Kiss or Kill

Moments later, I find myself getting up even though I really don’t want to. I go to my 365 square-foot closet, looking for something to wear. I sift through the many gowns, rustle in my drawers, and make a complete mess of my closest, only to realize I wanted to wear a pale blue, off the shoulder, silk, ballgown. It is at the back of the closet on the last rack. I slip off my pajamas, and pull it on. Then, I go to my bathroom, and pull out an assortment of bobby pins, hair ties, and hair products. I go to the bathroom cabinet, and pull out my 1 inch curling iron, and plug it into the wall to heat up. While it is heating up, I grab some heat protectant and comb it through my hair. When that is finished, I section off my hair. When the iron is done heating up, I take it to my hair, Making sure to curl every strand of hair.

When I am done curling my hair, I begin to weave a dutch-braid across my head. Starting an inch above my left ear, wrapping around my head, and finishing the dutch part of the braid and inch and a half below my right ear, and braid normally down the rest of my hair, and secure it with an elastic hairband. When that is done, I gently fluff out the braid and wrap it into a bun on the side of my head. When my hair is finished, I move onto the makeup. I already know how to do an assortment of makeup looks, but I stick to doing a natural look. Skin tone eyeshadow with a slight shimmer, very little bronzer, a pale pink lipstick, and a little mascara. Finally, I am finished and it is time to go meet Prince Lukas.

When I reach the dining room, I see that it has been decorated and rearranged, with buffet tables stretching along the right wall, and an elegantly carved table in the center. Just from looking at it, you can tell that it is made of dark maple, with intricate carvings along the legs and the sides. It is an antique, most likely made in the early 1500’s. It has been covered in a long, ivory tablecloth, made of percale. There are eight place settings, four for Lukas’ family: himself, his sister, his mom, and his dad. And my family: myself, my brother, my mom, and my dad. The place settings each have a charger, soup bowl, a white wine glass, red wine glass, water glass, salad fork, dinner fork, dinner knife, soup spoon, dessert spoon, a napkin, bread plate, and a butterknife.

When I walk into the room, my family takes their seats, and we wait for Lukas and his family to arrive. My family looks a lot like me with their olive skin, dark brown hair, and warm, chocolate brown eyes, with flecks of gold and green. The only difference is the shape of our eyebrows, nose, and mouth. My mother is wearing a dark blue, strapless, floor-length gown and blue eyeshadow, with her hair in a braided-rose half-updo. My father is wearing a white and gold, tailored suit, with his hair slicked back and parted down the middle. My brother is wearing an ivory and black, tuxedo, with his hair combed. When the Copeland’s arrive, my family and I rise to greet them.

“Welcome to our kingdom. We are very happy to have you,” says my dad.

“We are pleased to be here. It is very beautiful,” remarks King Benjamin.

“Hello, Aria. I am glad to finally meet you,” says Lukas. “I’m happy to finally meet you as well,” I lie.

When we finished the greetings, all of us headed over to the table to eat. Lukas and I walked arm in arm to the table, and my brother, Noah, walked Lukas’ sister, Alice, hand in hand. I try to shrug away from my betrothed, but he clings onto me, grinning almost possessively. My mom and dad held hands, and so did King Benjamin and Queen Georgina.

Once everyone was seated, the adults started talking about the economy-how it was doing, if anything was wrong, trade deals-while Lukas and his sister tried to make conversation with my brother and I; my brother was following my lead, waiting for me; it didn’t go well. After the first 5 minutes of that, they just stayed silent. Oh well, I guess I have to keep up the act. So I started the conversation. I was just opening my mouth to ask about their lives, when my dad said while laughing, “Come on everybody, lets eat!”

We all made our way to the buffet table with our plates. I got a salad, then made my way back to the table. My brother got a steak with mashed potatoes and corn. My mom got a salad, like me. Lukas got the same thing as my brother, but with a salad as well. My dad got three pieces of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a bowl of corn. Queen Georgina got a salad and soup. And King Benjamin got a hamburger, two hotdogs, and some steak fries.

After a few silent minutes, my dad gets down to business. The adults talk about our wedding, engagement, and the benefits for each one. When Lukas, Alice, Noah, and I are done eating, my dad sees the look on our faces, and suggests that we all go to my room and hang out. “Why don’t you all go change, I know it has been a long day,” he recommends. “You’re probably wanting to change into something more comfortable.”

“I know I am!” Lukas blurts. I glare at him, but my father continues to speak with a smile. “You’ll find some regular clothes in your dresser. Why don’t you meet back up in Aria’s room in about five minutes?” he announces. I open my mouth to protest, but my father shoots me a knowing glare. I snap my mouth shut, scowling across the table at the new royals. Everyone nods and walks off. I see Lukas slowly sauntering down the stairs. I want to say that he is stalling, but I have no clue.

“Couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you,” I spit, feeling the bitterness from being forced to marry this man get to me. He looks back at me, grinning crookedly. “Oh, is the future queen still bugged about the fact that she gets an opportunity no other girl will get?” he retorts, his eyes gleaming. “I hope you know that every other girl in your pathetic kingdom would die to meet me, and yet you’re here moping about it.” His jade eyes glide over my body, scrutinizing every stitch in my dress. When his gaze finally lifts to meet mine, he looks like he wants to kill me. “Be grateful for what you have, my little princess.”

I throw my head back, laughing. “I’ll take their place over you any day of the week! And don’t you dare call me your little princess. I’m much more powerful than you’ll ever be.”

We stand there in a moment of silence. Then suddenly, without warning, he strides toward me and I see his hand reach up to the back of my neck, then trail down my arm, to the small of my back, and finally settling on my wrist, clamping his fingers around my skin. He squeezes, making my wrist go bright red from the blood rushing into it. The pain is excruciating, spreading through my skin. Then his grip softens and he grins, his emerald eyes burning into my brown ones. “Keep your hands off me,” I growl through clenched teeth, but he doesn’t let go until I find the strength to wrench myself away. With a final smirk, Lukas says, “I should go change. I shouldn’t be stuck talking to someone who doesn’t appreciate the efforts her parents have made for them.” Then he turns on his heel, walking away as if nothing happened. I clench my fists, restraining myself as to not murder him on the spot.

I head down the hallway to my room, and into the closet, where I slip out of my dress, and into a pair of gray, cotton sweatpants, and a white, cotton T-shirt. Then, I head to the bathroom, and pull the pins out of my hair, and take out the braid; letting my hair fall down my back in soft waves. Next, I get out a bottle of makeup remover, and wash my face.

A few minutes later, there is a soft knock on the door. I walk over to the door to find Lukas, Alice, and my brother standing outside. Each of them look expectant, which is unsettling, but I manage to smile anyways.

“Come in,” I hiss through clenched teeth. I attempt to keep the jaw-tightening grin plastered onto my face, which aches from moving my mouth muscles so much.

They trail in, Lukas leading, Noah following, and Alice bringing up the rear. When Alice walks into the room, her mouth falls open in shock. Her eyes flitted across the room, stopping at the queen sized bed with satin sheets and a large, down comforter. Then her eyes scanned the rest of the room, stopping at the large bookshelf, packed with books, her eyes taking every inch.

“I absolutely love your room,” Alice gasped, her golden eyes brightening.

“Thank you, Alice. I’m sure your room looks wonderful, too,” I replied.

I love Alice. She is very beautiful, with the same honey-blond hair as her brother, and hazel eyes that are fringed with pale lashes. She is also very smart for being two years younger than me. She is around my brother’s age, 16, and matches his personality very well. Both of them couldn’t care less about their appearance, they are both very kind, and very stubborn.

I lead them toward my bed, and sit down, patting the space on the bed to indicate that they are welcome to sit down. When we are all seated in a cross-legged fashion, we sit in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Noah starts up a conversation.

“So, how are you guys? I mean, I know you are from the Kingdom of Keodessa, and I know that you are known for your weaponry, but other than that, we really don't know much about you.” Noah begins. “Our parents wouldn’t tell us much more about Keodessa.”

“Well,” Lukas starts. “I am known for fencing, and Alice here is known for her clothes. She loves to create beautiful pieces for people to wear.” He glances proudly at his sister, who beams at us. Then he looks back at me, smiling. We make conversation, talking about our kingdoms and school; ignoring the whole “arranged marriage” idea. Suddenly, Noah looks over Alice, to my nightstand and at the clock. “Hey guys,” he said while rising. “It is getting really late, we should probably go to bed.” We all nod. Alice, Noah, and Lukas stand up and walk toward the door. “Good idea,” I say as I turn off the lights and shut the door.