Maybe Tomorrow

Chapter 19 - Charlotte

Alex hasn't returned from her ride all day.

She hasn't returned for dinner either but strangely, Nicholas sat there in his chair. And she was nowhere in sight.

Worst explanations flipped in front of my eyes as worry surrounded me. I asked Nicholas where his sister was and he told me she wanted to be out for a while longer. So she accompanied him back home so he didn't get lost before riding off once again into the forest. No one has heard of her since then.

I knew something must have happened for her to stray away from the palace for so long. I have lived through this day for much longer than a few hours but in the back of my mind I knew something was wrong in her mind. Something that she needed to sort through before facing anyone. However, my worry wasn't any weaker than it was then.

Through the whole evening I flew through with thoughts of her on my mind. And when I hurried back into my office to read through more papers in order to concentrate on something else, it didn't work as thoughts of her overwhelmed me. When I walked through my library to find the book she searched for a month back when we almost kissed. When I sat in my bath until goosebumps arose on my skin. After I got dressed for sleep and picked up the book to read the words swam in front of my eyes like ducks on a pond as I was unable to focus on anything else other than her.

It is after nine now and I haven't heard any news of her return from anyone. I have my window open just in case I could hear Angel's stomps she will make when she comes back with her owner.

I have been up here for over an hour and still nothing.

Her absence is too distracting. I have to read the same page over and over again before I finally assemble every word on the page and understand the meaning of it. It takes me an hour to finish reading four pages but my mind is still somewhere else other than on the book.

If I was anyone else I would have already been seated on a horse and I would run through every space of the forests until I found her. Unfortunately it isn't safe for me to go anywhere alone. Especially after dark and so I stay rooted to my bed, forcing myself to stay awake.

When ten o'clock hits I finally decide there isn't any point in me staying up because no sounds of her horse coming back can be heard from my window and even if I will be worrying my mind off, it is a struggle to keep my eyes from closing. These days I am sleepy before I normally would get so I set the book down on my night table and go to close my bedroom window.

Crawling underneath the covers, I pull the comforter over my lips and shut my eyelids tightly, hoping to fall asleep soon and wake up in the morning where Alexandra is back from wherever she was, safe and well rested.

My mind, although tired, doesn't listen to itself and I am still wide awake half an hour later, tossing and turning on my bed when the door to my chamber opens with a slight creak.

I jank the covers up with me when I spring up to sit against the headboard, protecting my chest from whoever has decided to pay me a visit. But then the person whispers

"Charlotte? Are you awake?" Alexandra voice calls from the dark of the night, only the moon illuminating her elegant silhouette as she slowly moves closer and closer to my bed. Relief and anger fill me all at once.

"Where in God's name have you been?" I say angrily in a whisper, throwing the covers off my body and my legs over the edge, I stomp towards her direction in the darkness.

Deciding I need the light first to scold her for her late arrival I head over to the table where I have spare matches and candles and light five of them up, finally turning around to see her standing there with her head facing down and her hands behind her back like a guilty puppy who ate something it wasn't supposed to.