Dear Elise

Chapter 5

When I reach the corridor Florence directed me to, I see Sam leaning on a door that I assume leads to her room.
I notice that I'm slightly out of breath - maybe I didn't need to walk so fast.
She smiles again when she notices me.
"Whoa, Elise. You didn't have to speed walk here, you know?"
I start to apologise, but she stops me.
"No need to apologise... I was just joking."
My face feels hot, and I'm sure it's flushed bright red in embarrassment.
"...ah. Yes."
Sam walks over to me, and I notic⁹e she has something in her hand that I couldn't see before.
"Is that-" She holds it out to me with a flourish, still smiling.
"A parasol for the lady. I did say I'd get you one, didn't I?"
I take the parasol, looking at her curiously as we start to walk back across the corridor.
"I thought you were joking about that."

I look up at the parasol. It's blue, with a yellow flower design. Simple, but lovely.
"How did you get this, anyway?"
She puts a finger to her lips, winking at me.
"A lady never tells."
I should be worried. After all, she's being weirdly secretive, but for some reason, I just don't feel the anxiety bubbling up like it usually does.
I'm pulled from my thoughts when she speaks again.
"Sorry it doesn't match your dress. I did try to find one in the same shade, but I couldn't."
I look at her, slightly confused.
"I don't mind. The fact that you got it for me means more than if it's a good accessory."
She nods, looking pleased, and we walk quietly for a while.

"Wait a minute... where are we going?"
I say, realising that we're not heading towards the entrance to the palace.
Sam clears her throat, and my eyes narrow when I see the mischievous expression on her face.
"Well, technically... we're not allowed outside without permission from the royal family. So... we'll sneak out instead."
My jaw almost drops.
"You want us to break the rules of the Selection?! We could get sent home if we do anything the prince doesn't like!"
Sam looks entirely unbothered by my exclamation, and she grabs my arm, dragging me, still protesting, towards a small, almost hidden door.
She shushes me impatiently.
"You should be quieter. We could get caught if you keep talking so loud."

I should go back. I shouldn't listen to her. but that sparkle in her eye, and the laugh in her hushed tone...
The feeling of breaking the rules is exciting. Intoxicating.
So we slip through the door, which I assume is used by servants, and out into a quiet, wooded area of the garden.
As we stroll around in silence, listening to the birds chirping and the slight breeze swishing past, I hear Sam breathe out a sigh.
The thin parasol casts blue and yellow tinted shadows onto the skin of my face and arms, and the patches of sunlight, daubed around like paint on an artist's canvas, warm me to my very core.
The crunches of our footsteps on the grass, half browned by the Angeles heat, eventually fall in sync.

I feel so content and calm... I wish this moment would last forever.

Until I step on a branch, breaking the silence with a loud crunch.
Sam and I pause, and for a second, it looks like she is about to laugh.
But then we hear someone - a guard.
"Is someone there?"
We're not supposed to be here.
This time, it's me who grabs Sam's hand, as we run as fast as we can in our impractical shoes and dresses. Eventually, Sam stop and kicks off her heels, carrying them with her as she runs.
My heart pounds as we run through this sparse woodland like area of the gardens, every breath coming quick and fast.
I can't help but smile.
It's as if energy as been shot through my whole body, adrenaline speeding me up and keeping me going.

Eventually, we seem to be far enough away, and I collapse on a patch of grass, Sam right beside me.
My muscles burn and my heart is pounding, but despite everything, when she starts to laugh, I do too.
We laugh until we can barely breathe, our breathlessness from running probably making it ten times worse.
But I don't care, and neither does she.
We giggle in that patch of sunlight for what seems like hours, but can only have been minutes.
Then we lie there, watching the clouds float by, and I can't stop smiling.
A perfect moment.

Is this what friendship is like?