Royal Games

Chapter 36

When I wake the next day, for a brief moment I forget where I am. Then Isaac's worried state comes back to me. Kelly still doesn't show up. Not today. Nor the day after. Nor the day after that.

Me and Isaac attempt locator spell after seeing spell. Nothing works. It's as if Kelly has disappeared off the face of the world. And Adele and John have forgotten her existence.

It's extremely unnerving.

We spend the first few days at Isaac's house, hoping Kelly will suddenly reappear at the door. When it becomes apparent she won't, Isaac decides it's time to leave the house and go searching. Instead of dragging down the mood of my stay with him, he ties our search in with a tour of the local area.

Nervously, I get in Isaac's black car, which shines like a dark diamond. He reassures me he's a good driver, but I know he has spent a few months at university without a car. Does he still remember how to driver safely?

I quickly learn that he does. He drives a few minutes down the road before stopping in a local car park. As we clamber out, I recognise the bus stop we arrived at a few days ago.

"This is the main road in the village. Almost every shop is on this street." Isaac informs me.

I look around. Only one side of the street is lined with shops. There are ten, maybe fifteen of them. Not many at all compared to the town outside the Opa palace, with its maze-like streets, and bustling shops interspersed amongst colourful houses.

This road is quiet. Not eerily quiet, like a ghost town. Simply subdued, relaxed.

"Do you want to ask around about your sister?" I'm unsure if Isaac wants to act as if everything's fine like he does with his parents. We don't yet know if it's only Adele and John who don't seem to either remember or care about Kelly and her whereabouts.

"No. I don't want anyone poking their noses into this. Word spreads rapidly in this place. And everyone has an opinion." Isaac answers.

"Oh." Vicious rumours circled amongst Topian nobility are often false, and the truth is kept hush hush. Rumours aren't what I expected from a place like this.

"I still want to go into all the shops. See if anyone says anything." Isaac says, heading towards the first shop on the row. A sweet shop branded in pretty pastels from a child's imagination.

"Let's do it, then." I agree.

We make our way down the shopping street, popping into a clothes store and a mini supermarket. The wide variety of goods in the charity shop fascinates me; we don't have charity shops on Topia. Usually Topian shops have donation boxes for cash that goes towards the shop owner's chosen charity.

I don't buy anything, although a fantasia novel catches my eye in the bookstore.

Halfway down the street is a cosy-looking café. Isaac and I pass it initially, but we go back once we've finished browsing in all the shops.

I sit down and allow Isaac to chat to the young man behind the café counter. When he comes over, two coffees in hand, he shakes his head. We've learnt nothing new about Kelly today.

"No one's even spoken of her." Isaac states crestfallen as he sits opposite me. "It's as if we're the only ones who remember her."

"Except that I don't remember her. I've never met her." I remind him.

"But you do remember me talking about her." His gaze is distant. Absent-mindedly, he takes a sip of his coffee.

"We could try..."

"Try what?" A young stranger cuts me off. She stands beside our table, a wicked grin carved across her sharp face. I sense Isaac stiffen, but a glance at his expression gives nothing away. "What's going on Isaac?" She drawls, tracing a lazy finger along the arm of his chair.

"Nothing that concerns you, Adrianna." He returns casually.

Adrianna. Should I know her name?

"Aww, don't be boring." She takes a seat at the table. "Who's your new toy?"

"I don't know who you are, but I don't appreciate being called a toy." I snap.

"You're a feisty one. Maybe you should learn to bite your tongue." Adrianna's grin shifts, revealing a sharp pair of shiny fangs. I assume she means for me to flinch. I don't. "Hmm." She leans forward, seemingly weighing me up.

"Leave us alone if you don't have anything civil to say." Isaac says, face remaining neutral.

"Fine." She stands up, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Then I guess you don't want to hear about your little sister."

A pained expression momentarily passes across Isaac's face. "What do you know about Kelly?" His voice hints at annoyance.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Adrianna's wicked grin returns. She leans down to whisper something in Isaac's ear, her eyes focused on me. I watch apprehensively as horror grows across his face.

"No." Isaac shoves her away. "I don't believe you."

"Suit yourself." She throws a small object up in the air, before strutting out of the café. I notice that everyone in here is pretending not to pay attention to her. When she's gone, everyone waits a few seconds before returning to their own business.

"What did she whisper to you?" I ask.

"She... She said that Kelly's in danger. Then she offered me a deal for help rescuing her." I wait for him to continue, but he doesn't.

"What deal?" I inquire.

"Remember when I told you about the two high school bullies..."

It clicks. "She's the girl."

He nods. "She wants me to join her for what she called an 'adventure'. Her idea of an 'adventure' is never going to end well."

"But if she's the only one who knows anything about Kelly..." I trail off.

"I know. It's just so infuriating that she wants to use me like that. I don't think she had anything to do with Kelly's disappearance. She's just taking advantage of the situation." Isaac runs his hands through his hair. "I don't know what to do."

"Find out what adventure she wants first." I suggest. "It might be something you can put right once she tells you what you need to know."

"Hopefully."

A sombre mood brings down what I was hoping would be a normal conversation between me and Isaac. I'm sick and tired of things going wrong as soon as things feel right. I've had too much of it this year.

At least my coffee tastes good as it warms my throat.