To Love A Bruised Heart

ago, the young woman had just closed her eyes for a cat nap in the window seat of a small passenger plane. Now, however, she found herself standing in front of a large lecture hall wit

as she made her way to the podium. Written High on the chalkboard was the phrase. Hera Queen of the Gods, Wronged Wife or Ragi

e mix of expressionless students. Thomas, Angelia, even that skank Irene. They were all there watching her with looks that boarded between hatred and disappointment. Down in the front row, her Grandmother was lying prone on a dingy off-white hospital be

was wasting away right in front of her eyes. The sight made her sick, so she did all she could to focus on a strange shape in the back of the classroom. At first, it looked like a shapeless blob with no definitive markers. After a while, Kris could make out a pair of crossed legs garbed in black dress slacks. Following them up, she watched the r

eyes. Her surroundings had changed drastically when she remembered the others in the room. The lecture hall had vanished, and she was now in a tiny hospital room. The others circled her Grandmother’s hospital bed, each looking extremely worried. Able to move freely, she made her way over to the bed as quickly as possible. Her Grandmother was a

ave been laughable if the remnants of her dream were not still at the forefront of her mind. The brat’s mom and the man on the aisle did not have that problem. They seemed to be very amused by her confused a

ble planning time. Planning time that she would need if she was going to get through her first visit to the Palace. Or would I? She asked herself. None of them knew she was coming. She had made sure of tha

to be the odd man out, Kris quickly buckled the dark blue belt around her waist and lifted the window cover. When the attendant got to their row and saw this was done, she simply smiled and kept moving toward the front of the plane. Knowing that now she would be left alone, Kris looked out the window at the mountains and valleys below; as much

task on this God-forsaken island, and the later in the day, the better chance she had to complete it without THEIR interference. When the last passenger left the cabin, Kris stood and shimmied her way out of her row, dragging her carry-on behind her. The French flight attendants were staring at her impatiently, but she ignored them and made her way slow

ed she had just enough time to purchase her food and eat it before they started unloading the luggage. After her purchase, she sat at a nearby table and watched as the people rushed around her. Thanks to the upcoming national festival, the small airport was packed this afternoon. All around her, tourists were pushing their way through the crowds, shouting direc

earable on a bright summer day like today. But while it was perfect for those who have lived here all their lives, nonnatives were more often than not wearing colorful colo

lothing was also slightly more high-end than that of the tourists. The locals also seemed to know their way around the airport, skipping the i

ded jeans that seemed to hug her long legs like a second skin. Her top was a thin white tank top with the colossal mosquito logo in the center advertising her favorite band from New York. She did have

ned nearly every bridge she left seven years ago, thinking she would never have to return. The only people living here that she cared about

ng a card with her name printed under the royal insignia. How did they know? It didn’t make any sense! In the back of her mind, it occurred to her that the doctor she had been discussing her grandm

nce of escaping. This Driver knew her all too well. She wondered if the fear or rebellious hatred in her eyes caused him to start walking toward her through the curious crowd around him. Tourists and locals were angling to see who was important enough to deserve such a roy

and looked her over with a bit more skepticism. Could he see that her eyes were puffy? That she hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours? Plastering on the sweet smile she had perfected on parents of troublesome students, she continued, “I need to get my other bags from downstairs.” To

ittedly she should have made a contingency for this. The royal family never let anything get by them. But sending Ellis did not have to be an end-all. It rather worked in her favor since she could now avoid spending her sparse funds on a cab to the hotel. She could always tak

ng or electronics, it contained her books. Two of her favorite series and a few other spares were shoved into the case, along with a couple extra pairs of shoes. Her clothing was in the large matching duffle that had yet to appear. Still, one is better than none, she thought as she stepped forward and tugged the heavy bag upward and yanked it toward her, setting it upright on the floor beside her. She could hear El

nly Italian and English due to their roots in old Italian royalty. When she had moved to the palace as a child, Kris remembered fumbling around, trying to understand the musical language. Biting back the bile in her throat at the thought of him, she tried to concentrate on the bags coming down the line. After a moment, she realized that belt had stopped, but her other bag had still not appeared. What else could go wrong? She complained to herself while she looked to Ellis to try to explain. Maybe he had seen the flash of panic on her face. Perhaps he had guessed from the long wait, but whatever the reason, he had ant

, of course, deliver your bag to you….” Looking down, Marina pretended to click a few things on her keyboard, “in two days. The next flight is tomorrow morning, and after sorting, we can get your bag to

ially in the hotel, but her days would be spent with her grandmother at the palace as she thought it occurred to her that the safest option would be to abandon this stupid task and go home. The fates have sent her sign afte

e. By now, she figured that Marina would think that she was a new maid or perhaps a cook. Or maybe worse yet, she was the latest plaything of Luciano. Not wanting to dwell on those thoughts, she offered the woman a halfhearted smile and turned to follow Ellis out of the building. The humidity hit her like a wall pulling a gasp from her. Sweat instantly lined her ha