The Prince's Songbird Slave ✔️

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Thoughts around time of publishing - I have learned the true horror of an 'all nighter' rather than the 4:30 am's that I used to think classified as and 'all nighter'...
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That flesh-crawling feeling of time running out was working its way through me, because tomorrow night was the closing party for the Gaithering. I hadn't told my parents about Evelyn's disappearance yesterday evening - who knows what they would do? What would be the repercussions of Evelyn's action? If stone magic was not enough, to which form of torture would they turn to next?

It was like everything had become distorted in a circus mirror, and the image I was now seeing was unrecognizable. It had parents who had lied for years and effectively tortured a child, it had someone who I'd always judged to be manipulating and self-serving, still self-serving perhaps, but not evil, jealous, controlling, or cruel as I had perilously though. And worse of all, no matter how I looked at the twisted, mutilated, image in front of me I could not spot that short black hair and familiar smile.

Evelyn was truly gone, and I didn't know where.

So far my parents hadn't noticed her absence. She was usually with me, and I had been consciously avoiding them, since I found out the truth from Freya. When they finally realized I planned to tell them that I hadn't seen her for a while. There'd be a small search, before I'd tell them she must have ran away, wanting freedom from slavery. I wasn't going to mention that she had regained her lost voice, because if sirens were really as destructive as Freya had said it could turn into a man hunt, and I doubted that the authorities would take the risk of bringing her back alive.

Though I had accepted that Evelyn was gone, I hadn't been able to stop looking for her. Currently I was making my way from the gardens towards the kitchens for the fourth time, from there my heavy feet would continue my circuit into the main building and around the several different halls, then...

"-ate! Nate!" I heard female voice shout out from behind me. I stopped and turned around to find Sarah hurrying after me. Her blond hair was tied in pleats, and when she finally reached me she paused, breathing deeply, trying to catch her breath.

"I've been shouting after you for ages," she gasped.

"Sorry," I said, unemotionally. When Evelyn left I think she took every feeling with her except for anxiety.

"You had your head in the clouds," Sarah joked, and my lack of response caused an awkward silence to elapse between us. She averted her eyes from me and glanced down, embarrassed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear which had turned bright red.

"You've been a bit out of it lately," she said shyly, with a nervous little laugh, and tucked her hands together behind her back to prevent herself from fiddling.

Again I had nothing to add, so just stayed silent.

"Are you ok?" She asked, looking up at me and biting her bottom lip, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied.

"Really? I thought you'd been ignoring me," she said with a little laugh, and blushed again, and turning her head away from me.

"I just haven't seen you since the pool incident..." I explained, trailing off as I remembered how close I'd been to loosing Evelyn then. My only comfort was that wherever Evelyn was now she was alive, but how will she be able to live in society? Her voice will bring her many problems, but it'll be hard for her to survive on her own if she continues to pretend to be mute, society isn't kind to those with differences.

Sarah sighed, slightly painfully, and took a step back, keeping her eyes averted from mine.

"Well, I was at the ball too. I tried to speak to you then, but you just ran off, and when I saw you in the hallway after one of your lectures the other day you brushed me off then as well..."

The harsh light in the corridor was reflecting off of her eyes making them look wet.

"After that you ignored me in the garden as well," she said, a hint of accusation in her voice.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I've just been really busy and preoccupied. How's it going with Theo?" I said in a vain attempt to rescue the conversation.

She gave a half laugh, though there was no joyful emotion in it.

"Things are probably better between us than before, its simpler now that I've given up on him," she said, and raised her face to look at me, her eyes searching mine for something. But whatever it was she was looking for, she couldn't find it. She turned away from me, and rocked slightly onto the balls of her feet, looking up to the ceiling.

"I guess it was always my fault, I've been a fool my whole life, falling for those out of my reach." She said, her voice soft and broken, before she made a hasty exit.

I finally realized what she meant, and I watched her disappear around the corner. She mistook kindness for love, and following after her would only cause more confusion and pain.

I looked down at my watch, my parents told me I was to have dinner with them and the Swarie family at one.

I reckoned I had enough time to cover the grounds three times before my presence was needed.

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Hi... 

(That's the only time I'll be using Wattpads new media stuff)

Now, more seriously;

I AM SO SORRY ABOUT WHAT WAS NEARLY A MONTH LONG ABSENCE, FORGIVE ME!!!!

I can't write in the holidays, and then there was exams, weekend they finished I had two assessed pre-practical assessments followed by an assessed post practical write up on bacterial growth curves when novel antibiotics-

Ok, I'm shutting up.

Anyway, this chapter was short, but the good news is that the story is nearing it's end and there should be some new chapters coming this week, so I'm back!

See you soon ;)

(Also happy 19th to @Cami_1531 who I didn't manage to wish a proper happy birthday to because of too much stuff)