Selina Rose leads a normal life as a princess: attending balls, tending to her garden, and going to school. But soon enough things start to fall apart.
Nothing makes sense in this princess's castle: the walls seem to hear secrets, the library seems...
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Jim's heart dropped. Alyssa seemed to stare at Jim with a look suggesting he was guilty of the storm.
Jim sat back down.
A bolt of thunder.
The next few days in the castle were chaotic yet quiet. Many people had been evacuated from the island using big ships, as they were the only things capable of withstanding the storm at this point. Theorists in the castle hypothesized that this would soon become an impractical option. Talks about evacuating the royal family were circulated but quickly shut down. The castle stood in the heart of Haven, a geographically advantageous position. The royals had to stand their ground.
Hammering could be heard echoing off the statues, as staff would never stop boarding up windows and doors. The lower floors were strictly restricted to staff, only in extreme cases. But by this time, most food, books, and valuables had been situated safely within the castle. Increasingly, civilians were evacuated in fear of what the storm might become. Many houses could not withstand the storm, as many had given in early on. The beach houses lie in shambles as the tremendous waves crash against the structure's integrity, holding it together.
Staff worked overtime to ensure the safety of the townsfolk by sending out men to the watchtowers to check for new destruction overnight. These same soldiers would report back regarding the intensity of the storm, regarding the sea levels surrounding them. Many scientists in the castle would linger over the daily reports of the soldiers, trying to find a pattern. As things were, the fury of the storm grew, not too alarmingly but enough to stay on high alert at all hours.
Alyssa was in dismay at her garden, which seemed to be pooling up with bigger puddles. Her months of hard work and persistence seemed to be drowned out by the noise of the storm. There was not much to do around the castle, with windows being shuttered more so every day. Sunlight was something that hadn't graced the walls of the castle in what felt like a millennium. Candles were the daily stock among its residents, always an item used with great fragility in case the stock ran low.
Food was rationed among the castle's occupants for maximum efficiency, in turn for the worst. While boats could still be sent, supplies were sent for the castle as well as any residents who refused to leave. Many civilians who decided to live in Haven were close to the castle, less likely to be influenced by the devastating rain. Sending soldiers out in the rain during these days of boat runs was a task the queen did with a stone tied to her heart.
There was not much to do in the castle since all exits were cut off and heavily guarded. Watching the rain felt like watching a wallpaper that seemed to occasionally show signs of slight movement. Selina spent her time indulging in ballet as much as possible; the backdrop of the storm sometimes made it difficult to hear her shoes click against the floor. Jim would often watch her, trying to occupy himself with a new book he found in the library's collection. He couldn't help himself; a dancing ballerina was more exciting than the book he held. The Attics were harder to access than ever due to the overflow of possessions.
This book indulged in the pursuits of a ship sailor who seemed to be heading towards the end of their fate soon. On this particular day, Jim seemed to be more interested in the book than usual. The sailor had seemed to finally realise the brutal rock they were approaching amid a horrible storm. He leaned back on the bleachers, biting his thumbnail, using his left arm to leverage the book. Selina paused to catch her breath.
She saw Jim from the corner of her eye, yet today he wasn't watching. Her eyebrows furrowed, finally trying to read the title of the book that seemed interesting for once.
Thunder.
Selina and Jim looked towards the windows behind the princess.
A pause.
Selina walked to the other side of the room and began taking off her shoes.
"Done for the day?" Jim inquired, eyes still on his page.
"Hmhm," she slipped a shoe off.
"Reckon we have soup for dinner again? I am quite tired of the frequent rotation of potatoes, I mean..." Jim's voice trailed off as he squinted with focus on his book further.
Selina glanced at him quickly as her socks came off. She slipped into the locker room to change out of her ballet attire.
Another bolt of lightning.
Alyssa seemed to confine herself to her room more and more, burying herself in books of all sorts. She took the matter of the storm to her heart, pouring sleepless nights into deep research and examination.
Selina walked out of the locker room, and Jim was on the bleachers halfway down the room, this time staring blankly in the distance.
"Book lost its substance again?" Remarked Selina with a smirk.
"No, not as bad as the miracle stone story," Jim smiled at Selina.
Selina sat next to him, analysing the book cover. A brown grim cover that simply stated, 'Truivileou's Sails Into The Abyss'.
"Quite ominous," stated Selina.
"Yeah," Jim replied, his eyes still glued ahead. She looked at him.
"Not excited for potatoes and broccoli? What a sin, Jim!" she said sarcastically.
"Pfft! You wish, I'm stronger than some vegetables. I'm just worried about Alyssa, I barely see her nowadays."
"Right, neither do I. She is in her world, and there is nothing wrong with that." They looked at each other.
"I think she is avoiding me," Jim hesitantly continued. "Ever since the library."
"You have not even brought it up with her, have you?" Jim looked away from her.
"Wow, you have not!" She stated, her tone accusatory.
"Yeah, because you were so receptive to my thoughts."
