Undercover Princess

by Connie Glynn

  Anastacia held her ground, not allowing herself to be intimidated, and Ellie was impressed. Then Anastacia said something neither of them could have prepared for.

  ‘If you need to protect your master, surely you should be focusing on Ellie and not … whoever the hell Lottie is.’ They looked at her, confused for a moment, and she gave an exasperated sigh. ‘I know she’s your Portman, Eleanor Wolfson.’

  Ellie’s mind whirred, then realization dawned that Anastacia knew everything. But how? Had she told anyone? And more importantly – where was Lottie?!

  Before Ellie could speak, Jamie broke the tense silence. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’

  Anastacia let out a humourless laugh. ‘Quels imbéciles!’ she hissed. ‘Ellie Wolf, Eleanor Wolfson, the rebel princess from Maradova … How anyone who knows anything could have mistaken such a ludicrous attempt at a cover-up! I mean, Pumpkin alone is a completely ridiculous –’

  ‘Enough!’ Ellie commanded. ‘How long have you known?’

  A subtle blush had crept up Anastacia’s neck, her brow had furrowed slightly, a light sheen of moisture upon it. Ellie realized this was the most perturbed she’d ever seen Anastacia. Ellie so badly wanted to tell her they’d have to kill her now, but not even her dark humour could distract her.

  ‘Since breakfast … the first time I saw you. Lottie introduced you as her room-mate and I just knew.’

  ‘But how? There’s no way –’

  ‘You can’t escape who you are, Ellie. It’s in our blood. We’ll never be like them and they’ll never be like us. It’s etched into us the second we’re born.’

  Ellie stared at her. In what way was she anything like Anastacia?

  ‘What could you possibly –’

  ‘Privilege,’ Jamie interrupted, slowly releasing Anastacia’s arm. ‘She’s talking about privilege. But we don’t have time for character growth right now; Lottie might be in danger.’

  ‘Danger?’

  Ellie felt annoyed at what seemed to be genuine concern on Anastacia’s face.

  ‘Yes, she’s missing, and the last person she was with was your good friend –’

  ‘Saskia!’ Anastacia spat the word out, cutting Jamie off and surprising both of them with the hurt reflected in her face as she spoke. ‘She’s been obsessed with the Wolfson princess ever since she found out she was attending Rosewood. She wanted to know everything about her. She demanded I introduce her and get close to her. It was … not like her at all.’

  Jamie and Ellie glanced at each other, both coming to the same conclusion.

  ‘Anastacia, do you know if she left anything under Lottie’s bed?’ Jamie asked hurriedly.

  Anastacia looked down in a sheepish manner that was uncharacteristic of her. ‘No … All the messages … that was me …’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You don’t understand. I was doing it to protect her … I –’

  ‘By putting a death threat under her bed!’ Ellie exclaimed.

  ‘No. Shut up! Listen!’ Anastacia took a deep breath. ‘I was trying to scare her away – both of you … Saskia, she’s not just a friend. She’s my –’

  Jamie grabbed her by both shoulders. ‘Anastacia, spit it out – we might be running out of time.’

  She bit her lip and turned to Ellie, such intensity in her gaze as though she were trying to communicate something to her that only Ellie could understand.

  She’s not just a friend. She’s my …

  ‘She’s your Partizan.’

  It wasn’t a question; Ellie knew it was true.

  Anastacia nodded and Jamie slowly released his grip. It felt as though light had exploded over the situation and Ellie all at once understood what had happened and why Anastacia had done what she’d done. For some reason Saskia had been obsessed in a dangerous way with the princess, who she believed was Lottie. Anastacia couldn’t turn her in. Ellie tried to imagine turning Jamie in. It just wouldn’t be possible; she could never do it. So Anastacia had done the next best thing, and tried to get her and Lottie as far away from Rosewood as possible.

  ‘I understand,’ Ellie said gently. She’d never imagined she’d feel any kind of connection with Anastacia, but in that moment she felt she understood her better than anyone else.

  ‘OK,’ Jamie said, trying to remain calm, though his teeth were clearly gritted in frustration. ‘We have to overlook this for the moment because it’s now been well over thirty minutes and Lottie is still missing and presumably abducted by a rogue Partizan, which –’

  He stopped, horrified as he took in the severity of the situation. Then he shook his head, a determined and furious look resting on his features, before he said decisively, ‘We have to find her – now.’

  Ellie pushed her hands through her hair. It would take literally days to search the grounds. ‘Where do we even begin?’ Her voice came out strangled and desperate, and she resented not being able to keep steady like Jamie.

  Anastacia’s voice pulled her out of her despair. ‘Have you tried calling her?’

  They both blinked at her for a moment.

  No, they had not.

  ‘Yes, I have the princess. No, she’s unharmed. I think she’s waking up. OK. We’ll be there. Svobadash!’

  Lottie tried to make sense of what she was hearing. She felt a gradual tightness round her wrists, the squeezing sensation snaking her back into full consciousness.

  ‘You’re awake.’

  She opened her eyes to see Saskia kneeling in front of her, meticulously binding her wrists. This time there was no murky feeling; the world and her thoughts were fully lucid.

  She’d been kidnapped.

  She pulled her knees together, willing the nausea not to win as she sat up straight. Feigning as much murky confusion as possible, she looked around the van, discreetly taking in everything she could.

  Saskia had tricked them all. Saskia had been planning to kidnap her since the moment she had met her. Lottie couldn’t feel movement from the van, so that meant that they might still be within the palace grounds. She was missing her shoes.

  But the main mystery was …

  ‘Why are you doing this?’

  Lottie was relieved by how groggy and choked her voice was, hoping it would lower Saskia’s guard.

  Saskia turned to her. There was an eerie soft smile on her lips that made Lottie shiver. Yet Saskia didn’t betray any hint of instability. If she was unstable, Lottie was sure she could distract her, but she was too alert, too primed. It made her think of … Jamie.

  ‘Well … the short answer is –’ she made a sign with her fingers, rubbing them together – ‘money.’

  Lottie jumped on this, saying the first thing that popped into her head.

  ‘OK then, why don’t you take me back? I’ll tell my parents you rescued me and we’ll give you a big reward.’

  Saskia laughed, reminding Lottie of all their time together over the past year. ‘Nice try, princess, but there’s a bounty on your head bigger than you could imagine. You’re top of the list.’

  Lottie shook her head; the words didn’t make sense.

  ‘Whose list …? Who were you talking to on the phone?’

  Saskia’s ‘friendly’ smile melted away and she looked off into the distance. ‘Them.’

  She spoke with a reverence as if she were talking about a god, and a chill ran up Lottie’s spine. ‘They’re called Leviathan and they’re here to change things. And you’re my ticket to being fully initiated. I have no idea why, but they want the Maravish princess – you, more than anyone.’ Saskia pulled a package from her suit jacket and began fiddling with it. Lottie noticed it contained two small knives and gulped, wondering how many other weapons Saskia was concealing.

  ‘These Leviathan,’ Lottie began, trying to continue her groggy and confused tone, ‘do they have bounties on lots of people?’

  ‘Not just any people, the children of royalty and important, wealthy families. They want to –’ Before Saskia could finish, a ple
asant melody floated out from under Lottie, accompanied by a harsh vibrating noise.

  Her phone.

  Saskia knelt down by Lottie and gently tilted her to retrieve the phone from her evening bag, still on its delicate silver chain over her shoulder. The action could have been mistaken for an embrace.

  ‘Answer it.’ She shoved the phone in front of her face. ‘Convince them you’re safe or I won’t be so nice.’

  Lottie looked at the phone, watching it vibrate in Saskia’s hand. Ellie’s name flashed on the screen and Lottie’s heart began to race frantically. This could be her chance. She racked her brain for every book she’d ever read, every ridiculous espionage and trick and code she’d absorbed.

  ‘Well, hurry up, Princess,’ threatened Saskia.

  Princess …

  Lottie knew exactly what to do.

  ‘Hello.’

  ‘Lottie, oh my God, are you OK?’ It was Ellie’s voice.

  ‘Yes, I’m fine. Sorry I missed our meeting time. I’m just a little frazzled. I think I’m gonna crash.’

  ‘Are you sure? We could come and see you?’

  Jamie. She was on loudspeaker. They must be away from the ballroom.

  ‘No, no, it’s really fine. I just wanted to get out of that stupid uncomfortable dress – and shoes too …’

  There was a brief silence on the other end and Lottie felt as though she were about to burst.

  ‘OK.’ Ellie’s voice came out so steady that Lottie worried she may have missed the hint. ‘Is there anything we can do for you at all?’

  ‘Actually –’ at that, Saskia gave her a sharp look and gestured to hurry up – ‘you could save me one of those apple tarts I saw in the buffet?’

  ‘Of course. I’ll make sure they know to save you one.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Lottie squeezed her eyes shut and on instinct she added. ‘I love you guys.’

  She opened her eyes to see Saskia’s finger on the hang-up button, her lips twisted into a satisfied grin.

  Now Lottie just had to pray they’d figure out her message.

  52

  Jamie watched as the phone went dead.

  ‘I love you guys.’

  His heart was pounding; he knew something was not right but he had to remain calm and rational.

  ‘So she’s fine?’ Anastacia said hopefully.

  ‘No,’ Ellie replied bluntly. ‘She’s left us a secret code.’

  Anastacia’s face melted into despair. ‘Oh, Saskia,’ she sighed. ‘What have you done?’

  Jamie pointedly ignored her. Anastacia’s worries about her dishonourable Partizan were not their top priority.

  ‘What are our clues?’ he asked, already preparing to make a move.

  ‘Well,’ said Ellie, ‘she’s allergic to apples – that’s how we know she can’t say she’s in trouble, and then the shoes …’ Ellie rubbed her forehead in thought, looking desperate. ‘I know she’s trying to tell me something by mentioning they were uncomfortable. They were tailor-made for her; she loves them. I just –’

  ‘It’s Cinderella, you idiot!’ Anastacia barked. Tears were pouring down her cheeks now and she sniffed loudly and wiped her nose, but continued talking as if she weren’t crying at all. ‘She’s probably put her shoes somewhere as a way to find her.’

  Jamie nodded. ‘We can’t alert the guard yet. If the palace goes under lockdown, she’ll have a separate escape plan and Lottie will be in more danger.’

  ‘How do you know?’ Ellie asked, not sure of his reasoning.

  ‘Because that’s what I would do,’ he said simply. ‘So, we have to find the shoes.’

  It took them all of ten minutes to find the first shoe. Jamie rationalized that it had to be on the west side, as that’s where Saskia had found them, and it had to be in one of the rooms with a gate-facing window for quick escape.

  Ellie was drawn to the broken teacup and from there she spotted the missing shoe and called out to them. There it was, shoved under the bed, almost completely hidden but with the light glittering off it, just enough to catch her eye.

  ‘She went out of the window?’ Ellie asked in disbelief.

  ‘Yes,’ Jamie said. Saskia’s plan was obvious to him now, and she had clearly underestimated both Lottie and the situation. It was a classic polite parting, a cute name for a procedure they were taught as Partizans in case an event arose in which they needed to escape a high-profile event unnoticed.

  He’d never considered someone might use the same technique to kidnap someone.

  ‘This means they’ll probably be leaving any moment.’

  ‘So why don’t we just tell the guard not to let anyone leave the grounds?’ Anastacia suggested. She’d calmed down and was determined to help, evidently feeling somewhat responsible.

  ‘Because then she might start killing people,’ he said frankly.

  Anastacia scoffed. ‘Saskia would never –’

  ‘I’m sure you thought she’d never kidnap anyone either.’

  Anastacia instantly bit her tongue. It was insensitive, he knew it was, but the stress of the situation was getting to him. Lottie was being held by another Partizan, she was in imminent danger, and he needed to save her without prioritizing her safety over Ellie’s.

  ‘Guys,’ Ellie called over. ‘I think I’ve found them.’

  Jamie dived over the bed in a rush to join Ellie at the window. He followed her gaze but it was hard to see anything in the frosty dark. He was about to tell her she was imagining things when he saw it.

  A van, not more than a hundred metres from the building, seemed to be glowing from underneath. It was subtle enough that you might assume your mind was playing tricks on you. The three teenagers ran downstairs to the veranda by the entrance, the cold wind slapping them in the face as they crept outside.

  Anastacia kept her hand on the door to stop it from shutting. ‘Are you sure that’s the one?’ There was a pained look in her eye, knowing that she was about to condemn her Partizan forever.

  ‘Positive,’ Ellie replied. She didn’t bother trying to reassure her; there was nothing to be said.

  Anastacia bowed her head, flinching from her feelings. ‘I’ll alert the guard. You guys keep watch.’ She turned to run back the way they’d come, but paused and grabbed Jamie’s sleeve. ‘Don’t hurt her,’ she whispered.

  He wondered if he should spare her feelings, but realized there was no point in lying.

  ‘I might not have a choice.’

  53

  ‘Anastacia has informed the guard. We’ll wait here until they arrive.’

  Jamie was trying to persuade a shivering Ellie to go back indoors, but she was refusing. Instead she stubbornly rubbed her arms to stay warm. They hid in the shadows of the veranda, keeping out of sight of the van but peering out occasionally to check it wasn’t moving. She’d acquired a golf club from somewhere and propped it by her side, apparently hoping to use it as a weapon.

  ‘But what if it’s too late by then?’ she cried.

  Jamie shook his head, knowing what she was thinking but trying to stay as logical as possible.

  There was no way he could put Lottie’s safety before Ellie’s. He wasn’t allowed to do so, even though it was killing him to leave her. He had to protect Ellie, no matter what.

  ‘I have to keep you safe, Ellie,’ he said sternly, even though every fibre of his being was telling him to run to the van. Then, just as he finished talking, he heard the soft low rumble of an engine starting up.

  There was a sound of tearing and Jamie turned to see Ellie ripping her dress.

  ‘I’m sorry, Jamie, but I’m not risking it,’ she said. And then she grabbed the golf club.

  Jamie reached out to stop her, but it was too late: Ellie had flung her shoes away and dived over the veranda’s edge, racing towards the van.

  She was running to do what Jamie wished he had the freedom to do. Running to save Lottie.

  Lottie had been moved to the front seat of the van, wrapped in a shawl so her t
ied wrists were covered. She was shivering; she didn’t know if it was from the cold or fear. The instructions were simple: she had to act upset, so upset that she wanted to temporarily leave the palace, and that Saskia, a registered Partizan, had kindly offered to drive her around. If Lottie failed to convince them, Saskia would start hurting people.

  Saskia had assured her that if anyone looked at the CCTV footage, it appeared as though Saskia was simply helping the drunken princess. An easy-to-believe story considering Ellie’s reputation and her run-in with Edmund. It was smart and it matched the story she’d given Jamie and Ellie that she didn’t want to return to the ball.

  Please – I hope they’ve figured out my code.

  Saskia looked down at her watch, waited a few more moments, then put the key in the ignition.

  ‘OK, Princess, are you ready for your performance?’

  Lottie could have laughed if she wasn’t so terrified. I’ve been performing the whole time.

  Instead Lottie nodded mutely; it wasn’t going to be hard to pretend to be upset. Then the van rumbled underneath them and they were moving.

  I guess this is it then, Lottie thought to herself hopelessly.

  Saskia pulled them out of the spot and pushed her foot down on the accelerator, taking them on to the path to the gate.

  They had moved no more than a few metres when everything went completely mad.

  A figure dived in front of the van, arms outstretched, a feral shriek roaring out of its mouth.

  ‘What the –’ Saskia cried out as she rammed her foot on the brake.

  The van halted suddenly and Lottie jerked forward. The figure shone in the headlights, a wild mass of black hair flying around her head, teeth bared in a furious snarl.

  Ellie!

  Her dress was torn and she was standing barefoot and furious in the snow with a golf club that she swung violently, smashing one of the headlights as she screamed a vicious war cry into the air.

  She was terrifying.

  ‘WHAT DID YOU DO?’ Saskia screeched.

  Lottie jumped as Saskia grabbed her. She faltered, unable to answer.

  What the hell is Ellie doing?

  ‘I didn’t –’

  Her words were cut off as the driver’s-side window was smashed, shards of glass falling around them. She shrieked at the impact, and the biting whirlwind of cold that accompanied it.