Spiral: The Gregorian Chronicles Book One

25: Choice

        "I think she's been holding up realitvely well, considering the situation."

        "Relatively well? She hasn't left her room in a week."

        "But she also hasn't run away from home or done anything super drastic. I'd say she's doing fine."

        "Look, I didn't call this meeting so that you three could sit here and squabble like toddlers." King David snapped at the three teenagers sitting across from him. Rissa and Lisabeth sat quietly on either side of the king, also facing the three.

        "I apologize, Your Highness." Skylar, sitting to the left of Adriana, said automatically. "We're just concerned about Dawn."

        "I understand that." David softened his tone. "But the fact remains that she hasn't left her room since the episode with Kabos, and the only person she'll let inside is Jasmine when she's hungry."

        "And it's not like she's called me in all that often." Jasmine spoke up from her position in the corner of the room. "In the past seven days, I've probably gone in there six times."

        "I'd say "severely depressed" would be an understatement here." James said from Adriana's right. "I don't think anyone can really feel what she's going through right now, and she knows that. It's hard for her to talk to anyone who can't relate to her situation."

        "I agree with James." Adriana said. "I don't think there's much we can do for her except let her sit this one out."

        "We can't DO that." Lisabeth replied icily, banging her hand on the table in front of her. "Forgive me for the manner in which I speak, but there is no way that I am going to let my daughter sit in her room all day long and feel sorry for herself! That just asks for trouble, and of what kind I dare not say."

        "I agree with Lisabeth." Rissa said. "When I became a sorceress, I felt that no one understood my predicament. I didn't think I could talk to anyone. Like James said, "severly depressed" was an understatement."

        The seven of them sat in silence for a moment, before Jasmine spoke again.

        "Maybe we could send Princess Adriana in."        

        Lisabeth and David shook their heads automatically.

        "No. That's the last thing Dawn needs right now, seeing her sister, who is completely whole and happy, when she's in this state of shock." Lisabeth said, thinking of Yasmine. "She doesn't need to see how unaffected the rest of the world is by this. To her, the world has stopped. We mustn't show her that it has not."

        "But she can't stay in there all day!" Ad cried out, "She has to come out here, talk to people, get her life back...otherwise, who knows what could happen?"

        I do, Lisabeth thought. But she kept her mouth shut; the only people who knew about Yasmine were David and Dawn. She didn't need her sob story circulating around the whole kingdom. 

        "I think Adriana should go." James said. "I mean no disrespect, Your Highnesses, but I think that Dawn could benefit from talking to someone who she's close to."

        David looked at Lisabeth. She took a moment before figuring that it could go badly either way, so why not take a chance.

        "Fine." she agreed. "Send Adriana."

***

        "How could I have been so stupid?" Dawn muttered to herself. She had probably uttered those words, both verbally and mentally, more than she had breathed in the past week. She hadn't left her bedroom since she had run off on the day that she had been betrayed, the day that her heart had collapsed...the day she had lost all faith.