As my fingers hover over my keyboard, I glance to my notepad next to me and scan my notes from my interview with the city’s mayor. I want to make sure that I include all the important parts of our discussion.
After the incident with the King the other day, I want to distance myself from the royals and the chaos following the attack. However, I can’t seem to keep my mind off of it. It doesn’t help that my idiot friend, Chris, has gotten me involved in it too.
Technically, I happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, but I’m not going to let my friend end up in the custody of the royal guards either. Okay. So, that day isn’t my best day. If I had been thinking properly, I would have left the area and let Chris fend for himself.
Why of all days do I pick that particular day to act like a good friend? Yes. I consider Chris one of my good friends, but would I really go to jail for him?
Ugh… This is driving me crazy. I have to stop thinking about that day. However, the image of Chris’ goons shooting at the King has been burned into my mind. I may become old and lose my memories, but I don’t think that I will ever lose that memory.
The screams of the crowd still echo in my mind, along with the stench of gun powder and the burning my nose from the scent. I’m still not sure exactly who is the one shooting or if there is only one shooter or more. All I know is that I was focused on getting Chris out of there before the royal guards could get to him.
One of the things that I forget to ask him the few times that we talk since then is whether the rest of his idiot crew had gotten away. I’m not hearing anything in the royal announcements, so I have no idea. I’m just hoping that if they are in custody, they don’t say anything about me.
I know that it is selfish, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in jail. I’m too young for that. Plus, I have so many goals that I want to accomplish. If I somehow get arrested for trying to save my friend, Chris will switch from being my friend to being my enemy in two seconds.
“Shane. Shane.”
My mind snaps back to reality, as my hands fall on my keyboard and various letters scroll across the computer monitor. I whip my hands off the keyboard, as I mumble, “Shit.”
I grab my mouse and highlight all the various extra letters. With my attention still on the monitor, I huff, “What do you want Blake? Can’t you see that I’m a little busy right now?”
As I scan the document to make sure that I have deleted all the extra letters, Blake clicks his tongue. “Tsk. Tsk. Do you call getting lost in your own thoughts as being busy?”
If he could only know the truth, he will probably agree that it is being busy.
I sigh and shake my head, while I keep my attention on the monitor. “Whatever. What do you want?”
I do a final check to make sure that I have gotten everything correct before I save the document. This article is due in a little bit, and I can’t risk losing it all right before the deadline.
Blake huffs, “Did you hear about what the royal guards are doing?”
Royal guards. Could it be something to do with the attack?
As I open my email and attach the document, I shake my head and glance over the short cubicle wall at Blake. “Did something happen?”
His eyes open wider, as he leans forward. “You didn’t hear? I thought that you would have heard before me. You always have information long before I do. Shane, are you slipping or losing your touch with getting information before everyone else?”
I’m not losing my touch. My number one go-to person, Chris, isn’t going out much. To be completely correct, I have forbidden Chris from going out, to keep him from being captured. However, if the royal guards have any credible information about him, the guards would have already arrested Chris. More than likely, the guards would also be torturing Chris for more information by now.
I turn my attention back to my monitor and begin typing out the email to my boss and attach the article about the city’s mayor. “I’m losing my touch. Nope. I’m just busy with everything that is going on. So, are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess? If I have to guess, I’m giving up already. I don’t want to play that kind of game.”
I have more important things to do than to try and play this guessing game with Blake.
As I send my article to my boss, Blake sighs. “Shane, you are no fun today. Okay. I’ll tell you.”
I shift in my seat and turn my whole attention towards Blake. “Okay. I’m listening.”
Well, I’m not really listening, but Blake will sulk if I don’t give him my full attention. Right now, I don’t need to deal with a sulking friend on top of everything else.
A faint smile dances across Blake’s face as he leans slightly forward again. His light brown eyes sparkle in delight.
I bite my lower lip and contain a chuckle trying to escape.
In a hush voice, Blake says, “My sources are telling me that the royal guards along with the royal’s security staff are pulling all the reporters, that have written about the attack on the King, into their offices. The word on the street is that the security company is trying to find some additional information on the King’s attack. However, I find that aspect odd, since the security company has some of the best equipment that is made.”
A cold shiver runs down my back.
Are the royal guards coming for me too?
I have to contact Chris and let him know what is going on. That is if Chris hasn’t been taken into custody yet.
Ugh… How can Chris be associated with something like this?
Gulp.
With my eyes on Blake, I tentatively ask, “Are they pulling in all the reporters who wrote stories on the attack?”
Blake shrugs his shoulders and sits back upright. “I don’t know. What I’ve heard is that a few of the reporters have been taken in, but I wouldn’t put it past the royal guard and the royal’s security to pull everyone in and ask them about the events.
The cameras around the venue are good, but often times, first-hand experience is so much better.”
Gulp.
I can’t argue with that. No matter how many cameras I’ve watched regarding an event, I always go with first-hand experience. With this high-profile event, I’m sure that the royal guards and the security company are going to interview everyone there. However, where do you start?
Of course, you start with the reporters who are writing articles about the event.
Shit. Why didn’t I think about this?
This isn’t good.
It is only a matter of time now, before either the royal guards or the security comes to get me. What do I say?
No matter what I say, I have to keep calm. Otherwise, I might as well be holding a big blinking sign with an arrow pointing towards me and scream, “I know everything. Ask me about everything.”
I wonder if Chris knows about this.
I glance at my phone. I want to warn him but knowing the royal security is now looking at reporters, I don’t dare contact him. It may put him in danger.
How do I warn Chris without actually calling or messaging him directly?
As I look at my father again, I choke down the lump in my throat, while I blink back the tears fighting to escape. Even though I want to sit and hold his hand, I need to do my job first. Being a good daughter unfortunately needs to come second. Right now, my job is top priority.I have to talk to the Queen and find out exactly what was happening the day of the attack.I turn my teary eyes back to my mother and motion towards the couch along the side of the room. “Let’s sit. I need to talk to you. But first, how are you holding up?”My mother’s shaggy hair and worn face tell me everything, regardless of what she says.A small smile appears on her face as she sighs. She walks to the couch and sits down, while patting the spot next to her. “I’m getting through it. However, I wish your father would wake up. Each minute that passes by with no sign of him
I stare at my phone for the umpteenth time, while the same question swirls around in my mind. How can I contact Chris to let him know that he could be in danger? Chris should already know how much danger he is in, but I still feel the need to warn him.A dull headache begins to throb in the back of my head.I grab the remote control off the cough next to me and turn the TV on. However, I can’t focus on anything that is coming out of it. My mind is still off thinking about Chris.My mind suddenly snaps back to the TV when the word ‘King’ rings through my ears. I sit up and stare at the TV anxiously waiting to hear more.I have been a reporter long enough to know that when there isn’t any news coming out of the palace about the King or Queen, then there is something wrong. Even when there is no news, the palace always provides the upcoming events that the King and Queen will
Even though I’m dragging my feet into the office, I have a sparkle in my eyes. I found out where my father took my assistant Page.When my mother and I were talking about the royal family security, I couldn’t hold back from asking about what my father has done to Page. I’m still in shock with my mother’s response. The King has sent my assistant to his formal royal training. He finally has concluded that Page is worth keeping around and know everything.I still don’t know exactly what the King has up his sleeve, but I’m glad to finally get my best assistant and my other half back. I still have to wait a few days, but Page is coming back soon. I hope my mother can get Page to me quicker though. I can really use her right now.In addition, when Page returns, she will be fully briefed on my true identity. I won’t have to keep anything from her going forward.&n
I look around the small grey room. How did I end up here?Oh, yeah. My idiot friend Chris is the one that got me here. If only I didn’t listen to him that day, I wouldn’t have been pulled from my apartment and shoved into a black van, while all my neighbors watch. The worse part of it all is that the van has big gold letters on the side of it saying royal police. No one can miss it.I can only imagine what everyone thinks of me now. I’m sure that I’ll find out when I go back home tonight.Wait. I will be able to go back home tonight. Right? The royal guards wouldn’t hold me over night in jail. Or would they?As my eyes dart around the room, my focus first stops on the clock hanging on the back wall. It is 9am. I have been in here for over an hour so far, but no one has come in.How much longer do I have to wait?
I glance down at the folder in my hand, as I walk into the little room next to the interrogation room. I don’t look up as I continue to read through the information that the team has managed to pull together on my next reporter.For most of my life, my family and I have had a love hate relationship with reporters. My family hates how the reporters never leave them alone for a minute. However, we also love it when the reporters happen to break the news about something big for us, like breaking the news that our enemy has had a security breach.Unfortunately, right now, I’m leaning towards the hate side of that relationship. With so many reporters covering the King’s activities that day, there is no way that I could stop or hide all of that from getting printed. In addition, the King’s activities at that one particular stop were being broadcasted live on both television and the internet. With all the
I walk into the conference room with Kyle following right behind me. Unfortunately, Kyle and I haven’t been able to get much information out of any of the reporters besides what the reporters have put into their articles.Hopefully, the others have been more successful than us.As I walk over to the table, I glance around the room at the others. My eyes stop on Max. Before I can even open my mouth to say anything, he asks, “So, were you able to confirm that Shane is hiding something? Are you lucky enough to be able to figure out what that something is?”I sigh as Uncle Charles, who is sitting at the end of the table, adds, “I want to know too. Let’s start with your interrogation of Shane first. Then we can cover the other reporters and what information we have discovered.”I walk over to the table next to Uncle Charles while Kyle heads towards the other end of the table.&n
I glance up the front of my apartment building as the taxi pulls up and stops.Ugh… The royal guards could have at least brought me back to my apartment. They didn’t even give me a chance to drive myself to the station.I pay for the ride, but I hesitate for a moment and quickly scan the area to see if any of my neighbors happen to be outside. The last thing that I need right now is to answer a bunch of questions.I breathe a sigh of relief.I don’t see anyone.Well, it is the middle of the afternoon and most of my neighbors should be at work. There are only a few in the building that don’t work during the day.As I grab the car door, I look back over my shoulder at the driver and mumble, “Thanks.” I don’t wait for a reply before I dart out of the car and into the building.With my focus on the elevator, which is straight
I sigh as I look through the stack of applications. Our next batch of recruits needs to be selected so we can setup the interviews and have time to select the proper candidates before the training begins. However, with everything going on with the King and the attack, I really don’t have the energy or the desire to look through the applications and even pick any of them.I slide my hand across the stack and slowly slide the applications across my desk.How do I get the motivation to do this?I glance back to my computer monitor and the latest report regarding the King’s attack. I know that we could use the additional hands and help tracking the people who did this. However, initially it will take people away from our search to train the new recruits before I’m comfortable letting these new recruits help us with our efforts.My eyes slowly slide down the monitor to the words concluding that