Fanning the Flames of Rebellion [A Lunar Chronicles Fanfic]

Chapter 32

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"K-kidnapped?" Iko gasped. "Who would want to do that to Winter?"

"Levana." Cinder replied, turning to her.

Iko looked at Cinder incredulously, but realization slowly set into her features. Her expression matched Cinder's, grim.

But it's still didn't make any sense. Why would Levana want Winter dead? She wasn't any threat to the throne. She hadn't done anything wrong--as far as Cinder knew.

But...

It's been rumored that the three tear drop scars on Winter's cheek were because of Levana. They say she made Winter do it to herself, that the Queen was jealous of how "naturally" beautiful the princess was. She tried to make people admire her more, by making Winter look imperfect.

Maybe Levana tried to get rid of her for good. It was jealousy, Cinder hypothesized, Jealousy was her motive.

A soft sound of a door being closed knocked Cinder off of her thoughts. She turned to look behind Iko, who was slightly taller, and bigger than Cinder. It was Kai. He have her a short smile, which Cinder returned.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Iko turned around, obviously not hearing the door shut.

Cinder opened her mouth, but before he could say anything, Iko jumped in.

"Oh this Princess?" Cinder cringed at the mention of her title. "She's fine. But the other one, I'm not so sure about."

Kai exchanged curiously glanced back and forth with Cinder and Iko before replying. "What do you mean?"

"Princess Winter has been 'kidnapped'?" Cinder replied, making air quotations with her fingers.

Kai tilted his head in confusion, not understanding what Cinder meant.

"Winter has been kidnapped and Cinder thinks Levana played some sort of part in her disappearance." Iko replied.

"It wouldn't surprise me." Kai said, sighing. "Apparently, killing your relatives runs in the family."

Cinder let out a short laugh, almost chocking herself. "I think so t--"

"Lihn Cinder!" An angered voice yelled from behind her. Cinder whipped around and saw a petite woman with short, black hair. She could have sworn she'd seen her before.

"Lihn Cinder! What do you think you're doing over here?" The woman marched down the hall, her white lab coat billowing around her.

"I-I don't know what you mean." Cinder replied, confused. What did I do the time? She wanted to say. Oddly, the woman reminded Cinder of Adri. Their angered tones when they called her name where so similar.

"You don't know what I mean." She said, plastering a frustrated smile note her tanned face. "You don't know what I mean." she repeated.

"N-no I don't." Cinder replied, cautious not to push the woman's envelope.

"You were supposed to stay in that room." She said, pointing behind her. "You were supposed to be resting."

All Cinder's memories came flooding back to her. Waking up on the sturdy white bed, tripping through the halls, Kai taking her back to her room, comforting her. And the woman... She was Dr. Luisa Santiago, no?

"Wait, are you Dr. Santiago?" Cinder asked.

The woman's eyes bulged. She opened her mouth, closed it. And opened her mouth again. She made a tight lipped smile. "Yes." she said though gritted teeth.

But most off all, Cinder remembered the syringe. The doctor plunging it into her back. The liquid pushing into her bloodstream, Cinder falling to the floor, unconscious.

"I feel fine though." She replied, straightening her back.

"Well, at least the meds worked. You sure you're fine?" Luisa softened. Cinder nodded. Luisa turned around and walked back.

Cinder whipped her head around after hearing a loud slam of a door. Thorne was standing just outside of his room, arms crossed, tapping his foot.

"What is all this noise?" He demanded.

"Calm down, Thorne, it's nothing." Cinder glared at him.

"Well could your nothing be just a little quieter?"

"Yeah, whatever."

At that, Thorne slammed the door upon entering his room. Cinder was certainly not in the mood for his endless complaining, she had things to do. Cinder made a mental checklist of all she had to do.

1. Find Dr. Tanner and--

Her thoughts came to a grinding holt. She remembered back when she was in New Beijing, in Dr. Erland's office. He was talking about Princess Selene, who Cinder would eventually find out that it was in fact her. He told her the names of the people who helped bring her to Earth after the fire. One was Logan Tanner.

Dr. Erland had said that Logan entered an insane asylum, basically, and committed suicide. He was supposed to be dead. Something was up, and it wasn't good. Cinder's head buzzed with questions.

Who was this man if not Dr. Tanner? What if Dr. Erland was wrong? What if he hadn't committed suicide?

But there was one question that reoccurred the most.

What if it was all a lie?