Lamps and Lies

by Laura Greenwood

  Darkness reigns over the castle, which is the perfect for an attempt to sneak into the Headmistress' office. I need all the skills I've ever acquired from living on the streets in order to pull this off, and even then I'm not convinced I can. The Headmistress is bound to have some spells and alerts I'll never be able to avoid.

  I suppose I could use the final wish still, but I want to avoid that unless I really have to. I still want to keep it so I can use it to set the genie free if I get a chance and work out how.

  I glance around, reassuring myself that no one else is around. The moment I'm seen in the vicinity and something goes missing, my secret will be out even on the off chance that Fatin decides I've done enough for her to keep it.

  There isn't a sound in the whole place. It's now or never. I take a deep breath, steadying my nerves. There's no way out of this, which means I need to suck it up and get it over with. Then all I have to do is tell Enver the truth, and I can go back to the life I had before all of this started.

  It crosses my mind that Fatin can just use the same technique all over again to make me do other things, but I just have to hope that the lamp will be enough for her, though somehow I doubt it. She's not the kind of person who will stop at one thing. She's more likely to blackmail me until she has no use for me any more and then dispose of me in whatever way she deems fit. My only chance at staying safe from her is if I can convince Enver I'm not a terrible person and he chooses to protect me from her.

  The Headmistress' door is ajar enough for someone to slip in without moving the door, which is exactly what I do. If I can avoid touching things in here, then there's less chance of me being caught. It's a foolhardy plan at best, but I haven't had time to come up with a better one. Maybe I should have waited longer to do this, but I can't face the idea of spending more time than I need to in Fatin's thrall.

  I scan the room, taking in everything I can as quickly as possible. My gaze catches onto the cabinet behind her desk. I'm sure there are all kinds of other treasures in here, ones that I can't even imagine and would love to look at. But the best thing for me to do is focus on what I'm here for. I don't need the other things. I need to get out unscathed.

  Despite my attempts to stay focused, something draws my attention to a thick book on the desk. I'm not sure why I suddenly have the urge to open it.

  The lamp. I have to remember my task. I'm here to protect my secret and get the lamp Fatin wants.

  I tear my attention away from the leather-bound book and open the cabinet without any care for what I'm doing. The moment the door thuds shut, I know I've made a mistake. Even so, I close my hands around the lamp and pull it from the shelf. It doesn't feel the way the ring did when I first held it, though I don't know why. I'm not sure if there's really a genie in here, but I have a strong suspicion Fatin is going to be disappointed, even if I can't put my fingers on why that may be.

  I rush over to the door and give it a tug. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't budge. I take a deep breath. There's always going to be a second way out of the room, I just need to find it.

  My attention slips back to the book. Something magic is calling to me from it. And from experience, there's only one way to stop that from happening. I creep over to the desk and flip open the book.

  Names are scrawled over the top of each page. This is about the students here. I flip through, looking for Alyeesah.

  And there it is. My name in an elegant handwriting that must belong to the Headmistress.

  Subject to a prophecy.

  Wait, what? I'm part of a prophecy? I know they exist, but didn't realise they're common enough for the Headmistress of an academy to take note of them.

  I flip the page, looking to see if any of the other students have prophecies about them. My eyes widen as I take in the names.

  Briar, Snow, Guinevere, Matilda, Arthur, Helena...

  Not all of the students have the note next to their name, Enver is one of the ones who doesn't, something that reassures me more than it should. But more than two-thirds of the students at Grimm Academy appear as if they have one of these so called prophecies about them.

  I flick back to my page and start reading. A ball of dread settles in my stomach as I recognise parts of my life. Not only am I subject of a prophecy, but I've been living it out. And it doesn't end well for me. Everything is in here. Pretending to be a princess, the ring genie, being tricked into stealing a lamp.

  I gulp. If I carry on down the path I am, then I'm going to lose everything. The only thing that reassures me is that the words in front of me imply that Enver finds out the truth about me from someone else. Maybe if I tell him myself, like I already plan on doing, I'll be able to stop some of this from coming true.

  But I need to buy myself the time to talk to him. I glance down at the lamp sat on the desk. I need to fulfil my short term prophecy in order to break it completely. I tuck it into my belt.

  The muffled sound of voices comes from the other side of the door. Oh no. I should have seen this coming the moment the door slammed closed.

  I shut the book, and press myself against the wall right next to the door. I'm not sure it'll work, but when the people come in to search, they probably won't look behind them straight away. I'm going to have to be quick, but I can use that moment of distraction to my advantage and slip out of the room. It's the only choice I have for getting away with this theft.

  The door opens moments later. My heart pounds in my chest. If I've judged this wrong, then I'm about to get caught.

  I count to ten in my head as the two people step into the room. One I recognise as the Headmistress, but I'm not sure who the other one is. I don't have time to work it out.

  As I suspected, neither of them look back after they enter, and once they're clear of the door, I slip through it on silent feet. My black clothing blends into the shadows of the academy. I can get back to my room if I move quick enough, and no one will ever know it's me who did this.

  My mind flicks back to the prophecy.

  I suspect there'll be at least one person who knows. But whether or not the Headmistress does anything about it is another matter. After all, the prophecy clearly reveals that I'm only pretending to be a princess.

  Which only brings me to another question. Why is she keeping my secret?

  Chapter Eleven

  I wait nervously in my room, the lamp perched on my desk as a reminder of what I need to do. There's a part of me that doesn't want to go through with this. I don't want to think about how angry Enver will be, and rightly so. I've lied to him and betrayed him in the worst possible way. He thinks he's finally doing what his Father wants him to while finding a princess he can spend time with.

  And I'm about to destroy that. Even worse, he thinks we're going to have tea and spend some time together. He has no idea that I'm planning on completely destroying his world.

  "Please, hurry up," I whisper, hoping he'll arrive soon so I can put myself out of this misery and into another one. Why did I ever think this pretence was a good idea? Oh, right. I'm prophesied to do all of this. I have no chance to resist, especially when I was unaware of what things are said about me. Do the other people with prophecies about them know? Should I tell them? I don't know if that's the best idea, especially when I still haven't dealt with my own. Besides, I didn't actually read any of the other prophecies. What can I tell them other than that they have something I don't understand enough about to even comprehend properly?

  Even though I'm expecting it, the knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts and takes me by surprise. I rush over and fling it open.

  Enver looks around uncertainly, and I can understand that. We may both be eighteen, or maybe even nineteen, I'm not sure how old I am, but boys technically aren't allowed in the girls' rooms. Not that the academy does anything about it, but that isn't the point. For someone like Enver, who has grown up with all kinds of rules about propriety and etiquette, it's got to be strange to have someone so blatantly break the rules.

  "Co
me in." Surprisingly, my voice is steady as I say it. I step back and wave him into the room, where I have a steaming pot of mint tea waiting for us. It may not get drunk, but it's better to have it than not.

  "Are you sure?" He glances over his shoulder to check no one is watching.

  "Yes. I need to talk to you about something." Before I become a coward and don't go through with it.

  "Can it wait?" he asks.

  "No." It really can't. Fatin is going to let my secret out any day now, and I can't let him learn it from someone who isn't me. Especially because of what I learned from the book in the Headmistress' office.

  The look on my face must convince him about how serious I am, as he slips through the door and doesn't even stop to kiss me. I swallow the lump in my throat. That's likely for the best. He certainly won't want to after he finds out the truth, and I don't want him to regret anything.

  "Would you like some tea?" I ask, gesturing towards the pot needlessly.

  He nods, clearly not completely comfortable with the situation, but unable to avoid it.

  I pour with shaking hands, trying not to burn myself. How have I ended up in this position? I'm such a fool for thinking this would work. It's taking so much more than I ever expected, and I'm starting to wish I'd spent more time preparing. Though I doubt that would have made a difference given the current conversation.

  Our fingers brush as I hand him the teacup.

  I consider for a moment before picking up my own. I don't think my churning stomach will allow me to drink it, but I need to hold something in my hands or I'm going to drive myself crazy. Or worse, I'll start twisting my ring and accidentally call the genie before I get to that part of the story.

  "Is everything all right?" His brows knit together as he studies me, clearly concerned that I'm hurt or in trouble.

  I shake my head. "I need to tell you something. It's not going to be an easy thing to hear." Nor is it going to be any easier for me to tell.

  I suck in a deep breath, desperate to get this over with, and yet dreading saying the words. Especially because this whole situation feels awkward already. We've spent plenty of time alone together, but never in my room.

  "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want." His words are supportive, but I can hear the edge in his voice. He's worried about what I'm going to say.

  "I'm not really a Princess," I blurt.

  The five words open a floodgate, and my whole story tumbles out. I tell him everything, right up to me stealing the lamp last night. I can't imagine how I must sound to him, but I know I have to tell him everything. If I don't come clean, then it'll be even worse when the real truth comes out. I can't take that risk. Especially not if it makes things worse for him.

  I wish I'd told him the truth from the start.

  I end my story, and watch him for his response. Enver sits there in silence, processing everything I've said. I bite my bottom lip to stop me from asking what he's thinking. I can't rush him, that could be the difference between him forgiving me, or hating me forever.

  Tears spring to my eyes at the prospect of the latter. I don't want him to hate me. The idea turns me cold. But it's not up to me now. I've told the lies, and I can't undo that. All I can do now is hope the truth erases some of the hurt.

  "Let me get this straight," Enver starts after a few more moments of tense silence.

  I take a deep breath. He sounds angry. No, not angry. Betrayed.

  "You're not a Princess, and you used to live on the streets?" he asks.

  At least there isn't any disgust in his voice when he says the latter part.

  "Yes. And my name isn't Alyeesah, at least, I don't think it is. Everyone's always called me Aly." And a small part of me wants to hear him call me it.

  "It suits you," he says begrudgingly.

  "Thank you." I fiddle with my still full cup of tea, trying not to blurt out how I'm feeling. None of this is about me. I need to wait for him to decide if he wants anything else to do with me.

  "And you came to Grimm Academy because..."

  I sigh. This is the bit I don't want to admit to him, but I know I have to. I can't have any more lies standing between the two of us.

  "I hoped to find a husband so I didn't have to go back to the streets when the genie's wishes ran out."

  Hurt flashes over his face. Somehow, it's worse than anger.

  "I'm sorry..." I stall, not knowing whether it's alright for me to use his name, or if he needs me to use his title.

  "And you chose me?" he asks calmly.

  I shake my head. "I didn't choose anyone," I admit, relieved I can at least tell the truth. "When you started talking to me, I tried to convince myself we'd just be friends, and maybe you'd be able to help me. But the more time we spent together, the more I started to fall for you. And here we are. I didn't lie about how I felt, or that I liked spending time with you, or anything like that, and it made me feel worse about the things I was lying about. I tried to tell you the other day, before Fatin interrupted us."

  "Which was all part of her plan," he acknowledges.

  I bite my lip to keep the tears at bay and nod. "She's discovered I have a secret, but I'm not sure if she knows exactly what it is. But that's one of the reasons I had to tell you myself." Now we're having the conversation, it doesn't feel as if it's the best idea to have done it. But I know it is. I don't have any hopes that we can make things work between us if I'm not honest with him.

  Though I may have just ruined any chances we had.

  "And the other one is this prophecy?" Ah. There's the anger.

  "Yes. I've never heard about the prophecies before, but when I read it and learned how far gone mine was, I knew I had to do something to stop it."

  He barks out a laugh. "You came to Grimm Academy without knowing about the prophecies?"

  I frown. "Is it common knowledge?"

  "That's putting it lightly. Parents send their children here to help them escape their prophecies. I'm not sure why, the academy doesn't seem to do anything to help them, but less seem to come true for the students here than those who don't attend."

  "Oh." How have I not figured that out? I'm normally much more observant than this. I've heard some of the students talking about prophecies, but dismissed it without thinking any more about what it may mean. I'm a fool for not doing more research into it.

  "Would you have told me? If you hadn't found out about the prophecy?" he asks. This isn't the way I expect his questioning to go, but all I can do is react.

  "Yes," I admit, relieved it's the truth. "I was trying to find the right time."

  He nods and rises to his feet. "Thank you for your honesty." He walks towards the door.

  I want to cry out. To beg him to stop and not to leave me. Instead, I stand in the middle of my room, tears streaming down my face as the first person I've ever felt like I could love walks away from me.

  His hand closes on the handle of the door.

  "I..." I trail off, not knowing what I can possibly say to make this better. There's no truth I can say that'll make any of this go away.

  He pauses, but doesn't turn back to me. "I appreciate you telling me the truth, but I need time, Alyee...Aly. And I'm not sure if I can ever forgive you." Pain rips through his voice, echoing my own. "I won't tell your secret."

  "I don't expect you to keep it." My words are thick with tears.

  He falters. At least this is difficult for him as well as me, though that's a small consolation given it's me that's put us in this situation to begin with.

  His hesitation doesn't last, and Enver disappears through my door just as the first sob explodes from me. I press my hand against my mouth, trying to stem the flow of emotion. There's nothing I can do to stop it. Tears roll down my cheeks and my chest heaves with each drag of air.

  I feel like I could die. But I know I won't. This is like nothing I ever felt on the streets, but just like then, I'll get through this. I just have to stay strong.

  Chapter Twelve
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br />   Almost as soon as I've slammed my door shut, a big puff of purple smoke announces the genie's arrival. I'm not sure I have enough fortitude to deal with him right now, but considering he spends his time living in a very tiny ring, I'm not sure I can avoid it.

  "What's wrong, Aly?" he asks.

  I shake my head as I slump down onto my bed and pull my legs up. I wrap my arms around my knees and bury my face there to hide any threat of tears.

  "Is it the girl threatening you?" he asks. "We can use your last wish to make her disappear," he suggests.

  I shake my head, a little horrified at the suggestion. Fatin is awful, but I can't sink below her level and get rid of her. Besides, that will use up the wish I have saved for the genie, and that I won't do.

  "Then what is it?" he asks.

  I sigh and uncurl a little bit.

  "I didn't realise how hard it would be to not talk to Enver," I admit.

  "The Prince you were spending time with?"

  I flash the genie an annoyed look. He knows the answer to that. I'm not stupid. Well, other than getting caught up in all the lies. I know he can at the very least sense things when I'm wearing the ring. He's probably well aware of the way I feel about Enver.

  "Sorry, I just thought you'd want to tell me in your own time." He sits down beside me on the bed. Or sits as well as he can when he's a being of magic. There's still enough space between us that he isn't intruding on mine. I'm grateful for that.

  A loud sigh escapes me.

  "I told him the truth, and he doesn't want to talk to me. Maybe not ever. It's hard seeing him in class and in the library without being able to speak. I miss him," I admit.

  "Ah."

  "I don't suppose your magic can make someone fall out of love?" I mutter under my breath, not really meaning it.

  "I'm sorry, Aly, it can't."

  I manage a small smile. "I didn't think so."

  Nor do I want him to take the pain away. I deserve it for everything I've done. I shouldn't have betrayed Enver that way. Or anyone else. There are so many people in this academy that I've lied to. Even the Headmistress, though it seems as if she's known the truth all along. Maybe the reason she hasn't said anything about it is because of the prophecies Enver mentioned. If parents send their children here to avoid the prophecies, then perhaps she didn't think anything of me turning up and then doing the same.