Volumes of the Vemreaux Complete Collection: A Dystopian Adventure Trilogy, page 131
“That’s very helpful, Suzette,” Sam grumbled. “Are you trying to scare her on her birthday?”
“No, I’m trying to prepare her. Show her the site.”
“No, Suze. She’s doing well today.”
Suzette shook her head at him. “Blue, there’s a website dedicated to tracking the royals. It’s for social events and whatnot, so people can watch us and follow us around. I don’t know why. It’s exciting for them. There’s a whole page on the site dedicated to Blue Jay watch. Everyone’s been waiting for a glimpse of the new princess, so whatever you do, wherever you go, at least until they get used to you, it’ll be a big deal. Why do you think Sam’s had to sneak you out whenever you leave?” She slipped Blue’s diamond necklace around her neck and fastened the clasp.
Blue’s palms began to sweat. “Um, maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. I mean, I should probably stay here.” She looked to Sam, who did his best to give her a reassuring smile. “Please, Sam?”
He leaned down to kiss her, his lips fresh from a shower, shave and scrub of his perfect smile. “Best get it over with. The sooner they get used to seeing you around, the less of a thrill it will be.”
“But you guys are out all the time! They still follow you around?”
Suzette shifted uncomfortably. “Well, yes, but it’s not as bad anymore. A few pictures, a few hangers-on, but that’s what the guards are for. You can’t stay holed up in here forever.” She sprayed Blue’s hair in place, and then started in on the makeup. A few modest touches to her already lovely features did the trick. Suzette could not help but add a little flair, though. Blue was Suzette’s own personal billboard, so she was treated as if she was getting ready for a runway. The princess etched three white dots between Blue’s eyes and on both temples. “Now, people are going to ask you who you’re wearing. You smile and say, ‘I’m wearing Suzette, the Blue Princess Collection.’”
“Okay,” Blue replied, committing the response to memory.
Suzette buttoned a white leather cuff around her sister’s wrist to hide her barcode. “Just a normal day, but with a pretty dress. Make me proud.” She looked Blue over, her mood shifting. “Are you doing okay? I mean, after Baird last night?”
“I’m fine. I’m always fine. You don’t have to worry.”
“That’s what I thought,” Suzette said darkly. “I really thought he was getting better.” She kissed her sister’s cheek before turning on Sam. “You’re really wearing that?”
“Uniform, Suze. Can’t get around it. Black suit, black tie, knife in the jacket, sunglasses in the pocket. You can pick out my socks if you want, but that’s all you get.”
“Pass.” Suzette pointed her finger at Sam imperiously, channeling Baird. “Don’t mess up my masterpiece. Kiss her on your own time.”
“I don’t know, Suze. That dress looks like it could use some breaking in.”
Blue was wished a happy birthday and complimented by everyone in the household several times before she made it into the town car with Killian, Alec and Sam. Everest followed them in his limo, which was sure to draw the eyes of every photographer in town. Paparazzi on motorbikes followed them, making sure to capture every moment of the Blue Jay leaving the nest.
Alec politely reminded Blue to keep her knees together, which only panicked her more. “I think we should just go home. And why does Killian get to look normal and I have to wear this?” She indicated Killian’s dress pants and button-down shirt that lacked the formal suit jacket.
Killian smiled paternally at his sister. “You don’t have to go to church if you don’t want, but you must to go somewhere. Dad’s orders. We’re to show you a good time today – out of the house. Rules of the birthday. Suzette’s taking Liam on a pub crawl. And you can blame the dress on her, though you do look lovely.” Killian handed her a box he had stashed under the seat. “And here’s a present for getting out of the house.”
Blue took the package from Killian after much insistence between them on just how necessary gifts were. She sniffed the rectangular shape, drawing a laugh from Alec. When she finally opened it, she found a pure white Bible with leather binding and silver-rimmed pages. “Blue Jane Boniface” was engraved on the front cover in such exquisite script, Blue had to stare at her own name for a few blinks before it registered that the inscription belonged to her. “This is like, the fanciest book I’ve ever seen. Thank you, Killian!”
“That should keep you busy for a few weeks, at least,” Killian commented, glad that Blue enjoyed the gift. “Even if you read it all day and night, it’s pretty dense. It’s the book what keeps me from leveling your brother every time I see him now.”
“You’re not allowed to start anything with Baird,” Blue ordered, suddenly turning serious. “None of you. He’s…just don’t. It’s my birthday, and Liam told me about the candles on the cake. That’s what I want. I wish it,” she declared matter-of-factly. “If you want me to get onboard with the whole birthday thing, make my wish happen. No one fights with Baird. It’s…he can’t…just don’t.”
Killian and Sam exchanged looks of displeasure, but did not verbally protest. “You’re the birthday girl.” Killian broke out his best fake smile.
When they arrived at the modest-looking building, several people stopped to stare at the two regal vehicles and the motorcade of photographers that swarmed. Alec got out first, followed by Killian, who addressed the press with a request to allow them the right to practice their faith without harassment. There were always a few photographers lined up Sunday mornings to get a shot of Killian. When the prince reached in and took Blue’s shaking hand, the cameras went into a frenzy. The first Blue Jay sighting in weeks was photographed over and over, pictures capturing her beauty and going out to alert yet more of the media. Killian ushered Blue past all the flashes and shouted questions, shielding her as much as he could with his larger body.
“I don’t like it!” Blue whimpered as she clung to Killian.
“I know, angel. We’re almost inside.”
Everest’s entrance caused just as much of a stir. The ultimate party boy waking up before noon to attend church? A few of the photographers that tailed his car the moment it left the emperor’s mansion took a step back from the building. It was clear they were wondering, as Everest had, if the building might catch on fire as the prince entered. Everest posted two guards at the door to confiscate cameras and pat down parishioners to ensure the safety of the royalty.
Blue was, without question, the most dressed-up person in the building. A close second was Everest, who sat next to Sam in his perfectly tailored suit, lavender bowtie and matching suspenders. Many people wore jeans or simple skirts as they filed in. Several people whispered and stared at the royals, making Blue wish Suzette had let her wear her hair down so she could hide behind it.
When the service was about to start, a man stood up on the stage with a large empty paint bucket. Blue looked to Killian for explanation, but he merely grinned. The man turned the bucket upside down and began slapping the base in a syncopated rhythm he bopped his head to. His shoulders moved up and down in an almost dance. Then two more people joined him on the stage. They clapped their hands to his beat in odd tempos, adding to the cacophony nicely. The woman kicked the wall behind her, adding yet another layer of sound.
From the audience, a man and a woman stood and joined the others onstage. The man had a large butternut squash that had been partially hollowed out with strings stretched across it. He played the gourd as if it was a harp, strumming the cords that echoed through the dried orange flesh.
The woman had a thick, hollowed-out carrot with six holes poked down the side. She blew into the vegetable, emitting a high-pitched melody that Everest gasped at. “Is she…did she make a flute out of a carrot?”
The man with the bucket began shouting out a poem of praise to his God that talked about life after heartache and loss. When they added their feet to the mix, pounding with their heels and soles on the hollow wood floor, Blue closed her eyes and put her hand on her heart so she could relish the reverberations throbbing there. Sam and Everest were leaning forward to see and hear every beat, soaking in the loophole in the “no live music” law. Technically, no one was playing an instrument, but it was close enough, and it was breathtaking.
When it ended, everyone cheered, and Blue could not help but join in. When the pastor prayed, Blue held onto Killian’s hand and Sam’s, ignoring the stiffness in her palm from the burn as she tried unsuccessfully to blend in.
When the sermon began, Blue listened with rapt attention as stories she never heard before were told in an eloquent and often humorous way. She made a mental list of all the things she did not understand that she would be sure to ask Killian at first opportunity. Killian helped her find the passages in her new Bible that were read aloud for the parishioners. Blue leaned forward when the pastor reached parts that were particularly poignant.
Sam wanted to hate the entire experience. He had been ready with his well-established walls in case anything hit him the wrong way. Watching Blue sit at the edge of her seat with her painted lips pursed in concentration softened his defenses, and he began to understand just why and how Killian had so thoroughly morphed into a good, upstanding man. The pastor was not the stodgy type Sam recalled being dragged to church to listen to on Christmas and Easter when he was a child. The pastor wore jeans and had tattoos running up the length of his forearms. His smile was natural and the joy in his eyes could not be faked, though Sam remained vigilant for the first sign of falsity from the man.
After the service, the royals stayed in their seats, waiting for the bulk of the people to disperse. Blue cuddled into Killian’s side after Sam left to stand at the end of the aisle to keep people from approaching en masse. Everest scooted in next to her, providing a second shield from prying eyes who wanted a peek at the curious bird. He occasionally threw a wave and a cool grin, but kept his post at her side.
Killian pulled Blue up to stand when the preacher approached them. “Good to see you, Killian.” There was no formal air to put on between the two. It was clear Killian could be himself here, and Blue was grateful he found sanctuary with the nice people. The pastor turned to her and bowed, causing her to grimace. “Your majesty.” He did the same to Everest, who responded with a sly smile. “Glad you could join us this morning. I’m Ervin.” The pastor introduced himself candidly to Everest and Blue.
“Thought I’d see what the world looked like before noon. Not bad,” Everest commented churlishly. “And your God didn’t strike me down for entering his house. Not sure you’re doing it right, Reverend.”
Pastor Ervin took Everest’s snark with grace, reassuring him that church was not just for people who had all the answers. “And what did you think, your majesty?” Ervin addressed Blue, who held tight to Killian and Everest.
Blue was not sure when it was that Everest joined the ranks of people she permitted to anchor her, but she drew peace having him close. Everest tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, taking care not to let her raw skin brush the fabric too hard. His tender care of the secret injury reassured her and gave her the courage to open her mouth to the stranger. “I, um, I don’t understand. How did that Joseph guy’s brothers sell him? I thought you could only be sold out of slavery. You’re only born into it, right? Like, sold out of The Way and into society. Does it really work that way? Could somebody sell me back if they don’t like me? Could my brothers do that if they get mad at me one day, like they did to Joseph? I don’t need a fancy coat!” She exhaled, relieved that she told the stranger the questions that had been haunting her all through the service, and she had done it without her voice breaking.
Killian answered before Pastor Ervin could. His hands flew around her, touching her face and hair to soothe the trouble in her doe eyes. “No, angel. No. No one’s going to sell you back to The Way. You remember the end? Joseph got out of slavery and helped rule the kingdom, just like you. He never went back into captivity. I promise.”
“And you never will, either,” Everest added, his clever quips gone. “You’ll stay right here with us, love. I’ve got a nice little guillotine ready for anyone who says otherwise.”
After a few less horrifying questions, Pastor Ervin jotted down the email address used for people to write in their private queries and prayer requests to him and the staff.
“Thank you, sir,” Blue tilted her head respectfully. “Thanks for letting me in.”
The pastor was confused, but responded with a polite tone. “Anytime.”
Everest rolled his eyes and spoke to her calmly. “You can go anywhere you want, love. You’re the emperor’s daughter.”
“Oh, that. I meant because I’m Wayward.”
Before Everest could offer a protest, Ervin spoke up. “Actually, we have many Wayward members that attend here regularly. We have a whole program dedicated to rescuing girls from prostitution rings and helping them find work. Hold on.” He motioned to a dodgy-eyed girl with flaming red hair, who approached skittishly. She wore an old pair of jeans with ragged holes and a thread-bare sweater that had once upon a time been purple, but was now a faded grayish hue. “This is Kendra. She has an interesting story that led her to us. Right now she works in our soup kitchen while she looks for a full-time job. She had an interview Friday at the grocery store down the street, and she got called back for a second one on Monday, so say a prayer they see what a great asset she’d be.”
Kendra bowed, and Blue could not take her eyes off the girl. She was young, and Blue could tell from a look that she had been heavily abused. “How…are you a Jane?” Blue asked, astonished that someone so young could look so weighed down by life.
Kendra’s green eyes perked up. “Yes!”
“I’m a Jane, too!” Blue exclaimed. “I have two brothers, too. A Jonathon and a James.”
Kendra smiled, losing a bit of her discomfort as she allowed herself to get caught up in a familiar conversation amidst the foreign land she had been thrust into without a guide. “This one?” she pointed to Killian. “He looks more like a Christopher.”
Blue chuckled. “More like an Alexander!” She looked up at her brother with a mocking smile.
Killian frowned. “I think they’re calling me old, Ever. I’m not ancient, you know. I’m the same age as your boyfriend.”
Kendra stopped her giggle short, horrified that she had been caught poking fun at the Prince of Europe.
Blue covered over Kendra’s nerves with a gracious smile. “No, this elderly grownup’s a Vemreaux,” Blue teased, ignoring Killian’s huffy protests. “I mean my blood brothers. They’re Wayward. Do you have anyone?”
“I have the church. They’re nice to me here. Pastor Ervin’s wife’s been great. I’ve been staying in their halfway house till I get on my feet.” She glanced at Blue’s wrist. “Is it true, then? You’re really one of us?”
Blue slipped off her bracelet and handed it to Everest, who shook his head at her. “Now I’m your butler?” he harrumphed.
“Yes. My nice, quiet butler who doesn’t sass me.” Blue threw Everest a simpering look, and then rolled her eyes conspiratorially at Kendra, as if Everest were the boy next door who was sent from Heaven to annoy them. “See? Same as you.” She displayed her barcode next to Kendra’s. The door to the church was propped open and the freezing January air hit them, breaking both girls into shivers. “Where’s your coat?” Blue asked Kendra.
“I’m on the wait list for one.” Kendra reached out, and then paused. “Can I?”
“Of course.”
Blue watched as Kendra rubbed her rough fingers over Blue’s wrist, testing to see if the stamp was real or a hoax for the cameras. Kendra gasped. “So, there’s hope?”
“Hope, and a jacket.” Blue nodded matter-of-factly, picking up her long, thick gray coat from the pew. She took out the few things she shoved in her pocket that morning: black bill card and Everest’s handkerchief, and tucked them into Everest’s pocket. The girls giggled, amused at his groan of exasperation. Then Blue handed the expensive garment to the girl, who shoved it back into her hands with wide eyes. “Take it,” Blue insisted. “After the story about the boy with the fancy coat, I don’t want it anymore.”
“No, your majesty. No. I can’t take your jacket. I’ll get one soon. I’m on the list.”
“Well, it snowed last night, and it’s pretty cold out there today. If you don’t take it, I’ll tear it to pieces right here. Then no one gets it.”
Kendra sized up the princess before taking the coat with shaking fingers, looking to Killian, Everest, and then Pastor Ervin to be sure she was not committing some crime in a world where she still did not understand all the rules. “Um, thank you, Princess.”
Blue helped slide it onto her shoulders, then turned her around and fastened the buttons for her. As a finishing touch, she fluffed out Kendra’s long, red tangles so they gleamed in the small beam of sun that filtered through the doorway. “Oh, jeez. It looks much better on you. Now you have to take it. Wear it to your second interview. That jacket makes me look like I know what I’m doing, even though I don’t. It’s magic or something, and now it’s yours.” Blue turned to her brother. “Killian, doesn’t she look pretty in it?”
Killian smiled graciously. “Very pretty, indeed.”
Kendra blushed furiously and stammered her thanks, flabbergasted even as Pastor Ervin led her away to the exit.
“That was very nice of you,” Killian commented, unable to conceal the adoration he held for Blue as he gazed down upon her upturned face.
“She’s me, Killian.” Blue lowered her voice. “If I didn’t have Baird, that’s who I’d be. Don’t ever forget that. Baird’s the reason I’m not in The Way. He’s the one who chose me for work in the diner.” She blinked up at her brother. “He’s the reason I have you.”
Killian cleared his throat in lieu of a response.
“Besides, why should I be the only one to get compliments from a prince? That should give her some confidence for her interview. When you say nice things, it always makes me happy.”
