Perfection Deception

The Boy In White Returns

That night was a very restless night for Emme. She couldn't get her mind off of Marvel.

His electric green eyes that seemed as if they had millions of layers to them. Looking in them made her feel like she was staring into another galaxy. His messy chocolate-brown hair, also with many layers, gave the impression that he was poor and cut it himself, but she knew he wasn't poor. The spotless white suit was from a very expensive designer. She could tell by the fabric and cut.

It was well into the early morning when she finally fell into a very light sleep that lasted only until dawn. When she woke, the beginnings of sun were peaking out behind the rolling hills that infested the land owned by her mother. She sighed. She could tell she had only gotten about four hours of sleep. She rolled over, and instead of attempting to fall back asleep, she got out of bed, pulled on an oversized sweater and socks, and padded down the grand staircase.

Of course, the first thing she did was go to the now empty kitchen (kitchen staff weren't required in their quarters until 7:30) and grab a mug from the cabinets and fill it with steaming hot coffee from the tiny coffee pot.

She felt the urge to go drink her coffee outside today and watch the sun rise, so she began the short journey to the back patio. On her way she passed the entry hall, and was surprised to hear voices coming from it. She stopped and turned, but before she made herself visible, she had a thought.

If they hear me, they'll stop talking, and I want to know what they're saying, she thought. So I have to hide.

Hiding was what she did best. She reluctantly put her coffee down on the dining table, and softly and quietly picked her way to the hall. She nestled herself behind a marble column and waited. Soon, she was able to recognize what the voices were saying.

"-don't belong here," she heard her mother's voice. "I told you to stay away, but here you are. Why are you here, boy? Why have you come back?"

"I have come back because of her, and only her," she heard the second voice say. For a moment, her exhausted brain couldn't comprehend that the second voice belonged to the very boy she dreamt about, but with a jolt she realized that it was, indeed, Marvel. Her mother's voice brought her back.

"You're not welcome here. You of all people know that."

Emme could not believe what she was hearing. Her own mother was kicking a teenage boy out into the cold morning, miles from civilization, when she had hundreds of empty guest rooms? How could she?

Emme stood up quietly and tiptoed back to the dining room. She was about to walk in to the entry hall and prepared her best confused face when she spotted her coffee. She really wanted the coffee. So she grabbed it.

She figured that the cup in her hand would make it look more like she stumbled across the meeting and that she hadn't been spying for the past few minutes.

She had just prepared herself when she saw Marvel look past her mother's shoulder and spot Emme. His eyes widened, causing Queen Lilian to turn around, and in a second, her whole plan was ruined.

She was terrified that she would get in trouble, so she took a long sip from her cup, which was now lukewarm. That made her upset.

When she finally stopped drinking, her mother turned to her. "Emmaline," she said, looking exhausted. Emme was shocked. Her mother only used her full name when she was in big trouble. "Please, give us some privacy."

Emme obeyed, and disliked herself instantly. Why did she have to be so obedient? She should've stood up and demanded her mother let Marvel stay.

She pondered her options, but figured out that her best one was to walk away. She shrugged, and began walking.

She then felt a sudden cold draft, meaning that the front doors were open, and the wind carried her mother's voice very clearly, and without meaning to, she caught the last of their conversation.

"Marvel, you know I would not have a problem with you staying here, if it had not been for your relations to my daughter. You should have thought before sleeping with Scarlette."

Emme dropped her coffee. She heard it shatter, but it sounded as if it were miles away. Her brain had hardly processed what her mother said.

Her mother said that Emme had a sister, and that she slept with the boy Emme could not stop thinking about.

**********

She was shocked and angry, but after a long walk around the seemingly endless property, those two emotions faded, leaving her mostly confused. How could she have a sister and never even know about it? Not once in sixteen years had she heard mentions of another princess born to Queen Lilian of Carthia. And wouldn't she have some form of memory?

But no. She had never shared the castle with anyone else except her mother and the well-known staff. So I don't have a sister. That would be impossible, she told herself. 100% impossible.

But there was still something she didn't understand. How did her mother know Marvel, and why would they go through so much trouble to perfectly calculate and execute a prank?

Emme's head had begun to spin severely enough that she could no longer ignore it. She surfaced from her thoughts and looked around to see where her subconscious brain had taken her. She knew the castle grounds like the back of her hand; the rolling hills the flesh and the little streams and rivers her veins. She discovered that she had ended up at the secret entrance to one of her favorite spots on the whole property.

She walked a few feet forward and back along the main path until she located the skillfully hidden smaller path, made by Emme's own feet. The only indication that it was different from the other grass on the property was the fact that it was slightly flattened, a result of years of good use. She ducked under some low-hanging branches and felt her sweater get caught on some bushes, but she didn't care. She just wanted to find her happy place: literally.

After about ten minutes on the well-known path, Emme came to the place she was looking for. She called it Heart Pond. It wasn't a very clever name, but she had made it up when she was six, and just couldn't bring herself to change it.

It was a very secluded part of the forest, which meant that it was teeming with natural wildlife. The actual pond wasn't very big, but big enough to swim in. Deep enough, too. It earned its name because if you looked at it from just the right angle, it looked like a perfect heart. She thought it was adorable.

She sat down on the same log she used to sit on when she first found the place. It was the perfect spot to get lost in your thoughts, because it was so peaceful. There was no one there to interrupt you. The sound of the tiny waterfall that fed Heart Pond was just a light trickle, and that allowed Emme to think about the thoughts she had been blocking out.

She sat for a long time, long enough that the roar of her stomach jolted her out of her brain. She looked up, and through the thick canopy of rich green leaves, she saw the glint of the sun in the southern sky. It's position told her that it was about three o'clock, and she hadn't eaten since six-thirty. She was starving.

She got up off her log, and started to walk towards the exit, but was stopped by a voice.

"Going somewhere?" a familiar voice asked.

_________________________

Hey guys!! Sorry about the cliffhanger...but I felt the need to be devious! Comment on anything you want to comment on, and feel free to correct my typos or ask any questions you want. I'll try to publish Chapter Three A.S.A.P, but please don't push! I do have a life... Anyway, thanks to all readers! It makes me feel good to know that you're reading my work, and even better if you let me know if you enjoy it! That's all for now. Have a good day!

xoxo Viv