Her Spirit's Eyes: Part Seven

      Wanda groaned, waking up to the euphoric voice of Rorri. She groggily opened her eyes and got a bright, blurry sight of the Kacheek in front of her, which after a few seconds became a bit more clear.

      "Come on, sleepyhead!" Rorri said with a giggle. "It's a nice, sunny, Saturday morning! You're not gong to spend it in bed, are you?"

      The Blue Bori's heavy eyelids suddenly flung open. "Wha... it's Saturday, already??" She whipped her gaze to the calendar on the wall. Surely enough, it was Saturday.

      Wanda tossed aside the bedsheets, quickly pulled a shirt out of her drawer and over her head, and ran out the bedroom door and down the halls into the cafeteria. Most of the other orphans were already there, eating their oatmeal. Then Ardon walked over to Wanda.

      "Oh, Wanda. You're finally up," he said with a sigh. "It's eight-fifty, and... your shirt's on backwards and the tag's sticking out."

      "Huh?" Wanda looked at her shirt, it really was backwards. Not only that but it was really dirty. "Oops! Heh heh, hold on a minute..."

      She ran back to her room, Rorri standing just outside the door, giggling. Wanda ignored Rorri and went back to her dresser and found a better shirt. She took off her dirty shirt and put this shirt on, making sure it wasn't backwards this time. Then she sighed, and went back to the cafeteria.

      "Better?" she asked Ardon.

      "Uh, yeah," he said. "But anyways, you'd better get your oatmeal before it gets cold."

      Wanda nodded, and ran to get her tray. She then took the tray to her usual seat, and sat down and began to eat.

     * * * * *

      "Oh em gee... it's Saturday!!" Zora beamed as she looked at the calendar. "It's the day of that big, fancy feast with the Princess!! Oooooh... what should I wear?!"

      The Acara ran into her huge, walk-in closet. The hanger racks were completely jam-packed full, and yet there were also piles of clothes all over the floor.

      "Gosh, this is SO unorganized..." Zora groaned, looking around. "I should get a bigger closet!"

      Now Zora's closet was already bigger than her bedroom itself, but she had a lot of clothes. She sighed, then looked through her dresses. She found a really pretty dress, yet it wasn't too formal. It would work perfectly at the castle, and she had plenty of jewelry and stuff that went with it.

      "Ugh, this dress is SO yesterday!" Zora moaned in disgust.

      Tossing the dress aside, Zora continued her search for the perfect outfit. She eventually settled with a simple T-shirt and a pair of capris. She also wore some simple earrings with almost-real-looking jewels. She also put on one of her favorite charm bracelets. Then she went to her special shoe rack, which was overflowing with shoes, and grabbed some fancy pink sandals. She put them on her feet and went to look in her big, fashion-mirror. She was pleased with her appearance... well, almost.

      She went to her makeup desk, put on some pink lipstick, blue eyeshadow, and just a touch of violet-red blush. She looked in the mirror, and smiled. Now she was ready.

     * * * * *

      "Buh!" Dina cheered.

      "Yep, that's right." Laura nodded as she tied a small, yellow bow in Dina's hair. "This is a bow!"

      Laura was wearing an orchid-colored dress, with a small, golden necklace around her neck. Dina had a little yellow-orange dress with a normal white diaper on underneath. And now she also had a yellow ribbon in her hair. They were getting ready for the dinner with Rose.

      "Zora and Wanda should be here pretty soon." Laura looked at the clock, five-thirty P.M. NST. "Are you excited, Dina?"

      "Eh-eye-eh!" Dina clapped her hands. Laura smiled.

     * * * * *

      "Can you believe that Saturday has come??" Rose said, a grin across her face.

      "Yes..." Monina rolled her eyes, as she kneaded a big ball of dough.

      "Let's not slack; everything should be ready by six!" Princess Rose said, dashing out of the kitchen.

      King Kantun watched as Rose ran to the stairs. "So are you planning to pick them up, or what?"

      The Princess stopped in her tracks. "Oh my! I never thought about that."

      Kantun chuckled slightly as he shook his head. "It would probably be best if you picked them up, but that is really your choice."

      "You know... maybe I will pick them up," Rose said. "Well, anyway, that's decided, so yes!"

      The Royal Aisha ran up the stairs to her room, as Kantun scratched the beard on his chin with confusion. Not noticing her dad, Princess Rose went into her room, shut and locked the door, and pulled out the Royal Dagger from her top dresser drawer.

      "Heh heh, well, I'm ready." Princess Rose grinned maliciously.

     * * * * *

      "Well, they can't be too much longer." Laura looked at the clock, again, as she held Dina under one arm.

      "Eh?" Dina said with a smile.

      Laura heard a *knock, knock* come from the door. She sighed, and she went to the door. When she opened it, she found that Wanda was there.

      "Oh, hi, Wanda!" Laura said with a smile. "Come on in!"

      "Wow, Laura, you look nice," Wanda said, looking at the outfit that Laura was wearing.

      "Thanks!" Laura nodded.

      Wanda was slightly awe-struck when she entered Laura's home. She had never been in a home like that for as long as she could remember, since she'd been an orphan. She almost felt a little awkward in her simple long-sleeved shirt, a dulled purple with a reddish swirl pattern on the front.

      "Wow, nice house you've got here," Wanda said.

      "Peh, if you think this is great, wait'll you see the castle!" Laura replied. "The Princess sure lives the life of luxury, that's for sure!"

      Wanda felt the pain in her stomach, again. The Princess. She knew that the Princess was up to no good. But she still hadn't told Laura about this...

      "Um... Laura?" she started.

      "Yeah?" Laura asked, sitting down on the sofa.

      "Well... there's something I have to tell you about, see..." Wanda was about to say more, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

      "Oh, hold on a second, just let me get the door..." Laura got back up, leaving Dina on the couch.

      Wanda looked at Dina, half thinking about how cute the Baby Xweetok looked, half thinking about the book that she was reading, "The Prophecy of the Indera". Was this child really the Indera that the book talks about? Was it really true about her being destined to overthrow the crown? Had the Princess found the Royal Dagger, which was supposedly the only thing that could truly slay the Indera? If so, the results were not pretty.

      Wanda turned her attention to Laura, who was opening the door. To both of their surprise, as soon as the door was opened, a Purple Acara dashed inside, shouting, "Here I a-am!"

      "What the...?" Wanda exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.

      "Uh, yeah. Wanda, this is my friend, Zora," Laura said, regaining balance as Zora nearly plowed right through her. "She's going to be coming to the castle with us."

      "You never told me you were bringing someone else..." Wanda was still in shock.

      "Wow, hi!" Zora said, grabbing Wanda by her arm and shaking it excitedly. "I've never met you! So, like, what's your name, now?"

      "Wanda," Wanda replied. "Now... uh, could you stop shaking me?"

      "Oh em gee, sorry!" Zora let go of Wanda's arm. "I, like, get totally carried away sometimes!"

      "Um, yeaah..." Wanda gently rubbed her arm, not really sure what to think of this frenetic Acara.

      "Well, Wanda," Laura said, "you were about to tell me something?"

      "Uh, yeah, well..." Wanda looked back and forth between Wanda and Zora, not really sure if she wanted to say anything with Zora there. She was actually planning on telling the Rose thing to Laura alone, Dina not counting, not with other people there. "Ah, I guess... I can tell you... later."

      "Okay..." Laura replied.

      "Ya, well," Zora burst in, "do you know if we're, like, gonna get a ride, or if we're gonna have to just totally walk?"

      "No, I'm not really sure..." Laura answered, "but we should probably wait here for a little while, just in case someone DOES come to pick us up. And if no one comes for... oh..." Laura looked at the clock (5:48 P.M.), "five minutes, we'll just walk."

      "Sounds good to me," Wanda said with a nod.

     * * * * *

      After waiting for five minutes, no one had come to pick up the group. So they headed out the door and started to walk. Laura enjoyed the scenery on their way, Zora complained most of the time, and Wanda just kept rolling her eyes as she listened to Zora.

      "So she's not picking us up?? Oh em gee, that sucks!" Zora complained.

      "Come on, it's not THAT big a deal to walk." Wanda rolled her eyes.

      "Yes it is!" Zora protested. "I'll wear out a perfectly good pair of shoes!"

      Wanda looked at the sandals Zora had on her feet and rolled her eyes. Laura just shook her head continued walking.

      They walked down a couple of blocks, Zora still complaining and Wanda still rolling her eyes, when Laura noticed something moving in the distance...

      "Hey, if we're not being picked up, then what's that?" Laura said, pointing to a Uni-drawn carriage that was making its way down the street, Rose's carriage.

      Zora's eyes widened. Now she wouldn't have to walk anymore. "Hey! HEY! HEY, DOWN HERE!!"

      The Princess, who was in the carriage, turned her head and noticed the Purple Acara waving her arms in the air. Rose at first thought Zora was just trying to be annoying, but then she noticed that Laura and Dina were among the little group.

      "Stop..." she said to the Unis, who brought the carriage to a stop. Then Rose turned her attention back to the small group. "Ah, Laura! I was just going to get you!"

      "Well, we didn't know you were picking us up, so we just started to walk," Laura explained.

      "Oh, that's just fine. Climb in!" The Princess beckoned the group.

      One by one, the group got into the carriage. Laura sat down, holding Dina in her lap, Zora sat down with a huge, relieved sigh, and Wanda slowly sat down, glaring at Rose as she did so. On their way back to the castle, Laura and Rose made some conversation.

      "I don't believe I have met your friends before, Laura," said Rose. "Would you care to introduce them to me?"

      "Oh, right." Laura nodded, then pointed to Zora. "This is Zora Fairsoul..."

      "Hi!" Zora said. "I'm, like, totally excited to talk to you!"

      "And this is Wanda," Laura said, pointing to Wanda.

      "Um, yeah, hi..." Wanda had sort of a solemn look on her face.

      "She has no surname?" Princess Rose wondered.

      "Yeah, well, Wanda's an orphan," Laura explained.

      Rose paused, then said, "...I see."

      The conversation went on for a while, until they reached the castle. All of the pets in the carriage, besides Rose and the Unis, couldn't help but look up at it in awe. It was the first time they had actually seen it up close, and they never before realized just how big it really was. Their awe did not weaken as they entered the castle, being greeted by some stern Shoyru guards, and even King Kantun himself.

      "Ah, Rose!" he said with a smile. "And welcome, guests! May I ask your names?"

      "Father," Princess Rose replied, "this is Laura, her daughter, Dina," she gestured to each of them as she said their name, "Zora, and Wanda."

      "A pleasure to meet you all," Kantun said with a bow.

      The group all bowed back to the King, struck speechless that they all got to see him up close. Then Monina, along with a couple of other maids, walked into the room. "Come, right down this hall."

      Laura bounced Dina a little, Zora grinned excitedly, and Wanda looked around, totally awe-struck, as they were all led down a hall to the dining room, where the huge table was covered with tons of gourmet foods, all nicely organized, with fine, fragile plates, with three or four forks each. Laura's mouth hung open, Dina smiled, Zora's eyes twinkled, and Wanda had honestly never seen such class in her life.

      "Well," Rose said, stepping in front of the group, "shall we eat?"

      Laura snapped out of her state of reverie, and nodded. Each of them found an empty seat at the dining table, and sat down. King Kantun, however, did not sit down, and gave them a nod.

      "I would gladly sit and dine with you," he said, "but I have a speech to compose for a grand opening ceremony... I must work on that, but enjoy dinner!"

      "Okay, goodbye!" Princess Rose said with a smug smile as her father walked out of the room.

      Each of the pets took some food from the table, sampling it. It was delicious. Rose used her best manners as she made some dinner conversation with Laura, as Wanda was listening, trying to pay attention, but her focus remained on the food she was eating. It was so much better than the food that was served at the orphanage, and there was plenty to spare. Every time a cup of water would be emptied, Monina or one of the other maids would fill it again. She almost stopped listening to Rose, and almost forgot why she was so concerned about her.

      "...yes, I have heard of that, before... Dina, don't touch that!" Laura made conversation with the Princess, while still keeping an eye of supervision on Dina. "When food is on other people's plates, it belongs to them!"

      "You know," Princess Rose said, "if Dina's too much of a handful, I could take her to the nursery."

      "WHOA!" Zora burst in. "You mean this castle has a nursery?!"

      Rose laughed, "Yes, the castle has a lot of things, a nursery, a library, an observatory..."

      "Like, wow!" Zora said blithely. "This place totally has everything! Is there an arcade?!"

      "No, there are no game arcades." Rose rolled her eyes. "Those are far too babyish for such a place as a castle!"

      "Wha d'ya mean, 'babyish'?!" Zora pointed a fork threateningly.

      "Zora, calm down." Laura gave Zora a glare. "This is a castle!"

      Zora just muttered, slouched in her chair a little, and shoved a forkful of peas into her mouth.

      "Sorry about that," Laura apologized. "Zora lives a little ways outside of Vladimyr village, and she can be sort of immature sometimes..."

      "Hey!" Zora stood up straighter and gave Laura a look.

      "Oh, it's quite alright," the Princess said with a slight chuckle and a shake of the head. "But as I was saying before, I could take Dina to the nursery if you think she will be too much of a handful."

      "Yeah, maybe Dina should do something more exciting for her age," Laura said. "The nursery has alphabet blocks, doesn't it? Because she loves those."

      "Of course it does!" Princess Rose said with a nod. "She will have much more fun there. I will take her there, then. You can just wait here."

      Wanda's ears shot into the air. She looked up from her drumstick and saw Laura handing Dina to the Princess. She remembered why she was uncomfortable with Rose; she remembered what she was going to tell Laura a long time ago.

      "Laura, don't do it!!" Wanda yelped, dropping her drumstick and standing up. She then glared at Rose and pointed a claw towards her accusingly. "I know what you're up to, you're trying to kill Dina!!"

To be continued...