Nick heard the door hiss open and turned over. He was still half asleep as he watched someone push in what looked like a room service cart. They set the table across the room, then left. He sat up, rubbing his face for a moment. Then he pulled the blankets back and stood up, walking over and sitting down. He pulled the cover from the plate in front of him, scrunching up his nose. "What the hell is this?" he asked himself, staring at the strange looking food. He picked up the fork and pushed some of it around, trying to decide if it was safe to eat. There was something that looked like scrabbled eggs, but it was blue in color. Also, there was a side of some sort of meat, again the wrong color�green. Nick bit his lip, gathering some of the egg-like food on his fork and bringing it to his nose for a smell. It smelled wonderful. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was until now, but he was still afraid to taste it.
He sat his fork down and looked at the liquid in the glass in front of him. Again, not a color he would've picked to be drinking. It was almost blood red, and thick looking. Kinda like milk, only thicker. He sat there debating his plight. He could eat and calm the growling in his stomach, or he could refuse. Maybe if he refused to eat, they would take him back? Maybe not, the way his luck was running, he'd just starve to death. He felt that sinking sensation in his stomach and turned to face the door as it hissed open. Ana stepped in, "May I join you?" Nick nodded, and she walked over, taking the seat opposite him. "You aren't eating, is something wrong?" she asked. "What is it?" Nick asked, looking like a child that was being made to try something new. Ana smiled, "This would be our version of eggs and bacon, and milk." "Your milk is red?" he asked. Ana shrugged, "Yours is white, what does color have to do with it?" He looked back at his food, then up to her. "Just try it," she urged. Nick sighed, then picked his fork up and scooped a small bite onto it. He looked at her once more before he took it into his mouth. He smiled, it tasted just like his eggs and honey combination.
Ana watched him eat for several minutes. "How did you ever survive there?" she asked. Nick looked at her, "I found ways to satisfy my cravings for sweet stuff." She nodded, as he finished the last bite and pushed the plate away. Nick looked at her for a moment, "Ana, is that your real name?" "Yes, your highness it is. Ana Leigh Coland," she answered. "I wish you wouldn't call me that," Nick said, standing up and going to the window, staring out. Ana stood behind him, "I must call you that. It's who you are." Nick shook his head, "I'm Nick Carter. I'm not some prince, I'm just me." "You are our prince, and you aren't Nick Carter. Your birth name is Frederick DeGrafe the fifth," she said. Nick turned around and stared at her, "My name is Fred? Oh that's just great!" he said throwing his hands up and turning back around. Ana walked over to stand beside him, "I know this must be difficult for you, but....." "Difficult! You call this difficult?! You fucking kidnaped me and took me from everything and everyone I know and love! And to top it off you tell me my name is Fred! This is a little more than difficult!" Nick screamed.
"Your highness, I understand that you are upset. If I were in your shoes, I would feel the same way, but we don't have much time," she said. "Time for what?" Nick asked, still staring out the window. "You have to learn everything about us before we arrive on Celeste. You must learn our language, our customs, and what it is to be the heir to the throne," she said. Nick turned to face her, "Why?" "Because the King, your father, is ill. It's my job to teach you what you need to learn before we arrive, because you may have to take the throne as soon as we get there," she explained. Nick's mouth dropped open, "No, I can't. There has to be someone else." "The alternative would be a civil war," she said. Nick moved to the closest chair and sat down, putting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry you're faced with this pressure, but if you don't do this, thousands will die and our world would be in danger," Ana said. He looked up, "What do you mean the world would be in danger?" Ana took the seat next to him, "We are the peacekeepers on our side of the galaxy. The worlds around us would like nothing more than for us to be plunged into chaos so they could come in and take over. The only thing that stops them now is the fact that we are a united planet. We serve one King. If he dies with no one to assume the throne, the leaders of the various provinces will fight for power, and the other worlds will take advantage of it."
"There's no one else? The Queen can't rule on her own?" Nick asked. Ana shook her head, "We are a patriarchal society. We are ruled by a King, or King and Queen. Never by a Queen alone." "Damn, haven't you guys heard of women's lib?" Nick asked. Ana smiled, "Yes we have, but it doesn't work when you are dealing with other societies that don't recognize it." Nick sighed, "How long before we get there?" "Two weeks," she said. "Two weeks!?! I can't learn all that in two weeks!" Nick said, shocked. "You can," she said, "Most of it you were born knowing. I just have to remind you." "Ana, I can't learn a whole language in two weeks," Nick protested. "I'm sorry, but that's all the time we have," she said. "Then we're screwed," Nick muttered.
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The guys walked down the corridor, heading for the dinning room. They followed several soldiers, and got in line. A.J. peered down the line, "That doesn't look like food to me." Howie elbowed him, "Be nice." "That was nice," A.J. said as he had a clump of something resembling food plopped on his tray. He smiled at the woman and headed for a table. The four sat together. They didn't know anyone, other than Tom and Tamara, and they were nowhere to be seen. "What is this?" Brian asked, poking the food with his fork. "I dunno, but just eat it," Kevin said, taking a bite and wishing he hadn't. "God that is awful," Howie said. "What happened to be nice?" A.J. teased. "It went out the window with my appetite," Howie answered, pushing his tray aside. "D you gotta eat," Kevin said, "We're gonna be here for a month, and it's probably not gonna get any better."
"At least it's not freezing anymore," Brian said. "Yeah, now it's like a sauna," A.J. retorted. "I'd rather be hot than cold any day," Brian said, wiping the sweat from his brow. A.J. laughed, "You kill me. Always looking for the bright side of things aren't you?" Brian grinned at him, "I have to. It'd be to depressing if I didn't."
"You guys up for some company?" Tamara asked. The four smiled and made room. Tamara sat down and dug right into her food. "Eww, how do you eat that?" Howie asked. "It's an acquired taste," she admitted, "But it has all your nutrients in it." "Well, nutrients suck," .A.J. said, taking a bite and making an awful face to go with it. Everyone laughed. "So Agent Dawson," Kevin said, "Have you ever been to Celeste?" "Once," she said. "Only once?" Brian said. She nodded, "We don't like to go there, much like they don't like to come to earth." "Why not?" Howie asked. "It's to bright. Their suns are intense, and we burn easily," she said. "So what can we expect when we get there?" Kevin asked. "Yeah, they have to know we're coming," A.J. added. "They do, and I'm not exactly sure," she admitted, "We hope they receive us and hear our plea to return Nick." "But you don't think that will happen do you?" Brian asked. "No I don't. That's when plan B comes into play," she said. "Plan B?" Howie asked. "We take him back by force," she said.
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"Mother," Ana prompted. Nick thought for a moment, "m�re?" Ana smiled, "Yes, now father." "p�re," Nick said. "See you remember this," Ana encouraged. "I remember some words, that's way different than actually speaking it," Nick said. "Alright, try this. I am a prince," she said. "Ana," Nick said, sternly. "Just try it," she said. "Je suis un prince," Nick said. "You know this, you can do this," she urged. Nick sighed, "You think so?" Ana nodded, "I do. Now tell me what I'm saying. Je suis prince Frederick DeGrafe le cinqui�me, l'h�ritier au tr�ne de Celeste." Nick shook his head and laughed, "I am prince Frederick DeGrafe the fifth, the heir to the throne of Celeste." Ana smiled.
"But how come I know all this stuff, but I didn't understand it on earth?" he asked. "Our dialect is different than that of the French on earth. Long ago we tried to colonize there, but found the living conditions to be intolerable. We left, but the tribes that were already there adopted our language. They speak with a different tone than we do, though for the most part, it's the same language. You needed to hear it as we speak it to understand it," she explained. Nick nodded, staring at her, "Je ferai ceci dans deux conditions." I will do this under two conditions. "Name them," Ana said. "One, stop calling me your highness," Nick said. "I have to call you that when we are in public," she protested. "I'll endure it in public, but when it's just us, don't," Nick said. "Alright, and two?" she asked. "Two, I want to keep my name. I want everyone to be informed that my name is Nick, not Frederick," he insisted. "I will relay your wishes to the royal family, only they can make that decision," she said.
Nick stared at her, "OK, tell them this. I adamantly refuse to be known as Fred. If I have to adopt this life, I at least want to keep the name I grew up with." "I will tell them," she said. Nick stared out the window, "I guess it's useless to ask this, but, will I ever see earth again?" Ana was quiet for a long time before she answered, "I have to tell you something before I answer that." Nick turned to face her, "What?" "It's how you got there. I don't know what your government told you, but I'm willing to bet it wasn't the truth," she started, "Your high.... um Nick, you were kidnaped when you were only a week old. Taken right out of the palace with no witnesses. It took us a long time to figure out where you'd been taken, and when we did, you had already been placed in the general public. It was impossible for us to locate you." "Why?" Nick asked. "Do you realize how many blonde haired blue eyed boys there are your age on that planet?" she asked. "Oh, good point," Nick said. "Your government said they would return you if we shared some our knowledge with them. We took their word in good faith, and gave them what they wanted, but you were never returned. We soon realized they never had any intentions of giving you back. They've in a sense, held you hostage all these years. They knew as long as they had you, we would cooperate with them, give them the technology they wanted," she said.
"How did they think they would get away with that?" Nick asked, angrily. "I don't know, but it worked for twenty-one years. Nick, you are more than just our prince. In some ways you are more revered than the King himself. They knew as long as they had you, we'd do anything they asked," Ana said. "What do you mean, I'm revered?" he asked, confused. "There is a prophecy. It's ages old, but it talks of a perfect angel. One that doesn't bare our looks. It says this angel will be our salvation in a time of need, a great king. When you were born, many thought you to be the fulfillment of that prophecy," she explained. Nick laughed, "Ana, I'm not perfect, no one is." "That's where you're wrong. You are genetically perfect. You carry every gene for our abilities. No one has ever done that," she said. Nick rubbed his face, "Abilities?" "We have certain abilities that other races don't. Some of us are lucky to have one or two, but you carry all seven," she said. Nick held his head, "God, I'm getting a headache. This is to much Ana. You can't just dump all this on me and expect me to just accept it. I have seven extra abilities? How come I haven't noticed them by now?" "Because you have to be taught how to use them, and only an angel with that ability can teach you," she said.
Nick sat up and looked at her, "Is sensing other angels one of them?" "Yes," she said. "Then how come I can do that? No one taught me how," he asked. "Because I possess that ability as well. When you saw me at the meet and greet, something in you clicked, am I right?" she asked. He nodded, "Yeah, it did. I knew it was you that was making me feel that way." "When I say teach, it's a little different than what you understand teach to be. Sometimes, if the genes are strong, which yours obviously are, all it takes is to be in the vicinity of someone with that same ability for it to click. Albeit, you'll have to learn how to fine tune it, and to control some of them, they may just click like you did with me," Ana said. "Is that why you're keeping me in here away from the others?" he asked. "Yes. We don't want to overwhelm you," she answered. Nick laughed, "I think it's a little late for that."
Ana studied his face for a moment, "You're tired?" Nick nodded, "Yeah, why is that? I just got up a few hours ago." "First time in space will do that to you. It's like jet lag sort of. Go ahead and rest, we will continue later," she said, standing to go. Nick walked over to the bed as she headed for the door, "Ana?" She turned around, "Yes Nick?" "Merci de me dire la v�rit�." Thank you for telling me the truth, Nick said. She smiled, relieved he had accepted it, "You're welcome."
Chapter 12