Becoming Royal

[29]

Sophie's POV:

My throat burns, I can't breathe, and I have no idea what's happening.

I rack my brain for what might be happening, but I have no idea.

I feel like I should be passed out, due to the immense pain I'm in. But I'm wide awake.

"Keefe..." I manage to croak, "I'm fine, really,"

"You don't look fine! Fine wouldn't be collapsed on the floor barely awake and not being able to breathe!"

Even as he's running I can see the people around us, staring at us like we're on our way to go stop an army from invading.

"I'm just-,"

"Don't talk," Keefe shushed her. "We need to get you some help right away,"

Keefe walks in with me in his arms. Elwin is hardly surprised to see me again so soon.

"Not unconscious this time," Elwin laughs. "I'm impressed,"

"This whole thing is pointless," I ignore his remark. "I'm fine now. I don't know what happened back there, but I feel better now,"

"What thing?" Elwin asks, grabbing his funky glasses.

"She just dropped to the floor and it looked like she couldn't breathe. She was sweating buckets." Keefe fills him in.

"Hmmm..." Elwin hesitates to put on his glasses and walks over to a shelf, pulling a book from one of the rows.

There are maybe 200 books, organized by size and color from tallest to shortest. Keefe walks over and reads over Elwin's shoulder.

"But I'm fine!" I assure them. "I need to go talk to Fitz."

"Aha!" Keefe shouts, his finger darting to the paper. "I mentioned how her wedding was soon and it happened. She had a panic attack, they show the same symptoms,"

"Well aren't you a physician," Elwin laughs, but I roll my eyes. "And you're right. But panic attacks? Sophie I thought you were pressing to get married,"

I sigh. "It was just sudden, it caught me off guard and I had no idea we were doing it in what, two days? I'm just a bit overwhelmed,"

"I'll say," Elwin sighed and set the book down. "Amy leaving, returning here, training, must have been a stress overbuild, but that's normally an anxiety attack that ensues."

"Stress is my life, at this point my body is used to it,"

"I think you'll feel much better when the wedding is out of the way and done," Elwin assured her.

She nodded, wishing them goodbye before they could say a word.

All I could thing about as I walked back to my room was myself.

I'm being selfish and I know it well.

But I think that after everything I've done for everyone, everyone but me, I deserve to be selfish.

Some people think I have cold feet for the wedding and that's why I freaked out. There's already rumors, I know. It's been like an hour since the incident.

I've never had a panic attack before, and I can say that they are very scary. I won't wish that upon anyone.

It's almost as if you lose your control over your body. Things happen that you don't want to. You say no, but your brain says yes.

I hesitate when I reach my door. A part of me wants to run back to Elwin and apologize, talk to Fitz and seek comfort.

But the other part of me is screaming that I've been weak. I've shown vulnerability. I hate myself.

My brain doesn't quite work right, so I head into my room and decide sleep will be my best friend for a while.

I don't even change before I get into bed, sliding under the thick covers and drifting off to sleep, thinking of much I missed this room, this bed.

My eyelids finally shut for the last time.

My dream is painstakingly familiar. I hear the one with so many voices crammed into one.

I begrudgingly get up, keeping my eyes shut in frustration.

But the voice is right next to me.

"Hello, Princess," it coos.

My eyes shoot open with fear. The last time I saw this person, they were talking to Fintan, unaware of my existence.

I jump back, away from them.

"They're not real," I tell myself, breathing in for four counts and out for four.

"But I am real," they're in front of me now, but I don't want to look at them. "I'm as real as your fear,"

"Hah," I laugh with an eye roll. "Says who I fear you?"

"You're shaking." They don't hesitate to point out.

"And what do you want?"

They smile, but their face is shadowed, like the only color is the white of their teeth. "Me? Oh, I want a lot of things. Things beyond your cute little telepathy can process. You should be scared of what they want,"

"The Neverseen," I fill I'm the word for them, letting them known that I am very aware of their name.

"Ah, very good," they circle me. "But not good enough. You know the name, the symbol, what they've done to you and your pathetic friends, but you will never know the story, nor the reasons we do what we do."

"Then tell me," I try, but say with confidence. "You wouldn't be here if not for something,"

They cock their head and smile again. "Very good Sophie! You really are a clever girl,"

"Then you do want something." I state more than ask.

"I just want to chat. Maybe scare you a bit. It's hilarious seeing you run around like a chicken with your head cut off. I can just feel the built up stress and the urge to cry on your shoulders,"

"I want nothing to do with you!" I snap, my eyes welling with tears. I inhale to keep them at bay, I can't let them be right. I have been trying not to cry for the whole day.

"You don't have a choice!" They lean in and are inches away from my face, trying to threaten me.

I keep a strong face.

They laugh wickedly. "You're putting on a front. I know you aren't brave. That's why you ran,"

Their mouth closes and dissolves into the black walls around me, which seem to be moving in and suffocating me.

I wake up with a jolt and my head is pounding.

Someone burst through the door, I'm not quite sure who, my brain is hurting so much I can't focus on anything but the pain.

"I'm fine," I tell them, my breathing heavy. I force myself to make eye contact with them.

It's Jensi. "Are you sure? We heard you yelling at something and needed to see that you were alright,"

"Just a dream," I try to smile.

He seems convinced. That's what I like about Jensi. He doesn't press for information, sometimes.

"Well, I was on my way to get you. You were supposed to be seeing the tailor for your dress this morning,"

"This morning? What day is it?"

"One day to the wedding,"

Hey guyssss. So I'm so sorry that it's been like a week. It's been so hectic for me and I'm currently writing this chapter in my TA class. I was trying for days to come up with how to end this chapter, and nothing.

But last night I got an idea that needed to push the story more forward, so we added an authors best friend; a time skip.

Take care guys,

Ms.Wood