Light Blue Eyes - Prologue

Ahh, I'm a little embarrassed at the fact that you guys are right. Some people mentioned that my characters are a little dull/some of the description is unnecessary. It'll get better, I promise! I'll write the first chapter today. This is pretty much just an intro for myself... and I thought it'd be interesting to post to see what people would think. Thanks for the reads, though. ^^

Essentially, this is all my prewrite put into a first chapter. Or rather... prologue. I've got so much planned out and this story makes me happy. It might be a little... spoiler-ish, but oh, well. Read at your own risk.

PG-13 since Derek says something a little suggestive. Okay, more than a little. Nothing graphic, but I'm not sure I'd have little kiddies reading it.

---

“My son, you’re becoming a man. It will soon be time for you to pick a princess to be at your side,” the man told his son, folding his arms and staring at the boy. He lounged carelessly in the wooden chair, one leg hanging over the arm while he leaned into the corner. His arm rested atop the back of the chair, and his head lazed against it similarly.

“I want a pretty girl, then,” Derek replied with a shrug, lazily leaving his eyelids half covering his eyes. “With long brown hair, and light blue eyes.”

His father sighed and threw his hands up. “Derek, you know there is no one in this world with natural features that mix like that. No one breeds like that. We’ll never find you a girl like that!”

The boy smirked, still a lazy expression. “I know. My father, I do not need to marry. I will rule the country myself without a wench to drag me down. I know plenty of girls that would be more than happy to lie with me at night so that I won’t be lonely. I have found no suitable lover. I have looked, Father. There is none.”

His father gritted his teeth. “We shall see.”

---

“Lord Etherus, there is none in this world that fits that description!” the king’s adviser heaved in a sigh, standing straight as she spoke to him. Her brow knit together in frustration and concern for her job. “I will never find someone that the prince will approve of.”

“I realize that, Riim. That’s why we must search the other worlds for suitors. I’m not saying to search through the other countries, but go past the boundaries. Through the door.”

Riim’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “I’ve never had a stomach for traveling… My lord, please.”

The king folded his arms. “My son needs a girl of this quality. Look through the worlds to see if you can find anyone good enough. Go check the old library if you need to find a place with a girl like that there. Just do it. Make it happen.” He snapped his fingers. “That’s what you’re hired for.”

Riim dipped a bow, her head down. “Yes, my lord,” she sighed. It was to be so.

---

“Come on in and tell me your name.” The girl looked at the councilor strangely. She meandered in and sank into the wicker chair that sat against the pale-crème walls.

“Christina,” she replied, a little hesitantly. Her voice was like chocolate milk being poured out of a full jug, spilling smoothly into the glass. “What do you want?”

The woman speaking to her rose an eyebrow and peered over a pair of glasses. “I just want to talk to you Christina. I’d like to get to know you. I was told you’re a trouble student here and that you need a little guidance. Care to tell me about yourself?”

Christie fidgeted uncomfortably. In her lap she twisted the ring around her finger, the mood ring mixing colors beneath her fingers’ warmth. Sweat rubbed off onto it, making her fingers glide against the plastic. “What do you want to know?” she asked, unusually shy with the councilor.

“Well, let’s start with the easier questions.” The woman pulled out a clipboard and her wrinkled fingers wrapped around a pen. The clicking noise it made when she opened the pen made her wince in the otherwise silent room. There wasn’t even a whirring of technology. “Describe yourself to me as how you see yourself.”

“Uh… like my hair and stuff?”

The woman nodded. “Physical features for now. Are you happy with yourself an how you look?”

Christie’s shoulders went up to her ears in a large shrug. “I guess.” She twisted the ring around her finger and clicked her nails against it. They were painted a bright pink hue and reflected brightly off of the lights that hung above them. She looked up when the councilor sighed.

“Come on, Christina, describe yourself for me. There’s no need to be nervous.”

Christie nodded but gave a small shrug. It felt like she was in the doctor’s office for a physical exam without her mother there to watch the doctor and answer questions. The woman was old and looked like a raisin, while her hair looked like stringy cobwebs that hung down around her raisin-line appearance. It hung down on her shoulders and seemed to get everywhere, leaving grey strands on her shoulders and back.

The councilor gave her another nudge to speak.

“Well, I’ve got brown hair,” she began with a shrug, now running her fingers through strands. “It’s past my shoulders. I’m growing it out again. I didn’t like it short.” She paused, looking for approval.

“Good, keep going.”

“Okay. Um. Oh, I’ve got blue eyes. Some people say that they’re grey, but they’re blue. I get them from my mom, because my dad has really dark brown eyes.” She ran her finger down her nose, touching her face to indicate her eyes, but ended up thinking of something else. A small smile came to her lips. “I like my nose,” she said suddenly. “It’s smooth and straight. That is one thing I get from my father.” Her smile broadened as she commented that people like her smile. “I’m not very athletic, though.” Her smile faded and she looked embarrassed. “So I’m kind of on the softer side.”

The woman nodded again and jotted a few notes down on her paper. She had been writing the entire time Christie had spoken and was finishing up.

“Am I done?” Christie asked, timidly again.

The councilor rose an eyebrow. “Eager to get back to class?” she asked as Christie put her hands on the arms of the chair, ready to get up. At those words, the girl sank back into her chair and crossed her legs.

“Well, I could stay for a few more questions. I guess.”

The woman nodded, almost a sage look to her face, and began again. “Alright, so tell me about your parents. What do they look like? What do they do for a living? How about how they act?”

Christie looked at her with a small, confused frown, but began. “Okay. I’ll start with my mom. She’s got blue eyes like I do, but sometimes I think they’re grey with how pale they are. Her hair is black, though. It’s longer than mine and really shiny. She still looks really good and young. She insists Dad takes her dancing sometimes, so she doesn’t spend a lot of time at home. She doesn’t care what I do most of the time, she just tells me to go do whatever I want and be back by the state curfew so that she doesn’t have to deal with the cops. She doesn‘t spend a lot of time at home between professionally planning social events and going to them.” A fond smile came to Christie’s watery eyes. “When I was a kid, though, she’d bake cookies with me. My mom’s a great cook. She just doesn’t do it much anymore.

My dad takes over with the house now. He pretty much raised me after my mom hit the partying stage. He’s got dark brown eyes and brown hair like mine. It’s short and typically combed back. It looks nice on him. He’s a quieter guy and doesn’t really spend a ton of time with me, but he tries more than Mom does. He works as a dentist, though, so sometimes he can’t.” She shrugged again and looked at the councilor who was taking notes and nodding.

“Alright, good. Any siblings or other family members?”

“No, after Mom had me, she decided she didn’t want to worry about more kids. She went on the pill just before she got her new job.”

She nodded again and the pencil scribbled once more across the paper. “Alright. What kind of music is on your iPod?”

Christie paused. “What kind of questions are these?”

“I’m just assessing what kind of person you are,” the woman replied, hardly glancing up from the paper. When Christie didn’t reply, she did look up and stared intently at her.

“I listen to a lot of punk rock and pop,” she replied slowly, looking back down at her lap and the ring she wore. “Like Rihanna and Green Day.” She paused before starting to list a few songs. “Mama, I’m Comin’ Home by Ozzy is good, too. It describes my life a little.”

The woman paused to look hard at her. “What do you think of school?” she asked.

Christie immediately wrinkled her nose. “Blech. No one cares about my grades anyway, so why should I? I hate school. It’s boring. Well, I like my art class, but that’s it.”

She smiled at Christie a little before asking one more question. “Any pets?”

Christie’s face lightened, but she quickly hesitated. “Mom doesn’t know about Niko. Promise you won’t tell her! She might take him away!”

“Don’t worry. You and Niko are safe. How do you take care of him? What’s he like? What is Niko?”

Christie grinned as she thought of her pet. “Niko is my cat,” she replied. “He’s a tabby cat, all orange and rag-tag. He’s cute, though, and really cuddly. He’s an attention hog.” She smiled fondly and twisted her ring around again. “I keep him in my room and only let him out when Mom is gone - so he gets a lot of time out of my room. Well, I keep him there while I’m at school.” She gave a funny smile. “It’s almost like he understands, though. He’ll hide whenever Mom comes around so that she doesn’t notice, and comes and goes when he knows it’s safe.”

“Interesting. Alright, thank you. I think you’ll do.”

Christie looked up, a little surprised. “What?”

“Oh, nothing.” For once, the councilor looked flustered. “Nothing at all. I’ll get back to you, okay? Go ahead and head to your class.”