Stolen Princess

Chapter 16

Three weeks had passed since her small incident. She hadn't told anyone about it, partly because she couldn't muster up the courage needed and partly because of the overwhelming guilt she felt buried deep in her mind. She hoped they would never have to figure it out, that somehow something had gone wrong, that it was just a trick, a test from Jamie to see if she was cautious enough. She willed it with all her heart, yet deep down she knew the truth. They were all back in Rosewood and they had adjusted to their usual routine rather quickly. They were about halfway though the week, and luckily, that day went by quite peacefully. Lottie had just finished all her lessons with art, a subject which seemed to calm her down and put her in a perfect mood. During art class, she had talked to Gabriela, who she had started to become friends with. Lottie had discovered that they shared a lot in common, which helped them easily bond. 

That day after classes, they had gone together back to Lottie's dorm. They walked through the endless hallways and walked up the tiring stairs chatting about meaningless topics. They had been hanging out after class often, since Ellie was usually busy with fencing practice or solving math equations with Binah. Later that evening, Ellie walked through the door, only to find them both laughing their hearts out. "What's so funny?" she asked, a forced smile plastered across her face. She didn't like Gabriela, she felt as if she was hiding something, like she knew something they didn't. She shoved the thought out of her mind as she quickly joined them on the Persian rug. "Nothing," Lottie responded casually, shrugging her shoulders as she shared a quick glance with Gabriela. At that very moment, Ellie felt tug at her heart, as she struggled to breathe. She didn't like this feelings, she felt so left out. Time passed as she tried to join in in their conversation, only succeeding a couple of times. Ten minutes before curfew, Lottie walked Gabriela back to her dorm room, which was not far from hers, as she wished her goodnight. When Lottie entered her dorm room again, she found Ellie already in bed, facing the wall away from Lottie, seeming asleep. Lottie sighed softly to herself. Ellie had seemed so tense this  evening, barely joining their conversation. Before going to bed, she made a mental note, reminding herself to ask her about it tomorrow.

The next morning, Lottie walked with Ellie towards breakfast. As they entered, they spotted Jamie waiting patiently for them at their usual spot. Ellie seemed like she was back to her cheery, old self, that is, until she saw a certain someone. Lottie called out to Gabriela, as she came closer towards their table. Ellie sent a warning glare her way, making her thoughts very clear, and Gabriela hesitated, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. Jamie let out a small chuckle, eyeing the whole exchange with curiosity. Luckily, this small exchange had been totally overlooked by Lottie as she dragged them out of their thoughts, "oh, Ellie, before I forget, I wanted to ask you," she started "why were you acting so strange yesterday?" Ellie suddenly went rigid, as Jamie gave her a sideways look, his interest piqued. "Umm.." Ellie started, "I was just tired, but now i'm fine" she said automatically. Without properly processing it, Ellies leg shot forward. "Ow," Gabi protested, rubbing her leg with the palm of her hand. "Ups, my bad, I didn't realize your leg was there," she said, slight sarcasm dripping off her voice as she tried to repress a laughter. Ellie didn't know why she'd done that, it wasn't anything like her, yet this girl seemed to get on her nerves. What are you hiding? she thought to herself. Lottie stoop up, as she prepared to walk back towards her dorm in order to get ready for class. Once she was a fair distance away, Gabi started to stand up, only to be pulled back down by Ellie. A small huff escaped her lips as she collided back down with her seat. "I thought princesses were meant to be nice," she hissed through her teeth.

A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long, I will try to update more often. What do you think of the story so far? If you see any mistakes or things I could improve please tell me, I would really appreciate it. Thank you for reading, vote and comment.