Premeditation

It’s 5:00 am. Who’s screaming? Who is it? I tried to get up but I couldn’t move. “What is it?” I asked into the blue. And as I stood up, four security men, along with mum and dad, rushed in the room. My mother’s face was covered in tears. “There’s been an attack, honey. The palace was bombed”, dad said in a calm, paced manner. “The palace has been bombed?”. I repeated this in my head at least twenty times before I understood what it meant. My home, my childhood; it had all been destroyed. And what if someone was hurt? What if Bridget, Nelson or Pedro were hurt? No, this couldn't be real!

“What are we going to do? Please! Why aren’t they being stopped? Just get them! Why don’t you just get them?” I was sobbing. More than that; I was wailing, quite violently in fact. Every single part of my body hurt. My god! I would do anything to be a movie princess! Princesses with pink frocks, diamond encrusted tiaras, immaculate blonde curls and long white gloves, singing adorably at parties, and spending their days at the opera or the ballet. I wanted to be a Princess Grace, not a Princess Anastacia!

“Ma Reine”, said a security guard that had just come in the room, “There have been threats of other attacks around the capital. What is the directive to the embassies?”. “They want Emeraudenses, they will not attack the foreigners”. “Blanche, you must issue a directive nonetheless. Who knows, they might still be in danger”, said dad. “Yes, yes. Jules, les inciter à rester dans leurs maisons pendants les prochaines 48 heures, ou plus en fonction des développements concernant les attaques”. “Oui Madame”.

At last they gave us some privacy. The security had left the room. And mum was feeling the pressure of leadership. “Oh my, Richard, what am I going to do? This was all my fault. I urged Mamma to deny the new immigration proposals. I tried to make it fair for my people; for my country!” Whilst she said she dare not look at me once. It hurt her immensely to as much as glance at me. She thought it was her fault that I nearly died that day. But it wasn’t. And now I knew it.

The blonde man and his peers had been watching me since I came here, or even before. They had known who my closest friend was, and how I was probably keeping my identity a secret. He had insisted on selling Mr. Barker tickets to Emeraud au Rouge, knowing that somehow that would lead Josie to find out about who I was. He knew that when I blew my cover I would be upset, insane even, and do something irrational. He was unlucky that I ended up going to such a public place, but took advantage of it nevertheless.

Now I knew what I was going to do. I was going to track him down and he would die. He would die for what he did to my grandmother! He would die for destroying my family!