Cara’s turn. Her view on the room wasn’t met for world description. It’s more or less showing how she grew up. It was a pretty crappy place. Very low end.

Stephen, Cara, and Alethia had better luck than the others. While Rikaru’s group was busy fighting their way through dense forests and over gigantic mountains, Alethia was comfortable in a vibrating chair, Stephen was sleeping on a queen sized bed, and Cara was relaxing on a water bed. The trio had woken up in an unfamiliar place called Mishalla, which was some beach town, but they had no trouble dealing with their plight thanks to Stephen’s enormous bank account.

“He’s magical,” Alethia had sworn when they walked into the hotel room. Cara couldn’t help but agree. The yellow room was bigger than any house she had ever lived in. There were three beds, thankfully, and all three were so large that she could fit three versions of herself on them. The bathroom, which had an entrance next to the door leading out of the hotel room, was so large that she could’ve imagined it as a room in itself. It even had hot water! She had only used hot water in one place, and that was at Mia’s school.

“Oooohhhh yeeeahhh. This thing is aaaawwweeessommmeee…” Alethia leaned back in the blue chair; Cara slid back on her bed so she wouldn’t get hit. “Screw the others. I vote staying here.”

“Watch out! You’ll mess up my bed.” Cara pulled the pink ribbon out of her hair; the blond locks fell around her face. “Also, you shouldn’t take advantage of the fact that Stephen could get us here. It was luck, really.”

“Aww, c’mon!” She moaned, pressed a button on the side of the chair to stop the shaking, and bounded across the room. Prodding the sleeping teen on the shoulder, she stuck out her lower lip. “Stephyyy… Can we stay here a while looongerrr? Pwease?”

He cracked open one storm-filled eye. “You’re paying.” He ignored Alethia’s indignant cries and fists on her hips; Stephen sat up, pulled his black shoes on his feet, and left the room without a word.

Alethia followed him to the door like a starving puppy who thought he would feed her. “You suck!” She shoved her head out the door and howled at him.

Cara sighed. “Alethia, you’ll get us kicked out if you aggravate the management. Come inside, please.” The wind holder glared at Cara before settling back in her chair that was the same dark shade as her hair. “You hang out with Rikaru too much, I swear. What happened to the old days?”

The soft vibrations suddenly stopped. Silence filled the room with the only sounds coming from the beach far below.

“The old days? What do you mean?”

“You know…” Cara leaned back, but her arm caused waves in the bed like in the ocean nearby. She murmured curses at the bed, then got up and sat on Stephen’s now-unoccupied one. “Back when we first met the others.

Alethia giggled at the mercenary. “Remember when you fought Rikaru?”

“Yeah. He was so angry.” The two girls chuckled, then the air changed to more serious. “You think everyone’s alright?”

“No way of knowing,” replied Alethia with a small shrug. “I’m just glad that I ended up with you two. If I was alone, then I would go insane.” Cara heard a small click as the chair her friend was in started back up. “And I wouldn’t have this beauty. Stephen is my hero.”

“I just don’t understand one thing.” Cara frowned. “Where did this money come from?”

Alethia, who was formerly using the tip of her light blue boots to swing the chair, froze. “I… Well, I’m not sure I should tell you…”

“Tell me what?”

“Well…”

“Alethia!”

“Fine.” She swiveled the chair towards Cara; her red pools met the blonde’s blue ones. “How much do you know about the Oakheart family?”

“Not much,” Cara admitted. “I didn’t live in a very ‘in touch’ village when I was little. All this,” she waved her arm to things such as the large TV against the wall opposite her bed and the lamp next to her, “is new to me.”

“Figures. I have to do all of the explaining. Well, the Oakheart family was one of the biggest companies I’d say oh…” Alethia waved her pointer finger in the air as she did the quick math. “Maybe… Twelve years ago? Stephen was seven then, so I think that’s about right. Anyway,” she continued, “his family was loaded. Probably more so than Cylin’s family.”

“What happened to his father?”

“You’re getting ahead of the story,” Alethia said. “Like I was saying, they were rich. That is, until the day…” She looked at the corner of the room.

“What? What happened?”

“A man sued Stephen’s father. Apparently the only way he managed to start his business… It was by stealing from the Shenaka’s.”

“What?!” Cara fell back against the bed, shocked. Her eyes widened. “That’s awful! Stephen’s father was a thief?”

“Can you blame him, though? This land has become so corrupt that it’s not rare for someone to have stolen from others at least once in their life. The rich keep getting richer; the poor get so poor that they die or brake the law to live. That was what was so great about the Oakhearts, though. Stephen’s father spent his extra money helping poor villages. He fixed them up and got the people jobs. It’s thanks to him that I’m here today.”

Cara knew that Alethia had a point, but there had to be another option other than thievery! “What happened next?”

“Oakheart Industries was destroyed, along with a lot of people’s jobs; Stephen was absolutely mortified. He looked up to his father. He knew that they came from a poor place, but he thought his father made it to where he was by working hard.

“Afterwards, Stephen worked his butt off to graduate high school early. I don’t know the specifics, but Rikka told me that he even took classes over the summer, so he could graduate as early as possible. He ended up reopening his father’s old business, and he currently owns it now.”

Cara was speechless. She felt a little bad for being so ignorant about the affairs of her comrades and what was going on in her world, but she had no idea about thing like this. “How did-” She stopped mid-sentence as Stephen himself walked through the door. He gave them a cold look as if he knew all along about their conversation.

“Come on.” He waved for them to follow him. “There’s a bar down the street. I want to get information.”

Cara leapt up to trail behind him; Alethia gave the chair she was in a last loving look before going out and shutting the door behind her. As they walked down the long hallways, maids constantly stopped and stared. Some eyed Stephen and could barely stop from drooling; others glared at the two girls behind him with jealousy.

Cara chose to ignore them and focused on what Alethia had said. Is it worth bringing up? He would probably just be angry, I guess, but… I have to do something to help him. He has so much stress for someone his age. I have to-

Her thoughts were shattered when she heard a sudden whistle and a loud crack filled the air. The teen didn’t even have to look up to realize where they were.

“I hate this place,” Alethia snarled. She was eying two very drunk men nearby; the whistler elbowed his friend in the gut, and they chuckled at Alethia and Cara. “The sooner we leave, the better.”

“Just don’t start a fight,” ordered Stephen. “We can’t manage to get kicked out. I took us here because the idiots are so drunk that they won’t remember anything we ask them.”

As she looked back to the whistler and his giggling friend, Cara shuddered like ice was dropped down her pink tank top and short jean jacket. “I will restrain my violent urges,” she promised, wondering if it was true.

“Problem,” said Alethia. “We aren’t twenty one.”

“So say it out loud. They’ll love that information.” Stephen rolled his eyes. “Come on. That bald man over there looks seconds from falling out of his chair.”

The mercenary followed close behind her black haired companion; she hesitantly sat down next to him with Alethia muttering a strain of curses nearby. Her attention slipped from Stephen’s interrogation of the man who was now chugging yet another beer,

“They’re so disgusting,” she whispered with a shudder.

“You have no idea,” agreed Alethia.

“Hello, sir. What can I get for you and your… Um…” A young woman whose name Cara could barely see as “Sara” under her long red hair on her white name tag walked up to Stephen and was looking at Cara and Alethia with unmasked confusion. Stephen might’ve been able to fake twenty one, but the fact that Cara was seventeen and Alethia was maybe a year younger was quite obvious.

“Date and sister. We’re out with dear ol’ dad, ain’t that right?” Stephen wrapped an arm around the filthy fat man and grinned.

“Son? Dau’er? Da’ I have ki’s?” The man looked up to the ceiling then chuckled, sending alcohol flying out of his glass.

“Yes, Papa.” Stephen turned to the girl and put a hand against his mouth, lip moving the words “he gets like this sometimes” to her. Sara nodded and raced away, her thin black shoes echoing until they couldn’t be heard anymore.

“Ja… Jason? Jarrod? Jeremy?” The man’s head started moving in slow circular motions. “Wass yer name, kiddo?”

“Oh, Papa. You forgot? That’s pretty sad.” Stephen pretended to look hurt. “Mom told me that you named me after going to… Oh, where was it? Edward’s castle, right?” He watched the man out of the corner of his gray eyes.

“E’war? Nuh?” The man’s head hung down; his chin touched his collarbone.

“Yes, Papa. Edward’s castle. Where was that again? How do you get there? I’d love to take Cara, my girlfriend.”

Alarm spread through Cara. “E-eh?”

Stephen grinned and wrapped his arm around Cara’s thin shoulders. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Like a lovely rose.”

Cara’s face became as red as the flower itself. “A-a-a-ahh…”

“Uh? Ye’ schlure.”

“Um, father?” Stephen frowned. “Where is Edward’s castle?”

The man started slurring where the location of the castle, but Cara barely focused on them. He… He said that I’m what?! I-I-He-Uh…

“Cara? Are you okay?” Alethia poked her friend’s side.

“Yes! Fine!” She lowered her head to hide her burning face.

Stephen turned to them. “Alright. I have the directions. Cara, Alethia, it’s time to go. This situation will finally end.”

They made their way out of the bar, much to Alethia’s pleasure, and walked away from the beach and towards a forest. Cara kept her still-red face away from Stephen, who seemed to notice her odd behavior.

“What’s wrong?” He frowned at her and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder.

“Nothing! I’m perfectly fine!”

“Is it what happened back there?” When she didn’t reply, he made sure Alethia was in front of them. Kissing her lightly on the cheek, he smiled. “I meant every word about you, you know.” He then sped up and walked ahead, leaving Cara bewildered behind him.