Queen of Hearts

Thirteen

Ace Cards had never ever been afraid of her older brother. Jack was tall, and he was intimidating at times, but Ace had never been afraid of him. She had never had a reason to. Jack always had her back. He loved her, and she loved him. She had never really understood what Alyson, Dottie, Tilly, or Tia meant when they said that he was scary. They always had each other. At the moment, standing in front of Jack's desk, she finally understood what they meant.

"Why?" Jack asked hoarsely.

Ace took a seat across from him. His big oak desk acting as a barrier between the two of them. "I don't know," she said, even though she did know. But how was she supposed to explain how she felt to Jack? How was she supposed to explain to him that being his little sister often put her at a disadvantage? How was she supposed to explain to him that his overprotective nature was very unwelcome at the moment?

How was she supposed to even begin to explain to him what she had heard from the young princess's mouth?

"You don't know?" Jack asked, "That's not a good enough answer. You do know, Ace. So tell me why you decided to abscond in the middle of the night to join a very secret mission."

"Because I could," Ace said simply. Was it the truth? Not exactly, but it wasn't too far from it. "I'm a great fighter. I have no idea why you didn't put me on the team in the first place."

"Because you're fifteen."

"And Dottie's sixteen," Ace pointed out, "She can't do much more than transform into a mouse. I think that the real reason that you prevented me from joining was because I'm your little sister."

"That's not true."

"Really?" Ace asked incredulously, "Because I think that it is. You never let me do anything."

"That's not true, Ace," Jack said calmly, "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Who made you Dad?" Ace asked, rising from her seat, "I don't need you to be my protector, and I never have. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself." With that said, Ace marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her, and not even apologizing when it said "Ow!"

♥ ♥ ♥

Lizzie caught up to Attacus as he walked down the hallway, his wings dragging behind him, his mouth turned down in a frown. She fell into step beside him, matching him stride for stride. "So," Lizzie said, "how did he take it?"

"As well as can be expected," Attacus said without looking at her, "I think that he wants to kill James and Alyson, but he won't because they are his best fighters. Most people wouldn't be so lucky."

"And Ace?"

Attacus sighed. "She wasn't supposed to be there, and she put the entire mission at risk."

"Not to mention that she's Jack's sister."

"Yeah," Attacus agreed, "I'll be surprised if he ever lets her out of his sight again." Lizzie continued to walk with Attacus as he left the compound, heading into the forest outside.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," Attacus said with a smile, and continued on. "The youngest White girl seems to have taken a liking to you."

"Yeah." Lizzie agreed, "I suppose that she has."

"Do you know why?"

"She's attracted to my likeable personality," Lizzie said with a small laugh. Attacus stared at her, confused. "Not many people like me," Lizzie explained. She wasn't a likable person like Alistair or Maddie. She never had been.