Page 3 of Coral Prince Conundrum
“Yes.”
“Your secret’s safe with me. Everyone in the Renversé Hotel is hiding from something. I’m proud of the safe space my wife and I have built here. But if Corali forces arrive…”
Her voice trails off, and I nod and look down. The fear of my father finding me is a shadow I have yet to shake. Still, if they arrive, I would give myself up immediately before allowing them to harm Layla or the hotel. “I understand. I would never put your hotel or your staff in danger.”
“Good man.” She walks to the entrance and taps on the door frame. “I know a prince who needs to hide away when I see one. So, welcome to the staff, Seero.”
She smiles and my heart feels a pound lighter. If all land-dwellers are like Layla Fisher, I will have no trouble assimilating and hiding here.
Two weeks pass in a blur—an awkward, and, at times, difficult blur. I live and work in the hotel alongside Layla, her wife,Sheena, and the rest of the staff. I learn about how to clean the pool, even though the chlorinated water feels awful compared to my beloved sea. The people have been intriguing; there is a blend of cultures, with many royals in hiding, but also locals who need work. Everyone keeps to themselves, which I enjoy. Layla teaches me how to use machines to convert my credit card into American currency. Sheena takes me shopping for groceries, toiletries, and a few clothing items to blend in. Layla even takes me to a local barber to groom my hair into a much shorter, less attention-seeking style.
But everything here is a culture shock. Layla gives me supplies, but our arrangement has me taking care of my own room. I anticipated that I would need to clean up after myself, a task the servants accomplished back home. So yes, it is arduous changing bed sheets and carrying groceries to my room. Additionally, I am dumbfounded by everything I am learning about land-dweller life. When I eat in the kitchen with the staff, I’m aghast at the amount of food and plastics the guests waste. So much of this will end up in the ocean, my precious ocean.
Speaking of my beloved sea, I make sure to go out to the beach every day. My skin is rejuvenated when I touch the saltwater. More than once, I have summoned Drakey to come visit me. In the dark cover of night, I doubt anyone can witness me meeting my pet sea dragon out in the waves. He seems concerned for me, but I need to see my mission through.
Most of my evenings are spent in the business center, a room not far from the lobby. Guests are free to use the personal computers, and Layla shows me so much more of the internet than I have previously used. Between the websites, search engines, and physical books in the business center, I learn so much. I peruse the atlases and encyclopedias of years past; the authors know almost nothing of the Coral Kingdom. Theybelieve us to be an arbitrary, useless island not far from the Philippines, and I intend to keep it that way.
The websites reveal to me the horrid fishing practices of the tuna industry. Some of the worst offenders of irresponsibly plundering marine wildlife are here in Princedelphia. Reading the accounts of fisheries plaguing the oceans with their metal vessels makes me sick to my stomach.
On a rare afternoon when I have no pool work, I am once again reading and watching videos on the computer in the business center.Such heinous destruction of fish populations…
“Things look rough, huh?” Layla’s words spook me out of my nightmarish research.
“Huh?” I close the browser and turn to her.
She shrugs and flips over an upside-down rolling chair so that it is right side up. “Those poor creatures. I must admit I like seafood myself. But I’d prefer them caught in a sustainable manner.” She maneuvers the rolling chair, then smiles in satisfaction. “Good as new.”
I grin at her. “You are an expert at building things.”
“When things I care about need fixing, someone’s gotta do it.”
I nod and look down.What can I do to fix the way the world treats sea creatures?
“Hey, listen, Seero.” I gaze up at Layla. “Today’s your first afternoon off.”
“I thought I was allowed to use the personal computers.”
“You can,” she replies. “But maybe, take a break?”
“Hm?”
“Your back seems tense, son. Whatever you’re reading is clearly stressing you out. Go grab a cup of coffee.” She points herchin toward the front door. “The café across the plaza makes a mean espresso.”
I do not know what a mean espresso is, but I am interested in the café. It seems very popular—I am not allowed to go to public eateries back home, lest the press find me.
“Who knows? You might meet people who know a thing or two about the fishing industry.” She winks, and once again, it feels like Layla knows all. She leaves, and I’m left alone with my thoughts. In my few weeks working here, I haven’t made many friends. Practicing my socialization skills could be useful for my line of work as a prince.
I stride across the lobby and gaze out the front door. I notice several—young and handsome—gentlemen walk in and out of the café. Maybe they’re workers, or maybe they’re patrons. And maybe I can go make some acquaintances with good-looking land-dweller boys.
“Maybe,” I murmur with a smile. With that, I push the doors open and stride across Renversé Plaza.
CHAPTER THREE
Daryl
I clear my throat and gaze around at the restaurant. The Princedelphia Diner offers typical American fare with booths lining multiple windowed walls. Dad sits across from me, sipping his water, and I tap my fingers on the paper placemats. He’s dressed in a dark suit while I’m wearing a blazer and a graphic T-shirt. The clinking of forks from other guests is all I can hear; as usual, we don’t have much to talk about.
The waiter returns with our food, and I’m relieved. He places our respective plates down, and we both say, “Thank you.”
