Child of a King

Chapter forty-two - An invisible hug

(A/N): Cursive means they're speaking in Spanish

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"No!" I shouted, my voice cracking under the weight of my fear. My fists clenched as I stood trembling in the small bathroom, the only place where I felt safe.

"Come on, honey." Nate's calm, familiar voice drifted through the locked bathroom door. I could picture him standing there, a patient smile on his face, trying to coax me out like he always did. "It's the first day of first grade. It's going to be so much fun."

But his words didn't reach me. They bounced off the walls like distant echoes, unable to penetrate the tight knot of anxiety twisting in my stomach. "I'm not going!" I screamed back, my voice thick with unshed tears. I swiped angrily at my wet cheeks with the back of my hand, the salty taste of despair lingering on my lips.

"Princess," Embry's gentle voice followed Nate's, his words soft and comforting, like a warm blanket on a cold night. "I hate it too when summer is over, but isn't it going to be nice to see Madelyn again? You've told me many times about how much you miss playing with her." He knocked on the door. "Let us in, baby."

His words made me hesitate. I had missed Madelyn, missed our games and our laughter. But the thought of school, of being away from my family, made my chest tighten in fear. The summer had been a cocoon, a safe bubble filled with days spent with Dad and my brothers. I wasn't ready to let that go. I wasn't ready for the world beyond these walls.

"No," I whimpered, my voice breaking as I hiccupped through my tears. My heart was a wild drum in my chest, pounding out a rhythm of panic.

There was a brief silence on the other side of the door, a pause that felt like they were regrouping, strategizing. Then I heard another voice, this one a little more mischievous. "Let me try." I knew it was Ray before he even spoke. "Darling?" he started, his tone light and playful. "You're the coolest kid I know. You're going to do just fine, trust me." He paused, and I could almost see him crouching down to peek through the keyhole. "If you come out, I'll give you as much ice cream as you can eat."

A pause, and then a loud smack echoed through the hallway. "Seriously, dude?" Slade's voice was sharp, tinged with disbelief. "You think bribing her with ice cream is going to work?"

"It's ice cream," Ray defended, his tone laced with a hint of a smile. "It always works."

But I wasn't so easily swayed. My heart pounded harder, frustration bubbling up inside me. Why weren't they listening? Didn't they get how terrified I was? "Estella, if you don't come out, we'll have to unlock the door from outside," Nate said, his voice steady but with an edge of firmness that made my chest tighten. "We can't talk to each other like this, angel."

"Nooo," I wailed, throwing my school tie on the floor in a fit of rage. My breath came in short, ragged gasps as my body trembled with the intensity of my emotions. I didn't want to go. I wasn't ready, and it felt like no one understood that. The thought of stepping outside, of leaving the safety of home, made my skin crawl. The room spun slightly as my fear turned into a physical weight pressing down on my chest.

Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of keys rustling from the other side of the door. My heart nearly stopped. They were really going to unlock it. My pulse quickened, and I glanced around the bathroom, desperate for a place to hide, but there was nowhere to go. The space that had once felt like a sanctuary now seemed small, confining, suffocating. The faint clink of metal against the lock sent a shiver down my spine, and I pressed my back against the cool tiles, hoping somehow that they would swallow me up.

"Please, just go away!" I shouted, my voice tiny, almost unrecognizable. I felt so small, so helpless. I was losing this battle, and I knew it.

The door creaked open, and in a final, desperate burst of energy, I sprang to my feet, my heart pounding in my ears as I bolted through the small crack, pushing past the wall of my brothers who had been crowding the hallway. Their hands reached out to catch me, but I was too quick, too desperate. I ran down the hallway as fast as my short legs could carry me, my breath coming in frantic gulps.