Chapter 1
1215 Words
MALEK'S POV
The world spun violently around me before I crashed onto hard pavement, the acrid smell of exhaust and
something I couldn't identify filling my nostrils. Bright lights blazed everywhere - not torches or magical flames,
but harsh, unnatural illumination that made my eyes water.
"Hoooonk!!"
The deafening noise made me jump back, my heart racing. What in the world was this thing? Some massive
metal beast charging straight at me, glowing eyes cutting through the evening darkness?
I scrambled backward as the contraption roared past me, followed by another, then another. The noise was
overwhelming - screeching, honking, rumbling sounds I'd never heard before. And the lights! Colorful signs
flickered and flashed high above, casting strange shadows that danced across towering structures of glass and
stone.
People rushed past me in all directions, their clothing plain and unremarkable, completely ignoring the chaos
around them like this was normal. How could they be so calm with all these metal beasts prowling the streets?
"Watch it!"
The sharp voice came just before someone slammed into my shoulder, nearly knocking me over. I spun around
to face a young woman with dark hair pulled back, her eyes flashing with annoyance.
"Seriously? You're just going to stand there in the middle of the sidewalk like a statue?" She looked me up and
down, taking in my royal garments with obvious disdain. "What is this, some kind of Renaissance fair costume?"
"How dare you speak to royalty with such disrespect!" I straightened to my full height. "I am Prince Malek of—"
"Oh, give me a break." She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess - you're method acting for some play? Or maybe you
escaped from a mental hospital?"
The crowd flowing around us started to slow, people pointing and snickering at my appearance. Heat rose in my
cheeks. Back home, such mockery would result in immediate imprisonment.
"I assure you, I am perfectly sane. Unlike the rest of you, living with these roaring metal beasts everywhere!"
"Metal beasts?" She followed my gaze to the street where the strange contraptions continued their endless parade.
"You mean... cars?"
Before I could ask what a 'car' was, one of the larger metal beasts rolled to a stop right in front of us with a loud
hissing sound. The side of it opened, and people began pushing past me, all rushing to get inside.
"Are they being devoured?" I reached instinctively for my hidden sword. "Why would they willingly enter such a
trap?"
The woman - whoever she was - burst out laughing. "Oh my god, you're serious aren't you? It's called a bus,
genius."
"Hey, you getting on or what?"
The voice came from a man sitting behind some kind of wheel inside the beast. Everyone had squeezed in,
leaving me standing alone with the strange woman.
"I... I suppose I should board this 'bus,'" I said uncertainly.
But when I stepped forward, the driver held out his hand. Finally, some respect. I reached out to shake it
properly, but he slapped my hand away.
"Money," he said flatly.
"Money?" I reached into my satchel and pulled out five gold coins - more than enough for whatever this was.
"Here."
"Are you serious right now?" The driver stared at the coins like they were worthless rocks.
"Some of us have places to be!" someone shouted from inside.
"Look, you're holding everyone up. Bus card or real money, man."
Real money? These were the highest denomination coins in the entire pack! How dare he call them fake?
"Here, just swipe my card."
The voice belonged to the woman who'd mocked me. She held out some kind of flat object, and the driver
finally waved me inside.
The bus lurched forward and I nearly fell over, grabbing the nearest seat to steady myself. Everyone was staring at
me like I was some kind of freak show. Back home, people bowed when they saw me. Here, they just... sat there
while I had to stand like I meant nothing.
"You can sit here. Standing's not safe when the bus moves."
It was the woman who'd helped me despite her earlier rudeness. I sat down next to her, wondering where this
contraption was taking us.
"So where does this thing go?" I asked.
She looked confused. "Thing? You mean the bus?"
I nodded.
"Wherever you want to go, I guess. Where are you trying to get to?"
"I need to find my mate."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Your mate? Like, your girlfriend?"
"My destined mate. I came to this city to find her."
"Okay..." She studied my face carefully. "Then you must know where she lives, right?"
"Where she... what?"
"Her address? Like, where your mate's house is?"
I stared at her blankly. "I don't know where her address is. I don't even know what she looks like."
The woman's expression shifted from amusement to something that looked almost like concern. "You came to
find someone you've never seen, in a city you don't know, with no idea where to look?"
"The circumstances of my arrival were... complicated."
She sighed deeply. "Look, I can see people on this bus eyeing you already." She gestured subtly toward several
passengers who were indeed staring at my expensive clothes with interest that didn't seem friendly. "Trust me,
you'll be robbed blind the second you step outside alone dressed like that."
"Why should I trust you? You've done nothing but mock me since we met."
"Because despite thinking you're completely insane, I'm not heartless enough to let you get mugged on your first
night here." She pressed the button above our seat. "Get off at my stop. You can crash at my place until we figure
out where your mate is. Unless you'd rather sleep on the streets in that fancy outfit?"
I looked around the bus again. The stares were becoming more obvious, and some of the expressions were
definitely predatory.
"Fine," I said reluctantly. "But just until I find her."
"Fair enough." The bus began to slow. "I'm Alyssa, by the way."
"Prince Malek."
"Just Malek will do."
* * *
Twenty minutes later, we stood in front of a tall building with dozens of identical windows stacked on top of
each other. Alyssa led me inside and up several flights of stairs to a narrow hallway lined with doors.
"This is me," she said, fishing keys from her pocket. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, then turned to
face me with a stern expression.
"Come in, but don't touch anything. My best friends coming over tomorrow , I don't know how I want to
explain why there's a guy in Renaissance gear in my house."
I stepped inside, taking in the strange space with its perfectly smooth walls and more of those harsh lights.
Everything looked so... artificial.
Alyssa locked the door behind us, but as she did, I caught a glimpse through the window of someone standing
motionless across the street, partially hidden in the shadows between two of the glowing street lamps. They
seemed to be looking directly up at us.
"Alyssa," I started to say, but when I turned back, she had already disappeared into another room, leaving me alone with the unsettling feeling that our arrival hadn't gone
- Writer
