information about. Dr. Bielefeld was originally from Germany, but currently worked in France and Lilaria, enjoying a dual citizenship. He’d been written into many medical journals for his work with holistic and natural methods for dealing with cancer. I read for hours, searching through the articles for patient health and longevity. While some of his patients responded well to his methods, others required a balance of the normal medicines with the herbal supplements.
From what I could tell, he seemed to believe each person required a program tailored for their individual needs. He apparently didn’t have a problem mixing the more Western medicines with his holistic approach and obviously had a great understanding of them both. All the testimonials were glowing and happy; even the families of patients who died seemed to believe he had helped their loved one’s quality of life.
At some point I switched topics. I read through all the paperwork about my family and their flight from Lilaria. Before they left, their name could be traced back for centuries. It was intimidating to see an outline of every ancestor and their achievements. There was so much history that I got sucked in and didn’t realize how much time had slipped by. It was a bit like reading a historical novel, only I was somehow related to these people.
Eventually I leaned back on the bed and glanced at my clock. It was after three in the morning. I dragged myself down the hall to the bathroom. If I waited until the morning, I’d likely not get a shower. Jess and Bert were both bathroom hogs.
I leaned against the tiled wall and let the hot water run over my back. In less than two days my entire world had been turned upside down. Not just tilted or spun around and confused, but turned completely inside out. Nothing made sense. Every decision felt wrong. Every direction I looked led down a path I was unsure about. For years I had worked toward one goal, stayed focused on the one place I wanted to get. But now that goal felt like it wasn’t quite right. I wanted to know more about where I came from. I wanted to take my father to a place where he could get the best possible care. I needed to know if I was meant to sit on the council of a queen or if this was all just a weird fluke in my life.
So I held onto the one thing I knew to be true. Family always came first.
Chapter Ten
How to Become a Bodyguard
—Guns and Bullets Magazine
The car pulled up to the school and I took a deep breath. Duvall looked back at me and I nodded my head. The press was waiting this time, ready for me to show up. Duvall opened my door and helped me push through the people gawking at me.
The security guards at the front door waved me past without even looking at my ID. Apparently my face had been plastered on enough TVs they all knew me on sight. We took the stairs, but instead of heading for my office, I went to Dr. Geller’s. I rapped on the door, hoping to catch him before anyone else showed up.
“Come in.”
“Wait out here.” I looked at Becca and Duvall. There was no compromise here. I would be going in this office by myself. Duvall grimaced but nodded. I’d take that small victory.
Dr. Geller was typing something on the computer, so I closed the door quietly and took a seat across from his desk. His salt-and-pepper hair made him look older than his forty-two years. I set my bag on the floor and tried to not shift in my seat. I was nervous, the want-to-puke kind of nervous. I was about to possibly make the biggest mistake of my life.
“Hey, Sam.” He looked over at me and smiled, still typing. “Heard you had some crazy classes yesterday.”
“Certainly wasn’t my normal Tuesday routine.” I pulled some of the tests I had graded out of my bag and set them on his desk. “They didn’t do too poorly on Monday. A healthy average.”
He looked through the tests quickly, glancing at a few of the questions and answers. “Good, good. They seem to have grasped that chapter rather well.”
I didn’t say anything, just gave him a tight-lipped smile. He set the papers down and looked at me expectantly.
“Did the dean tell you why the classes were so crazy yesterday? Or was he just upset I