Cindy - A Princess Spy Story

Chapter 16

A/N: I've had this chapter done forever. Hope you all love it!

Chapter 16

 

Cindy rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the drowsiness, but it wasn't helping. After spilling her heart out last night, she couldn't sleep. When Cindy closed her eyes, the image of Dameon and the girl were permanently etched in her mind. Cindy could still feel the pain from the insult. So she stayed awake, thinking of things that would make her feel better. At first, she thought about Linda and Priscilla, wondering what they were doing, then that led Cindy to think about her father. After that, she didn't need to keep herself up because she was up all night worried for him. Cindy hadn't heard from or seen her dad in over five months. Linda had told her that he would be out of reach for a few months, but Cindy didn't realize how long a 'few months' would be.

 

"Feeling better?" Belle asked. Cindy glanced at her before looking back at her work. Belle had found Cindy wide awake in bed, shifting and rolling. She tried talking to me, but Cindy felt guilty having Belle worry about me. She told her she was fine, but Belle wouldn't listen. Actually, she'd been pestering Cindy all morning.

 

"Belle, for the hundredth time, I'm fine," Cindy answered, sifting through some papers. Sure, she was still pretty torn up about Dameon and worried about her dad, but Belle already had enough on her plate. Cindy didn't need to make her even more worried than she was. "Anything on Herb yet?" Cindy asked finally.

"Nothing!" Belle said in frustration, "Not a thing about him. It's like there was never a Herb Ergots Mirth that existed."

 

"Well obviously he did," Cindy said.

 

"I know that," Belle said, "It's just irritating that I can't figure it out, you know? I'm supposed to be the 'brains' of the team. If I can't even figure out who this Herb guy is, what good am I?"

 

Cindy was about to suggest taking a break when Jaz shouted, "WE DID IT!" Belle and Cindy looked at each other and raced over to Jaz and Nick, who were doing a little jig.

 

"Did what?" Cindy asked.

 

"The pictures match up with the poem," Jaz explained, "See, look at the fourth line: The spiral shell of golden hue, that kept the water's song away from view. That's the picture of the sea shell you took."

 

"I'm guessing the picture of the rose matched up with the third stanza?" Belle asked.

 

"And the rest of the pictures I took, the same?" Cindy asked. "But how are they connected?"

 

"Well, Jaz and I figured that these enchanted objects must be part of some spell. Look at the last stanza," Nick pointed.

 

"To banish evil from the land, these enchanted objects must be in hand," Cindy read aloud.

 

"In the place where villains pay the price for all the bad done in their lives," Belle finished. Cindy could see the wheels turning in Belle's head as she tried to piece the poem together, "Do you guys think it's a prophecy?" she asked them.