Nobody Knows// Ross Lynch

twelve

Lorena leaned against the door to overhear the maids and their conversations. The darker haired maid flipped over one of the decorative pillows onto the guest room bed as she stated, "She's been surprisingly nice this visit!" 

One of the younger maids nodded intently as she continued to dust over the top of the shelf. "Just earlier today I bent over to give Rojo a big good morning scratch and she walked in on me. I thought she would yell at me over petting one of her dogs but she instead showed me where his favorite spot was. I was truly shocked."

The young princess smiled at the maids talking about her grandmother. It was true, there was something different about her this visit. Queen Isabel had only been here for one week and everyone around the castle had been buzzing about her positively, except for Sofia of course. 

"Ma'am?" The younger maid's voice echoed into the hallway. She frightened Lorena, giving her a small jump and onto her toes. "I'm sorry, your highness. Are you in need of something?" 

Lorena shook her head as she looked down onto their baby pink uniforms. "Oh no, just taking a walk around the castle. You guys know how I like to kill as much time as possible until my lessons."

"Of course, princess. I'm guessing Lady Rydel will be making an appearance today?" The older maid stepped forward, joining in on their conversation. "That's exciting!" 

She flashed them a cheeky grin before feeling a small flush to her cheeks. "Yes, it's been a while. Do you know of anything I can do in the mean time while I wait?"

The pair of maids shrugged their shoulders in sync before the youngest girl in the group looked down onto the floor at the sunlight's reflection. "We took a morning stroll around the yard before work today. The weather is finally starting to get a tad bit warmer, Ma'am," she said happily. 

"That's just what I'll do then. Thank you!" Lorena expressed before running down the beautiful staircase and down to her family's garden. 

Her long dress fell just above the field of grass under her feet as she walked through the field. She wore a long light blue sundress with flowers printed onto it. A white cardigan covered Lorena's arms as well as most of her chest, providing her just a little bit of warmth from the intense castle AC. 

Just a few levels above her, Ross and Benji were getting ready to start their shifts. Ross placed his arms into his black button down shirt while his sister examined the break room around him. "This is all the space you guys have?" She questioned, looking around the room unamused. 

"They can't give everyone their own room with a view, Ry" Benji joked while slipping on his dark vans. "Shit, you would think they would've given me my own room by now at least. I've been practically living in this castle since I was 16." 

Ross gave out a small giggle as checked out his appearance in the mirror in front of him. "Yeah, you definitely deserve more than what we're getting around here," he encouraged his friend, staring at his brown eyes in the mirror. He seemed to not even recognize his own reflection anymore. His smile quickly went down into a firm line as he examined the dark circles under his eyes. He moved his head from side to side, looking for another flaw to point out to himself. 

Benji circled behind him, taking up the other half of the mirror to check out his reflection before starting the day as well. "Have you been getting sleep, man?" Benji asked while not adverting his gaze from himself. 

"It's been a rough few nights at the hospital," Rydel said as she answered for her brother. "Mom doesn't seem to be getting any better, Ben," she finished as her voice experienced a faint crack at the end. 

Benji placed his arms around the two Lynch siblings, pulling them into a close hug as he kissed the top of their heads. "Stormie's like a mother to me, and anyone who can handle me is definitely one of the strongest people out there. She'll be okay, I promise."