Undercover Princess

by Connie Glynn

  Slowly the other contestant pulled off her own mask and a thick mop of black sweat-drenched hair appeared.

  A prince!

  Lottie felt a sudden rush of heat enter her cheeks as she took in her room-mate. Ellie smirked at the audience as they cheered for her. Anastacia and Ellie held their hands out to each other and shook. As soon as their hands met, Lottie felt it – a swell of exhaustion hit her hard like a wave crashing over her and she swayed involuntarily.

  Focus, Lottie, this is Ellie’s big moment.

  The hopefuls moved to stand in a line at the back of the stage, all masks off now. Dame Bolter cleared her throat as she approached the podium to speak.

  ‘I will now read the names of the five students we have chosen to join the team.’

  Lottie felt her breath catch in her throat; something was wrong. Her body felt as if it were suddenly moving in slow motion.

  ‘Ellie Wolf.’

  The audience cheered. Lottie tried to join in, but the dizzy sensation was overpowering her.

  I need to sleep, she thought desperately, but there was something else, something clawing at the back of her mind.

  ‘Marzia Hart.’ The cheering began to get distant and Lottie helplessly bashed her hands against her ears, trying to will some clarity into her mind. What had Binah said about gifts again?

  ‘Thomas Carter.’ She looked up at the duellers, but their white armour seemed to be fading in front of her. Everything started turning black and she desperately tried to blink it away.

  ‘Lottie, are you OK?’ The voice was coming from Binah, but Lottie pushed her aside to get to the stairs.

  ‘Riyadh Murphy.’

  Lottie desperately began wading through cheering people. The world seemed to be spinning round like she was stuck on a nightmare carousel. She frantically racked her brain to figure out what her mind was trying to tell her.

  ‘And, finally, the last person joining the Rosewood Hall fencing team will be …’ The world was fading around her fast and her footsteps began to swerve as she reached the bottom of the steps.

  ‘Anastacia Alcroft.’

  The name smacked into her head, igniting a niggling thought until it burned so bright it blocked out all others …

  Anastacia’s gift … The Princess and the Pea!

  She turned sharply in confusion just in time to catch a glimpse of Jamie’s concerned face in front of her. ‘There’s something under my mattress,’ she cried out over the noise of the crowd.

  And then the world around her blacked out.

  30

  I need to get off this carousel or I’m going to be sick!

  Something was spinning her round and round and she wanted it to stop.

  ‘Lottie?’

  That’s Jamie’s voice.

  The distant voice called her name, but she couldn’t quite get hold of it.

  ‘Lottie, can you hear me?’

  Why is the room spinning so much?

  ‘Lottie, you need to wake up now. Lottie, hello?’

  Wait, it’s not the room spinning. I’m spinning … I fainted … Where am I? Who did this?

  ‘Princess and the Pea!’ Lottie jerked awake suddenly to see a crowd of people around her. Her eyes focused and she looked up into the face of a very worried Professor Devine.

  ‘Sounds like you were having an interesting dream there, Lottie.’ A concerned smile was on the professor’s lips and Lottie instantly felt awful. She couldn’t stand the thought of worrying anyone.

  ‘Sorry, I … my bed.’ Lottie fought to get the words out, desperately trying to form her thoughts into sentences through the haze in her head. ‘I need to get to bed.’

  She tried to sit up, pushing herself away from the professor’s arms. Ellie and Jamie instantly appeared at her side to assist her, and the sinking feeling in her stomach returned as she took in Ellie in her pristine white fencing gear, hair slicked back.

  I ruined the tournament, she thought despairingly.

  ‘You’ve only been out for two minutes.’

  Lottie perked up at Jamie’s words, feeling a creepy sense that he’d just read her mind again.

  ‘Now what was that about your bed?’ Jamie looked at her very seriously, even for him. Ellie too seemed uncharacteristically severe.

  ‘Yes … I have to get to bed. I seem to have remembered how to sleep.’ She smiled at Jamie and held his gaze as she spoke, trying to convey that she wanted to tell him something – something important. He and Ellie exchanged a look, intimating that they understood the intention of Lottie’s words.

  ‘Absolutely not, Miss Charlotte,’ blared out Dame Bolter’s voice. ‘You need to go straight to the infirmary to see Nurse Sani.’

  Lottie didn’t have time for this; she needed to know if her hunch was true. She turned to Professor Devine and gave her a pleading look. ‘Please! I just need to get to bed!’

  Her house mother raised an eyebrow and Lottie wondered if she might question her plea. But then the professor smiled at Dame Bolter and said reassuringly, ‘Actually, Mercy, I think in this instance some good sleep is what’s in order.’

  Dame Bolter looked at Lottie suspiciously. ‘Maybe so …’ she said slowly.

  The professor clapped her hands. ‘Chop-chop, then. Jamie, would you kindly help Ellie take Lottie back to her room so we can finish this ceremony?’

  ‘Yes, Professor,’ they replied in unison.

  The three walked out of the hall, both supporting Lottie, their arms round her waist. As they walked past Anastacia, Lottie thought she saw her clench her fists in a strange display of fury.

  ‘Princess and the Pea,’ Lottie said resolutely, her hands placed firmly on her hips.

  ‘Yep, she’s gone mad from no sleep. Told ya.’

  Lottie scowled at Ellie, who was giggling at her own joke. Jamie and Ellie sat on Ellie’s bed as if they were in a class and Lottie was their teacher. It always amused Lottie how perfectly the two of them blended into Ellie’s dark, edgy side of the room.

  ‘No, that’s my clue,’ Lottie said, rolling her eyes. ‘Don’t you remember the fairy tale?’

  Ellie shrugged, but Jamie nodded.

  ‘They place a pea under twenty mattresses and they know that the girl sleeping on them is a princess because she can feel the pea during the night and it stops her sleeping.’

  ‘Ahh, yes,’ Ellie said with a grin on her face. ‘I can’t sleep either when I need to pee.’ Lottie snorted and quickly covered her mouth, and even Jamie allowed a taut smile to crawl on to his face. ‘But seriously,’ Ellie continued, ‘you think there’s a pea under your bed?’

  ‘Honestly I don’t know … I just feel there’s something …’ Lottie turned to stare at the bed. It didn’t look inviting any more; it felt as though something dark were nesting within it and she wanted it gone. The two nodded at Lottie in understanding and began wordlessly getting to work.

  Lottie grabbed Mr Truffles and they proceeded to throw all the bedding and pillows on to Ellie’s bed. Jamie walked over when they were done and effortlessly lifted the mattress as if it weighed no more than a feather. Lottie held her breath … and there it was.

  In the centre of the mattress, taped down, was a piece of paper showing a wolf’s head within a circle, crossed through with two thick red lines.

  Ellie gasped and raised a hand to her mouth.

  Jamie let out a furious curse. Lottie almost couldn’t believe she’d heard him swear but this was not the time to protest.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked timidly. She almost didn’t want to know; it had to be awful to get such a strong reaction from the two of them.

  Jamie pulled the paper off the mattress and stormed over to the desk, slamming it down with such force it made Lottie jump. Ellie stared blank-faced at the desk, an eerie sense of calm exuding from her.

  ‘That’s the Wolfson House sigil,’ Ellie said vacantly. ‘And it’s got a death mark through it.’

  31

  ‘We’re telling your parents.�
�

  ‘BRIKTAH!’ Lottie cringed at the Maravish word as Ellie snapped out of her daze. ‘No, we’re not.’

  Jamie was already flattening the paper, clearly with the intent of getting a copy back to Maradova as fast as possible. Ellie grabbed at him wildly, scratching and pushing to try to get it, but Jamie held her off easily. Lottie stood, stupefied and useless. Someone had put that paper there, probably someone she knew.

  Another thought pinged into her mind and she felt sick. It must have been the person who left the gift at the beginning of term. It’s a curse and that’s why I couldn’t sleep – and somehow Anastacia had known about it.

  Ellie and Jamie continued to battle it out, the piece of paper with the death mark seeming to exude a negative energy. Lottie imagined tendrils of wispy dark smoke oozing off it and filling the room with a toxic tension.

  It was here to scare the princess; it was here to scare her out of Rosewood.

  ‘Jamie, you can’t.’ The words came out of Lottie’s mouth before she even registered her own thoughts.

  ‘But, Lottie, you might be in danger.’ His voice was strained and it caught her off guard.

  ‘So?’ Lottie replied, feigning a calm demeanour. ‘Isn’t that the point of my job as Portman?’ Jamie eased slightly and turned to meet her eyes. ‘I deal with all the danger and problems so that Ellie doesn’t have to,’ Lottie continued. ‘So that Ellie can stay at Rosewood.’

  Lottie faced them, determined that whoever had done this would not jeopardize Ellie’s time at Rosewood – she would not let them win. They would find out who was doing this no matter what.

  Jamie released a long breath, then turned to Ellie and his expression seemed almost disappointed.

  ‘Is this what you wanted?’ Jamie hissed at Ellie in a low voice, barely audible to Lottie.

  Ellie looked at the floor, a shadow hiding the unmistakable look of shame on her face. She refused to look at him, continuing to stare downwards.

  ‘No, stop. You aren’t listening to me,’ Lottie said, surprising herself with her own determination. ‘If Ellie gets taken away, then they win and the threat still remains. With me here we can lure them out. Whoever they are, they’re getting bolder – we can catch them.’

  Ellie flinched and Lottie realized what she’d just said. She was about to speak again but Jamie stopped her. His face was cold.

  ‘Has something happened before?’

  Lottie felt her breath catch in her throat. Crap.

  Jamie slowly put the paper down and turned back to her, but she was unable to form any words. ‘I asked you a question, Lottie.’ He gave her a look so forceful she could almost feel the blow.

  ‘Yes,’ she replied, unable to hold eye contact.

  He turned to Ellie and she didn’t look away this time.

  ‘On the first day of school,’ she said, straight-faced, ‘Lottie got a library book with a message saying they knew she had a secret, so we sneaked out to find out which students had used the library that day.’

  Jamie’s lip twitched, but he managed to remain calm. ‘And?’ he asked, the chill in his voice more threatening than if he was shouting at them.

  ‘And we found Anastacia, Raphael and Binah’s names,’ Ellie said. This time she did look away.

  ‘And neither of you thought to tell me this?’ His voice raised a little, making Lottie instinctively hold her breath. ‘Even though I’m here to protect you, you hid this from me?’

  Ellie shook her head violently. Lottie could see a storm brewing inside her.

  ‘Maybe I don’t want you to protect me!’ she roared, baring her teeth like fangs. As soon as she said the words, she grimaced, a look of regret on her face. The silence that followed was painful. Lottie had absolutely no idea what Jamie was thinking and it scared her. Ellie’s chest heaved up and down, her energy the total antithesis of Jamie’s cool aura.

  ‘I’ll always be here, Ellie,’ he said, his voice soft yet cold, ‘whether you like it or not.’ There was a weight to his words and Lottie knew something had just happened between the two of them that she would never understand.

  How did you become a Partizan? The words popped into her head, leaving a burning curiosity.

  Ellie slowly looked down. ‘I didn’t mean … I know …’ she said, running her hands through her hair.

  Jamie took another deep breath and turned back to Lottie, once again stoic and composed. ‘Do you accept the danger of being bait, Lottie?’ His dark eyes held hers, but she remained as poised as possible. She knew she had to remain calm and neutral if she were going to persuade Jamie that she wasn’t affected by the messages.

  Who are you really?

  The words materialized in her mind as she looked at his expressionless face. She nodded once, not trusting her voice to keep up the facade.

  He turned to Ellie once more and again they shared a look she couldn’t quite understand. ‘I want you both to be wary of Anastacia and Raphael,’ he said coolly. Lottie could feel Ellie relax, yet she couldn’t do the same. ‘I don’t trust them.’

  So that’s why he’s staying so close to Raphael.

  ‘You cannot let them know we suspect them. We need to keep a close eye on them.’

  ‘Does this mean you’re not going to report it?’ Ellie asked, the eagerness in her voice pulling Lottie from her thoughts.

  He frowned disapprovingly at his own decision and Ellie grinned in excitement. ‘But if I feel for even one second that you’re in imminent danger I won’t hesitate to report back to your parents.’

  Jamie was letting them keep it secret.

  Ellie winked at Lottie. ‘We’ll catch whoever it is before it gets to that.’

  Lottie found herself feigning a determined smile as a voice in her head whispered all the mysteries she needed to solve. Who’s leaving these messages? What do they want? Why is Ellie so uncomfortable with Jamie being her Partizan? How did Jamie become a Partizan?

  ‘Agreed,’ Lottie said flatly. ‘We’ll uncover everything.’

  She wasn’t sure exactly which secret she was referring to.

  32

  A focused calm enveloped Rosewood Hall with the onset of the winter exams. The students gathered in the libraries and study halls, a collective hush as they concentrated on absorbing all that they’d learned that term.

  Lottie was relieved that the years of hard work to get into Rosewood Hall had paid off. She found that revising and the exams themselves were not as daunting as she thought they’d be, especially with the support of her friends – and the endless supply of Tompkins sweets from Lola and Micky helped to keep their energy levels up too.

  As soon as the exams were over, most students prepared to travel back home for Christmas. Lottie, Jamie and Ellie had temporarily halted their decoding of the message as they revised for the exams, but there was something else keeping Lottie’s mind off the mystery. Ollie was upset with her.

  Dear Lottie,

  I’m not going to lie: I’m really sad you’re not coming home for Christmas, but I’m sure whatever this crazy thing you’ve got caught up in is very important.

  If you do suddenly change your mind and want to spend Christmas at Casa de Moreno, there’s always room for you at the table.

  Don’t forget about us in your new exciting school.

  Merry Christmas.

  Your first and most loyal friend,

  Ollie

  It was far too late now to hop on a train back to Cornwall and see Ollie, but, worst of all, it had been her idea to stay over Christmas. She’d never been the type of person to be obsessed with her phone, but she wished more than anything that she could just call Ollie and hear his reassuring voice. To her dismay, you were only allowed to call immediate family from the school phones, so she still couldn’t get in touch with Ollie.

  Ellie had invited her to Maradova, but Lottie didn’t know how she’d be able to cope with the strange setting. Ellie, however, was more than happy not to go home for Christmas as she was dreading seeing he
r grandmother, so here they were, spending the holidays at Rosewood Hall. But Lottie couldn’t get in the Christmas mood.

  She sighed deeply as she reread Ollie’s letter, before folding it up and putting it in her pocket. She’d sent Ollie and his mum a hand-crafted Christmas card telling them that she wouldn’t be coming home for the holidays, and, even though to most people Ollie’s letter probably didn’t seem too bad, she knew that he was upset.

  ‘I thought Saskia said this was a small gathering!’ Ellie scoffed as she prodded a large ice sculpture of an angel that had been placed on the food table. Saskia had invited some of the other students staying over the holidays to a small gathering in Conch House to exchange gifts, and the girls had arrived early to help set up.

  Lottie was about to reply with her concerns about Ollie when the front door creaked open to reveal Anastacia and Raphael, who were effortlessly balancing trays of fancy foods on their arms like they were circus performers.

  Maybe those etiquette classes really are good for something! thought Lottie.

  She tensed as they placed their trays on the table. It had been easy to avoid Anastacia and Raphael since the winter exams started, but tonight would be Ellie and Lottie’s first real test in pretending they didn’t suspect them.

  Anastacia dusted her hands off and, without looking up, she said, ‘Ellie, stop eating the party food or I’ll poison it.’

  Ellie quite literally choked on the pig-in-a-blanket she was shoving into her mouth, making Lottie wince. That particular party snack was just too much for her animal-loving heart: a pig-in-a-blanket of its own flesh … The horror! Ellie gave Anastacia a little side smile before reaching for another one.

  ‘Oh please, you don’t need an excuse to poison anyone,’ Ellie teased, making Raphael snort and instantly earning him a dangerous look from Anastacia. This poison talk was definitely not helping Anastacia’s case.

  Lottie was glad that Jamie was picking up a Christmas tree from the main hall as he was the only one strong enough to carry it on his own. If he were here to witness this, he’d be furious with them for ‘fraternizing with the potential enemy’.