The Hybrid Project

Chapter 5 : The Castle's Dark Walls

"10..."

Leopold peeked out from the cover of his hands, only to see a mop of messy brown hair in front of him. He blinked, taking his hands away, and looked down to see a very cross girl standing before him. Her hands were placed firmly on her hips, and she glared up at him with angry hazel eyes.

Leopold smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. The two of them had been playing hide-and-seek, and miraculously, it never took long for him to find little Heather. Well... Maybe it was because he cheated and watched the oblivious hybrid scuttle off each time. But what else would one expect from a mischievous 12 year old prince?

"Leo, you're supposed to wait to look until you've counted down from 10 all the way to 1! You can't look before then, that's the rules!" Things weren't exactly the same for Heather. She was a 10 year old girl, and took all of their games very seriously. She had a feeling that Leopold was cheating, and had finally decided to confront him about it. The prince could only smile, a bit amused by the sight of her.

Heather's hair was a complete mess, her face was red, and some sweat was visible on her forehead. The two of them had been confined to the painting room of the large castle, only allowed to play in there for today. But, even though it was just one room, it had many hiding places, and Heather had used a lot of her energy to crawl and crouch in the most difficult places to find.

That hadn't fooled Leopold though, and each time she painstakingly found a place to hide, he had found her just as quickly. "What do you mean? I was following the rules, I didn't peek at all!", the prince lied, grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were playful and light, his hair still neat - since hiding from Heather wasn't too hard.

Heather stomped her foot, balling up her small hands into fists now, "You did peek! Liar!"

"I am no liar." Leopold folded his arms across his chest, his smile vanished now. If there was one thing he absolutely hated, it was being compared to his father, the king. Though Heather wasn't doing it intentionally, the prince knew good and well that his father was a power hungry ruler, and probably lied almost every day in order to stay on the top. He was the King. Who could ever question him?

"Yes you are! You've been lying this whole game Leo, and that's why my hiding spots don't work!" Heather glared up at him, not seeming intimidated in the least.

Leopold didn't like this. He had only been joking around, and it was only a game. In his eyes, Heather had taken hide-and-seek too seriously. He remembered his status, who his father was, and the power that he would soon hold... He decided that he would try and use it, "I'm a prince and I can do whatever I want, so stop whining, brat!"

Heather's heart skipped a beat. It looked as if she even stopped breathing for just that second. She bit her trembling lip and looked away, not wanting Leopold to see the tears that were surely coming. The anger in her eyes was replaced by a deep hurt. And as soon as Leopold saw a tear roll down her red cheeks, he felt a lump in his throat.

"I-I don't care if you're a prince or not! You're a mean friend, a-and I don't want to play with you anymore! I don't even want to be your friend anymore! Because you're nasty and terrible, just like your dad!" With that, the tiny girl ran out of the room, running aimlessly down the hallway. Servants watched with shock as she raced by, all too surprised to try and comfort her.

Leopold stepped out into the corridor, wanting to call out. But he couldn't. His words were caught in his throat, the guilt holding him back from uttering one word. He could hear Heather crying all the way from where he stood, and absolutely hated the sound.

In all of Heather's years of staying here, he'd never once seen her cry. And now, for the first time, it had been him who had caused it. The prince sighed, and looked down to his feet in shame. Am I really just like my father?