CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Four: Rooming With Royalty

*Elle's POV*

I woke to the sound of someone shouting. It was a girl, but different from the usual female shouting I heard. I wasn't sure how long Marcus— or Marcellus, I guess his name is— had had me locked up here, but in that time I'd heard so much shouting. Obviously, some girl here really got upset when things didn't go her way.

I'd heard shouting about a dress being the wrong size, shouting about what was served for dinner, and even— more recently— shouting about a dragon. This shouting, however, was much more relatable.

"I said let me go!" The girl shrieked, her voice growing louder. "Take me back to the palace this instant! I will not stand for this kind of treatment!"

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, wondering what time it was. It was hard to tell in this windowless dungeon. As the shouts came closer, I pushed myself off the cot I'd been occupying and walked over to the door of the small room, curious about the commotion.

Just as I reached the door it swung open, and a girl in a green ball gown was tossed in. She stumbled and tripped over the hem of her gown, falling in a heap on the floor.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, feeling a bit stupid. Obviously, whatever was going on, she definitely wasn't okay. I held a hand out to her, but she stood quickly on her own.

She brushed the dirt from her gown and put her hands on her hips, glaring at Marcellus, who I hadn't even realized was standing in the doorway.

Following her example, I straightened up and glared at him as well.

Marcellus only smiled. "Elle, you're awake, good. This is Princess Rainette of Lumina, your new roommate for the time being." He bowed mockingly to her and she scoffed, turning her head to scowl at the wall. "I would love to explain what's going on, but I need to report to Seraphim. I'll be back after that, probably, so you can take this time to get to know Rainette. As you can see, the princess is a bit temperamental, so good luck with that." Without another word he shut the door, once again trapping me in darkness.

Well, at least no I wasn't alone.

I turned to look at the girl— Princess Rainette, he'd called her.— She seemed younger than me, but she was also quite a bit taller than me. Of course, I was short. She stood motionless with her arms wrapped around herself, her glare still fixed on the rough stone wall.

"Uh... hi," I said, trying to be friendly. "Your name's Rainette? That's cool. There was a character on an episode of Doctor Who with a name close to that, but I didn't like her because she was totally trying to steal the Doctor away from Rose. Of course, I won't judge you for that, since it's only a name... and she's fictional." Obviously, being locked up with no one to talk to for the past four-ish days had taken a toll on my already pitiful people-skills.

The Princess finally turned her attention away from the wall to stare incredulously at me. "You're a bit of a simpleton, aren't you?"

After a beat of silence, I nodded seriously. "It would appear so."

Despite the insulting thing she'd just said, Princess Rainette smiled. "You can call me Raini," She said, "What's your name?"

"Elle," I replied.

"Of?"

I thought about the question for a second. Should I try and make a location up or just tell her the truth. "Pennsylvania," I answered. I was sick of lying.

Raini tilted her head, "Pennsylvania? I'm not familiar with it. Is it near Gallifrey?"

I blinked, caught off guard. Did they have Doctor Who here? "Um... no."