Golden Prophecy

V I I I

ANDORRA DIDN'T scream. But, she wanted to.

As soon as she sat back in the cab, it raced forward as though it was in Tokyo Drift, rushing away from Hornwell Academy and leaving the school in the dust. What was truly terrifying though wasn't the speed but rather the way the cab moved. It jerked from side to side, driving in-between and alongside cars. There was no pause, no break, no stopping at red lights.

Coralia and Hans looked at ease. Andorra was gripping the door for dear life, watching the scene outside of the window fly by, too fast to be human.

"We like to move fast here in Anlithamy. Can you tell?" Hans was finding delight in Andorra's fear. Or, perhaps it was seeing someone so out of this element that brought him delight. Andorra couldn't even muster a dirty look his way. Her stomach was turning, jumping into her throat.

Another cab came too close to her window, and she flinched away as if they would hit her. When they didn't, Hans laughed.

Bort swiveled in his seat, looking back at her. "You get used to the speed. It's the only way to travel, really. It's so you can get from one place to another without having to wait hours."

The idea was there, but the presentation... Andorra felt dinner from last night threatening to come up and out of her mouth.

"First stop is the market. Then, we just have to go shopping. Andorra, you are gonna lose your mind at the clothing stores in the city! They are unreal."

Hans rolled his eyes. "And just what are we going to do while you two shop until your drop?"

Coralia elbowed him in the ribs. "Stop being a baby."

"Leelee, that hurts. Ow." Hans pressed himself against the door, trying to move away from Coralia's bony elbow. He rubbed his side.

"Yeah, and that won't be the only place that hurts if you keep complaining. It's our first weekend back! The city will be full of Hornwell students having fun. I'm sure you'll find something to do."

The cab jerked to a stop. Andorra's stomach kept going though, and she thought for sure she would vomit in the cab. But, when the door opened and fresh air rushed to meet her, she found herself stumbling from the cab with last night's dinner still inside her stomach.

Andorra took in the city center beyond her. It was full of stalls and people walking about, buying things, eating things, sitting on the sloping grass in the middle of the center. Like a farmers market in a park, it looked like. Andorra found it comfortingly human.

Coralia looped her arm through Andorra's. "C'mon! There is this lady that makes the best dumplings in Anlithamy. Her stand is over there."

For a moment, Andorra remembered being in a similar town center with Oberon and Lithe, buying groceries for his mother, shopping at stalls just like this. Andorra swallowed the sudden tightness in her chest, willing it to disappear, but it was hard. This was all hard for her.

Bort was watching her, close enough to see the shift on her face. The pain and longing for an old life that no longer belonged to her. An old life she didn't realize she would lose upon entering Anlithamy.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice low enough not to catch the attention of others around them. Something in his face told Andorra that perhaps he felt similar to her, for whatever reason. There was an open kindness in his face that was comforting and endearing.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just... overwhelmed."

Coralia made a sound of agreement. "It can be overwhelming. It still is for me sometimes, too. My mom hasn't been Princess very long, but the change in our worlds was drastic. Staying friends with Bort and Hans was the only way I could feel normal during the change."