May 21

This is our property in Hidden Springs. It's six bedrooms, five bathrooms, nice and cozy. We have property in Hidden Springs, Sunset Valley, and Moonlight Falls, and try to maintain all our properties. I haven't told mom and dad yet but I'm actively looking for a place in the woods for after I'm done with college. Somewhere near the water, I think. Speaking of the water, the other day AJ and I went on a little fishing trip on the edge of Hidden Lake. Just him and me, nobody else. We talked about a lot of stuff. Mostly Kay and Samantha tho. "Who do you want to be with?" AJ glared at me. "I dunno," he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know anything anymore." "Who do you like better?" "Why do you ask?" "It doesn't matter to me, I don't care who you pick, it's not about me, AJ, I just want you to be happy. You can't possibly be happy splitting your time between two girls." He shrugged his shoulders again. "I just need some time to figure all this out. It's all new to me, you know?" Just then I felt something biting on the end of my line. Just like Dad had taught me, I reeled in my line, and I was surprised at the end of it to find a strange-looking, brightly-colored fish that had a red button nose. I had never seen any like it before. Was it native to Hidden Springs? I wasn't sure. "AJ?" I asked. "Any idea what this is?" "Tragic Clownfish," AJ muttered, "how'd you get that?" I stuck my tongue out mischievously. After we came back from fishing, we went to mom's where she greeted us with her patented scowl. We looked at each other and knew it could only mean one thing. She had something to tell us. "What's going on?" I asked. "It's Sierra. The courts sent her to Fort Starch. Once again I had no say-so in the matter. She's a fifteen year old girl. Subjecting her to hard labor -- it's practically a death sentence." "Skylar's been crying non-stop and your father has been practically inconsolable." For me, the whole thing had brought back terrible memories. I was myself a child when my two older brothers were sent away to Fort Starch Military Academy, and I didn't understand why it happened, and I couldn't comprehend it for a long time. So when I walked over to Skylar to try to talk to her, she tried to turn away from me. "You know, when I was little the same thing happened to me when my older brothers went away," I explained to her. "Is she going to come back?" Skylar asked. "Probably. But in the meantime you can always write her letters and call her, and text her on your new phone too."

This morning I was reading the paper (yeah, I know, nobody reads the papers anymore) and this little blurb caught my eye: Princess Alexandra to address cadets at Fort Starch Hidden Springs - Fort Starch Military Academy today announced that Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra, would soon address both incoming and outgoing cadet classes at Fort Starch Military Academy. Alex giving a speech at Fort Starch? Really? The same girl I met that day, AJ's friend? I'm getting ready with my popcorn. Especially if Sierra is there when she gives it.