Chapter One: Meet the Commoner

 

This is the story of a girl named Micka Lei Fortez, a journalist in an elite school. Like some other stories, our central character is a commoner, poor, unfortunate, not rich girl so basically she is what normal people calls scholar that is why she have the ability to study in a school for those prosperous wealthy people and is often called as commoner by the rich brats.

Her editor in chief gave her an impossible, heaven knows assignment, to interview the three so-called ‘Emperors’ of the school namely the ‘unworthy man crying ladies effect Emperor’, the ‘Oh-so-kind-and-friendly-please-do-not-be-gay Emperor and the Ice Cube Emperor! Whom she mentally gives names to. How can she finish the task if only seeing those richest people on their society means being uncomfortably irritating?

 

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Name: Micka Lei G. Fortez

Nick Name: Kale, Micka, Lei and Mickey

Favorite color: Sky blue, Green (nature lover)

Hobby: Writing… anything…

Nametag:  The Feature writer (anonymous “Felicity")

Mission:  To Interview the Emperors

Time Frame: Three months

 

 

 

“Why? Of all people why you?”

“Surprised? Or shocked?” He devilishly smirked at me

I can’t even move an inch to where I stood because I was shocked, hurt, sad, confused and I can’t help my tears in front of him.

I didn’t expect this to happen. It’s been 23 hours and 55 minutes I’ve been gone, kidnapped to be exact. I am a journalist for goodness sake. I should have seen all the facts why did I become so blinded? Why didn’t I expect this?

“Hey!”

“Why are you crying right now?”

“I already said to you before, be very very careful, I will tell you a little secret, Fortez, every time I see you, I just want to kill you and slap you in the face so hard for you to realize how unfortunate you are, I hate you. You took everything to me!”

I mentally close my eyes, the masked man revealed himself and she knows her fully.

“Any last words before I click this gun?”

 “If I die will you be happy?” Tears start pouring down her cheeks

The man looks at her in the eyes, and said “Yes, that’s my only dream, to see you die in my hands...”

She slowly closes her eyes and in whispers she said “Then do it …. Now. Until they don’t see me yet… but just remember... Your eyes, your nose, your cheeks and your lips, I will never forget them.”

Micka then gently touch the man’s hand where the gun is and points it in her head and in one last look she said

“I never thought my life will end like this, to expect this… in your hands.”

“Goodbye” and last tear fell on her pale cheeks.

“Goodbye, Micka Lei Fortez” then the man releases the trigger and a boom was heard.

Is it really that hard when the time comes for you to die? That every seconds of your life you will remember every single detail of what just happened.

Six months ago, I was just an ordinary girl being a journalist finding home to live in and have been thankful to my cousin. Just six months ago I was just happy with my life, just six months ago I am happy having tea with my friends, just three months ago we receive that black letter and just six months ago I’m with those incredible people I never knew I will meet… just six months ago.. I just … just those months ago I feel more alive than ever, more willing to live and experience everything…

Is it the payment for being happy for those past few months? Can’t I just wish for another day? For me to let those special people know how grateful I am to live my life with them.

I slowly close my eyes as I feel the bullet and flashback started…

 

 

 

 

“Just let me love you… can I be the one? I’ll protect you, I’ll take good care of you, I will love you to the fullest just let me be the one… Micka Lei Fortez, be my Empress.”

Micka lei Fortez was stunned from the confession, this young man in front of her is confessing his love to her while kneeling like a dazzling prince riding on a black stallion horse. 

But what she can’t really believe is that one of the emperors is confessing at her. Those eyes, the perfected sculptured nose, especially his lips that can melt the hearts of women even the untamed animals.

“What the heck? I thought nobody’s perfect! How come he doesn’t have flaws?” She looks deeply to the man but she can’t really distinguish who he is no matter how deep her stare is.

Knowing he is wearing a rose emblem made of gold and diamonds that only the emperors could and have the means to wear such lavish trinkets, she is sure he is one of them but she doesn’t know exactly who he is.

 

“Lei! Wake up!”

Oh my, how can I respond to this man?

“You’ll be late for sure if you don’t get up, Lei.”

What?

“Micka Lei Fortez! No matter how pretty and smart you are if you continue sleeping and be late for school, you won’t have the life you’re dreaming of so get up!”

I love my life right now, I’m fully contented so what’re you talking about?

 “Wake up or I’ll pour water on you! Stop sleeping like a log!”

Arrggh.

Micka flickered and stood immediately when she felt water onto her face, she noticed her cousin, Dannise, with an empty glass on her hand.

“I thought you’re not going to get up, Lei.”

 “Err…sorry.”

 “No problem Lei! Just eat your breakfast, and then if you have time, try to take a bath and go to school!”

“Okay.”

“By the way, I’ll be late for home so mostly you have to eat alone, I’m really sorry my dear cousin. Remember to lock the doors and windows fully, understand? Bye, I have to go.”

“Bye~ Take care. I love you!”

 “Yup, sure. Love you more!”

So she did her daily routine, doing her routine like lesson plan and hoping for another normal day.

She sighed thinking real hard who on the three well-known emperors the man in her dream is.

It’s Monday and it’s another day to do socializations with the brats.

She plugged her earphones and listen to music for a while having her time walking to school.

Life with no twist and trills, is this how my life would end?

Make a story, which to be honest is I love doing anyway, go to school and maintain my grades for my scholarship then go home and live with the help of my pretty cousin which I am more prettier as I believe. Yup people... I am an ordinary high school girl and that is what I do routinely for the weekdays and weekends.

This is my life; I have no home, a commoner and scholar of this elite school and a feature writer at the school’s daily broadsheet “The Sanctuary at Times”. I write but I do not use my real name. I used the name of my beloved mother, Felicity.

My cousin whose name is Dannise, my oh-so-beautiful cousin said that it is fine if I stay in her house as long as I study in the Sanctuary Genesis Academy since it is just a walking distance.

Although last month, she received a ‘You are hired’ and is going to Japan that is why I don’t know what to do!

Where am I going now?

What am I going to do?

How can I fulfill my dreams?

How can I live the life I’m dreaming of which is casually said by my cousin?

Can I live?

Micka, stop overreacting. I’m not, but it is really over dramatically when the one who’s helping me to live my life is going away, if you know what I am saying.

“Don’t mutter something especially if I walk on the same path. Many people would believe you broke out from mental hospital if you keep mumbling like that, Mickey.”

Huh? Wait, who’s that? I’m busy talking my other self here, can’t you see I’m busy?

She turned her head up only to see a good-looking creature in front of him.

Michael Lloyd Alice? One of the Emperors? nah… He’s not suited in those titles. Too ugly, yep, really way too ugly.

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Name: Michael Lloyd Alice

Nick Name: ML, Alice in Wonderland (by Micka)

Favorite color: Dark Blue

Hobby: Making fun of Micka, Playing video games

Nametag: The Arrogant Bastard (by Micka)

Mission:  To protect “her”

Time Frame: Fifteen months

 

“Mind your own business Alice”(-_-)

“I am minding my business pretty well. Another hotel own by my family located at the Southern part of this country is having its opening on Sunday, Mickey M.” he said then smirked,

“Oh wait. Do you know what a hotel is? It is a huge building, a grand one. Can you imagine it, now?” He said while continuing to smirk.

“Do I look like a fool, Alice? Of course, I know that.”

Arrogant man. It’s not fully yours; it’s your family, you Alice in Wonderland! I’ll kick your mighty possession; do you want that, huh?

Of course, Micka wouldn’t say such things.

 “Don’t call me Mickey, Alice. What do you want anyway? If you want nothing to do with me then just let me have my time with my world and I’ll let you have your time with your magnificent world. If you’ll excuse me, I’m off.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment Mickey. Now… next time don’t whisper like a crazy girl there. Idiot. Stupid. Say hello for me to Minnie.”

Then off he go, that one is crazy. He is one of my classmates since first year. That’s how our conversation goes so I am still grateful I am still breathing because he have a lot of patience with me or he just don’t want me to be killed by his Mafias for he can’t bully me anymore since I’ve pass the life.

Anyway, as I was saying, my older cousin lends the house for a while because she needs money.

Flashback

“Lei, I’m sorry I lend my home. I’m going to the land of the rising sun, if you know what I mean, I’m going to see the spot I’ve wanted to see like those on the anime and Japanese movies I am really addicted to.”

I forced myself to give her a smile.  What shall I do with my life? I am third year right now and soon to graduate and here I am thinking I’m half way to receive my diploma but in the reality I’m not. The only one who took care of me is the family of my older cousin, Dannise because my parents died when I was Seven years old. Actually, Dannise is living on her own trying to be independent so that’s it.

“Lei, are you listening?” Dannise asked me.

“What’re we talking about again?

“I said I’m off to see Ryoma Echizen and Conan so you’re going to live in my friend’s house for a while until I got back here.”

 Dannise is an Anime lover, she calls herself Otaku and she wanted me to call herself too. I’ve been sometimes called by her as ‘baka-Micka-san’ which is really stupid. Or sometimes just plain Lei-chan or Micka-chan.

 

End of Flashback

 

And here she is standing in front of the gate of their school and she really thought that the word huge is not enough to describe how big their school is. It is like 17th century palace of queens and king in England, a step inside the gate, you can feel the ambiance of royalties and aristocrats, a gate made of gold and silver but of course it is just paint. Before reaching the school, you have to walk along a maze garden, it’s like finding the gate of heaven for what she thought is really hard.

When you entered the gate, there is a long lane on both side are covered by green grasses and the pathway have no grass or flowers but only people to walk in.

But I don’t typically walk there, not that I’m not human it’s just that I usually pass through a back door leading to the press room,

And as usual our editor in chief got first which I would really like to beat.

Time to smile, I said to myself as I walked inside the room, since I’m in the center of depression. Thanks for being in the theater club.

“Good morning and hello world” I said as I greet Savrina Nicole Royale, our very own Editor in Chief.

 She smiled at me.

“Good Morning to you too”,

This is what I love about our editor-in-chief, so beautiful and kind.

Micka’s thought stopped when she saw the letters, all are black letters,

“Is it the fan girls again? Those flower girls who kept on cursing us? If I were you, I wouldn’t waste time for that letters. Let us do our jobs well.” She cheered her.

 “Thank you, Lei. My head aches because of them, why can’t they see that we are just doing our job. What have we done to persuade them on giving these frustrating letters?”

She saw her almost crying.

Our newspaper that mostly is in opposition to their so-called “Emperors” that’s what I’ve talked about a while ago with Alice. The press who sees the special treatment that those emperors are receiving ended up writing on the school paper,  The adviser supports us and to protect us from being killed by those fan girls we are all anonymous which was great at least we can still breath.

“Don’t worry; you are the pillar of our paper, Miss Savrina. If they see you in your bad condition, they’ll be hurt somehow. We are okay, we will be okay. We’ll stand for our school paper no matter how many and huge and scary their threats are. Go, Fight! We can do it! I’m positively, absolutely, surely we can do it!”

“That’s what I love it here, so positive energy I am getting.”

“What’s the drama again, Kale and Sav?”

Speaking of the Press Group, here they come

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