Happier by Olivia Rodrigo

I flew over Kingdom Uno as the airjets are in stealth mode. 

"Toni...cut off any signals of my airjet. Only you, Martin and I will connect. I'm turning on the invisibility mode of the jet. I'll use these portable tanks to fly me over the cargo entrance. You'll take over the jet when I'm inside. If I'm successful, I want you to fetch me with the airjet."

Okay. Be careful Gabriela.

"I will."

Airjets' invisibility mode copies the background and foreground of its surroundings, then projects it outside. My airjet is now technically off to go undetected. A portable jet tank that would help the pilot fly for an hour was available. I went out of the jet and got strapped behind me to a jet tank. We're almost a few hundred thousand above the ground, and it adds up to my nervousness. 

It was almost midnight and I saw some cargoes being brought inside. One earth-based kin geom is providing them and I flew over to one cargo and hold on to it. The cargo was brought over to the cargo area near the kingdom's big engines. 

"I'm in." I jumped off the cargo and took off my tanks. 

Gabriela, I have all the blueprints of the kingdom. 

"Good. Now tell me where I should go."

I'm still looking for Antonio in the kingdom. Now get yourself changed first. There's a maintenance area not far from you. Go into the door in your right. I have unlocked it for you.

"You're excellent at this, Toni."

I just got into their system. Guess what? Paradiso is currently downloading connections with Kingdom Uno. Now that just makes them vulnerable.

"Please tell Martin."

I luckily found some cargo worker attire that fitted me. I changed and ran up to the mainland to search for Antonio.

Gabriela. I registered you in their system as a Palace worker. You are Jekka Sila now. There are only a few guards around for tonight's shift. You can sneak away from them.

When I successfully got out of the cargo area, I found myself not far away from the palace.

Gabriela, maids' quarters are two blocks away. Go and change.

When I got to the entrance of the maids' quarters, not much had changed. I can still remember some things from the past. Mother was cooking. Father was guarding the palace gates. 

Gabriela, enemy at your back! Toni warned.

Visuals gave me hints of his attack. I blocked his elbow attack, kicked his shin and pinned him on the ground. He was a young man of my age.

"Who are you?" shouted by two more men two feet away from me. I jumped away from them. 

"Im Jekka Vito."

"Wait, are you a security volunteer?"

I asked Toni for back up. Toni listed me as a security volunteer. Got it.

Pretending to be friendly, "I pinned the man on the ground. I'm sorry that was a defense mechanism."

"Well, you're good. So are you a security volunteer?"

"Yes I am. You can verify me."

Another young man opened his tablet and checked my identity.

"Jekka Vito, 17, from Carnation Village. Security Volunteer."

"Can we see your mark?"

I showed them my Uno mark on my wrist.

"Well, we're sorry for that. Again, we have tight security measures up here for tomorrow's big event."

"Oh yes. That's why I'm here."

"And you're early. Security volunteers will not be here in five hours."

Toni? 

Traffic everywhere. Villagers' buses will be full.

"I want to avoid traffic. Villagers' bus will be full.

"Well, good decision. Why don't you go inside ? Security uniforms are still in the maids' quarters. Ask for it and go get changed. This is your ID. "

A young man gave me a virtual card that stated my name and my role.

"You're too pretty to be a security personnel. Why don't we hang out later?"

I gave him a questioning look.

"Jack, you're scaring her. I'm sorry. Now, go get dressed."

I went inside the maids' quarters. Everything is familiar. It's just an hour past 12 and everyone's busy. So what's the celebration?

Toni. Something is coming up today. What is it?

I asked one of the maids to get me to this dressing room. And it was in my old room.

Memories started to rush back like a tsunami. Rey locked the door. He was trying to tell me something. He wanted to go away. Then he opened the portal and left.

Gabriela? Bad news. Antonio is getting married today. 

And the memories started to attack me with bullets. My chest hurts again. Antonio? Getting married? How? and WHY? I tried to hold back my tears and my voice cracked. 

"Toni, please send that information to Martin. Ask him what I should do next."

I started to get dressed up but tears were wetting my new uniform. 

Gabriela, Martin was surprised but the mission is still on.

"Toni, did you find Antonio?"

Yes. He's in the palace. Sleeping in prince's quarters.

"With whom? Is he getting married?"

Princess Erys of Paradiso.

"Toni, give me the full details of the wedding. Let's make a plan."

I went to the palace and sneaked into the Royal Quarters. There, I found Antonio awake and calling someone on his virtual phone. He dressed and went out of his room to a car waiting outside. Is he running away from his wedding? A little hope suddenly sprouted within me. 

Then, a beautiful woman in her nightdress came out of the car. Antonio greeted her with his warm smile. He went down the stairs and took the girl in his arms and kissed her. It was still dark, but the scene was clear and perfect.

All of a sudden, my knees weakened and I had a sudden chest pain. It was so painful that I couldn't breathe, and my hands felt numb. I was hiding in the bushes and I had nothing to hold on to. I can't take my eyes away from the painful scene before me. Antonio is kissing her like there's no tomorrow. I wondered if he kissed me like that a year ago. I wondered if he still remembered when he said he loved me. Did I ever cross his mind? Or did he really love me? Was it love? Was it stronger than the love they shared right now? I don't think so. Did my safety and life really matter to him? Are all my sacrifices worth all the love I had for him?

I feel like I'm getting out of control. I silently sneaked out of the scene and hid in the farthest part of the royal garden. The pain was still there, and I couldn't help but cry, silently drowning myself in a miserable state. It is so painful that I feel hot all over, my head spiraling and my vision is getting blurred. 

Gabriela, Martin wants to talk with you.

I tried to calm myself down, but I'm not sure if Martin sensed anything. 

"Later, Toni. I've got myself into a...ummm..miserable situation."

Good are you? Your temperature's up, heart rates faster, and BP is too high.

"I'm fine."

Security coming your way.

I fixed myself. It was so dark that they wouldn't know that I just cried. It wasn't security. It was Antonio.

"Hey, who are you?"

I froze in my place and my mind was blank.

"Hey, I'm asking you. Who are you?" Antonio demanded. I missed his voice so much.

I coughed twice before I answered.

"Jekka…...Vito, security volunteer from Carnation.. Village, ..Prince." My voice cracked in between.

I hid my face by bowing down before him. 

"I was told no security volunteers would be here by six. You're too early."

"I was requested early for additional back up, Prince."

"Let me see your ID." I showed him my Virtual ID.

"I don't want any security around the royal garden before six. Is that clear?"

"Yes.. Prince."

"Your voice is weird. Off you go."

I ran as fast as I could away from him. I found myself in an old well by a small pond. It was my comfort place when I was younger.

"Toni, connect me to Martin."

Gabriela. What's going on now?

"I accidentally met Antonio. He doesn't seem to remember me. And he seems happy with his life now."

"That doesn't change a thing about our mission," Martin reassured.

"So what's the plan?"

The celebration was larger than I imagined. The whole royal court was decorated with flowers. Visitors from Paradiso were wearing blue and the royals of Uno were wearing blue. I was assigned to clear the Prince's way to the ceremonial altar.

The plan has been laid out. A Palacio airjet in stealth mode will shoot the area with a smoke screen. Then, I will take Antonio from the scene and fly him out of here.

The ceremony has started, and I will be fetching Antonio from the palace. I saw him on top of the stairs, all the smiling and happiness that was reflected in his eyes. It was a fine day indeed for a beautiful wedding. Who am I to take away his happiness? What if he's meant to be here in the kingdom Uno with the love of his life? 

I walked with him from the palace to the court. It was a short walk, but I could feel how much he waited for this day. Each step with him hurts like walking in a bed of roses full of thorns. He smiled at his guests and the King was waiting for him at the altar. The King embraced his son like it would be the last time. It was my first time in all of my life to see how happy and united the King and the Prince. Then Antonio saw his bride walking down the aisle. He was crying for heaven's sake. I went away from the scene and called Martin.

It hurts like hell to see Antonio being happily married. The last four years of my life revolved around Antonio. I suffered and lived for him. If this marriage makes him happy and will make me miserable for the rest of my life, I will happily give it to him. He deserves so much love as that. 

"Martin, I can't do this. If you could see him now, you would know that he belonged here."

"Gabriela, no. Don't even think of stepping down from this mission. You involve yourself in this, you have to finish it."

"Martin, please I'm begging you. He's happy with whatever he has here. Why would we take it away from him?"

"Gabriela, listen. He almost died, he was kidnapped, sold. Why do you think Paradiso tried to sell him to us? We have to save him. Just like anything else, this is all a trap."

"But…."

"We have to save him before he regrets this for the rest of his life. And we will regret this for the rest of our lives if we don't save him. Attack will begin in a minute now. Prepare yourself."

Martin is right. It is the last thing we could do for him. He could get married again if we got this wrong. At least, we did something that we think was right.

"Toni, prepare my airship."

Got it.

Antonio is saying his vows when an airjet flew over and dropped a smokescreen. I grabbed Antonio right then and pulled him as I ran as fast as I could.

"The prince is with me. I'll take him to his quarters." I shouted to mislead the security.

"How about the princess?"

"She'll be fine."

"No, I have to go back and save her. And where are you taking me? This isn't the quarters."

The whole palace is now full of smokescreens. My visuals guide me towards the cargo area where my airjet is waiting.

The air is clear down in the cargo area. The prince was coughing, and he realized that I was not taking him to his quarters.

"Wait! Are you trying to kidnap me?" I didn't see it coming, but Antonio attacked me physically. He was pinning me on the ground and punched me in the face. I saw the next punch coming, but I blocked it. It would be difficult for me to restrain him if he didn't know I had come to his rescue.

"Rey, it's me Gabriela. I came from Palacio to rescue you!"

"Rey? No one calls me that. And palacio? What am I going to do with that filthy place?"

"Filthy? What are you saying?'

I stood up and tried to block his incoming attacks for me.

"Rescue! Why would you rescue me? I don't need rescuing. And you will pay for ruining my wedding!"

"Rey!"

Antonio stopped attacking me when I called him the way I used to call him.

"Rey?"

Then the guards followed us and started shooting me.

"Security! We have an intruder here."

I had no choice, so I hit Antonio hard on the head and he fell unconscious.

"Toni. Help me. What should I do?"

Carry him.

"He's too big."

You can. Your half RBT. Quick.

Surprisingly, I could carry him on my back. The airjet is already in the entrance. I opened the passenger seat. I guess we have to share. The guards were still shooting me. I wasn't lucky enough though. One bullet was shot near my waist. It immobilized me for a while, but I was able to ride my airjet to get out of the cargo area. 

"Martin. I need assistance. "

"Coming." 

"Toni. Shut off all the connections we have in Uno. Make sure all air jets are not traceable. Block all their coordinates. "

We flew as fast as we could. I was bleeding profusely, and might die out in the air. 

I put my airjet in an automated pilot. I can't do anything aside from keeping myself conscious. Antonio was getting some too. 

Half an hour later, we arrived at Palacio. I saw glimpses of Antonio taken off of my airjet. I didn't know if I had made the right decision until now.