Alice woke up. The first week of February had flown by already and each day put her closer to the wedding. She strolled downstairs to find her mother, father, and sisters waiting for her, standing quietly at the bottom of the staircase. As soon as Alice came into their view, Tessa ran past her up the stairs, not making a sound. She suddenly became filled with fear. She knew the question she wanted to asked but was too scared of the answer to say anything.
Her father answered the question in her head for her. "Alice, Piper died early this morning."
Alice nodded as her eyes welled up with tears. "I thought she was getting better," Alice whispered hoarsely.
Her father whispered back. "That's what everyone thought. She seemed to be, but last night she had a really high fever and..." His voice trailed off. Alice nodded again. It was all she could do to keep from sobbing.
"She was only sixteen," Alice said. "It's not right." She looked around at her sisters, all with expressions similar to her own. Each of the seven had always felt responsible for their younger sisters. Now that it was the youngest who was dead, they all felt some guilt, took some blame.
"I must go," the King said. "I have some stuff I need to work." He still spoke very quietly and the others knew that he wanted to be alone. He gave his wife a kiss and left down a hallway.
One by one slowly the others left to their respective rooms. Alice was the last to leave she stopped outside each of her sisters' rooms. Tessa and Daisy, each a year younger and a year older than Alice were both crying softly, but when she stopped outside Nora's room she heard perfect silence. Marie wasn't crying but Alice could hear he pacing back and forth and moving things around her room. To Alice's surprise, Faye, her eldest sister who had always seemed like the strong and wise and pragmatic example, was loudly crying.
Alice's tears were gone by the time she reached her room. All she could do was sit on her bed and stare at her reflection in the mirror.
YOU ARE READING
The Seventh Prince
RomanceThe island of Ostaria has been divided for decades. When King Samson and Queen Isabelle of West Ostaria and King Henry and Queen Rachel of East Ostaria finally unite the two nations celebrations take place all over the island. To finalize the unific...
