The tricky part? This didn’t sound at all like the sure thing Aunt Sonia assured me it would be. But Anna was still talking.
“We expect there will be a shout, when the weapon is drawn. When that happens, Carlo, you will get Princess Cassandra onto the floor and cover her.”
Carlo nodded, like he’d expected this.
“Wait – cover me? Like, with himself?”
“Yes,” Anna said calmly. “Of course, there is no guarantee that a bullet couldn’t go him and harm you anyway, but you will both be wearing protective equipment under your clothes.”
“But…” I turned to Carlo, not sure what to say. “You agreed to this?”
He took my hand and smiled gently. “Yes, I did. Do you want to pick someone…larger? There’s always Eduardo.” His eyes twinkled. Eduardo was three hundred pounds.
“Uh, no thanks.”
Anna scribbled on her clipboard. “Ok, you two, you have time to shower before you meet with your dressers at noon.”
I found myself almost disappointed the session was over, so I got out of there as fast as I could.
I met with the security team and the clothes people in one of Aunt Sonia’s dressing rooms. They wanted me to wear some kind of protective gear, even if a full bulletproof vest was out of the question for me to be able to hide, there were some very advanced bulletproof plates that were going to be sewn into the bodice of my gown. Luckily, with the slightly chillier weather and the winter theme of the gala, hiding that layer would be easier in clothes that covered more.
I was like a costume fitting. I stood there while they measured my body and figured out what they could fit where. It was a little bit nerve wracking, having strangers poke and prod me that way, examine the shape of my body with this kind of objectivity.
“Try not to take anything personally,” Aunt Sonia whispered to me at one point when she saw my face turn red in the mirror when they measured my hips.
The other matter to plan was to go over was who was going to be the lead in my personal detail for the night, the person assigned to watch me the closest, and literally take a bullet for me, if necessary. I was surprised when Benecio volunteered – very adamantly, in fact. I’d assumed he hated me. Vince, of course, put his name forward as well. A few other guards also offered and my aunt said she’d leave it to me.
I didn’t automatically choose Vince, though that was my first instinct. The fact was, I wasn’t entirely sure it would be wise. He would protect me, I knew, but I was going to be on Carlo’s arm all night, and I wasn’t sure Vince could handle that. He might get angry and do something stupid.
It was his own behavior that made me worry. Vince was watching me like a hawk. I wasn’t sure if he was just nervous, or whether he was actually jealous. We hadn’t kissed, or even held hands, but an attraction was there and we could both sense it. Vince wanted to make Carlo a distant memory that we never had to deal with again. But that agitated me, because my need to see Carlo was almost a physical itch. After all, this was my life and Carlo was my problem, not Vince’s.
So I chose Benecio, thinking surely nobody could blame me for choosing the top guy. I kept a side eye on Vince, though, and for a moment I thought he was going to storm out of the room. Aunt Sonia approved, and I caught a glance pass between her and Benecio – something unsaid darting between them like they were married or something.
So again, when the conversation was over I made for the door, avoiding contact.
The next few days were stressful – and not because terrorists were plotting my death.
Carlo and I had a session each morning, to work on my self-defense skills and rehearse how to react if the attack should occur in a time or place we weren’t expecting. We’d run different scenarios, and almost all of them ended with Carlo’s arms around me, or with us tumbling to the floor. It was actually kind of fun, and more than once we had a good laugh – I cracked my head on a pillar, and I stepped on Carlo’s face, and once we fell over the edge of the mat and broke a chair. We’d keep it up until we were both tired and hungry, and then we’d part ways to go shower and eat.
Leaving the ballroom, I was sure to find Vince standing outside the door, and sparks would fly when his gaze clashed with Carlo’s. They didn’t even try to hide their mutual loathing.
“What is up with you two?” I wondered out loud after practice one morning, while Vince was (needlessly) walking me back to my room.
He stopped walking, and his eye darted to the security camera down the hall. “Jesus, can you possibly have forgotten?” he snapped. “That guy tried to have you killed.”
I turned to him slowly, and gave him a withering royal stare. “What did you just say to me?”
He flushed red, realizing, but I didn’t give him a chance to answer. I leaned in close, and spoke very, very, clearly.
“You will not address me this way. For the record, Mr. Vaspasian did not try to have me killed – he hid the fact of his previous membership with a group that disapproves of the monarchy – but he had no part in any attack. You are dismissed.”
Stony faced, he nodded and lowered his head, stepping aside to let me pass.
I didn’t look back.
So I wasn’t speaking to Vince anymore, and that was partly because I was so confused about my feelings. His intensity was too much for me to deal with, on top of everything else. I no longer craved his company, and since he’d slipped and shown me another side to his personality, I couldn’t believe I’d confided in him.
I was much happier around Carlo, and it meant a lot to me to feel safe. Even facing what we were, I felt at ease around him. The tension between us had melted away, and in coming to trust him again, I was happier than I’d been for a while.
But Vince always seemed to be around, watching. Of course, that was his job, but the guarded expression on his face gave me the creeps. And was he really always assigned to the part of the palace where I was? The ballroom, the gym, the corridor to my own apartment, the back terrace, where I was having lunch with Carlo?
“Your mother wasn’t happy when we explained why the family couldn’t actually visit until Christmas Eve,” Antonio said one Saturday morning.
“I imagine not,” I said. I’d avoided talking to her after that tidbit came out because I knew exactly how it was going to go. “I think she was also a little mad I didn’t tell her myself.”
“I don’t think anyone blames you for that,” he said.
“She does,” I said, rolling my eyes.
He laughed and sipped his small cup of espresso. It was the day before the gala which meant I had only a few hours to prepare myself. And the thing with Vince was still bothering me. There was nobody to talk to about it, no helpful advice. I was on my own.
So I sat there and stewed in my burgeoning butterflies, fidgeting around with no appetite. It wasn’t that I thought he would hurt me – it was just a nagging feeling that something was off.
My agitation didn’t go unnoticed by Aunt Sonia and Antonio, but they thought I was nervous about tomorrow.
“Everything will go fine,” my aunt said. “We’ll have this taken care of and there will be nothing more to worry about, I promise.”
I nodded. It was better to keep up the ruse than to let them start to think something else was going on. Aunt Sonia was smart, and very intuitive. She picked up on things, and I knew she was watching me.
Overall, it was an awkward dinner of me giving one-word answers and trying not to look anyone in the eye.
I paced up and down my bedroom until well after 10 p.m., and then I decided I needed some air. Not wanting company, I put on black leggings and a black hoodie, tucked in my hair, and trotted lightly down the side stairs.
There was a small garden next to the palace, in a walled area that was private but not completely dark. I sat on a bench, and breathed in the night scents of the chilly air.
In my mind, I ran through the schedule for the evening, the different phases and steps we would go through. But my tho
ughts kept wanting to go back to Carlo, and the friendship that I missed so much.
“Hi,” he said from behind me, and instead of jumping, I relaxed. He smiled at me, and I realized he looked less haunted now, much more at ease.
“Hi,” I said, motioning for him to sit.
“I was hoping I’d get a chance to talk to you alone,” he said. “I never did get to say my piece.”
“No time like the present.”
He took a breath. “I need you to know that I didn’t become your friend for them. They didn’t even know I was doing that. By the time school started, I’d already decided the Front wasn’t my thing, and I stopped going to the meetings. I came to talk to you that day at school because I wanted to. I mean, yeah, I knew who you were, but I wasn’t trying to plot your doom.” He turned to me. “I know it will always be true that I was once part of a group that wants to ruin your way of life. But I just really need you to know that I would never hurt you.”
I nodded. I’d known that for a long time. But there was more, and he seemed to know that.
“What about now?” I asked. “What do you believe in?”
He gulped. His face said that he had been expecting that question, but had been desperately hoping I wouldn’t ask it. “I don’t believe one person should be allowed to rule the masses because of their birth status. You’re the princess by chance. Just like all of us are what we are by chance. It’s not about you personally – it could have been anyone in your shoes right now and I would feel the same. We all just have to hope that you’re going to be good at this job, that you’ll take it seriously, and devote your life to it.
“If you think about it, it’s not fair to you either. Your entire world is decided for you before you even get the chance to walk. What if you were a talented painter or writer or musician? You’ll never know, and even if you did find out, you wouldn’t get to do anything about it—”
“Don’t pretend this is about helping me,” I snapped.
“But it is,” he pleaded. “It’s about all of us. Monarchies are archaic and damaging to everyone involved. You could be a great leader, but it’s because you’re an amazing and hardworking person – and not because of who your parents were.”
There was a heavy silence after that, and the sound of crickets in the air. The light breeze swept my hair into my face, and I pushed it back behind my ear. What he said was making me angry, because I knew there was some real truth to it. He had a point. I’d been so focused on the personal aspect of it, what everyone wanted to take from me, and their resentment. I had missed what was really going on.
The people of Heledia wanted a better future for themselves, and thinking that I might not be their best option wasn’t a crime. I could even understand why they might worry. In fact, if the roles were reversed, I might even be thinking the same thing.
“I don’t blame you,” I said, and I meant it, because it was true. “But I think, if they can pull me down, the Heledia Liberation Front will put themselves forward, and take power for themselves.”
He swallowed hard, but he didn’t disagree. After a moment, he nodded.
“I want to be able to do this job,” I said, honestly, like I was letting out a breath. “I like the things I’m learning about, I like how much I know about history and politics and the way the world works. I like what I’m being trained to do. For the longest time it scared me, but now I love it.”
“I believe you,” he said, with a real hint of pride. “I do, that’s part of the reason this all became so hard for me, because you made me challenge the things I was thinking about the world. You made me want to root for you. Monarchy or no, you’re good for this country.”
I felt my cheeks heating up and my stomach beginning to rumble with butterflies. This wasn’t the feeling I imagined myself having during this conversation. His smile was gentle, his betrayal forgotten.
“You’re a bright future, Cassandra,” he said. “You’re the only future I want to see, if I’m being honest. I think you’re going to be an amazing queen because you’re an amazing person. I just don’t believe in the institution that brought you to your position. But you? You, I believe in.”
Warmth was creeping from the pit of my stomach, up and through my chest, heating my cheeks.
“I liked you a lot,” I said with an embarrassed laugh, thankful for the darkness to hide my cheeks. “I never had a boyfriend. School and people were just never something I was good at – the social stuff. But you were different. I was more comfortable with you – actually, I was comfortable with you, period. I think that’s why it hurt so bad to find out your background. I’d lost the one thing I’d truly gained, all for myself, since I got here.”
He looked wounded and his eyes dropped to stare down at his feet. His shoulders slumped. I felt bad, but it was the truth.
“So…what now?’ he asked.
What indeed? That was a question that I didn’t immediately have the answer to, and it played across my face.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Goodnight, Carlo.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” he said, and he kissed me.
Chapter 15
I stood in the dressing room, sweating in my bulletproof gown. People moved all around me, but I only had eyes for the girl in the mirror.
My face had changed, and I was trying to figure out what the difference was. It was subtle. Was it less round? More angular? Or was I just…tougher…than I used to be?
Either way, I squared my shoulders and at dabbed an imaginary flaw in my make-up. “Let’s go,” I said.
Carlo met me in the upstairs drawing room, and we went down together, my hand clamped around his forearm like a vise.
“Easy, Crusher,” he muttered, giving me a smile. “This is going to be fine. We know what to do.”
People milled about at the foot of the stairs. As soon as someone noticed us, however, all eyes were turned our way. Already I could see it – the stony looks people gave Carlo, and the questions in their faces when they looked at me. I understood completely.
It made very little sense that I would show up at the gala on the arm of someone accused of plotting against me. I should not have been allowed to do that. Aunt Sonia should have forbidden that. And yet here we were, and everybody had to act like that was fine. Of course it was fine, we were the royal family. But even though nobody said anything, I could see their feelings in their faces.
Benecio stood to the left, and I saw him but didn’t acknowledge him as we made our way into the ballroom, followed by the mass of people. We stood off to one side of the dais as Aunt Sonia made a formal greeting to everyone, and then the orchestra played some quiet holiday songs while people filled their plates from the buffet.
As planned, Carlo left me by the north corner of the ballroom and went to get us some drinks.
“Princess,” said a voice in my ear. I jumped.
“Vince! What are you doing? This isn’t the…”
“I know. Benecio sent me to bring you a message. He says meet him in the office, right away. Come with me, I’ll take you.”
He tugged on my arm, insistent, and I had to take a step in that direction to keep my balance. Once I was off kilter, he kept tugging, so I had to tug back to resist. Desperate, I glanced over my shoulder, to see two of the guards moving in my direction, quickly.
“Vince, stop. No.”
“We don’t have time for this!” he squeezed my arm hard, and I winced at the pressure, scanning the room for Benecio or Carlo.
“No, Vince. Here come Jason and David. I’ll be fine with the three of you here.”
His tugging had almost brought me to the small door behind the potted palm tree. In the shadow behind it, he leaned close to me, until his forehead touched mine.
“Please, Cassandra, I couldn’t stand it if you were hurt.” His breath was soft on my cheek, and I blinked in shock and confusion. He looked me dead in the eye. “Jason and David are with the Front. They’re coming for you, let’s go!”
Glancing back, I followed him through the door.
We raced along the corridor, and he turned to go down the stairs, still gripping my arm.
“Vince, the office is that way…”
“I know. Benecio is compromised. Come down to the security office and I’ll explain everything.” His face was oddly blank now, and my stomach sank. I knew then I’d made a horrible mistake.
“But…”
He didn’t answer, he just pulled hard enough on my arm that I nearly fell.
I screamed as loudly as I could.
There was a door leading outside at the bottom of the stairs. If he got me out that door, I was a goner. I dug in my heels, and fought for my life.
That lasted until his fist hit my face, and blackness passed across my vision. Trying to get my bearings, I grasped at the wall, the stairs, anything I could reach, but there was nothing to stop the movement as he dragged me along with his hand fisted in the back of my hair.
I saw the edge of the door go past, and noticed with some detachment that blood was dripping from my nose, and making dots along the concrete.
Outside. We were outside.
I heard the sound of an engine, and I screamed again, but the sound was drowned out by an explosion of broken glass. Something black hurtled down on us from above, landing heavily on Vince and knocking him away from me.
Carlo.
My eyes were blinded by the headlights of the vehicle as it turned and squealed away, and I was deafened by gunshots nearby. People were shouting, and there was a great heaving and brawling, many men in dark clothes. Another gunshot, and in the silence that followed, a still and bloodied form on the ground.
“I’m trying to wrap my brain around it,” he said. “Why did you go with him? Alone? Without telling anyone? Why?”
“You know why. He said…”
Carlo waved his hand, or he would have, if it wasn’t encased in a heavy cast. He made an exasperated sound and gave me a look.
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