The sunlight entered from the floor length window in Audra's new room, waking her up. Her face was puffy and her eyes swollen from a sleepless crying night. Fighting with the curtains around her new bed she got off screaming in frustration. Her hand automatically reached out for her phone and she realized she didn't have it with her. She had spent an entire day without her phone. She tried to think back to when was the last time she had seen her phone. The pool….
Still in yesterday's dress she rushed out of her room to find herself in a corridor of rooms. The rooms belonged to the princes and Marcelo. She had no idea what time it was, everyone seemed to be asleep.
"You are up early" she jumped in surprise hearing the voice. Ian appeared from behind her door.
"you scared me to death" She complained still standing half shocked.
He took a step towards her forcing her to move back till her back touched the other side of her double door. "Who are you really?" His tall form towered above her.
"I believe I did introduce myself already" She placed a hand between their distance.
"But you didn't tell us everything did you" He pried more taking one more step close to her.
She looked the other side not meeting his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"You clearly know what I mean. I am asking about your conversation to my grandfather yesterday" His behavior had completely changed from yesterday.
'' Why, are you jealous your grandfather is giving me more importance than you" She smiled at him provoking him.
"You haven't been here for even a day and you think of yourself important"
"Exactly my point you are jealous of me already. I am not going anywhere soon." She patted her shoulders pretending to remove non existing dust from his jacket.
"Were you not all about I would leave as soon as I see the king." His eyebrows quirked up as he assessed her.
"Oh I see. You are angry that I am staying with you and your plan to ruin your grandfather's gathering failed. Isn't it" His expression changed in surprise and she knew she had caught him off guard.
She pushed him off of her, his back hitting the door and she came on him her arm pressing against his neck. "What did you think I would buy your fake help for me. I may not be from your world but I have seen people like you. Don't even think you can mess with me for a second" She meant every word of it this time. She didn't feel as courageous as she seemed, her heart drummed hard against her chest. Grandfather's words echoed in her head. 'this is a dragon world' she feared he might do something to her.
"what is going on in here?" they both looked to the side to see Marcelo standing there all dressed in his armor. He looked at them peculiarly.
"Nothing" She got away from Ian pushing him once again. She smiled at both of them before excusing herself and walking past the two of them.
After going through millions of corridors and avoiding thousands of stares from workers she finally found herself standing in front of the immense pool she had found herself in yesterday. She stared at the blue water glimmering under the sun hoping her phone would present itself to her somehow. She got to the end and dipped one toe in the water and quickly got it out. The water was cold even though it was burning hot.
"If you are planning to kill yourself I can take you to a better place" Marcelo's voice made her turn around to face him.
"Why are you all dead set on killing me?" She asked in frustration.
"you are the one standing on the end of the pool even though you don't know how to swim" he shrugged.
"Whatever, I am trying to find something in there" She walked around the pool hoping maybe her phone was not in the water and somewhere here.
"Can you not stand here like a statue only and help me" She asked across the pool screaming on top of her lungs.
"What are you looking for?" He gave in.
"My phone, it was in my pocket yesterday" She replied as he stared back in confusion.
"What's a phone?" he asked back.
"You don't know what a phone is? How do you get through your day without a phone?'' she couldn't imagine her life without her phone. Who could...
"Why would it be hard for me to live without something I have never seen" he countered and she mentally slapped herself for thinking they would even have phones.
"Never mind. It's a rectangle black box it's almost the size of my hand and it's very thin." She described her phone to him.
He stared at the water and she saw his eyes glowing. His green eyes had hues of golden dancing in them; the palm of his hand had turned white and it glowed.
It was a sudden movement and she saw the water of the pool rise and bend to one side it was all out of the pool almost in the same moment it was went back down with a splash showering over her. She stood there wet her mouth hanging open in shock.
"You phone isn't here" Marcelo declared calmly enjoying the look on her face.
"Ho…how did you do that?" She couldn't comprehend the view her eyes had just taken in.
"That's my power I can don't of play with air so I used it to move the water" he explained but she wasn't hearing it she still stared at the water.," your phone wasn't there though. Did you see it?"
"Show off" she whispered composing herself.
"Where are your clothes maybe it's still in them" he asked and she realized she didn't have those clothes anymore.
"The ladies who dressed me yesterday took them. What do they do to the clothes after they take them?" She asked her tone utterly serious.
"They are usually taken to the washing" He replied.
"Then take me there" she demanded urgently.
He started to move inside she followed him running from the pool area leaving wet shoe prints behind her.
They stopped at the back of the palace where workers dressed in simple clothes moved in and out.
"There" he pointed at one of the ladies mixing something in a big wooden barrel overflowing with soap studs.
Another lady joined her she held a big basket full of clothes and Audra saw her tracksuit hanging out of the basket. She leaped at the woman knocking down the obstacles in her way earning the glares of other workers. She saw her efforts fail in front of her as instead of being able to pull the basket towards her the basket fell into the barrel along with all the clothes.
"Are you looking for this?" Marcelo's hand appeared in front of her holding the black device dripping in soap studs.
She snatched the phone out of his hand in panic at the sight of her wet phone. "Where is the kitchen?"
"What do you want from there?" he questioned all the workers returning back to their respective works, grumbling at the inconvenience.
"Uncooked rice" she demanded wiping away the soap studs.
"This was never my job" he complained leading the way.
After another series of hallways, they were at the opposite end of the palace. Smell of fresh soup aroused from the entrance of the kitchen as chefs cooked in enormous pots for the entire palace.
"Do ... you have some uncooked rice?" Marcelo asked awkwardly not sure how to fulfil his subject's difficult demands. She peeked up from behind his wide form at the head cook.
"What do you want it for?" The head cook asked surprised.
"I need it" she came out from behind him.
"Oh, here it is" she guided Audra to the counter where she cooked and bag of rice was beneath the counter. "We are cooking rice dessert." She added explaining.
She got some uncooked rice in a bowl for her. Audra quickly buried her smartphone in the rice hoping for the trick to work.
"What is this for?" he looked at her peculiarly still unable to understand her.
"It won't work with water in it. I saw a life hack to dry it in rice" She explained not sure if he really got it or not.
"You said your life depends on it but it doesn't seem so durable" he commented.
"You would never get it" she took out the phone from the rice bowl but it still didn't seem to work. She clenched her teeth in disappointment. Her lips turning into a pout.
"You said it needs to dry" she looked over at him nodding.
Marcelo pulled the phone from her hands. His other hand made some movement and she saw the spices placed near him twirling around in air. He returned it to her after a minute. "Try it"
Audra gave him a dubious stare nonetheless tried it. Her excitement was unable to contain her excitement as she jumped up and down with her phone glowing in her hand.
"Childish" he couldn't help but smile secretly.