by Mia Archer
I figured that would be a good way to get kicked out of the park for good, though, so I didn’t do it. Besides, it still seemed Amelia had something going on back there that I might be interrupting.
I don’t know how long I stood there staring up at the station where Amelia had just departed with a goofy grin plastered on my face. I was finally pulled out of my funk by a familiar voice off to the side.
“Dani? Is that you?”
I shook my head and cleared out some of that tingly fuzz that was clouding my thoughts. I turned and saw Sarah coming up to me along with Devon and a few other seniors. None of them were Colin, thankfully. The last thing I needed was for him to come along and completely ruin this totally awesome day I’d just had. Sure he’d been put in his place earlier, but even seeing him was enough to frustrate and annoy.
“Sarah? What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“What am I doing out here? What the heck are you doing out here?” she asked. “You disappeared and then I didn’t hear from you all day! I thought you might’ve been kidnapped or something when I finally realized…”
I snorted out a laugh. It was nice to know Sarah thought about me, but it seemed she’d been so busy enjoying herself with Devon that she completely forgot about me for most of the day. I could only imagine her panic at the end of the night as she realized that not only had she not heard from me all day, but she’d also completely forgotten to stay in touch with me.
Not that I could get mad at her for that. After all, I’d been more than distracted myself. I certainly hadn’t tried to get in touch with her all day long.
“I was busy,” I said.
“Busy? All on your own in the park?”
The tone of her voice said she knew damn well I hadn’t been all on my own in the park. She was digging again, and I wasn’t inclined to tell her what she wanted to know.
“Um, something like that,” I said.
I wasn’t in a mood to get into the details of what I’d been up to all day. Not here in front of people who might blab and give Colin ammunition for… something. I don’t know. He knew about Amelia, so there wasn’t a good reason for all the secrecy. I suppose it was a testament to how miserable he’d made me since prom that I was afraid he’d be able to turn around something like the best night of my life and make it a negative. The asshole.
Sarah gave me a funny look. A look that said she knew I was trying to be sneaky. That I was going to get more questions later. That meant I could deal with it later, though.
“I’m surprised you’re still out here risking Fredericks’ wrath,” Sarah said.
“What are you talking about? It’s not that late is it?”
I pulled out my phone and fired it up. I looked to the info bar running along the top of the phone and my heart stopped. It was after midnight. Okay, so maybe I’d been more distracted by spending time with Amelia than I thought. I guess the old saying about time flying when you’re having fun really was true.
“Shit. What are we going to do?”
“Well all of us are over eighteen, so it’s not like Fredericks can do anything,” Devon said.
“Yeah, you heard him at the beginning. He can’t do anything to us and he can’t enforce a curfew,” Sarah said, though I could tell from the tone in her voice that she didn’t believe that.
When it came to getting people in trouble, Fredericks found a way.
“You know that’s bullshit,” I said. “He also said we were still under his control until the end of this trip. You know he’ll find a way to make us miserable. Especially if we’re out late the night before his precious parade.”
Everyone else standing behind Sarah looked nervous. They started shuffling around and glancing nervously up towards the station.
“I guess we’ve got no choice but to go back and hope he got tired and went to bed,” Sarah said.
I fixed her with a look that told her how likely I thought that was. It was funny. Earlier I would’ve been way more terrified at the idea of facing Fredericks’ wrath, but now that I’d been chased through the park by real security the idea of Fredericks being pissed off at me didn’t hold the same terror it would have a few hours ago. That and I was still too happy and drunk on everything that happened with Amelia to care too much about Fredericks getting mad.
“Yeah, whatever,” I said. “Let’s go and hope for the best.”
We rode back in silence. I could tell Sarah wanted to ask me what went on after we parted ways earlier, but she was also smart enough not to say anything in a crowd. Everyone else seemed to be too preoccupied with the thought of getting in trouble to say much of anything. That was the problem with doing something that would get you in trouble. It was fun while it was happening, but facing the punishment always sucked.
I just hoped Fredericks wouldn’t be there. Or if he was that we’d have strength in numbers. Maybe he’d decided it was too much of a pain to punish all the graduated seniors. I knew that was wishful thinking even as the thought ran through my head.
So we hopped on the elevated train and rode the circuit between the various resorts. I craned my neck to look out the window as we pulled to a stop at the expensive resort where I’d met Amelia yesterday. I shivered as I thought about the strange turn of events that led me to run into her. The platform was completely empty now, though. No crowds of people looking to go to the park late, and definitely none of those people who’d been milling around the place.
I still wondered what was up with that. I almost thought it had something to do with Amelia, and then chided myself for thinking that way.
We pulled out of the station and I stared down at the paths I’d walked with Amelia yesterday. I sighed. It was a ghost town now with nobody in sight. I don’t know why I expected to see her down there. She was probably safely asleep in her room at this point. Nothing like me going to potentially get in some seriously deep shit.
When we arrived at our station it was also completely deserted aside from one guy waiting to open the gates. I glanced around as I stepped out, but there wasn’t a single chaperone in evidence.
“I think we’re going to make it,” I said.
Everyone in our group seemed relieved in their own way. A couple of people stood straighter. There were a few smiles. Sarah reached out and gave Devon’s hand a squeeze as they fixed each other with a sickly cute smile that made me want to puke. Was that what I looked like with Amelia earlier?
Thinking of Amelia filled me with an ache in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t fair that she was out there somewhere, so close, and yet I couldn’t be near her.
“I told you they were probably all in bed,” I said as we made our way down the stairs to the ground level. Amelia’s expensive resort had their platform built into the second floor of the hotel, but there wasn’t anything super fancy like that at our budget resort.
“You’re right Danielle. All the chaperones are in bed,” a familiar voice said.
I stopped and squeezed my eyes shut. A girl behind me let out a surprised yelp. Mr. Fredericks stepped into a pool of light cast by a streetlight overhead. He’d been hiding back there, the sneaky bastard.
“Mr. Fredericks,” Sarah said. “I can explain…”
“You don’t need to explain,” Devon said. “We’re eighteen and we’re graduated. What are you going to do?”
There was more than a hint of defiance to his voice. I was surprised he’d dare to talk to Fredericks like that. He must be feeling his oats now that he was graduated, but then again he’d never gotten along with Mr. Fredericks all that well to begin with when we were all still in school.
Mr. Fredericks looked at each of us in turn and then his eyes came to rest on Devon. Devon, for his part, shifted uncomfortably under that gaze. He might be graduated, but it seemed the terror Fredericks could strike into the heart of even the most difficult student was still very much there.
“You might be graduated, Mr. Thomas, but right now you’re in my band which means you’re followin
g my rules. My rules which involved strongly encouraging you to follow your curfew, though it seems you couldn’t be bothered to read between the lines of my speech yesterday.”
He sighed. Pulled his glasses off and worked at something on them with his shirt. He put them back on and looked at each of us in turn again.
“You’re all on thin ice right now, but you also need sleep if you’re going to be in top shape for the parade tomorrow. I want all of you in bed, now. I’ll decide how to deal with you sneaking in this late in the morning.”
The crowd broke up after that exchange. I waited for a moment while Sarah and Devon finished up saying their goodnights, though there wasn’t all that much talking going on. Looking at that made me jealous of the girl I didn’t have with me to say goodnight like that and so eventually I turned away and looked off into the distance towards the twinkling lights of the resort she was staying at. I could see the tall buildings even from here, shining across the lake at the center of the resorts.
I shivered despite the warm evening air and desperately hoped I’d get a chance to see her again. I know she’d promised, but there seemed to be things going on with Amelia. Things she didn’t feel comfortable telling me about. Things that could conspire to prevent us from meeting, though that might just be the worst case scenario part of my brain projecting itself on the Amelia situation.
“You ready to head back to the room?”
I jumped as Sarah came up behind me. She cocked an eyebrow and I smiled. “Sure, let’s go!”
“You seem awfully happy for someone who just got chewed out by Fredericks. Usually you hate it when he gets pissed off about something,” she said.
It was pretty obvious that Sarah was fishing. I was happy about something and she wanted to know what that something was. She was already suspicious earlier, and I’m sure my disappearing for most of the day didn’t help.
Still, I had no intention of telling her. I didn’t feel like explaining that Fredericks getting upset about me getting back past curfew was peanuts compared to what he would’ve done if he discovered I’d snuck to another resort and went on a climbing expedition over forbidden territory in the park. Yeah, considering everything I’d done yesterday and today I figured I was getting off pretty damn easy.
“So are you going to tell me what happened with you today?”
I turned to her and smiled, but didn’t say anything. Let her think what she wanted to think. I wasn’t giving anything away that I didn’t have to. I put a finger to my lips to let her know just how much I was going to say.
“Fine, but you can’t keep whatever this is secret forever,” Sarah said. “I know that goofy grin on your face. You’re up to something and I’m going to find out what it is.”
“Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t,” I said.
Sarah sighed, but she at least seemed to give up on finding out what I was up to today.
“Y’know tomorrow is going to be a real pain in the ass. Marching in a midday parade under the hot sun with no sleep? Talk about Sucksville, population us.”
“You’re probably right,” I said as we got to our room and I used my keycard to unlock the thing. “I’m sure it was worth it for you to have your day with Devon though.”
“Yeah, about as much as you think it was worth it to sneak off with whoever you were with,” Sarah said.
I deliberately didn’t look over at her as I got my makeup remover out and went to work. I desperately wanted to collapse on the bed and go to sleep, but it would play hell with my complexion if I didn’t do this now. I’d certainly regret it in the morning with the way I’d been sweating in the hot sun all day long. Not a good combination.
“You’re good,” Sarah muttered. “But you’re going to slip up and I’m going to find out what it is you’re hiding.”
“Keep dreaming, Sarah,” I said as I finished up and collapsed on my bed. It was time to do some dreaming of my own. Besides, the faster I went to sleep the sooner I’d wake up and I’d be that much closer to seeing Amelia again.
I drifted to sleep smiling at that thought.
20: Amelia
2635
I woke up the next morning after a night of fitful sleep. It was difficult to really get comfortable after that conversation with father. He hadn’t even let me get in a word edgewise to explain. He was brisk and to the point.
“I just wanted to see you and make sure you were okay. We’ll speak when I arrive, Amelia.”
At least mother wasn’t with him. That would’ve made the situation that much worse. Much easier to deal with father on his own. He was far less likely to go into hysteric.
Those words echoed through my head all night long. They dominated my dreams in nightmares where father chased me and Dani through the park with Felix right behind him cackling in glee. I knew that if he caught me that would be the end of any time I spent with Dani, and the thought of not seeing her again terrified me far more than anything else.
The scene shifted again and father and Felix were gone. I was on the Princess Cruise with Dani. She leaned in to kiss me, only this time before she could kiss me she let out a shriek of horror. I turned to see an animatronic prince, only instead of a robotic prince it was Felix turning to smile at us. As I watched in horror he stepped free of the metal bits keeping him rooted to the floor, sparks dancing all around, as he ran towards our boat. I felt his hand on my shoulders shaking me.
“Amelia! I’ll get you Amelia!” he shouted, laughing like a maniac. “Ameliaaaaaa! Wake up!”
I paused. That sounded almost like… Renata? Why did Felix sound like Renata there at the end? I blinked and when my eyes opened I was in my hotel room staring up at Renata who was looking down at me with concern written plain in her eyes. I was drenched in sweat, clothes and bed soaked alike, and I had to stop for a moment and calm down.
Damn that had been an intense nightmare. I could do without those. No wonder I had trouble sleeping!
I blinked a couple of times to clear the sleep haze away. For a moment I thought Renata might be part of another dream. It was the only explanation for her being in my room. I figured she would’ve been sent packing back to Allora, or maybe fired and left to her own devices here in the states considering she was American, but there she was.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Good to see you this morning as well,” she said with a smile.
I sat up. “No, seriously. What are you doing here? I figured you would’ve been banished or fired after everything that happened last night.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Last night. Is father in yet?”
“His plane is due to land in a few hours, and he’ll have some official stuff to take care of on landing. Turns out a visiting foreign head of state can’t just fly in to talk with his daughter without getting a bit of pomp and circumstance in his honor. In the meantime you have some duties of your own to attend to today.”
I sighed. Whatever I did today, it wasn’t going to be nearly as fun as the last two days in the park with Dani. This was the day when the park was supposedly going to roll out the red carpet for me, but I would’ve gladly given it up for a moment with her.
“You know one of the things they’ll have you doing is watching a parade. I think there are a few bands performing today that might interest you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know so much? I mean, why would I care about some high school band from Ohio playing the parade?”
Renata put a finger to her lips. “I didn’t say it was a high school band, or from Ohio, now did I?”
My mouth hung open. Damn it. It was the sleep haze that got me to screw up like that Renata grinned. She knew she had me.
“Don’t you worry about how I know so much,” she said. “That’s my job, after all. Now are you going to get ready or not?”
“I suppose I should,” I said.
“One thing to keep in mind, Amelia,” Renata said. I turned to face her, my eyebrow arched in a question. “Felix ha
s decided you’re a flight risk. He’s going to bring out the big guns today. It might be best if you laid low for today only.”
I nodded, though I didn’t have any intention of following that advice. I knew exactly what was going to happen today. Father would arrive, Felix would tell him his version of events, father would believe him over his own daughter again, and I’d be spirited away to Allora where I wouldn’t be able to see Dani again. Sure maybe I could look her up online or something, but I knew it wouldn’t be the same.
It was crazy, but I was falling for that girl. I needed to be near her. I’d do almost anything to be near her. Even if that meant doing the opposite of “laying low” for the day.
I stepped out of the room to find a hallway lined with security people. Felix stood at the end without the hint of a smile anywhere in evidence on his smarmy face. Even if the smile wasn’t there, though, I could tell he was supremely satisfied with himself.
“Your majesty. The park is expecting you, so don’t screw it up.”
I nodded to him, summoning every bit of my mother that I could dredge up in that moment. She was my go-to example for being haughty and just a little stuck up. She did it like no other.
“I will have words with father about what you’ve done to me this trip,” I said.
“Just as I’ll have words about you sneaking out. Twice,” Felix replied. “We’ll see who your father sides with.”
I ignored him and walked on. I heard the security detail falling into step behind me. It was difficult not to hear them. It sounded like a stampede of people in comfortable dress shoes causing a minor earthquake behind me with their steps. I instinctively went for the elevator to head for the train like I’d done the past two days, but I felt a hand at my elbow and turned to see Renata there.