor behind them. It literally appeared from the ground and a large door opened to a brightly lit area, I took the Queen’s hand and walked with her as she met up with her husband and one of the large security guys helped push his wheelchair into the room.
The doors closed behind Raphael and the room vibrated a bit.
“Where are we going?”
“The Palace,” Raphael replied.
“Palace,” I whispered.
The room had a slant to it and my jaw dropped after we took a sharp corner: A large silver limo in the middle of what looked like an underground city. We were escorted to the back of the car, with Raphael and the woman, who he called “Venus”, sitting on the opposite side of the King and Queen and myself.
“We’re secure,” Raphael said into his radio as the doors locked.
The car moved forward without a sound, as if it was riding on air. We silently moved past buildings that appears to be carved out of the rock.
“It’s the ‘hen ddinas’,” The Queen said as she pointed to a grand-looking structure on the far right. “You’re very great-great-grandfather helped to carve that right there. The first palace of Tyrain.”
The palace was three stories in height and protruded farther out than the building around it. I almost wanted to ask if the country was inhabited by mole-men or some form of lizards that only journeyed to the surface due to some explosion and took their place among the humans—adapting to look like them, just like that show about a physician who travels through time.
The car glided into a smaller building and the door behind us closed with a quiet thud.
We exited the car and into a brightly lit area—as the windows were tinted darkly. Raphael lead the way as the Queen smiled as she took my hand. The thought of running away was still in my mind, but maybe, just maybe, if I stayed on my best behavior I could possibly call my parents and let mom and dad know I was alright: that I had been on a plane and had seen buildings that were prettier than anything at Disney World.
I smiled back at the Queen.
Yeah, I could handle being at this kind of summer camp for a few days before going back to my real family. No biggie. It would like staying with Bethany…except everyone who was close anywhere close to my age all wore black, had guns and magical pockets.
We walked through several modern security doors until we reached what looked like an ancient wooden double door. Two of the larger security guys opened them and the res to us walked into a grand room with a fireplace at the far side with a gigantic painting on the wall.
The painting was of a kind of young man with a light beard and reddish hair. Next to him was a young woman with blond hair. Their eyes looked out at the painting as if right at me. I looked down a bit to see, in their arms, someone I had seen before—kind of—in a picture back at my house. The baby in their arms looked like me.
I didn’t ask the question that was hanging heavy on everyone else: If that was me, what happened years ago? Instead, they escorted me to my room which looked, strikingly, like the one I had left less than a day before, right down to the space under the bed. I wanted to think that maybe I was in an alternate world, an Un Lun Dun-esque flipside of the life I once knew. The closets were bare though—so that kind of brought me back to the reality that I was still not at home.
The Queen shuffled her feet to the dresser and opened the top drawer. She took out a black box and nodded to Raphael. He walked over to her, took out a key, and opened the case. Within it was a gold necklace with a bright green jewel in the middle.
“This necklace was your mother’s as it was mine before. As the crown princess of Tyrian, it is now yours.”
I looked at her and Raphael and shook my head. “I’m not a princess.”
“You always have been,” she replied.
“No, I’m not.”
“Just like her mother, isn’t she?”
Raphael nodded as he laid the case back into the drawer.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be insulted by that remark or to be flattered. I was like my mother: we both loved clothes and going places and we both had attitudes.
“She was the fire in this house,” The Queen mused as a tear fell from her eye.
“Can I ask a question?”
She nodded.
“How can I tell who I am?”
“Raphael, please set out some tea and cakes in the sitting room.”
“Of course,” he replied and left the room.
“Shall we?” The queen shuffled past me and into the hall.
I followed her out and down a small incline to yet another hall that lead into a room with several couches, framed pictures and artwork. It looked like the west wing of Bethany’s house: like a museum. The framed pictures were again of the couple in the great room; some with a baby, others without. The ones without the baby present were a bit faded. Or at least the people in the picture looked grayed-out, but their surroundings were still clear.
A thin man with a long mustache stepped lightly into the room. He sort of glided around the furniture like a dancer.