Chapter 43: Shivani (1/2)

Jake sat in the massive carriage with the other nineteen teenagers and Uncle Todd.

It has been five minutes since they have been in the carriage, and throughout they have been silent. Not that Jake wanted to complain; the silence suited him.

He quickly got into his ”zen” mode, closing his eyes as he practiced the ultimate art of sleeping.

”Master Todd, have you ever attended the celebration before?” asked Nico in an attempt to cancel the silence.

He looked cool in a red suit, his red hair and charming face made the colorful dress work.

”Yes, I believe it was three years ago. It was the first time in a while that I showed my face to the public.”

”Ohh, tell us more,” gawked Nico, as he sensed a story.

Uncle Todd looked at the teens. Their vibrant eyes beamed with intensity as they looked at him. Wasn't he also like that?

His gaze drifted away, as he remembered his wild days, 'What a reckless time it was.'

Uncle Todd brought back his attention. He laughed, ”Hohoho, while others may think that the celebration is too formal, but would you believe it if I told you it has its barbaric moments.”

Gavin smiled deeply. He knew what Uncle Todd was about to say, he had told Gavin many times.

”We are listening,” commented Andrew, as he focused on the story.

He wore a brown suit with box patterns and he quite liked it as it made him look more manly.

Noticing he had gained their attention, Uncle Todd began his story, ”Ok, there was a time--I think five years ago. The young master of a particular noble house was dared by his friends into a drinking challenge.”

”Did he accept?” asked Nico, as his eyes sparkled.

”What did you expect? He did what most people would do. Under the pressure, he accepted the challenge!

However, he didn't know that the challenge was rigged from the start. The opponent's bottles were normal alcohol, while his was of a higher quality. Being foolish and at the moment, he didn't notice….”

”So what happened?”

”Five minutes into the challenge, at the center of the hall, he ran around naked spilling inside secrets of his friends. Hahahaha, it was very funny. His friends that set him up didn't think he would spill their secrets. They had planned for him to embarrass himself, however, the plan ricocheted back to them.” Uncle Todd's eyes became moist as he laughed out loud.

He continued, ”I remember, one of the friends' secrets was that he had five pimples. Another friend had a pregnant lover. One was in love with his aunt. One was double dating, hahaha, after his secret was spilled, he got his ass kicked by both girlfriends. By the time they were done, he had a broken body, plus his family didn't interfere.”

The whole crowd burst into laughter as they advanced closer to the Capital Hall.

”So, what happened to the boy?”

”Well as he was naked and drunk, it took a while for him to sober up. However, that time was enough for him to add his family's secret to the collection of secrets spilled. It turns out his father had been cheating on his mother with an outsider, and his mother, cheating on him with his uncle. Hahaha, that night was truly wild.”

”Is such a thing possible?” asked Nico as he heard the story.

”Believe me, it is. It happened many times. Nobles get betrayed for fame. Hahaha, that's why I warned you to be always closely guarded,” reminded Uncle Todd.

He continued, ”Still, the celebration has also had a lot of good moments. Some nobles find their future partners there. Friendship blossoms there. It is said that the previous King and Queen met each other there.”

”Wow, it sounds like the celebration has a lot of history,” marveled Lola.

”Yes, it does. Every Aztec King celebrates their birthday in that way. It has become a tradition that everyone looks forward to.”

”Really?”

Uncle Todd smiled, ”Yes, King Castol met the Queen, then Lady Vera of the Hayden Noble Family. At first sight, he became smitten with her, and she with him. Many years went by, and the two played the romantic game of chase, until they confessed their feelings to each other, and after that, they married.”

”Wow, how romantic,” swooned the crowd.

Being that they were teens, they still had dreams of fiery passions, of meeting their loved ones in romantic places. They still had hopes of having the perfect story.

Uncle Todd continued telling them stories. It was a form of reminiscence to him, and the teenagers loved these types of stories…..

.....

Jake was also listening to Todd--Uncle Todd. Sometimes, he forgets to address Uncle Todd with respect. It wasn't his fault. Jake views everyone the same, they were all equal in his eyes. Well, only a few people could bypass his perspective.

Back to the topic, Jake was listening to Uncle Todd. It didn't hurt to listen to the stories. Plus, he could get more info from it.