Memories and New Beginnings

After everything that happened at the ball, Rafar took me to my room and said goodbye. I lay there, replaying everything that had unfolded that day, running my fingers over my lips. Had he really kissed me?
And had I truly managed to save Cecília’s life?
Lost in my thoughts, I quickly fell asleep, my head sinking into the soft pillow.

***

“What are you doing?” I asked Kenji, who was carefully stitching a banana. The scene was bizarre, and I couldn’t make any sense of why he was doing it.
That day, the medical students had joined the engineering students for a collaborative class to explore ways to improve the equipment we designed for the hospital.
“Practicing sutures. If I perfect this, I’ll soon be performing my first surgery,” he replied, keeping his eyes focused on his work. The classroom gradually filled with students, and I turned my attention to my notes. There were countless perfectly aligned calculations, and I realized my notebook was full. I wouldn’t have any pages left for today’s lecture notes. The professor entered the room, and the class fell silent. He began his lecture, jotting important points on the board, and I glanced at Haruka, who stood beside another girl. She noticed my gaze but ignored me.

It was always like this. Some days she treated me like her best friend; on others, like a bug. I sighed and noticed Kenji watching me closely, as if suspecting I needed help. He slid a piece of paper with nearly illegible handwriting toward me. After some effort deciphering it, I understood the words:
“What’s wrong?”
I flipped the note over and wrote,  “I don’t have space in my notebook.” 

When the professor turned to the board again, I managed to pass the note back to him.

Kenji read my message and tore some pages out of his notebook. The sound of tearing paper drew attention, and the professor glared in his direction, ordering him to leave. Before leaving, Kenji handed me the pages with a smile.
In an act of defiance, I crumpled a paper ball and tossed it at Haruka.
“What is going on with you today? You don’t even act like university students! Out!” the professor bellowed angrily, and I left the room.

Kenji was in the hallway, looking out the window. I approached him, and he jumped in surprise when he saw me.
“What? How—?”
“I couldn’t let you take the fall alone. Now, show me that suture you were working on.”

***

I woke up with a start, gasping for air, as if something were choking me. And something was. My mother-in-law’s cruel eyes bored into me as she strangled me. Her metallic arms pressed heavily on my body. I tried to scream but couldn’t. Tears streamed down my face, and my hands flailed uselessly in an attempt to fight back.
“You won’t take my throne, little girl! Rafar will be under my control, and I will remain the queen of this kingdom forever!” Safira declared with a powerful voice.

Everything began to fade to white. My past flashed through my mind, and I wondered if my mother was okay. I thought of Haruka and realized I shouldn’t have let her actions upset me so much. Kenji was a good friend, and I should have made that clear. Rafar… I should have told him I loved him too.

A cold breeze swept through the window, and I noticed Alice standing near it. She moved her hands in strange patterns, and part of the ceiling exploded with a deafening roar. Safira shrieked in alarm. Rafar and the king burst through the door, but not before my mother-in-law released her grip from my neck.
“You… wretch!” Rafar shouted and shoved her aside. I felt his hands encircle me as he eased me back onto the pillow. His face was close, and his eyes carried a mix of fear and concern. I pulled his hand close to me and whispered softly,
“I love you too…”

Everything went dark, and I saw no more.

“Three days,” answered the nurse with long red hair and dark eyes when I asked how long I had been asleep.
A wave of regret washed over me. I didn’t have time to be sleeping! My mission was to prevent the uprising that was soon to occur in Lacorda, and most importantly, to find a way to protect myself from the queen.
“Why didn’t anyone wake me?” I asked, upset, but I immediately lowered my voice. It wasn’t their fault, and I knew it.

“Come on, I’ll take you to your room,” the redhead said, her expression unchanged. It didn’t take me long to notice that her mouth moved in an odd rhythm. She wasn’t human inside. Beneath her skin, there must be steel.

“What’s your name?” I asked. She looked at me indifferently.
“Carmen.”
“Aren’t you going to ask me mine?”
“Everyone already knows your name, princess,” she replied, and I widened my eyes in embarrassment.

“My room isn’t in this direction. It’s on the other side of the castle,” I said, realizing we were heading the wrong way. Carmen didn’t respond, continuing to escort me silently until we reached a large wooden door. She knocked three times, and Rafar opened it.

“You may leave,” he said, and the nurse left. I looked around, confused, and he pulled me inside.
“Welcome. I hope you like it.”
“But… what do you mean by that?”
“This is our room now. I will protect you, Mai.”