Hey Esty! About time you got here! Thought you could hide from me. hehe, I ALWAYS know who you are! Except you're anonymous. DOH!!! But I WILL FIND OUT YOUR PEN NAME!!!!!!!

Anyway, you checked this out cuz you were BORED???? EVIL! YOU SHOULD CHECK IT OUT ANYWAY! Argh, no one ever checks this out cuz no one else gets bored I guess. I wasn't even gonna post if I didn't get another review. And I won't post again until you review again, you got that?????

K, don't say I'm crazy, but this used to be Star Wars. You know Queen Amidala? Before she was queen, there was an evil king. Hence my story. It didn't really connect well, though, and was kinda useless. plus no one would read it. There are a few mysteries to this, so see if you can figure it out.

Mechanics and grammar. Microsoft Word helps with that. Thanks for your compliments! Hehe, I like names also.

I upload stuff from word to the site. I italicized it in context, but maybe it didn't come out. Do you know the code for that? Or isn't there one? I don't know, I'm still technically new to this. You're probably right about the lifting, I'm not good at sentence flow. will change that when I have time. I like nitpicking, since that's the only way you get better! Feel free to nitpick!

Ugh, history project? I have Bio essay on whether or not amylase helps survival. Did you guys have to do that? Probably a long time ago, right? We just started Hardy Wienburg stuff, can you believe it???
Kia dipped her finger into the cold water, marveling the river's clear reflection. Behind her, Gutan was rowing hard, his strokes slow and steady.

All through the forest, the two had chattered their brilliant plan, both struggling to keep their voices down. The tranquility of the river, however, had brought both to a hushed silence, laying upon them the risk of the gravity of their situation.

The two had taken turns rowing, laboriously guiding their gondola for the first half of the day. Finally, the faint glint of the city lights glinted in the horizon, signaling that they were nearing the capital.

Another hour passed before Gutan guided the gondola to the muddy bank, and laying down the paddles, he sighed, commenting softly. "We're here."

Kia found it hard to tear her eyes from the hypnotic tranquility of the water, knowing that it alone could calm the churning in her stomach. Still, she rose, following Gutan onto the grass.

"I'll scout the area," she decided. "You tie up the boat. We'll need it on the way back."

Gutan frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked, clearly worried. "What if they find you?"

"It's getting dark," she refuted. "They can't find me. And I won't go far."

A sigh could be heard drifting from the young man's mouth, but the sagging in his shoulders signaled his relent. Satisfied, Kia turned toward the city and started her long trek toward the palace.

As she descended to the bottom of the valley, a silent conflict churned her heart, taking away the sharp awareness in her eyes.

Kia didn't realize that she had even entered the city until she was three blocks within its walls, her tiny figure surrounded by the bustle of merchants, venders, and nobles alike, scurrying to perform their various tasks. Her eyes darted quickly, searching to make sure that there were no guards in sight. When Kia's eyes found nothing, she relaxed, and turned back, knowing Gutan would be worried.

It was then that she realized that she was lost.

Frantically, she searched the city, looking for anything even slightly familiar. When she found nothing, she felt apprehension grip her heart, forcing it to pulsate wildly. Nervously, she found the nearest path and started down, hoping it would lead her back to the river.

It wasn't until Kia felt the gripping leather hand that she realized she had been sprinting. Her fear only increased when she looked up, about to apologize, but instead stared into the face of a Royal Guard, who was pointing his shiny pistol at her head.