Calina
༺♔༻

I shuffled through the room as quietly as possible. It was well past midnight, and I didn't want to wake my roommate, Debbie. But as luck would have it, the moment I closed the door, Debbie's voice pierced the silence.

"Guess what, Callie?" she squealed with excitement, jolting me from my fatigue.

I sighed inwardly.

"What is it?" I asked , trying my best to sound interested.

Debbie beamed at me. "The social chair for Zeta Tau just called and personally invited me to their party. Can you believe it? This is huge!"

I cringed at the decibel of her voice. Tossing my backpack into the closet, I muster a halfhearted smile.

"I won't be back until Monday. Don't touch my stuff."

I wrinkled my nose at her unmade bed and the disaster of clothes spilling from her closet. It looked like her closet had vomited all over her side of the room. What did she think? I would get bored and clean it up for her?

"Don't worry, neat freak, I'll clean it up later," Debbie said dismissively, rolling her eyes.

No, she won't.

She clasped a silver necklace around her throat and then ran her hands down her bubble gum pink strapless dress while gazing in the long mirror. She prattled about how great the sorority party was going to be. I tuned her out but nodded at the appropriate times as I finished getting ready for a long night of studying.

Finally, Debbie slipped into a pair of shiny platform stilettos and hurriedly said goodbye, leaving me alone in the now eerily quiet room. It was a stark contrast to the chaos and excitement of the past few hours. On the bright side, I had managed to avoid getting caught by the fraternity guys, and now I had two uninterrupted nights to immerse myself in my history textbooks and study for the upcoming exam.

♔

"The male species sucks!" Raine's voice echoed through my room.

I jolted awake, my eyes widening as they darted around, scanning for any signs of intrusion. Raine's miniature holographic projection had popped up on the holocomms, standing on my cluttered desk.

"Fall asleep at your desk again?" Raine asked, hands on her hips, her image flickering in the bluish glow of the hologram.

"History is the pits, I swear." I swiped at the drool on my chin and stretched out my aching limbs. I didn't think I made it through a single chapter. At this rate, I was definitely going to fail this class.

"What's up? Why are you calling me so early?" I inquired, dragging myself out of the cushioned wooden chair and stumbling toward the bathroom. I cracked the door so I could still hear her.

"Well, it's ten-thirty in the morning, so, you know, not exactly early. But I wanted to tell you about my disastrous breakfast date," Raine said.

I quickly washed my hands, then grabbed my toothbrush. "Why was it a bust?" I mumbled around the toothbrush, leaning against the doorframe to signal that I was listening.

"That guy you met last night... the one I invited for the breakfast date..." Raine hesitated, her voice tinged with concern.

"Yeah?" I encouraged her to continue, now fully focused on the conversation.

"Well, it turns out he was only interested in you. He knew your name, the one your parents call you when you're in trouble," Raine revealed, her words hanging in the air.

A sense of unease washed over me. No one at this school called me Calina, not even the professors.

Frowning, I spit out the toothpaste into the sink. "Last night was the first time I had ever seen him. How could he possibly know my name?"

"I don't know. He was very intrigued with you and asked if you'd be joining me for lunch. I told him your schedule was packed for the weekend and I left. Of course, a guy like that would be sucked into those gorgeous violet eyes of yours. I noticed that he couldn't stop looking at you last night, but I still had a semi-crush on him and he definitely harbored feelings for you. I think you should go for it, Callie. Get back in the game."

Raine laughed. "Your expression is priceless."

I shook out of my stupor and sent her a dirty look, walking back toward my desk to tower over her hologram. "I've given up on dating. At least until I'm out of-"

"College. Yeah, yeah, I know. What I don't understand is why you sometimes act like you're still hung up on Dean. You broke up with him."

"Dean has nothing to do with this," I snapped, feeling my irritation rise. "This isn't about him."

It really wasn't about him. Dean wasn't a touchy subject. Not anymore. I snapped because I was kind of hungry and something felt off with this stranger lurking around.

"Then what is it about? Because I think you deserve to be happy, and maybe this guy is worth a shot," Raine said, her tone softening.

"I just don't have time for the nonsense dating would bring into my life. I will worry about a relationship when I'm out of school."

I rubbed my stomach as it made a loud growling protest. I had wanted to go back to sleep, but first, I'd have to see what was left in the dining hall.

"That guy where did you say he was from? The reason you were..." and then it hit me like a brick to the face. He was from United Greecia. That was how she stumbled across the picture of Ariadne.

"I have to go, Rai. I'll see you on Monday." I ended the call before she could respond.

Shit.

There was very little chance this was a coincidence.

»»♔««

The dining hall was empty, filled only with lunch aids preparing for their shift and Robo-maids wiping tables and cleaning floors. The autonomous cleaning robots sounded cool but they were basically clunks of metal with sensors and robotic arms. It used to be frustrating that my parents' fear of the world had prevented me from attending schools with slightly more advanced AI. But now, I understood. My life had been in danger and we didn't know if the threat had been contained.

The guy that Raine had a breakfast with, I couldn't remember if she ever mentioned his name, might be a threat.

I wondered if I should tell my parents. I would rather not alarm them though. My hope was that he was from that country and found it interesting that I favored the late queen.

I managed to scrounge up a meager breakfast of stale toast and cold scrambled eggs. I hardly tasted it as I ate quickly and raced to the mailroom.

Two months ago I applied for a passport. I never told anyone. Especially my parents.

However, after completing all the paperwork and having my picture taken, I faced an unexpected setback. The passport processing system malfunctioned, causing delays. I checked my email every day for a week, growing more frustrated by the fact that I couldn't travel outside of Freedom without it.

And I had plans. I wanted to fulfill my ultimate dream-visiting the Kingdom of Elysium. They were the most advanced country in the world. With flying cars and autonomous buses that zoomed across the sky. The Kingdom even offered supersonic space tourism, with floating aircraft hotels for the privileged elite. Of course, it was only accessible to the filthy rich. But I didn't know if traveling was even an option now. Not now that I understood the importance of remaining hidden.

I entered the PIN number for my mailbox and swung the metal door open. Sadness filled my chest as I reached through the slot, grasping the sealed envelope. It would be such a shame to destroy it.

"Hey, Calina, could I talk to you?" a voice asked from behind.

"No one calls me that," I mumbled over my shoulder, my eyes fixed on the envelope in my hands. I had talked myself into destroying my passport while eating my meager scraps. But now, the only thing preventing me from traveling was the lack of an airplane ticket in my hands.

"Why? It's a beautiful name," the stranger said.

"I never said it wasn't. It's just... so official and sort of serious. I don't know. Why do you know it?" Frustration crept into my tone as I turned towards the person who had addressed me. It was Raine's crush, those copper eyes of his lighting up as if we were long-lost friends reuniting after years apart. He leaned against the neighboring mailboxes, flashing a sincere smile and taking a step closer, as if he hoped it would get me all flustered with building anticipation.

It only annoyed me.

"Look, I'm in the middle of something very important. I know most women would be flattered that a really cute guy knows their name, but I'm not one of them. I'm busy," I said, not even trying to hide my irritation.

I was waging an inner war to either do the right thing and destroy temptation or just cave and visit one place. Just one.

"Your grandmother sent me to-"

"Wait, I'm going to stop you right there. I don't have a grandmother. You must have me confused with someone else," I interrupted, dismissing his claim.

"There's another Calina with violet eyes?" he asked skeptically, cocking his head to the side and a tiny smirk of sarcasm on his thin lips.

"Apparently. Now, please leave me alone. I'm asking nicely. If I have to ask again, I might have to put your pretty little face through these lockers," I threatened, my frustration pushing me dangerously close to the edge.

He inhaled sharply, then exhaled. "You are in grave danger. Forces are at play that you cannot comprehend. Your grandmother sent me to ensure your safety." His copper eyes seemed to melt into honey as his unwavering gaze lingered on mine.

"And why should I trust you? I don't even know your name," I stated with defiance.

"My name is Henry," he said softly, his voice like velvet. "And whether you believe it or not, you are the heir to the kingdom of United Greecia, and there are those who would do anything to prevent you from claiming your rightful place. Your kingdom needs you, and the forces against us are growing stronger. We don't have much time."

I laughed, a sharp, mirthless sound. "This is ridiculous. I'm supposed to believe a stranger that I'm some lost princess? You're insane, Henry. Get the hell out of my face," I growled, pushing at his shoulder. He stumbled back a few steps, completely surprised by my audacity.

For a moment, Henry looked like he was going to argue, but then he sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Fine. I can see you need time to process this. But remember what I said, Calina. You're not safe here."

With one last lingering look, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the hallway.

I stood there, my heart pounding, the envelope still clutched tightly in my hand.

Shit. How had I been discovered so quickly? I had just found out that I was of royal descent. And now suddenly, the Greecians were looking for me? To protect me? Was this some kind of sadistic test from my parents to see if I'd confide in them? Were they trying to trick me into running away from the world at the first sign of danger? Danger that probably wasn't even real.

Taking a deep breath, I ripped open the package, my fingers trembling.

The ink on the identification page of my passport glistened under the sun as I walked across the campus. A tingling sense of liberation flowed through me as I flipped through the blank pages. Finally, I had a real chance at adventure and pursuing my dreams. There was no time to waste; my mind was made up. If I were really in danger, then it would have to wait until I checked this one thing off my bucket list. I was flying to the kingdom of Elysium tonight. It meant I'd fail my exam, but I didn't care. I could retake the class over the summer. Or if my life really was in grave danger, my parents would whisk me away to some faraway corner where a degree wouldn't matter anyway. I wanted to live in the moment. And this moment chanted: Elysium.

Elysium was a kingdom I had read about in books, a place of legend and beauty. With the winding streets of Elysian towns, the grand halls of beautiful castles, and the rhythmic melodies of flamenco echoing through plazas, it promised a real chance at a journey of self-discovery, of embracing the unknown, and of following the whispers of my soul as it soared toward the horizon on the flying city buses.