I pulled on some boots and checked my phone before I left my room. There was a message from Milo, asking me for the third time why I hadn’t texted Kayla yet. I smiled and shook my head. It had been great corresponding with Milo again, but when I had decided to reach out to him, I hadn’t considered that he and Kayla might be interacting with each other. Milo had told me about how Kayla had been lashing out at bullies and that she had been asking him about me. I decided that I would text Kayla, but it had been so long that I just didn’t know what to say. Plus, I think I was still a little nervous about the whole situation.
I tromped down the long, spiral staircase that led to the front entryway of the castle, where I found my dad in the middle of a hushed conversation with Alm. When they saw me, my dad handed him an envelope and Alm quickly walked down the opposite corridor.
“All ready?” My dad asked, rubbing his hands together in apparent anticipation.
“Sure,” I replied. “Are we going to take the helicopter?” To me, this seemed like the only reasonable way to explore the country at this hour.
“No. Follow me.”
He walked out the huge wooden doors of the castle and I walked after him. I decided not to ask more questions, because my dad clearly wasn’t going to divulge any details. Outside the castle, we were met by two large bodyguards who fell in step behind us. The air was cold and we all walked in silence for a few minutes until we reached the castle docks and my dad started to get into a row boat.
“Really?” I asked. “This is how we’re going to tour the country?”
“Frederick, just trust me,” he responded. His tone was reprimanding, but his eyes shone with excitement.
I shrugged and stepped into the boat, followed by the guards. We pushed off into the choppy water, and the guards took care of the rowing for us. I couldn’t help but think that we all looked incredibly ridiculous, with the four of us crammed into a small row boat. I guessed these were the kind of amenities available to the king of Gulbrania.
I noticed a bruise on my father’s chin, and unable to bear the silence anymore, I decided to attempt conversation again.
“So, how’s everything going with the Jumerum?”
My father stiffened, but to my surprise, he didn’t brush aside my question. “We believe we’ve been able to identify all of the members,” he began. “We captured seven of them in an operation in Finland last week and they have been imprisoned, but we haven’t been able to get them all in one place. It would be dangerous, yet ideal, for the whole organization to come to Gulbrania. That way we would have the advantage of fighting them with all of our resources.”
I raised my eyebrows. My father had never spoken so candidly to me about anything, especially his prime enemies.
“Is there any way I can help?” I offered.
My father gave me an odd stare, then looked away. “Soon, Frederick. Soon.”
Okay, so he’s back to being cryptic again, I thought. Just as I was getting ready to settle into more silence, my dad spoke up again.
“By the way, Frederick, I’ve never told you how impressed I am with your dancing abilities. It’s an excellent form of exercise, and it improves your agility.”
I nearly choked. Had my mom told him about that? Was he making fun of me? I had been careful to keep that hobby a secret. “How... how did you...?
He smiled. “There’s something I should have told you a while ago, son, and I’m afraid you might be a bit put off by it. Regardless, you deserve to know.” Now he was the one who looked uncomfortable as he took a deep breath. “There was a small camera installed in the basement of the house in Indiana that sent a private feed back to me.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
“Calm down,” he said, holding his hand up. “It was only on for about an hour every evening, nothing was recorded, and I wasn’t able to watch it every day.” He sighed. “It was an invasion of your privacy, I know, but I wanted to be able to check on you and watch you ... grow up while I was gone.” He looked away, and I thought I saw the beginning of a tear forming at the corner of his eye.
I opened my mouth, and then shut it. On one hand, I felt violated, but on the other hand, I was a little touched that my father had wanted to a part of my life, albeit in a creepy, illegal sort of way.
“Ah, we’re almost there,” my father announced, perhaps to dispel the awkward mood.
I looked up and saw a strange wall of fog. Nowhere else was foggy except for directly in front of us.
“We generate the mist as an extra security precaution,” he explained.
I nodded, even though I had no idea what the fog was securing. We passed through and on the other side was a large cove, looking very out of place sticking up in the middle of the ocean. Unsurprisingly, we rowed straight into the cove and docked next to a level ledge.
“Follow me,” my father commanded, stepping out onto the ledge. We walked through a short tunnel and came to what appeared to be an elevator. “Here, take this,” he said, handing me a small pill.
“What is this for?”
“It’s for your ears,” he explained. “The pressure can be pretty intense.”
I swallowed the pill, along with a dozen comments about how bizarre this tour was turning out to be. The four of us entered the elevator, and with a big grin, my father pushed a large button on the wall.
The elevator doors slammed shut and we started to descend so rapidly I had to grab onto the walls to keep myself from toppling over. Down, down we went for what seemed like an eternity. My head was spinning with the impossibility of the situation, and when I was starting to imagine that my father had actually lured me into some kind of suicide mission, the elevator slowed to a stop. The doors clanged open, and we stepped out into a space that looked suspiciously similar to my room in the castle.
“What is this?” I asked, stumbling around in bewilderment, still a little unsteady from the elevator ride. “What’s going on?”
“This is the new castle,” my dad replied, beaming. “The other one is the old one. We just use it as a decoy.”
“Decoy?”
“Yes. Everything on land is a decoy. We have them up there for security.”
Decoys? What in the world was my dad talking about? “I... I don’t understand.”
My father clapped his hand on my shoulder. “In a few minutes, you will.”
I decided I had to trust my dad as I followed him down the spiral staircase because my mind couldn’t think of any feasible answer to explain the situation. We reached the front doors in the identical castle entrance hall, and with a flourish, my father pushed them open.
The scene I saw before me was unbelievable. Ornate stone buildings lined a wide, cobblestone street that was lit with dozens of large lanterns as it stretched up a hill. Hundreds of people walked in and out of shops and restaurants, talking, laughing, and sampling food that filled the air with delicious aromas.
“This is incredible!” I exclaimed, taking in the sights and sounds.
“This isn’t even the best part,” my dad commented. He led me up the street and as we crested the hill, the road ended and gave way to a sheer cliff that revealed a spectacular view of a massive city below us.
“Welcome to Gulbrania,” my father said, gesturing his hand out with obvious pride.
My eyes couldn’t take it all in. There were clusters of buildings as tall as skyscrapers and huge screens and lights glittering in between them. There were jagged rock formations jutting up throughout the city, making it seem all the more dramatic. There were streets and highways filled with exotic-looking cars and motorcycles. There were even small planes and helicopters flying above the buildings. Farther out there were apartment buildings and houses, with trees and parks and lakes. But I discovered the most enthralling feature when I looked above me. A lighted, transparent material stretched in all directions, and through it I could see all sorts of ocean life swimming and gliding around, from schools of tiny fish to massive whales.
“How is this possible?” I asked. “Where are we?”
“This is possible largely because of the Gulbranak,” my father responded, “and we are on the ocean floor.” He guided me to one of many orb-like elevators clinging to the side of the cliff, and gestured for me to get in. We began to descend into the city, the orb allowing us to view the scenery as we went. “The Gulbranians discovered Gulbranak several decades ago,” my dad explained. “When they realized the potential of the metal, they decided to build a hidden city to protect the Gulbranak from dangerous forces.” Reaching our destination, the orb opened and we stepped out onto a busy street. “Most of the outside world knows nothing about this part of Gulbrania,” he continued, “and we go to great lengths to keep it that way.”
I followed my father down the street, with the two bodyguards walking behind us. I noticed several people staring at us and whispering as we passed, and I felt my cheeks flush as a group of teenage girls pointed at me and giggled. I was used to being singled out and laughed at, but it wasn’t until we had gone a few more blocks that I realized they probably hadn’t been making fun of me.
I was so absorbed in taking in this underwater world that I almost didn’t notice my father turn down a small alleyway. At the end of the alley was a bolted door. He punched in a code on the side, then ordered the bodyguards to stay outside as he pulled me through the door. A short corridor opened up into a circular room encased in that same glowing, transparent material. I could see people scuba diving in the ocean outside of the room, holding tools that looked like really fancy drills.
“Right out there is where the majority of the Gulbranak is mined,” my dad announced. “We employ only the most skilled and trustworthy citizens to perform that work,” he added. “And back here,” he said, gesturing to a door we had passed in the corridor, “is where most of the Gulbranak is stored.” He activated a screen that required a handprint and turned to me. “Go ahead, Frederick.”
I placed my hand on the screen. At first, it just scanned it, but then I felt a sudden prick on my index finger.
“Ouch!” I yelped. “What was that?”
My father chuckled. “Access to the Gulbranak requires the correct fingerprints and DNA found in the blood.” The door slid open. “And as my son and the heir to the Gulbranian throne, you possess both,” he said solemnly.
I stepped forward into a massive room filled with the shiny green metal, stacked in tall, neat rows.
“You and I are the only people with access to this room,” my dad said, stepping up beside me. “Unfortunately, the Jumerum now know that the key to this room is in the DNA of the royal family. Previously, they believed they could just get to the Gulbranak by killing us off, which is why they killed your grandfather and made multiple attempts to kill me.” He turned to face me. “It is therefore imperative that you follow every order given to ensure your safety. Do you understand?”
His intensity was making me nervous. “Yeah, I get it, dad. I’ve been pretty good at self preservation so far, so I think I’ll be okay.”
He gave me a disapproving look. “I hope you’ll take this seriously, Frederick. Trillions of dollars and countless lives depend on the safety of this Gulbranak.”
Chapter Nine
Kayla
“Come in, Miss Morrison.”
I stepped into Mrs. Youngblood’s office, surprised at the barrenness of the walls. As vice principal, I thought she would have a number of degrees and certificates hanging in her office.
“I called you in today for a couple of reasons,” she explained, gesturing for me to sit in the chair across from her. “First, it seems you’ve been rather vocal against bullying.”
I shifted in my chair. “That kind of stuff has been bothering me a lot more than it used to,” I said. “I know I might have gone a little too far, but some of the things the students do to other kids is really terrible.”
Mrs. Youngblood nodded. “You’re right. We have an unusually bad problem with students tormenting one another at this school. Your cause is a good one, but the appropriate action to take in those circumstances is to report the offenses to a teacher or administrator instead of trying to take action yourself.”
“I understand,” I replied, even though I was unsure if reporting those things to teachers would really make any difference.
“The other issue I need to discuss with you,” Mrs. Youngblood continued, “is this incident you reported concerning Wyatt Brooks.”
I swallowed hard. I had been feeling better about that situation, but the formality of discussing it with the vice principal made me a little insecure.
“I have the details that your mother shared with me, and I know this may be difficult for you, but can you tell me what happened that night?”
I took a deep breath and recounted most of my experience with Wyatt at the homecoming dance. I held on to the edge of the desk to keep my hands from shaking. When I finished, Mrs. Youngblood nodded and typed some notes on her computer.
“Were there any witnesses to this event?” She asked. “Was anyone with you?”
“Yes. Frog, er... Frederick Vonnegan came into the room. He was actually the one who got Wyatt off of me.”
Mrs. Youngblood raised her eyebrows. “Have you been in contact with Mr. Vonnegan?”
I shrank a little in my chair. “No, I haven’t.”
Mrs. Youngblood didn’t say anything, but her thoughts were evident in the expression on her face. The only person that had seen the assault had been gone for over a month, and even I could admit that the thought of Frog overpowering Wyatt seemed a little far fetched.
Mrs. Youngblood clicked through a few things on her computer. “Kayla, tell me about your father.”
“He’s dead,” I said quickly. Mrs. Youngblood peered at me over the top of her computer. This was the lie I had been telling about my father ever since he went to prison. This is what all the students at the school believed, because that’s what I had told them. If Mrs. Youngblood knew the truth, she didn’t acknowledge it.
“Your family situation must have caused you considerable stress over the years,” she commented. “I’ve noticed other students in similar circumstances have acted out as a plea for attention.”
She gave me a meaningful look, and I immediately felt sick. Her indirect accusation stung me more than I could have imagined.
“We’ll continue this investigation,” Mrs. Youngblood said, standing, “but before we meet again, I would like you to do some soul searching.”
I could only nod in reply. I stood and exited her office as quickly as I could. I tried to keep the tears from coming as I walked down the hall. She didn’t believe me. Wyatt’s words from the other night began to haunt me and I wondered if anyone would believe me. I felt the feelings of fear and insecurity seep back into my mind, and at that moment I desperately wished that Frog was still there.
Chapter Ten
Frog
I groaned as I looked at the rack of clothing I still had to try on. I’d been in Mr. Norworth’s shop for over two hours, and my back was starting to hurt from always having to stand up straight. Mr. Norworth was supposedly the best tailor in Gulbrania. I didn’t know if that was true, but I did know that he was painstakingly thorough. Every inch of my body had been meticulously measured to ensure the right alterations. My mother had watched all this with mild amusement when she wasn’t answering important phone calls from department heads.
“Are all these clothes really necessary?” I mumbled to her while Mr. Norworth was in the back of the shop getting a more accurate measuring device.
“Frederick, you’re the prince of this country,” she replied with a sigh. “As such, you’re required to participate in various activities and events, and these require a more extensive wardrobe than a box full of T-shirts and jeans.”
I nodded reluctantly. It was a fair explanation, but I still didn’t like it. I had never worn so many different kinds of clothes in my life. There had been multiple suits and tuxedos,
sport coats, slacks, dress shirts, and ties, then there had been casual outfits, semi-casual outfits, and outfits made out of materials from specific countries that I would have to wear if I ever met with the leaders of those countries. I had even been fitted for several new sets of pajamas. I seriously doubted that anyone cared what I was wearing in the middle of the night. If nothing else, this experience was forcing me to get used to my reflection since I had been forced to stare at it for so long in the multiple mirrors in front of me.
“Here we are!” Mr. Norworth announced, waving his device as he walked up to me and ran it across the length of my shoulders. He looked at the small display and nodded. “Yes, yes, I was right. But I wanted to be sure!” He took a few more measurements and stuck some pins into the cloth. “Splendid! Take this riding suit off and let’s get on to the next one!”
I complied, rubbing my temples before taking the next suit off the rack. The short man’s never-ending enthusiasm was starting to grate on my nerves. I quickly pulled on a dark blue suit made of thick, rough fabric, with a high neck and oblong buttons that ran diagonally down my torso. My mother rose from her seat.
“Be careful with that one, Frederick,” she warned. “That’s the royal suit you’ll be wearing for your presentation gala.”
I gave her a weak smile. The gala was only a week away, and the thought of it still made me a little nauseous.
“Ah, yes,” Mr. Norworth interjected as he inspected the material. “I see that the Gulbranak is woven in.”
I looked down and noticed several shiny green strands running throughout the suit. Mr. Norworth walked around me, pulling at the suit and taking measurements.
“Once again, take in at the waist, let out in the shoulders,” he murmured.
At that moment I heard a chorus of squeals from outside the shop, and the next second, a dozen teenage girls had rushed through the door.
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