Hidden Heirs and Fallen Crowns (Complete)

Chapter 25

I woke up just after dawn, gasping. My brow was glittering with sweat.

After calming down a bit, I looked out of the window and estimated that I should sleep another four or five hours, but my sleep had disappeared.

The first rays of sunlight streaked through my room. I slipped out of my massive bed, put some slippers and a nightgown on, and looked around.

Well, I had a busy day ahead, so I had better do something for eight hours. At least this would make it a first time that I woke up before Jasmine.

I walked downstairs, feeling panic rise at the back of my throat as my slippers went tapped repetitively against the dark wooden stairs.

I-am-going-to-see-my-mum, I told myself furiously. There is nothing wrong about that.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, my legs guided me straight to the garden, and as soon as I opened the door I ran as fast as I could towards the tree. As expected, my speed quadrupled and I flew towards the tree. I jumped and caught the trunk, jumping off immediately and catching the nearest branch. I leaped in the air, flipping, and caught a higher branch. After that I just jumped all over the place, twisting and flipping and turning and leaping and falling and rising.

But I knew I couldn't do the same with buildings. I had never tried climbing buildings yet for fear of people seeing me. In a tree, at least, I could hide in the branches, but there was no hiding on the top of a building.

No one was awake at this hour, though.

I swung down to a lower branch and climbed down the rest of the way.

I stood in front of the garden door a minute later, working out exactly how I was going to do this. Looking up, I decided to take it easy and just climb straight from the bottom instead of jumping.

I placed both hands a few centimetres from the building, but I felt no tug. Of course I didn't; the building was solid stone.

Smiling now, I looked at my index finger nail, taking in how long and sharp it was. Then I placed it on the white wall, and pressed gently.

Nothing happened.

I think I'll have to press a bit harder on stone-hard surfaces, I told myself. I jabbed my finger in the wall, and this time it went right in. I took it out, and watched as the tiny slit in the wall disappeared. I still didn't understand exactly how solid wall could move and close up on itself, but it did.

Knowing what to expect now, I placed both hands on the wall just above my head and pressed hard. They easily sunk into the wall. I placed my feet on the wall, and was soon climbing pretty steadily towards the windows.

It felt so different than when I was climbing a tree: the texture was smooth and cold instead of gnarled and dry.

I was soon at the first window, and looked into it. It was a smallish room, with simple furniture and portraits - if you could call anywhere in this place simple.

A bit further up and I looked into a window again. This time it looked into a corridor, the window being at its dead end.

I racked my brains to get my directions right. Here I was just above the garden door ... where would my room be? I would go upstairs, which I had just done, and then I would turn right ... or left?

I gave up with a frustrated sound, deciding I would never be able to do this without being higher up. I looked up, and swallowed nervously as I took in the height of the building from this angle. I took in the different blocks it seemed to be made up of, all joined together to form the massive mansion.