Stolen Princess

Chapter 17

"I thought princesses were meant to be nice," she hissed though her teeth. 

She spoke barely registering the words as they flew by her mind. The minute she saw their faces she knew there was no going back. They had heard her and her whole act was blown. She covered her face with her hand as she massages her temples, trying to peel off the insecurities and doubts that were forming within her. Ellie and Jamie stared at her bewildered, both exchanging alarming gazes. "Excuse me?" Ellie questioned, unsure of whether she had heard correctly. She felt anguish boiling deep in her chest and she had to concentrate vigorously in order to maintain a steady heartbeat. She didn't want to seem weak in a moment like this, especially not in front of her. "I'm sorry," Gabriela whispered, staring down at her impeccable shoes, "that wasn't very nice of me." "That's not the point," Jamie barged in cutting her off, his voice taut and unwavering, "what did you say?" he shot her a cold, hard stare which caused her to flinch unwillingly. "I - I..." she started, as her words caught in her throat, unsure of whether she should or could continue. 

"I know you're the princess," she said fear and concern laced into her voice as slowly lifted her head in order to observe their reactions. She stared at them attentively, Ellie looked distressed, yet lost in thought, in comparison to Jamie who was staring intently at her, hatred hidden behind his hazel orbs. It sent an involuntary shiver down her spine as she immediately regretted her choice. I shouldn't have said that she thought, as she mentally scolded herself for blurting that out, not being able to keep her own secret. Her train of thought was quickly cut off by Ellie's quivering voice, "how do you know?" she questioned as she failed to mask the sadness hidden beneath her voice, "did Lottie tell you?" It was evident that she didn't want to believe this was true, that her best friend had betrayed her trust, yet in her mind, it was the only logical explanation. 

"No, ..." Gabriela started, "of course, she didn't tell, it's just.... well, complicated." "Yeah, well we have all the time in the world," Elie spat. She had regained her usual fire and was now furious, not at the girl herself, but at the dreadful situation. "Let's go somewhere more private," Jamie intervened, dragging them both by their wrists, as he led them through the gardens and corridors towards a familiar setting. Their secret passage. They were walking tardily down the worn-out steps of the secret passage, when they heard sobs, emanating deep from within. They rushed down the last couple of steps, stopping dead in their tracks, as they encountered Lottie, broken on the floor as she clutched a white, elegant letter to her chest. 

"Lottie..." Elie trailed off unsure of how to act, knowing it was pointless asking her whether she was okay, as it was evident that she wasn't. Lottie looked up, taking them in for the first time, as she attempted to wipe the tears off her tear-stained cheeks in an attempt to regain her composure, but the tears welled up once more, brimming her crystal blue orbs as they blurred her vision. "My father..." she started, choking back a sob, "is dead." 

Silence filled the room; everybody was shocked by the news and didn't know what they could possibly say in this situation, but luckily Lottie continued for them. "And I know that I shouldn't be crying over this," she began, "because he abandoned my family a long time ago, but he was the last blood-link I had, the last of my real family, I am the last Edith Pumpkin in the world" Her words were harmful and Ellie immediately felt as though she had been stabbed in her heart as she let out a bitter gasp. Lottie instantly regretted saying those words, as she took in Elie's pained expression, but she could no longer take them back and it just made the whole situation worse, as she struggled to find the right words to apologize, knowing there were none. What she had said had been hurtful, even if she'd only said it in a moment of sadness, not meaning it entirely. She covered her hands with her face as the tears flowed freely down her red cheeks.

"I thought you knew," Gabriela's blurted out unconsciously, yet barely audible amongst the palpable tension in the room, yet somehow loud enough for Jamie to hear. "Knew what?" he said, arching his eyebrow indicating that her words should be thought through, allowing himself to spare a sideways glance towards Lottie, "that father was dead," she whispered.

A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner, I had a lot of things I needed to do and i didn't really organize myself very well. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, did you expect this? what do you think is going to happen next? I would love to know. If you see something that is not right, doesn't make sense or could be improved please tell me, I would really appreciate it. Thank you for reading, I hope you are all enjoying it. Please don't be a silent reader, vote and comment :)