Chapter 2 (6 years old)

Shuri's little three-year-old fist clings to my hand as she drags me along the halls, hiding from our nanny. 

"Shuri, are we even allowed back here?" I ask as she yanks open the door to Father's Office. 

"It's fine." She says, giving me an absentminded wave. She walks in, pulling me along with her. Once she shuts the doors, she releases her grasp from my hand. "Come on! Let's play Queen!" 

I look around at the massive office. The sofa to the large wood carved desk, everything is large and elegant. "Shuri, we really shouldn't be in here," I say again as she climbs up onto Father's desk chair. "We should just go back to the playroom. Please?" 

Shuri shakes her little hand, "It's fine. No one will-" 

"What do you think you two are doing in here?" A voice snaps from behind us. I whirl around to find T'Challa walking into the office. His twelve-year-old face looks so serious, trying to imitate Father when he's angry. I never liked that face. 

"Nothing." I say as Shuri says, "Playing." 

I glare at Shuri as she waves T'Challa over. "Come play with us, T'Challa!" She yells. 

"No, we're not allowed to be in here." T'Challa says sternly. 

"Says who? Father has no rule saying we're not allowed." Shuri says as she scoots over a little in the huge chair. She pats the spot next to her. "Come sit next to me, Hunter. It's fun!" 

I look back at T'Challa as he shakes his head, sternly. I shrug as I turn to sit next to Shuri. She may or may not have a point. For a three-year-old that is. 

I feel so small sitting in Father's chair. Arranged on the desk, are a series of framed photos. Each one housing a photo of T'Challa and Shuri. There are a few of me as well. The desk looks cluttered with all the papers resting on it. 

Shuri slams her little fist against the desk. "I'm the Queen of Wakanda!" She points a finger at T'Challa. "Bow to me!" She says in her best kingly voice. Probably trying to imitate Father. 

"Im not bowing to you." He says. His arms crossed. At this point he sounded very aggravated. 

"Fine! If you won't bow, you will be banished. Leave Now!" Shuri points at the door. 

"I will not leave until you two do." He plants his feet firmly into the carpeted floor. He taps one of his feet as he waits for us to leave. 

Shuri wines. "T'Challa, your no fun." She scowls and crosses her arms. "You never play with us anymore." 

"Yeah T'Challa. Just play with us for a few minutes. Then we'll leave."

"No."

"Please!" Shuri and I both whine at the same time. Trying to make the word as long as possible. 

T'Challa groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Fine! I'll play with you, but only for a moment!" Shuri squeals with joy as T'Challa walks over to the chair infront of the desk and sits down. He looks at us with a smirk on his face. "Well, what is your first decree, Queen Shuri?" 

Shuri puts her finger to her chin. "My first decree is...to outlaw all vegetables!!" 

I giggle as T'Challa shakes his head. "Shuri, you can't outlaw vegetables. They are very important to the human body." T'Challa argues.

"Well, she's the Queen. She can do whatever she wants." I argue back. 

"Yeah! I'm the Queen!" She shouts as she points to her chest. 
"Thank you, Advisor Hunter. For my next decree-" 

"Now what is going on in here?" A stern voice asks. 

"Father!" T'Challa and I gasp as we hop out of our seats. Standing at the door T'Challa left open, was Father. He didn't have that scary stern face. Thats a good thing. I think

"Hi, Daddy!" Shuri squeals as she gives him a wave. 

He walks in and sits in the other chair across from us. "Hello, Queen Shuri," Father says as he slightly bows his head. "I have some important papers you need to look over if you don't mind." In his hands, were a stack of papers. 

Shuri squeals at the realization that Father is going to play with us. I climb back into the desk chair as T'Challa sits in his seat, funny grins on our faces. 

"Read them to me." Shuri orders as she tilts her head into the air. 

"Of course, Your majesty." Father pulls out the first paper out of the stack. "This paper is about predators attacking our flocks and livestock. What do you thin we should do about that, Queen Shuri?" 

Shuri thought for a moment. "We can set traps for them and catch them." Shuri says.

"What will we do with the predators when we catch them?" Father asks studying all three of us. That's when I realize, Father is reading real messages and problems happening in Wakanda. 

"We could kill them?" Shuri says, shrugging her shoulders.

"We could release them back into the wild, away from Wakanda." I say on the spot. 

He points his pen at me before writing it down. "Good idea Hunter. Now, this next paper is a report of our resources." 

Shuri rests her head on her hand. "All good, I hope." 

"Yes, all good news, Queen Shuri." Father says as he moves onto the next papers.

He reads out each paper, moving some around. We all give our own advice on how to deal with these situations. Father writes some of it down, like he's taking notes. I didn't realize it then, but he was actually using our advice. I guess he really believed in us. 

"Well, that seems to be all the papers, Queen Shuri." Father says as he places different stacks of papers on his desk.

"What about those papers?" I ask as I point to a pile he set aside earlier. 

"Those are things you shouldn't worry about." Father says with a small shake of his head. I look at the papers, reading them in my head. 

"They're about the outside world," I say out loud. 

"As I said, something you don't need to worry about." Father slowly gets out of the chair he was sitting in. "Now, if Queen Shuri and her advisors don't mind, I need to do some work." 

Shuri hops off the chair, crawling under the desk and out the other side. "Come on Hunter, let's go play tag. You're it!" She yells as she runs out of the office. 

I begin to follow her but stop dead in my tracks. I turn around and walk back towards the desk. Father was now sitting in his desk chair. The one Shuri and I were on moments ago. T'Challa glances at me as he passes, leaving me and Father alone in his office. "Father?" I ask. He glances down at me. "What is the outside world like?" I ask while tilting my head like a confused dog. 

"Well, ingcuka encinane," little wolf. "the outside world is different." Father explains. "Very different from Wakanda. There's wars and violence, but also art." 

"Am I from out there?" I say as I glance down at my pale hands. I've always known I wasn't from Wakanda. For the last three years, I've never seen anyone with white skin here. 

"Yes. Yes you are, ingcuka encinane. Why do you ask?" Father says with a confused look on his face. 

"I was just curious. Will I ever see the outside world?" I ask as I give him a hopeful look. 

He just chuckles. "Someday, Hunter. Someday."


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