Royals

Chapter 30: izze

AN: Thank you for over 200 readers!!! To me that is incredible and I'm so happy people enjoy this book as much as I do. Enjoy reading chapter 30!! :)

~*~

Tomorrow is the day. The day that Adrianna and I turn sixteen. Almost every hall in our castle is loaded with chefs and servants running around. Trying to get everything in preparation for tomorrow.

   "Excited to turn sixteen?" A voice calls from behind me. I turn around to see Sarah standing in the door way of my mother and father's balcony.
    I smile, "As ready as ever?"
   She nods and walks to stand next to me. We both look down at the decorations that are being hung. Fairy lights plastered against the old stone walls.
    "Adrianna seemed nervous." Sarah says quietly.
    I sigh, "I think we're all nervous.."
    "I agree."
"Izze! Oh hey Izze...." Sarah and my's head snap towards the door. Collin stands there half in, half out.
"Collin. What do you need?" I ask as he steps forward.
"Lunch with mother and Adrianna. Out in the garden." He says quietly.
Sarah brushes past me and stops at the door. "I'll catch you later Izze." She says before leaving my brother and I alone.
Collin and I stand there in silence. "So are you going to or is it just us three?"
He looks up at me and blinks. Then shakes his head as if he just came out of a trance. "Oh right of course. It'll be us four."

~*~

   "It's the big day tomorrow! Are you girls excited?" Our mother asks contently. Her smile never leaving her face.
    I smile back at her, "Of course! It's our sweet sixteen."
     My mother nods and continues talking to Adrianna, Collin and I. I turn to Adrianna and watch as she slowly eats her food. Not even engaging in the conversation. Quietly I nudge her shoulder and her head snaps up to me.
    "What's wrong?" I whisper.
   "Nothing." She says quickly. Suddenly the talkings stops and our mother and Collin are staring at us.
   "You okay Anna?" Collin asks raising an eyebrow at her.
    "Just Fine." She says quickly again.
    Our mother sighs. "Adrianna....everything will be fine. Nothing is going to happen."
    Her chair slams to the ground as she stands up. "How do you know that!"
     Our mother stands up and narrows her eyes at Adrianna. "Because I do. Now let I go and you will be fine." My sister rolls her eyes before leaving.
     "Adrianna!" Collin and I say in unison. Again we both sigh and stay seated while our mother walks off to get Adrianna.
    "Well then...." Collin says quietly.
"Come on Collin." I say and grab his forearm. Dragging him with me across the garden.
We walk through the door and look around. The dining room was empty. Quiet enough you could probably hear a pin drop.
Suddenly a loud thud is heard from the ceiling. I flinch backwards bumping into my brother. We tumble to the ground. I groan and touch my fingertips to my temple.
Collin recovers quicker than me and stands up. Holding out a hand for me to take. I grab it and he hoists me up to my feet. We speed walk down the hall and climb the steps.
Loud voices echo the hall. I tall figure turns to us as we near. Sarah looks at me in confusion and worry. I notice Nora standing against the opposite wall, watching the door.
"I'll go in." Collin whispers. I grab his shirt and pull him back, shaking my head. She is my sister, my twin...
"Because I said so!!!!!" Adrianna yells at our mother.
"Anna..." I say softly. Adrianna turns and looks at me. Her eyes slowly turning softer.
"What do you want?" She says. Her voice breaking at every word. I wince as I see the red around her eyes. She'd been crying.
"What's wrong?" I ask stepping towards her. She takes a deep breathe and sits on the bed.
"You wouldn't understand." Adrianna whispers. A tear slipping down her cheek. I sit besides her, our mother on the other side.
"What wouldn't she understand, Adrianna?" Our mother asks.
Adrianna throws her hands up in the air and looks forward. "Nothing! I'm just worried somethings going to happen..."
I inhale a breathe slowly and let her words sink in. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders as they shook silently.
"Anna, Nothing is going to happen. You don't have to be scared or anything." I say
    "Thanks Izze..." she whispered quietly. Hugging me tightly as her tears slipped down her cheek and onto my shoulder. 
    Adrianna whispered again, "I just feel like he'll come for us...ruining everything."
    "He's not going to try anything." I say trying to sound promising. When she nods, I smile feeling satisfied.
    "Come on." I say while grabbing her hand. My sister wipes her eyes and stares at me.
   "Where are we going?"
   "To hang with some friends who are really worried about you." I say smiling as our Mom smiles with me. Adrianna nods and we walk out into the hall.
    Collin, Nora and Sarah were sitting against the wall. Their heads snap up as the door shuts, quickly they rush over and give us a hug. We stayed there for a few moments before letting go.
   "You good?" Sarah asks rubbing her shoulder. Adrianna nods and smiles brightly. Like nothing has happened.

~*~

   Nora falls against her bedpost laughing along with the rest of us. Collin grabs hold of her arm still laughing.
    "You alright?" He asks, calming down. She nods her head and we continue to talk.
     "I'll be right back." I say remembering something I needed to do. Sarah nods and I quietly leave Nora's room.
   The halls echoed quietly with the sound of my shoes. The sun was setting through the window. All the clouds near the sun were tinted with pink and orange. Like sherbet  ice cream.
     I walk down the corridor and through the dining room doors. They creak silently as I open and close them. I walk into the throne room right off of the dining room.
   When I enter, I sigh. My mother wasn't in here. I turn around, but stop at the sound of a faint voice. My eyes dial in on the doors that lead up to the dungeon.
   A shiver runs down my back, remembering what happened when we came back the first time. After the chasms, forcing us to leave.
      Me being the curious person I was, walked over to the door. I touched the door knob and turned it. The cool air hit me as the door opened. Carefully I climbed the steps.
     Once at the top I stopped and looked down the dusty old hall. No guards were at the posts. The voice I heard before got a little louder. Still faint and not clear enough, but clear enough to guess someone was praying.
     I continued to walk until I stopped in front of the second door. It was a young males voice on the other side. Did I dare to even go in?
     Another shiver runs down my back. Making me choose my choice of either going in or going back. 
     I take a deep breathe and open the door.

I step into the dark room. Shivers still running down my back as I walk forward.
"Isn't it a lovely surprise to see you Isabella. Even a day before your sweet sixteenth..." A voice croaked.
I spun on my heel to see a lantern lit in the corner. Barely making the slim figure visible. Warily I stepped forward trying to see better.
"And you are..?" I ask slowly.
He laughs, dryly. "Jake." My breathe hitches in my throat making me nervous.
"W-what are you doing here?" I ask exhaling a shaky breathe.
"What's it looks like? Rotting in a dungeon." Jake says quietly. I sit down on a bed across from him. Still careful to keep my distance.
"You seem—" I was cut off by another one of his dry laughs.
"Different? Nicer?" He asked intensely looking up. "Not the foolish boy who killed your father or some innocent man because his father told him to...." Jake whispered, his voice breaking.
I remembered that day. Not to long ago, my father died. Everyday I missed him more and more, but tried not to morn for him...Suddenly I seemed to go back to reality.
I immediately stood up. Looking at him, almost stunned. "What do you mean killed an innocent man?"
"The girl's father. In the woods." Slowly I sit down and inhale a breathe. Letting it come out again, shaky.
"Why would you be force to?" I ask quietly looking at his eyes that were hidden with a shadow.
Jake looks up, his brown eyes becoming vaguely visible. "Long story..."
I sit up straighter, "I'm sure I won't be that much missed."
He smiles slightly before speaking. "Not sure if you do know or not, but my father always despised your family. The wealth and power your parents had...." Jake looks up at me, waiting for my approval to continue. I nod in response and he continues.
"He wanted to get rid of you all so he could rule it all. That's when the chasms came in and your mother was taken." He takes a deep breathe and blinks rapidly.
"I never wanted this, to hurt your family..." Jake and I looked at each other in the eye, "I didn't want to hurt you..." I felt my cheeks heat up slightly at his words. In my head I knew that was wrong to feel that affection after what he did.
He folded his hands together and stared at them. "I think he did this because of when my mother died. He loved her so much, with all his heart." Out of know where with no knowledge, I rest my hand on his.
"My father wanted to take it further, knowing you, Adrianna and Collin were alive...that's when I killed her father." He looked at me, his eyes holding back on something. Something deep.
"What?" I ask curiously.
"W-when y-your sister took you back in after I grabbed you...the girl and Collin almost killed me, but Collin.." He shook his head slightly.
"What did Collin do?" I ask intensely, my other hand clenching and unclenching.
"He let me go. I told your brother it would make sense later on, if he let me live." Jake said quietly. He then looked at me pleadingly, "You have to let me go, i want to prove my self. Your mother hasn't visited me in a while and I have so much I need to tell her. My father...he's not done with this all. Not until there is no heir left."
"What's that suppose to mean?" I ask standing up again.
Jake slowly looks up at me. Knowing he can't stand. He opens his mouth and tells me as much as he can. Me listening to each and every word. Not knowing why...