The Vale

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Agatha handed me a tissue which I gratefully accepted and wiped away the tears that were still falling down my cheeks. " Now do you see Samantha, this is your home. You might of grown up in the human realm but you were born here. " My head continued to spin with everything I had just found out. My whole entire life had been a lie! "Why me?" I asked. My voice coming out in a rasp. Agatha merely shrugged " Fate happens in mysterious ways, but she is never wrong. Everything happens for a reason"

I stared at her, unsure what to feel or think. My brain was going a million miles a minuet, but I felt numb. In a matter of seconds I had lost not one but two sets of parents. My life had been ripped away from me because a mysterious force had chosen me to bear a psychopaths child. What gives her the right to do that? Now I was angry. " That's a load of bullshit, no one decides my fate but me!" my voice cracked with anger. But Agatha didn't waver, she just sipped her tea and acted like she didn't just destroy my whole enitre world. Finally she spoke " please take a seat Samantha, you'll feel much better once you do " she once again gestured to the chair in front of her. " I don't want to sit down, I want to go home" I screamed, tears once again threatening to spill. Agatha looked at me with one eyebrow raised. with a frustrated sigh I gave in and sat down in the chair.

Then Agatha did something I wasn't expecting. Her Warm soft hands clasped mine and squeezed, giving me a weird comforting feeling. One minuet I felt so angry my heart hurt and the next it was gone. My shoulders slumped and I felt calmer. " I know this is a lot for you to take in right now, but Knowing your past will help your future. " she gave my hands another squeeze before removing them and sitting back in her chair.

" What happened to them ?" I asked. Agatha scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion " My birth parents. What happened to them? " Agatha stared at me for a long while before she answered. " That's a story for another day my child, but know this, they were very brave people and they would be proud of the woman you became." My heart swelled with both pride and sadness. What would my life be like if I had grown up here? what would I be like if I had grown up here? would I be the person I was now? Or would I be like the king, vile and cruel? My thoughts were interrupted by the chiming of a clock. Agatha looked alarmed, she looked at me with worry on her face" you need to go, its nearly dinner and the king will be expecting you" she quickly stood up and I followed walking behind her. Before she opened her door she spun around facing me " You must not tell the king that you saw me today, he will not like it and you will be punished. " I nodded unable to form words. Being here had felt like I was in a bubble and for a moment I had forgotten what was awaiting me when I left this room. Worry started to swirl In the pit of my stomach.

Agatha opened the door and a cold wind started to sweep in causing Goosebumps to rise on my arms. " come back whenever you need to my dear, you'll always have a chair waiting for you" she smiled at me and I smiled back, happy that I had made a genuine friend in a place where monsters were real.

Agatha nodded at me and I took that as my cue to leave so I stepped out into the corridor, The stone floor was still freezing and my feet instantly felt numb. I turned back around to stay goodbye but there was nothing there, no room, no door, nothing just a brick wall. For a moment I wondered if I had hallucinated the whole thing when Agatha's voice sounded in my head " Go now Samantha, the king is waiting "

Turning back around I let out a long shaky breath and started descending the spiral staircase. My hand glided along the rough stone wall as I focused on not looking down. It didn't take me long to reach the bottom and it took everything in me not to kiss the floor. I really hated heights. Shaking of my nervousness I rested my hand on the handle of the door. Anxiety still swirled in my stomach making me feel sick. I didn't want to go back out there, I wanted to stay here were I was hidden and safe, but the words Agatha had spoken to me earlier made me push my fear aside. ' I can do this!' I muttered to my self.

With a push of the handle the door opened, and I tentatively stepped out, suddenly feeling very aware of my surroundings. As quietly as I could I closed the door behind me and stood for a moment looking around. The halls were eerily quiet. I felt on edge waiting for someone to pop out and shout BOO! I couldn't feel my heart pounding in my ears and my hands felt clammy but I needed to move, The king was waiting.

I let out another breath to calm my nerves and started walking in the direction I had run from earlier. My shoeless feet padded on the plush red carpet. It was easy to get lost in this castle, everything looked alike. I recognized some of the paintings on the walls and was about to turn a corner when a strong voice boomed behind me " Where the hell have you been?" I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to face an angry Carlisle. He stormed towards me his boots echoing of the floor. His face was red and his eyes were pitch black " Well?" he boomed. I stood there unable to speak, " I was looking for you for two hours, so where were you" His voice dropped an octave as he stared down at me, his narrowing. I had to think quick " I er... I was exploring the castle and I got lost" I tried to look him in the eyes as I said my lie but it was hard. He continued to stare at me for a few more seconds wondering if he believed what I was saying. I kept my fingers crossed at my sides hoping he did.

Then after what felt like an eternity his eyes changed colour and went back to grey. " Very well " " The king is waiting " and without another word he grabbed my arm and dragged me along the hallway.