Caleb
Now that Jade was gone, the only person I kind of knew, I assessed my situation.
I was the little scraggly boy she had wanted to take in.
As much as her idea was rejected by her superiors with their old-fashioned set rules and understandings, I kind of liked it.
I admired her ability to put across an idea, like she was so sure it would work, as if it were the solution to all of life’s problems.
To be honest, these few hours I had been kind of withdrawn because of Amber. I had gone along with everything she was saying, and just sat there, looking,eating. I wasn’t really thinking at all, just absorbing.
But now, looking at the surprised faces of all the court members and the king, I was more awake.
I had to go find her. She had looked really angry earlier, and you really need to try to stop the anger before it turns into action.
Some of the people at the table turned to others to murmur among themselves. Some just stared at the door where she had exited, or at her empty chair.
Or at me. The king was staring at me.
“Well”, I said, standing up as well. Everyone stopped to look at me, as if wondering what I was gonna do. I looked at Jade’s plate, which was full of food. I grabbed it, along with a fork, a knife, and her ginger ale. She must be hungry.
“I’m going to go now. Goodnight everyone.”
And I left.
There were a few maids at the door, looking and whispering among themselves. Gossips.
“Can one of you redirect me to Jade’s room?”, I asked them.
They were all already staring at me, but a tall maid, one I had seen when I first got the castle, stepped forward. She looked to be the leader of this maid gang.
Maid gang. Wow.
“Right this way, sir.”
Her friends giggled a little bit. Oh, please.
I followed the tall maid.She had straight brown hair in a bob. I think she had brown eyes, too, like wood and squirrel hair.
The corridor had tall paintings on the wall. There were double rainbows and purple ribbons along with beautiful purple eyes. Winged horses and cherries on a vine. An angel and a demon and a library with sparkling sunshine coming through the window.
“All of these were painted by Miss Jade.” the maid commented.
Wow. They were so...breathtaking.
The last painting, a rainbow eye with long lashes and purple eye shadow, was right above a door.
“Here we are.” she said, all fake chirpy.
She turned to me suddenly, and ran her hands down my arms. I couldn't stop her, I was balancing so much in my arms.
She had those long fake fingernails you got at the nail salon.
Gross.
I cringed away from her, but she leaned closer.
“I live in the west wing”, she whispered in my ear, before letting go and walking back down the hallway.
Ok, then.
I knocked on the shiny wooden door.
“Who is it?”, I heard a voice say.
“It’s me, Caleb.”
The door opened.
Lavender curtains. Shiny mahogany floor. Three large bookshelves
Pink curtains revealing a lavender bed with pink pillows. Plasma screen TV.
This was only on one side of the large room though. The other side was enveloped with black curtains, so you couldn’t see through. I put her plate on the nightstand near her bed.
“What is it, Caleb?”
“I understand what you’re going through.”
She looked at me, stared into my eyes, anger blazing through them.
I would extinguish the flame.
“Your parents aren’t listening to you. They think they have more important things to worry about, and they could care less about what they think is a small thing.”
Her anger had been put on pause, as she looked at my face with surprise.
“That is...... exactly it!”, she shouted. She fell back on her bed.
I walked over, and leaned on her bedpost, staring at her as her fury was put on play again.
“They didn’t even take it into consideration! They never do! They think, oh we can put up with her silly antics for now, but when she becomes queen she’ll follow exactly what we taught her to do! As if my ideas were to die out! Never!”
So much rant for such a small person. Then again, she looked to be 5’3-5’4 and I was 6’2. It was hard not to look at averagely sized people as small when you’re over six feet.
I let her vent out her frustration to me, nodding when she looked at me, speaking small words of agreement when appropriate. She began to die out, her words becoming less aggravated, more tired.
I sat down next to her, and she sat up slowly.
“We can make them bite their words”, I told her.
“How?”
“Well, by the time you’re done with me, I will be so capable, I won’t even bat an eyelash when I see Amber again. Your parents will see you were right.”
A second...two seconds...
She put her hand on my arm and squeezed.
“Thank you.” And she got up to go eat her dinner.
