Lost (A Rosewood Chronicle fanfic)

7 | feels like home

The next day, Lottie and Ellie drew their attention the mysterious letter they had received just under a week ago. 

Dear Princess,

Before you jump to conclusions, ths is not Jamie. Jaie would never come back to you. He's with us. W'll get what we wnt. Then you'll be begging to come to us. You and your 'idekick' too. Or should I say... Elenor Wolson.

🐾

Lottie shuddered at the ominous message. Whoever sent this was the enemy; they knew their secret. Ellie was danger. Lottie fingered her locket unwittingly as she read it again, and again. 

"For someone this dangerous, they really don't know how to spell." Ellie groaned, "definitely dyslexic."

Ever since Lottie had rejected her, Ellie had been irritable, crabbing about everything from the itchy tartan fabric on her uniform to the upcoming exams. In between rants, which she patiently endured, Lottie noticed the sadness flashing in her friend's eyes, before it flashed back to it's stormy, moody angst. 

"Wait..." Lottie trailed, staring at the parchment. Memories of the stories from Oscar's diary played in her head, combing through stories of messaging and espionage. "Ellie, get a pen and paper."

She dutifully retrieved the items, before handing them to Lottie. She first combed through the misspelled words.

"I... M... E... A... S..."

Lottie frowned at Ellie's name. "I-meas? Doesn't make sense... And they spelt your name wrong, Ellie. We'll add that in."

"They just not know how to spell it?" Ellie offered. Lottie shrugged.

"And F for Wolfson!" Lottie finished. Ellie joined her at the bed. Lottie blushed from how close they were sitting.

"I-M-E-A-S-A-F" Lottie read aloud. Ellie frowned. "It's a jumble. Obviously a message."

Lottie re-read the letters, scrambling them until they fit into the same slot...

"I am safe." Lottie said. Ellie frowned in confusion. Slowly her eyes widened, looking up at Lottie.

Lottie met her eyes with the same expression. Tears pricked her eyes as sweet reality sunk in. 

Jamie was safe. 

🐺

Jamie could only hope his girls managed to crack his code. 

The previous night, he had been placed in a different room. Bigger. The ceilings were stone, complete with a Queen sized bed and black covers. There was a large desk in the corner, below a window. There was a bookshelf on the other side of the room, with a few beanbags. It reminded him of his own room back at the palace. He smirked. 

"Feels like home." he said. June smiled at him, and left him to get cosy. Jamie stood at the door for moment, before making sure there was no one in the hallway. 

He closed the door, making sure to lock it. He made his way to the desk, tracing a finger along it's mahogany wood. There was a stack of paper, weighed down by a small wolf statue. There was assorted stationary, along with a bluetooth speaker and a computer. He let out a low whistle. 

Damn. People around here had style. And that was just the desk. 

Sitting down at the wheely chair, he got himself a fresh sheet of paper. Grabbing a pen, he twirled the pen in his hand, contemplating about the message he should send to Ellie and Lottie. 

"How's the lover boy?" 

Jamie jumped, startled by the cool voice at the door. He turned to see Ingrid swing a key on her finger. He growled. "How did you get in?" he demanded. 

Ingrid laughed. "Perhaps June forgot to mention it, but I'm superior around here. I have all the keys, and so does our master." she spat. "Even if you joined the cause, any hint of betrayal will be caught out."

Jamie cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Spoken like a true Partizan." he purred.

"Then you'll know that when we fight, we win." she retorted. A smile crept onto her lips. A smile that left Jamie's spine tingling with an eerie cold. "Look forward to knowing you more... personally."

Ingrid stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. 

Jamie let out a long sigh, turning back to his letter. 

Dear Lottie...

He shook his head. It had a code. He was a new recruit, but he was still under the watch of suspicious eyes. Meaning they'd check his letters. 

Dear Princess,

He nodded in approval. Leviathan didn't know the princess's name, so it would protect Lottie. 

As for the contents of the message... He groaned in frustration, leaning back into the leather back of his chair. Come on. Lottie would know what to do. 

Lottie... Lottie would be expecting a letter from him. Bingo. 

He quickly scrawled down the message. He got a fresh sheet, then paused. If he hand wrote it... Ellie would definitely recognise his handwriting. He groaned. 

He started opening cupboards, finding notebooks, more stationary, stamps and ink, wax, wax melter, a typewriter-

A typewriter? He smirked. 

After typing his message, he waved his sheet in the air, waiting for the ink to dry. Searching through the drawers again, he retrieved the wax, the wax melter, an envelope, and after five minutes, a stamp. 

After another five minutes (and almost giving himself third degree burns), he was done. He would give it to somebody to send tonight. 

Jamie stretched in his chair, standing and walking to his bed. He flopped face first into the covers, bouncing slightly. He turned onto his side. 

I'm coming for you Lottie. I'll find you. 

Her name sunk into his soul like little seeds, growing and flourishing as he drifted off to sleep.