Different Worlds // n.h.

chapter twenty-eight // secrets.

I collapsed onto my bed that night completely overjoyed; I could barely even contain my excitement.

He asked me to be his girlfriend. I was his girlfriend. I had a boyfriend.

I had always dreamed of falling in love, meeting the special someone, and truly being happy. And now this dream was slowly coming to life.

I replayed this night's events over and over in my head as if I were watching my favorite movie. I took in every detail as if my life depended on it. I thought about the letter, which was now kept in the pocket of my cardigan, and the words he spoke. It was all too perfect to be real. Was this just some elusive dream?

I stared at the ceiling in my pajamas, unable to doze off. I had tried all that I could; counting sheep, meditation, and counting backward by threes. But no matter how hard I tried, my focus kept shifting back to Niall.

I gave up my attempts at trying to sleep and took to wandering around my room. Every fairytale palace had a secret hidden inside its walls, perhaps I'd find one in the room I had lived in for the past 6 months.

I studied the marble walls and traced my fingers along them; it was cold to the touch. My eyes grazed past the paintings on my wall and I finally made it to the window of my room. I peered out and gazed at the sight before me. The stars were shining brighter than ever and the moon was full. The hills and the forest looked mysterious yet magical at night. My eyes shifted towards the gardens and memories flooded my mind yet again.

I sat there daydreaming for quite a while until my eyes started to droop. I got the will to leave my seat on the windowsill and walked back to my bed. . . .

Until curiosity got the best of me.

I slowly walked over to the giant painting hanging next to my bed. I didn't know why I was so suddenly attracted to it. Perhaps it was because I never paid much attention to it, or perhaps my mind was just making up stories.

I gently pulled back the painting to look behind it. A sudden rush of cold air hit my skin and goosebumps covered my body when I saw what was behind it.

A wooden door.

A sudden thrill rushed through my blood and I had the urge to explore what was behind it. I slowly opened the door. It creaked ever so slightly and all I could do was cross my fingers no one heard.

There was a dark passageway that led up to a staircase. The air was cold and quiet. Everything about it seemed eerie and my instincts wanted to turn back, but my heart wanted to keep exploring.

So on I went.

I tip-toed up the staircase, my bare feet feeling the chill of the stone. Each step I took caused my urge to turn back grow stronger and stronger, but something in me kept moving. As I reached the top of the staircase, I came to a narrow hallway with few doors. Curtains flowed from the windows due to the frigid winter wind. Fear entangled every fiber of my body; it was as if it came straight out of a horror movie.

But what scared me most of all wasn't the ghostly appearance of the hallway. It was the voices I heard.

I could hear the faintest sound of talking, and it sounded as if it came from the very end of the hallway. Common sense left my brain as I tiptoed toward the voices. Every inch of me hated every second I spent leading up to the voice.

I stopped and held my breath once I was close enough to hear the voice.

"Thank you for helping me go through with this." The first voice spoke — it sounded so awfully familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on where I heard it.

"It's always a pleasure, Melody," The second voice spoke. Their voice — also strangely familiar — sent shivers down my spine. It was almost like nails on a chalkboard. "Do you know when the next royal ball will be?"

"End of April? A masquerade ball; the perfect occasion for our plan." Melody replied, an evil tone to her voice.

"Wouldn't that cause a bit of a commotion?"

"Well, what's the fun in it if we don't make a scene?"

I tried as hard as I could to keep my breathing quiet; I felt panicked and couldn't seem to catch my breath. What were the two planning? It sounded like it would be horrible, based on the malicious tone in their voices.

"What about that nosy prince — Niall, is it? He always seems to get in the way of things. How will we get past that?"

"He has that stupid little nanny girl to deal with. She takes up all his time; I'm sure he won't get in the way. I guess the girl is finally good for something."

My eyes widened at her words. I knew Melody never liked me, but I didn't think she despised me that much. It sounded like Niall was involved as well. Was anyone going to get hurt?

"And uh, what's this girl's name?"

"Gracey. The name doesn't fit her very well, clumsy, naive brat. Quite the opposite of 'graceful'." Melody spat.

"She sounds just like someone I know. . . ." The second voice replied, a venomous tone in her voice.

The two sat in silence for a moment. I would've given anything to be back in my warm bed; if I were caught, I might be killed.

"Shall we meet again . . . say, 30th of March? To get the final details on the plan."

"Perfect. 10:00? Evening works best for me."

"Sounds like a plan."

Realizing the meeting was coming to an end, I quickly ran out of the hallway back to my bedroom. The cool air rushed past my face and I hoped my quick footsteps weren't loud enough for them to hear. I collapsed against the wall, pulse racing, breath panting.

Something terrible was going to happen. I could feel it.

I knew at that moment I had to do anything I could to save this family. To save my boyfriend. To save my future.

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a/n

dUn duN duNnnNnNnNn

who do y'all think the second voice is 🤔 what are they planning?

i hope you enjoyed this chapter! it's a bit shorter than my past ones, but short and sweet can be better sometimes!

i love y'all so much! <3