Under the Water (Book 1)

Nineteen

As she stares at me, I know she remembers, I know it as soon as the light comes into her eyes. She remembers me. She's back.

"My dearest apologies servants. This meeting place won't be found out by any other Royals, that is for certain. Continue." She just turns and walks out of the room. Everyone erupts in chaos.

"She'll tell! We'll be found out!"

"Should we go after her?"

"She knows."

"Wait stop." I said, barely heard over the din. "STOP! She's honest, she's not like the others, I'll take care of it." I start run out the door and up the passageway to the regular servants meeting place.

I slow down suddenly. Not sure what do say. "Scarlette. You see me now don't you?" I say quietly, approaching her. She just nods, and a tear trickles down her cheek. I start to reach out to wipe it, then stop. "Follow me." I say, and open the door for her. She walks out her head down as if shamed.

I take her up to my tower, my room, and open the hidden hatch under my bed. I don't know what I'm doing. But she needs to see these. She need to understand. The voice in me says. Scarlette follows me through the passageways, same as when she last saw them, except they are so much more different.

Those weeks that she had forgotten me, I'd been at work. Painting, sketching, art. My forms and shapes weren't as good as hers would be, but the paints over it hides that.

"They are beautiful." She says, looking awestruck around the room. Looking at ever painting just like how she did when we were little.

He gaze pauses on her portrait. The one I've been laboring on for the past week, Scarlette, in the picture is looking somewhat over her shoulder, her hair loose around her shoulders and she smiles slightly, her eyes a pale green, have a sparkle in them as if she has a joke to share.

"Its... me..." She says, stuttering over her words. It's my turn to just nod.

She turns and raises her hands to take my face in her hands, her eyes searching my faces, scanning every inch.

We stand there for what seems like hours, and yet when she speaks it was to short.

"Quinn." She whispers, as if it's the only thing keeping her from doing something.

"Yes?" I reply, wanting so bad to kiss her right now, to bury my hands in her hair.

"Thank you." She says, smiling.

"What?" I ask, confused, what does she have to thank me for?

"Thank you for saving me." She says, "For reasons that I don't know someone wanted me to forget you and not see you. Someone had to have drugged me for weeks and now you have saved me. So yes Quinnson Seventh Thank you." I look at her, restraining my large idiotic smile. I want to kiss her. Now...

"So is my room like on the other side of this passage?" She asks, effectively making the awkward silence... well, awkwarder.

"Uh, yes follow me." I say, and start leading her in the direction of her room.

"Your painting is so amazing." She says as she opens the latch to her room. "Or paintings." She stumbles.

I almost laugh and help her step through the doorway into her dresser.

"Thank you for showing me these," She says and turns back to smile at me.

"Yeah." I reply. "See you soon?"

"yeah." She says so softly I almost miss it, then I close the door and retreat back down the hallway to my tower room.

I sit there on my pallet for a few minutes. Remembering what happened. I walk to the door and am about to open it when it swings open on its own. Or not so much on its own. Larkken stands there, looking somewhat nervous and self-conscious. When she see's me standing at the door she starts to speak.

"Um... I came to come get you... my father was sort of concerned about, uh, the problem." She says chewing on her lip. "Also, you need to get down to the kitchen, fast. There's literally five minutes before dinner. And there's inspection tonight."

I nod and we start to descend to the dining hall. Along the way I inform her that Scarlette is harmless, and probably an asset to our side. Larkken takes the new with what looks like relief but as we slip into the kitchen interest i can see the doubt in her eyes as well. We go the the back of the room to slip into our uniforms when Larkken asks, "You like her don't you."

I'm so unprepared for the question I blink in surprise and stand there for a second before i manage to stutter out "uh, no, no. She's a royal, I'm a servant. From the outer pier. No."

Larkkens face is hidden in the shadows as she replies "It will never work you know, she's getting married the next Sunday to her fancy boy."

"I never expected it to work." I say, hoping it's not to obvious that I'm lying. "She could never love me anyway... " I'm about to say something else in defense when she breaks in instead.

"Anyone would be lucky to have you." And then she walks away.

***

After my kitchen duties I'm sent back to my tower. I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling as I think about tonight's events. I'ts just impossible to focus though. All I can think about is Scarlette.

And how empty that white space is on the ceiling...

I pull of my shirt and toss it on the floor, about to throw one of my broken vid players at the light sensor to turn it off when the hatch opens. I fall back in shock and look into the open contraption as a head peeks out of it.

Scarlette.

"Scarlette? What are..." I don't get to finish, she leans forward, and kisses me.

I pull back for a moment, then lean in and kiss her back. In that moment she is the only thing I see. Her emerald eyes radiant against her unblemished skin. All framed by her flowing red hair. She is truly beautiful. I pull her closer to me, cupping her cheek in my hand.

"I won't let you go again. I promise." She whispers.

Neither will I. I think, as I kiss her again. Ever.