Dreamers | Amira

Chapter 4

Amira glared at him, "Let me go! You have nothing to say to me!" she shouted.

The boy smiled wickedly and said, "Oh, but we do. We have so much to say to you. Like how you're the worst thing that ever happened to this world. How fake, a fraud, a failure you are."

 "You're so desperate for attention, that you pretend to be the so untouchable one." A girl coughed ridiculing her.

"You're a pain in the neck, a thorn in our side, a curse on our lives." A random boy with black short hair rolled his eyes. "How you'll destroy the whole kingdom."

"You'll make everything crumble, fall, and burn. You'll doom us all to the dark lord's wrath." the same boy who led the pack spoke.

The others nodded and agreed. They said similar things, and worse. They said things that made Amira's heart ache, and her eyes water, and her throat tighten. Things that made her want to scream, and cry, and run away.

But she didn't. She stood her ground and fought back. "You're wrong! You're lying! You're jealous! You don't know anything about me, and what's with the dark lord!? You're just scared, and angry, and bitter! You're just trying to make me feel bad!"

She said it with conviction, and courage, and defiance. She said it with everything she had, and everything she was.

But that didn't convince neither of them, "Yeah right." the boy smirked. 

They didn't listen. They didn't care. 

They kept on talking, and laughing, and hurting.

They kept on breaking, and crushing, and shattering her heart.

They kept on hating, and hating, and hating.

Until...

Until something changed.

Until something happened.

Until something snapped.

They all looked up and saw the sky.

The sky that was once bright, and blue, and beautiful.

The sky that was now dark, and gray, and ominous.

The sky that was now filled with clouds, and thunder, and lightning.

The sky that was now angry, and violent, and dangerous.

The sky that was now reflecting their emotions, their actions, their words.

The sky that was now warning them, scolding them, punishing them.

Amira bright eyes reflected the scene of dark clouds in her eyes. She uttered no words. Suddenly her mother called out to her name, "Amira!" griping her hand and inside the carriage. The trio entered the carriage and escaped. Together, with the two guards conducting the carriage, they left.

Without knowing or noticing that they passed Chico and Bejamin, who were trying to get inside the ceremony.

Chico and Benjamin were hiding behind a bush, waiting for the right moment to sneak into the ceremony. They had always wanted attend in a royal event, and this was their chance.

They saw a carriage leaving the ceremony, with the royal crest on it. They recognized it as the one that belonged to Princess Amira and Princess Adella, the daughters of the king and queen.

"Hey, look, it's the princesses!" Chico whispered, pointing at the carriage. "Why are they leaving so soon? The ceremony is not over yet." Benjamin wondered, looking puzzled.

"Maybe they have some urgent business to attend to. Or maybe they just got bored." Chico shrugged, not really caring.

"Or maybe they know something we don't." Benjamin said, feeling a bit uneasy.

They noticed that the sky had turned dark, and the wind had picked up. They heard thunder rumbling in the distance. 

"Wow, the weather is getting bad. Maybe we should go back home." Chico suggested, feeling a bit not safe.

"No way, we came here to have some fun. Let's go inside and see what's going on." Benjamin insisted, feeling adventurous. 

They got up and ran inside the garden's opening, hoping to find something of entertainment. But one thing they failed to notice was their father rushing over "Chico! Benjamin! What are you doing here?" he shouted, running after them. He was furious, eyes bloodshot red. The duo stared it in disbelieve, things were about to go downhill.

And now away from the ceremony, and the blossoms.

Away from everything, and everything.

Except...

Except her mother.

And her sister. Amira's only allies.

They escaped the ceremony, and the blossoms, and the fun that had turned into a nightmare, and a horror, and a disaster. 

But still all of that chased them through where they went. They held on to that as they rode the carriage.

They held on to that as they rode the carriage that was speeding fast, and faster, and fastest.

Speeding fast, and faster, and fastest through the streets, and the roads, and the paths.

Through the streets, and the roads, and the paths that were filled with people, and dogs, and lightning.

People, and dogs, and lightning that were shouting, and barking, and striking. 

Amira looked at her mother with a worried expression. She wanted to know what was going on, why the sky had turned dark, why the people had turned hostile, why the world had turned upside down. She wanted to know what it all meant, for her, for her family, for her kingdom. To know what her mother knew, what her mother felt, what her mother feared.

She opened her mouth to ask, but her mother shook her head. She gave her a look that said, "Not now, not here, not yet." She gave her a look that said, "Trust me, follow me, and be quiet." 

Amira closed her mouth and nodded. She trusted her mother, she followed her mother, she was quiet.

She looked at her sister, Adella, who was also there. Who had also seen the look, and understood the look, and she so obeyed the look. She was also trusting, and following her mother instructed, so being quiet was her obligation.

They held on to that as they rode the carriage that was speeding fast, and faster, and fastest until they reached their destination, and their home, and their castle.

"Go." the queen instructed with a soft tone of her voice to Amira to go inside the castle as Adella stayed helping her, with her now frail body to stand outside.

As they reached the castle corridor, Adella supported their mother, who was barely able to walk. Amira led the way, heading towards the throne room.

She banged the door open, where they hoped to find their father, and their king.

But except...

Her hope shattered.

The silence, the stillness, and the emptiness that filled the throne room, the throne, and the king.

 She gasped at the sight. Their father was lying on the center of floor, unconscious, with no sign of foul play. "Dad!" she screamed, running towards him. 

She felt a wave of weakness wash over her, and her legs gave in. She fell on her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Adella and their mother arrived just in time to witness the scene. Adella let out a cry of anguish, still holding their mother. "Dad!" she cried out.

The queen looked at her husband with a pained expression. She felt her strength fading, and she collapsed on the floor. Adella knelt down, holding her mother's head on her lap. "Mother!" she sobbed. Amira saw that and rushed over to them. The room was cold and silent, offering no comfort.