Rayanna- When we arrive home, surprise my mother didn't send us away for no reason. I'll let you guess what that reason was. Xander and I were the first ones back, and I guess were a little early, because I caught her partner in crime escaping the scene. Xander obviously didn't understand what was happening. I didn't explain it to him, but I did ask him to take care of Cisco and the stuff while I go to speak with my mother. I rush angrily down the hallways, I ask a maid were my mother was and she told me to go to her room and sure enough there she is sitting on the balcony drinking coffee in a rope.
"Hey!" I yell at her. She jumps as she sees me there.
"Hey," She says mockingly ", Do you ever learn to knock?"
"Do you ever learn to grow up!"
She stands up looking at me frustrated placing her coffee down.
"Do you know who your talking to young lady?"
"Who was that walking out this morning, another boy toy?" I yell at her.
"I don't know what your talking about sweetie."
"OH, DONT EVEN START WITH THAT BULL SHIT!"
She walks over to me and slaps me across the face.
"Don't speak to you mother like that."
For the first time I ack back smacking her across the cheek, and I feel me hand tingle.
"Sorry Incase you didn't know, I don't have one of those! I just live with this woman who can't run her own country, and has her 19 year old daughter do it! Get a grip! What would have Dad say if he saw this! You discussed me!"
I walk out of her door slamming it shut behind me. When I lift my head up I walk into a maid who was standing in front of the door.
"Excuse me," I say to her as I walk past and head for my room.
I sit in my room in front of my mirror looking at the dark purple bruise forming on the side of my jaw line and across my entire right cheek up to right below my eye. I look through my makeup, looking for concealer and foundation. This is not the worst I've gotten over the years, but when that happened I don't even think she remembered she was so drunk. Over the years I've gotten used to the pain that she inficks. I learned to do makeup to hide the bruises and putminit scars left behind. No one told her that those were her doing,"Oh, that's just clumsy Rayanna," the maids would explain to her. I look at myself in the mirror applying the make up to my cheek which starts to swell a little. I look at my face it the swelling isn't that bad they won't notice unless there studding in my face. I bit my lip as I dab the makeup on. I've been away from everyone to long I should go. I perfect my face, and wear my practiced smile as I walk out of my room and into the common room. As I walking I hear two mares gossip. They stop dead when I look at them. It's the new maid and her sister who has been working here for a while. My face smiles, the smile I trained myself to do. Even though I might be smiling, my eyes are glaring. They stand straight and greet me in unison.
"Helow, Princess."
"Ray!"
I turn to see Xander waving me down. I leave the maids and head over to him.
"What took you so long everyone, well except Jessie and Linda"
"I told you I went to talk to my mother ,"
"Yay, but I saw her earlier at the bar,"
I rub my temples. That woman gives me headaches.
"I don't what to talk about it right now Xan, let's do something with everyone,"
"Ok, and what were you thinking?"
"In the room behind the stage in there are massage benches, are you feeling up to it."
"That sounds great, I'll go get everyone."
I sit in the dark room on the sofa and wait for all of them to get here. They all arrive we leave the boys to get there massage first while Erin, Lillian, and myself sit in the hot tub. The hot tub covers half the room with a glass wall separating the two halves. I close my eyes listening to Erin and Lillian talk.
"Hi Erin my name is Lillian, I don't know if you remember, but we've met before"
"Oh that's why you look familiar, it's nice to meet you again."
"So, how was last night?"
"I think it went great, It's only the first day I've been here and Leon has been really helpful. Not only that but totally my type."
"I think all of us have a type here, even though Ray doesn't want to admit it everyone knows she's totally into Xan,"
May face gets hot ", Whaaaaat, nnnooooo"
"You see what I mean"
"I feel attacked," I say jokingly.
"How was you night Ray?" Erin asks.
I feel my face burn and I look away.
"Ohhh," Lillian teases ", did you do something?"
I divert my eyes putting my mouth in the water and releasing a breath. " noooooooo..."
"Well looks like I'll try and get the info from Xan" Lil says back.
"No!" She looks at me", fine we just kissed nothing more."
"Wow I think all the boys wanted something to happen on that trip," Erin says.
Lillian sits quietly for a moment looking away "Form what I heard Ace and Ashley do it all the time so no different. The other people who got it on were Linda and Jessie." Ancers Lillian.
"How do you know that?" Erin questions.
"Well this morning I was hanging out with the boys and Ace wouldn't shut up about it, and asides from being late this morning, even though we all were in different locations we were really close to there camp, I didn't hear it Colin did and told me about it when we got back."
"They must have been screaming," Erin says.
"Well," I say ", they were on Tawaba Mountain and Lil and Co were in the valley, and there isn't a lot of things between those spaces, so the sound travels quite far."
" Rayanna," Erin says.
"Erin."
"Do you mind if I ask you a question about something?"
"Go a head."
"Why don't you use technology like mobile phones and WiFi?"
"My mother likes the old ways so she bands the use of technology in the castle. She made an exemption because we have all of you here."
"Don't you find that weird?"
I shrug and one of the maids knocks on the door.
"Princesses, I brought your towels, the princes are ready for you," she leaves the room and Lil looks at me.
"What are you planning?"
I smile at her " a surprise."
We walk into the room and there is each of the boys waiting. Each of the boys take us into a separate room. I take my towel off and lay down on the table. Xan comes over and moves my hair of my back. He unties the back of the top piece of my bathing suit then the bottom. He quickly covers my legs with a towel. I can't see because my head is face down. I trust him ...., well until he tries something.
He starts to massage my back, when he gets up by my neck I can feel the tense nerves, and it sends pain into my body as he rubs the spots they are located. He can tell that I'm sensitive and tries to make it less painful for me. After he massages the tense nerves out I start to enjoy it more. He applies more pressure with his hand as they trace out my spin using his thumbs. His hands are large and warm, his hands weren't soft, but they felt like working hands, a little rough.
"Rayanna," he says in a soothing voice.
"Yes."
"What were you doing this morning after you went to talk to the queen?"
"I-," I start not wanting to tell him what really happened I lie ", I went to my room to take a shower," I pretended to be embarrassed.
"Did you now."
"Ya."
"I hope I get an invitation to the next one," he says into my ear.
My face gets hot, and I start to squirm.
"Hey, are you trying to go somewhere?"
"Nowhere!" I Squeak out.
He places his hands on my back applying hard pressure. All of a sudden a wait in placed on my lower back.
"Are you sitting on me!?"
He rubs his hands over my back and shoulders lightly scratching his nails agent my skin. He leans in close to my head and whispers into my ear making me get goosebumps.
"Is there something wrong."
I don't reply, why dose he tease me so much. He traces my back with his hands, as he leans back to where he was.
"Don't worry, I'm just playing." He pauses for a moment considering "So, I'm not the only one." He points at the tattoo behind my ear placing his finger on it.
The tattoo is of a hippocampus, a half horse half fish from Greek mythology. It's tail is shiny blue and gold, and the horse is black with a bright blue eye, a white diamond on its forehead, and its main long and brushed to the other side of its head, letting its strong neck show. The hippocampus is using its tail to make a circle around a black and gold star. The horse half is looking forward it's hoof tucked together as if it was jumping.
"What is it supposed to represent?"
"The horse is my fathers horse, he is a PRE ( Aka The Andalusian or Pure Spanish Horse) brought here from Tarrania, his name is Aldin. The reason he is a hippocampus is because I love the ocean and to swim. The outline of the star is made of my fathers ashes. He is protecting the star."
"Deep," he says ",You said 'is', is Aldin still alive?"
"He is, but he doesn't live in the barn. He is actually Cisco's father," I answer.
"Do you think I could meet him?"
I tie my bathing suit back together and turn around to look at him.
"Sure. But can you get of me first?"