Retrieving My Princess- Book 2 (Sequel to HSLP)

Surprise Visits- Chapter 21

Surprise Visits- Chapter 21

Ariel's POV:

I returned to the palace when it was ten in the evening, and to say that everyone was relieved to see me is an understatement. Why do they always think the worst when I disappear? Don't they understand that I need my own space to grieve and mourn Daddy's passing? They should know by now that I wouldn't do something drastic. I promised Pen that I wouldn't self-harm, and I promised her I would take care of myself. I will never break that promise I made her. I knew they had told Harry I disappeared because I saw Eve mutter to Mary something along the lines of telling Harry that I was back. Mum and Dad looked relieved, but disappointed, but that just upset me. That's why when they appeared right now in my bedroom, I wasn't surprised one bit.

"Ariel, where were you? Your father and I were so worried," Mum said as she tried to hug me, but I stepped back to avoid any sort of contact. I don't need consolation from anyone. I clutched Daddy's scarf from around my neck tighter, and that's when they both noticed that I was wearing a scarf and a hat that obviously didn't belong to me.

"Sweetheart, where did you get those? Why do you smell like a man?" Dad questioned obviously trying to control his anger. I merely remained quiet and just continued to stare at them. I don't deserve to have them as parents. I don't deserve to have them fussing over me because I'm only taking attention away from Alex when he obviously needs it more.

"Ariel, please answer us," Mum said quietly as she approached me again. I stepped back again every time she stepped forward. I noticed she grew even more upset, and I kicked myself mentally. I keep causing her pain because of my existence. Why do they even bother in keeping me here since it's obvious that I only continue to cause pain?

"For heaven's sake, Ariel! Answer us! Get over your momentary sadness and react! Life isn't fair, so you just have to deal with it. Life moves on, and it's about time you start learning that!" Dad yelled out. I backed away from my parents until Star hit my walk-in closet door since she was strapped onto my back. I saw that Mum looked at him horrified, and Father looked like he regretted what he said. "Angel, I-."

I didn't allow him to finish. Instead I slipped into my walk-in closet and I closed the door all the while my father's words echoed in my mind. I heard my parents' pleading voices cooing me to go back into my room. It's not like they can't walk in here. If I could lock the door, I would, but I can't. Instead I grabbed an extra blanket and pillow along with my pajamas, and I unlocked my music room door. As soon as I locked it, Mum said, "Ariel, if you love us please come back out and talk to us. We need you. You're hurting us more by not talking to us, sweetie."

I walked away from the door trying to hold my tears at bay. I turned on the light, and walked down the staircase. I dropped my spare blanket and pillow on the sitting area, and I collapsed onto them. I hid under my blanket and finally let my tears out. Why would Father tell me that? He knows that it's not wise to say those things to anyone, and especially not me. They put you down, and they cause dark thoughts to be stirred in your mind. Those thoughts I try so hard to keep under wraps and tucked away, but he brought them out. Oh if only I can just move on as easily as he said. It would make things so much easier, but sadly they aren't. But he’s right. I do need to start putting all of this behind me, and I should start doing that tomorrow. I am just tired both mentally and physically from today's trip so I would rather sleep it off than let my mind wander into dark unwanted waters.

Before I could fully fall asleep with my body resting by a beanbag, my head on my pillow, and the blanket covering me, I remembered I still had not taken off Star, so I slipped her off and placed her gently on a beanbag. I placed my bag by it and turned off my cell phone. I curled back under the blanket, and then Mom's voice echoed in my head.

You're hurting us more by not talking to us...

As tears started to slip down my face again, I hid my nose into Daddy's scarf that still held his scent. I inhaled it, and it stopped my dark thoughts from engulfing me. With a faint smile I fell into a deep uninterrupted sleep.

***

"OMG I'm such a huge fan of you guys! You're my favorite boy band next to One Direction of course! The Jonas Brothers... I love your acting and singing in Camp Rock," I said really fast in one breath.

"Nice to meet you Ariel. I'm Nick Jonas-"

"-I'm Joe Jonas-"

"-and I'm Kevin Jonas! Together we make-"

"-the Jonas Brothers!" They said in unison.

I giggled and said, "That never gets old! If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

"I can answer that actually. The guys are actually about to find out as well. We have an idea that will boost both of your popularity," the lady said.

The guys and I gave each other confused glances. Then it dawned on me. "Another tour? You can't be serious! I'm barely going to end my tour with One Direction in a week. You expect me to go on your with them? I mean no offence, they rock and everything. But I kind of want to spend my holidays relaxing back in London with my family and best friends," I said while trying not to sound rude.

"Wait a tour? We're going on tour?" Kevin exclaimed.

"No Kev. I think we would've known that piece of information by now. Right Cecilia?" Nick said looking at the lady.

"You are correct Nick," Cecilia said while giving us a small smile.

"Then why are we here? Why were Nick and I dragged out of our apartments here in New York, and why was Kevin dragged away from his wife Danielle?" Joe said now curious.

"Like we were saying, this will benefit both Rockin' Ariel's image and the Jonas Brothers's image. We have decided that Ariel here will be dating one of you," Ian said while Cecilia and my other 2 managers nodded their heads.

I picked the perfect time to drink water, because I spit it out as soon as I heard this piece of news. "You want me to what?! I barely know the guys in person! I mean sure they were featured in the song On The Line from my first album, but even then this is the first time we see each other in person! Plus you know I hate using others to get more popularity!"

The guys were in shock. They didn't say a word since Ian told us that piece of news. Finally Kevin snapped. He clapped his hands behind Nick and Joe, since he was sitting in between them. "Well guys, that's your cue! I'm taken."

Nick and Joe gave him the evil eye. I giggled a bit, but quickly shut up because their gaze turned towards me. "Is there another option? I mean even the tour sounds more appealing than this," I tried reasoning.

"It's either dating Joe here-" Ian said.

"Hey why me!" Joe protested. Nick just chuckled.

"-or dating one of the lads from The Wanted," Ian said while a smirk played across his face.

...

I gave him an evil grin and said, "Sure! That way I can bully them every day so they see that One Direction will always be bigger than them."

I can tell his plan backfired because his eyes widened. "No that won't be necessary. You will be dating Joe Jonas and that's final."

I pouted and nodded my head. I mean there really isn't anything I can do. I did sign a contract in which states that I have to go through with stuff like this. Plus if I do date Joe, I can prove to Harry that I am moving on.

"Well if she's in, then I'm in. How hard can it be? She's pretty and talented," Joe said while giving me a warm smile. Nick and Kevin cooed, but Joe slapped them on the chest. I giggled.

"Well then it's all settled then! Starting tomorrow you're dating Joe Jonas. Go to a lunch date right now and spend some time shopping. We'll tip off the paparazzi right now," Cecilia said. We nodded and we all stood up. We walked outside to the elevator in silence. Once we reached the elevator, something dawned on me again.

"Uh guys, there's one issue we didn't discuss..." I said while looking at them.

"What's that Ariel?" Joe said encouraging me to continue.

"Um... How are we going to act around Taylor?"

***

I woke up the next morning quite early. I turned on my phone to discover that the battery was close to dying, and it was four in the morning. I was wide awake, so there was no point in going back to sleep anyways. I thought back to my memory, and I quickly sat up. There is one person that can tell me the complete truth, or as close as truth can get. Joe Jonas can tell me the truth.

I quickly stood up and grabbed Star along with my bag. I left the blanket and pillow in a jumbled up mess, and fixed the hat and scarf before quickly running up the staircase. I quietly exited my walk-in closet to discover that my bedroom was empty. I ran to the door and locked it, and then quickly ran to my bed and took out my laptop. I remember that Joe that sent me his address in an email to me right after our Thanksgiving trip, and I quickly looked through it without bothering to turn off the chat. I found the email and copied the address onto a new note in my cell phone while it charged, and I saw that Harry's chat bubble was on. I saw that he quickly sent me a message, but I logged off without looking at it.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I really am sorry." I closed my eyes, and reopened them.

I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed a number. After much pleading and convincing, I convinced our pilot to fly me out to New Jersey for the day. He told me that he would start heating up the plane an hour, so to be there in two. He gave me the exact location where in the airport he was going to be, and I ran into the shower. When my eyes landed on the razor, I picked it up and neatly placed it on the rack. I will never use you as a form of self-harm. I was out of the shower within ten minutes, and I ran back out of the loo with my undergarments on and my hair up in a towel. I decided on a low-key outfit. I pulled out high waist dark denim shorts, a one shoulder silk red top, and my red Converse. I slipped them on in the walk-in closet, and ran back out. I put my hair in a bun, and I did my usual makeup. As soon as I was ready, I realized I had an hour and a half to get to the airport, so I stuffed my passport into my black bag, along with my portable charger, iPhone 5, wallet, keys, and headphones.

I quickly wrote a note for my parents even though they didn't deserve it. I wrote:

Dear Mum and Father,

I went out. I won't tell you where I went because you don't understand that I need space to mourn Daddy's death. I won't tell you where I went, but I will tell you that I will be back late tonight. Don't bother calling because I won't answer.

-Ariel

I ran out my bedroom door, and I stealthily ran down the Grand Staircase without making a sound. It was five in the morning, and I needed to catch a cab to the airport since it was an hour drive away. I can't waste any time. As I passed through the kitchen again, I heard someone standing outside the doorway. I sprint across the kitchen and pushed open the one way door that led out to the street open. Just as the kitchen door started to open, I jumped out and tried closing the door quietly. Before I closed it, I heard a guard say, "King Thomas ordered us to make rounds at these times now because of the two times the princess has escaped. He believes that she leaves around this time and he wants us to check every possible exit out of the palace in case she takes these exits."

"That's ridiculous if you ask me," Mark, the guard that helped me carry Eve up to my bedroom three weeks ago, said.

"Well we aren't meant to ask questions. We are just told to follow orders and you should learn to start doing that."

"I do follow orders, but I rarely question them. This time I'm questioning them because I don't think their royal highnesses realize that Princess Ariel wants her space in order to mourn her loss-."

"Stop questioning his motives and check that door. Maybe she left that way," the guard said coldly.

I took that as my cue to run, and I did. I ran down the street, and when I turned around I saw Mark staring at me. I raised my finger up to my lips and gave him a pleading look. He nodded and quickly went back inside. He didn't return with the other guard, so I made a mental note to be grateful. I turned around and ran down the street until I was on Main Street clutching Daddy's scarf and hat. When did I grab these? I have no idea. I must have grabbed them out of compulsion, but nonetheless I put them on and hailed down a cab. Luckily the driver didn't recognize me, or chose to fail to recognize me, and I told him to take me to the airport.

Why am I even dating Adrien again? Shouldn't I have just ditched him since he almost hurt me? Or am I dating him in hopes that he will turn out to be my true love? Or am I only dating him because he is the complete opposite of Harry Styles? I was humming along to a song I recognized as Behind Enemy Lines.

Behind Enemy Lines

And I feel, I feel a deep connection
And I think, that we might be onto somethin, no
And I know it's somethin special
Seein you here is not coincidental, mhmm

Well I've been walkin, walkin behind enemy lines
And I've been fightin, fightin from the other side
I've been sayin, sayin that I won't fall this time
But now I'm walkin, walkin within enemy lines

Ooo, oh

See I was tryin to be everything you weren't expecting
All I ever wanted was to try and keep you guessing
But I'm falling way too fast
I just want this love to last forever, forever
And every time I feel this way
Oh, somethings changed for the better
(Whoa whoa whoa ooo)

And I've been walkin, walkin behind enemy lines
And I've been fightin, fightin from the other side
I've been sayin, sayin that I won't fall this time
But now I'm walkin, walkin within enemy lines

And now I'm walkin, walkin behind enemy lines
And now I'm fightin, fightin from the other side
I've been sayin, sayin I won't fall this time
Now I'm walkin, walkin within enemy lines

But who really is the enemy? Is Adrien an enemy? Or is Harry an enemy? If I'm really behind enemy lines then who is it? But then again... Do I love either Adrien or Harry? I have some sort of affection for both of them, but is that strong enough to be classified as love? If I do love either one of them, why don't I want to fall? But a better question is, why am I thinking about Harry? I thought I decided that I need to stay out of his life and everyone else's. The problem with that is that I am completely separating myself from everyone. Why though? Oh yeah, because I only ever bring pain and suffering into their lives.

I sighed and stared at my Harry Potter charm bracelet. I feel attached to this, but I don't even know why. Why am I so attached to my jewelry so much? Another great question is why am I also attached so much to my Woody cell phone charm bracelet? If I am not mistaken, Brat gave it to me. I don't understand why I used to care about her so much. She hurt Kait last time I saw her so I never want to see her again. Then again, I should listen to her side of the story. I can't just shun someone that was apparently important in my past life because of recent events. But then again… Aren’t I doing that to Harry?

"You okay, miss?" My cab driver was staring at me from his rearview mirror as we were stopped at a red light.

"I... Yeah I am." I gave him one of my signature fake smiles.

He laughed dryly and said, "I don't believe that. You see, I have three older daughters. They're all married by now and have their respectful families. But I noticed as they were growing up that even when they said they were fine, their eyes yelled out a different story."

"I... I don't understand."

"I'm sure you do, miss. Look if this any help, I will tell you something that I always told my daughters while they were growing up. I told them 'Sweetheart, nothing is ever certain in life. Your mind can scream something at you while your heart screams something else and even your eyes can scream something else. It's up to you who you listen to, but just keep in mind that all those depressing thoughts that consume you are only temporary. You need to find whatever keeps you happy and hold onto it tight or else your thoughts will take that away from you as well.' So miss, please keep my advice. I promise you everything will get better."

I stared at him with a blank face. Then slowly but surely, a genuine smile spread along my face.

"There's that genuine smile I was looking for!" The man exclaimed as we were about ten minutes away from the airport. Downtown London far behind us.

I laughed and said, "Thank you. Honestly thank you. Can I tell you something?"

"Go ahead, miss. What is said in this cab stays in this cab. I won't tell a soul."

"Well, you are the first person that has managed to make me smile in fifteen days."

"Why's that, miss?"

"My father died fifteen days ago, so I've been drowning in sadness."

"I am so sorry to hear that, but I'm sure your father would rather see you smile and being happy instead of being upset. Like I've said, a woman is more beautiful smiling than when she's upset."

We were outside the airport by now. "We are here, Miss. I hope you keep my advice in mind."

I stayed in the cab, and then I smiled at him. "May I ask you something before I get out?"

"Of course."

"How do you know when you can trust someone, or when they're telling the truth?"

"Well during the thirty years I spent with my wife and raising three beautiful women, I can tell you that you never know who to trust. However what I can tell you is that the eyes always tell the truth."

I gave him a smile, and thanked him. I paid him, and purposefully gave him extra money. I quickly got out before he could protest, and walked swiftly inside with Star strapped across my back. I avoided eye contact with everyone and checked in. A security guard car came to collect me and drove me across the terminal until we were stopped beside the stairs that led up unto to our private jet. There were no flight attendants this time to fuss over me, and for this I was grateful. As soon as our pilot went over the safety procedures, we were off. As promised, by six in the morning we were in the air on our way to New Jersey.

Halfway through the flight I didn't realize I fell asleep. I had a peaceful dream of me in a beautiful place. The Hogwarts castle could be seen from a castle I was standing in, and across the plains I could see Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter, post-war Panem, and other places. It was breathtaking. I could hear a mixture of teenage boys and girls having fun on both sides of the islands. When I had turned, I saw Pen and she was mouthing something. I couldn't decipher what she was saying, but when I did hear what she said I woke up.

Open your eyes...

Why would she tell me to open my eyes? My eyes are open, but I can't see why she wanted me to open my eyes. As I thought about my emotions, a song came into mind. I quickly scrambled up from my spot and found a spare notepad in the flight attendants' office. I grabbed the notepad and quickly went back to my seat. I found a silver ballpoint pen with rose gold vine and butterfly design in my bag. I uncapped it and pulled Star out of her bag. I cleared my throat and for the remainder of the flight I worked on the song. When I was done with it, I smiled down at what I had created. I rearranged Star again so I would sing the song from the beginning. I titled it I Hate You Don't Leave Me.

I Hate You Don't Leave Me

Hey, yeah yeah

I hate you, don't leave me
I feel like I can't breathe
Just hold me, don't touch me
And I want you to love me
But I need you to trust me
Stay with me, set me free

But I can't back down
No, I can't deny
That I'm staying now
'Cause I can't decide
Confused and scared
I am terrified of you

I admit I'm in and out of my head
Don't listen to a single word I've said
Just hear me out before you run away
'Cause I can't take this pain

I hate you, don't leave me

I hate you, don't leave me
'Cause I love when you kiss me
I'm in pieces, you complete me

But I can't backdown
No, I can't deny
That I'm staying now
'Cause I can't decide
Confused and scared
I am terrified of you

I admit I'm in and out of my head
Don't listen to a single word I've said
Just hear me out before you run away
'Cause I can't take this pain, no

I'm addicted to the madness
I'm daughter of the sadness
I've been here too many times before
Been abandoned and I'm scared now
I can't handle another fall out
I'm fragile, just washed upon the shore

They forget me, don't see me
When they love me, they leave me

I admit I'm in and out of my head
Don't listen to a single word I've said
Just hear me out before you run away
'Cause I can't take this pain
No, I can't take this pain
I hate you, don't leave me
I hate you, please love me

I looked down at my song, and I smiled. It perfectly described my feelings right now. Yes I do want people to love me, but I don't want them to touch me. I also hate everyone I love, but I don't want them to leave me. To put it in short, I'm a hypocrite because I hate people because I hurt them, but at the same time I don't want them to leave me because then I will feel alone. I don't want to be upset anymore, but I just can't stop feeling this way. It's as if I'm missing something in my life, but I can't quite figure out what it is.

"We will be arriving in New Jersey soon. Please return to your seat and put on your seatbelt. We will begin to descend in five minutes," the pilot said over the loud speaker.

I quickly stuffed my notepad into Star's bag, and placed Star over it. I threw my pen back into my bag and quickly strapped on my seatbelt. Soon after we were descending, and not long after that I was checking in at the International Affairs office in the airport. I told them I would be leaving later that same day because I was only here for a quick private meeting. They allowed me to pass soon after.

As soon as I was out of the airport, I grabbed a cab and told him to take me to Joe's flat. This cab driver wasn't as nice as the one I got in London. This one was a lot less talkative and was quite rude. I didn't tip him like I did to the last cab driver, and quickly just zoomed in to Joe's flat complex.

As I waited for the lift to stop on Joe's level, I began to get nervous. What if I don't like what he tells me? What if this visit makes me more paranoid in trusting? What if what he tells me will make me hate Harry further? Wait... Isn't that why I'm here in the first place? I mean I did technically come to New Jersey to get answers. Or to at least get as many answers as I can since he seems to be the only one that isn't looking for me or trying to contact me.

Before I could even compose myself, the lift doors opened. I took a deep breath and slowly walked towards his door. What am I going to say to him if he opens the door? What if he isn't even home? Does he even want to see me?

I swallowed the knot I had in my throat, and raised my hand to knock on his door. I heard someone walking towards the door, and I quickly grabbed Star and placed her in front of me. If they open the door then they will just see someone holding a black guitar case in front of them. I heard something muffled on the other side of the door, and I heard another pair of feet walk towards the door. If this is Joe's flat, then why are there two people in there? Did I interrupt something? The lock on the door clicked open, and I heard them open the door.

"Hello?" Joe asked clearly confused on why someone was hiding behind their guitar.

I slowly lowered my guitar case, and gave him a sheepish smile.

"Ariel?" His eyes were wide and it was as if he couldn't believe I was there.

"Wait... What? Joe you're lying. She wouldn't be here- Ariel?!" Nick said also looking shocked and surprised to see me.

"Um... Hi," I said shyly and gave them an awkward wave.

"What... Why... How?" Joe began but never really managed to get a coherent question out.

"Well first of all, come on in and ignore Joe here. Apparently he's still in shock," Nick said pushing Joe to one side and opening the door wider so I would pass through. With one last sheepish smile I passed through the doorway. I led myself into his lounge, and I heard Nick and Joe whisper arguing. I sat down on one of the single seater sofas, and I patiently waited for them to come. Eventually they did come, and they still looked equally confused.

"I know this visit was sudden..." I said in my usual quiet tone.

"Sudden? You're telling me. I wasn't expecting you at all. I don't even know if you have all your memories back," Joe said trying not to sound harsh. I know he didn't mean it, but it's weird when your ex randomly stops by without warning you.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just..."

"Try speaking up. We can't really hear you too well," Nick said politely. This is why I always liked Nick. 

"Sorry force of recent habit," I said louder. "I just need you two to hear me out before you interrupt me again."

"Well it looks like you're only going to talk to Joe because I have a meeting to get to." Nick stood up from the sofa and began walking towards the door.

"Nick, can you do me a favor and not tell anyone I'm here?"

"Um... Sure?" Nick sounded unsure but I knew he wouldn't tell anyone. Joe and I remained silent until the front door closed.

"Why are you here?" Joe asked in a much nicer tone.

"I'm here for answers. So before you ask, no I have not acquired all my memories but I was kind of hoping you would help me out."

"So you're running away from your problems again? That's not surprising."

"Look, Joe. I really need you to stop being such a twat and actually help me out here. I am on the borderline of going insane because I don't know who to trust, and your really rotten attitude isn't helping at all." I stood up from his sofa and glared at him.

"Why should I help you? Do you remember what you did to me?"

"Actually Joe, a better question is, don't you remember what you did to me? May I remind you that you broke up with me when I had finally fallen in love with you? You threw my heart back at me because you thought I didn't love you! It doesn't help that I'm feeling those emotions right now on top of the ones I already feel because they are making my depression worse!" I yelled at him as my chest heaved up in down because of anger. I had angry tears rolling down my cheeks.

He quickly stood up and hugged me. For once, I finally met a warm hug from a male. I hugged him back and buried my face into his chest. I let out all my frustration and feelings into his embrace. After awhile he pushed me away, but sat us down on the sofa. "I'm sorry for how I was acting, but I was just making sure that you weren't using me. I also wanted you to accept the fact that you aren't happy, Ariel. I needed you to admit that you are depressed."

"How can you tell?"

"Your eyes. Your smile shows that you can possibly be happy, but your eyes show a broken piece of you. You need to accept your problems more head on instead of relying others to solve them for you."

"Then why are you agreeing to help me?"

"I never said I was, but I will help you anyways. You can't expect all your memories to return on their own accord. You need to go out and look for the people that you remember. That way they will help you."

"So you're saying I should go hunt down Taylor Swift?" I said giggling slightly.

"Oh no. Avoid her at all costs. At least not until you have all of your memories because you two may not get along."

"Okay. But will you honestly help me?"

"Of course I will, but I just want you to know that what I can offer you isn't much. All I know about your life is during the one month to two month period I was actually in your life."

"That's fine. I'm just tired of hearing the same things from the people around me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well some people tell me not to trust others, and then other people tell me not to trust those people that tell me that, and to be quite honest it just has me going in circles and dizzy is all it's making me."

"Okay... Then shoot. Ask me anything you want."

"What can you tell me about our time together?"

And just like that, Joe told me everything he knew. He tried to include as much detail as he could, but it was obvious he couldn't tell me every single detail because it has been awhile since we dated. "...and basically the final day when we were officially together was during Louis's twenty-first birthday party. We had fun that day, and you introduced me to two new friends of yours. I think their names were Mary and Scarlet. You went out to Louis's balcony to talk to him, and when you came back in you looked upset. But there isn't much after that. We went to Cheshire two days later to meet up with your dad since it was during the holiday season."

"So you were there when I went to the Christmas Ball in the palace?"

"Of course. I was there as your date."

"But that's impossible... Adrien told me I went alone."

"Adrien?"

"He's my current boyfriend. He's the Prince of France as well."

He nodded. "I remember him. Something seemed off about him. He seemed as if he wasn't really interested in you in general. I know that isn't bad, but to suddenly take an interest in you two months after the ball just seems weird."

"I... No that can't be true. Adrien seems so nice and sweet. Sure he has his tempers, but I'm sure he can be trusted. Plus, how can I be sure you're saying the truth? You're making Harry and his friends seem as if they're under a good light and they didn't use me."

"Ariel, I can promise you completely that I am saying the truth. Niall, Liam, Louis, and Zayn loved you a lot. They look at you as if you're their little sister, and I don't know much about Harry, but with the little time I spent with you I know that he definitely cares about you. As for Perrie, Eleanor, Danielle, and Cher, they love you as well. You are a great friend to them and they would always look out for you."

"But that still doesn't make any sense. Adrien told me-."

"Ariel, it seems as if Adrien's been lying to you this entire time. I can tell you for a fact that those people would never hurt you intentionally. I'm not telling you to mistrust Adrien, but I suggest for you to remain on your toes around him."

Before I could respond to him I got a phone call. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was my pilot. I looked at the time and realized it was time for me to start heading back to the plane. "Yeah?... I know, I'm on my way. I'm only grabbing food... Yeah I should be there in less than an hour... Okay bye," I said into my phone.

I sighed, and I heard a knock on Joe's door. "Hey, Joe! Open up its Nick!" Nick said from the other side of the door.

"Thanks for your help, Joe. I'm confused, but I will keep what you said in mind. I always knew there was something weird with what he was telling me, and now it all makes sense. It's just hard to accept."

"No problem, Ariel. I will have to tell Harry you came to see me though."

"Why? I don't understand why everyone always report back to him. Like, why does he look out for me so much?"

"It will all make sense soon, Ariel. But I won't tell him you came if it makes you feel better."

"But-."

"I know, but I just want you to be happy. Now get going and open that door for Nick. I'm too lazy to stand up."

I giggled. I stood up from the sofa and gave him a quick hug and another thank you before I walked towards his door and opened it.

"It's about time, Joe. It took you awhile. Is Ariel still- Oh! Are you leaving now?" Nick asked clearly surprised to see me there.

"Yeah. I need to head back to England before everyone goes even more ballistics. They’re becoming worried warts, you know?"

"Don't worry we understand. Well then, bye Ariel. Hopefully we will see you soon."

"You will. Just give me some time to recover my memories. Bye, Nick," I said while hugging him and walking towards the lift.

"Oh and Ariel?" Nick said as he leaned out of the doorway and I waited for the lift to come.

"Yeah?"

"Frankie really misses you."

"I miss him too. Maybe I will stop by in Los Angeles soon when you're there so I can spend time with him."

"Sure. Just keep in touch. Bye, Ariel."

"Bye, Nick," I giggled out as my lift finally arrived I stepped into it and pressed the lobby button as Nick slowly closed the door. An hour later I was back on the jet on my way back to London. I had spent a total of six hours here in New Jersey. I really regret not staying the night here because now my jet lag will be horrid, but at least I will eventually be back in the palace.

One thing that kept nagging me was Adrien. If he was, and still is, lying to me then why would he do it? If he is lying, then why is he keeping everyone I love away from me? Joe's promise echoed in my mind as I fell into another peaceful uninterrupted sleep.

 I can promise you completely that I am saying the truth...

Promise you completely that I am saying the truth...

Promise I am saying the truth...

Truth...

A/N: so... i know... it's late... again. it's becoming a bad habit, but i needed a huge break. I did finally go to the therapist & it turns out I have severe depression because I always put everyone's feelings before mine. thats why im barely updating. I can say i am better now, but not completely. I am trying hard though! anyways... there's so much coming but I know you all know. I cant wait for FOUR & Steal My Girl. I'll see you all soon!
-Susy xo
P.S. the picture on the side is of the royal jet from the inside. idk if that's what it looks like, but thats what I imagined it. The song on the side is of the song I Hate You Don't Leave Me. It's by Demi. :) toodles!!!!! xx