The Queen tries to do her part, but mostly looks over my shoulder. She sometimes points something out for me, and that helps me along in my own train of thought. We make a pretty good, very odd, team.
Hours tick by and after having only two hours of sleep last night I feel the energy drain out of my system. The Queen also looks more dead than alive. It is well past dinnertime and my body starts to protest of exhaustion.
“We should stretch our legs for a minute,” I say, my voice tired.
“Mera, we really should continue.”
“Yes, I agree, but our minds are starting to lose focus. I promise we will think more clearly with a few minutes of rest.”
She replies by standing up and giving me a nod.
The Queen picks the rose garden. As we enter it becomes obvious why. It is the prettiest garden I have ever seen. The size and beauty of the flowers is almost too much to bare. Back in Springlake we had roses too, but they are small and dark. These are big and each petal is its own beauty. Touching one feels soft on my skin and I am amazed by the beautiful world we live in. I can't even imagine how the world would have looked if we did not have the Elite help us regrow. They really did do a wonderful job. Until the Elite decided they were better than us.
A bench comes in view and I nudge the Queen to come sit with me. She leans back and closes her eyes. I also lean back. We need a moment of nothingness. Her movements become slower and I look over again. She has fallen asleep and I lift the corner of my lip. Good, she needs it. She looks so peaceful, without a care in the world. If only that were true. With all that is going on now, any mother would have a hard time. But I also have the feeling that being married to the King is not easy on her. She seems like such a normal, loving woman. How did she end up with such a cruel husband?
I let her sleep for a while and close my own eyes for some much needed rest. When I wake the sun has fully set, it must be somewhere around midnight. The Queen’s head rests on my shoulder and I give her a few more minutes before waking her.
“Your Majesty, shall we go back in?” I say, nudging her softly.
She looks at me with exhausted eyes, but something changes in them when she remembers what is going on.
“Yes, please.”
We work through most of the night. By six in the morning we are both so terribly tired that we have to put down our work. I can no longer think clearly since I have only spend a few hours resting over the last two and a half days. So we take our loss and agree to meet up again once we have rested a little longer. We need to be clear minded if we want to find a clue.
I stumble to my bedchamber thinking I should probably first take off my riding clothes and take a shower. But by the time I get to my room undressing and taking a shower seems unnecessary. My bed looks too wonderful, and I am just too exhausted.
It has been a dreamless, six hours sleep, when I wake to Amber shuffling around in the room.
A moan escapes as I feel the burning sensation behind my eyes. Knives stab my eyelids as I try to open them. Forgetting to take my contacts out was stupid. So stupid.
“Ugh,” I breath rubbing my face.
Amber moves closer and hands me a little bottle with a pipette. Only being able to open my eyes the tiniest bit, I raise my eyebrow. What is she holding?
“For your eyes ma’am,” she says, “They must be killing you by now.”
“Have I told you I love you?”
I drip the drops in my eyes. They give immediate relief, turning my pout into a grin.
“You might love me even more when you see I have filled the bath for you,” she says, “even added your favorite oils.”
“Oh you are right, I thought it was love before, but now, now I know for sure,” I snicker.
“Amber?” I wait until she looks down at me again, “If I never find a man, will you just marry me?”
A wink followed by laughter fills the room.
The bath immediately helps my tense muscles relax. The oil smells amazing and it gives a calming effect. I smell lavender, but also citrus and cedar wood. She knows me well.
Sinking underwater I think about all the papers the Queen and I have been working on. It’s just not going to be enough. We have been at it for hours and still no breakthrough. But there is only so much we can do.
That’s it! I sit up straight.
“Amber?!”
It comes out more of a questioned yell than anything else and she comes in with great worry on her face.
“Yes ma’am?”
“Please check with Shanna’s mentor if they are able to give her some time off, maybe one or two days. Then please go check with your own supervisor if you can do the same. Tell both it is in order to help the Queen and her assistant.”
She nods hesitantly, unsure of my request, but then turns on her heels to do as she has been told.
We need more eyes, and these ladies are the only ones I truly trust. We can do this. I can do this.
I am Elite.
I knock before entering the Queen´s office. She usually does not mind me walking in, but since I bought two more ladies without her knowing I feel it is the right thing to do.
She sits behind her desk, her head leaning in one hand, the other holding a piece of paper. She looks utterly lost.
“Your Majesty, if you do not mind, I have brought some fresh eyes.”
Looking up she finds me standing next to a maid and another selected. She must think I am a silly girl. But the woman surprises me yet again when she stands and walks over to greet them. My friends pull in for a curtsy, but the Queen reaches out her hand instead.
“Thank you for wanting to help.” she says truly grateful.
It is a very odd sight, the Queen, her human assistant, a teacher and a human maid standing around a table filled with papers. We take a few minutes explaining what we have done so far and it does not surprise me to see both Amber and Shanna dive straight into the work.
We take turns looking over the same documents. Some might think it is overkill, but we all look for different clues and our minds process differently. I have seen it at the factory before. I had looked over documents with my boss only to discover completely different flaws than him. With both of our minds working together we were able to fix the problem and bring the factory to financial stability. We all have our own talents and we use them while picking through each and every piece of paper.
By the time dinner arrives, I spot the missing link. “I found something,” I almost yell at the Queen.
She looks up from her reading and jumps towards my desk. Amber and Shanna are almost just as quick.
“Look,” I say, “these are the phone numbers the Princesses called before flying back home.”
“Yes?” they all reply.
“Look again,” I say and point to one specific number. “Most of these numbers are their friends numbers, see, we connected them to these names.”
“Yes, and the others are from a local business at Parina Island, where they were staying?” Amber says back.
“Yes, I thought so too, but look. I did a little more digging and found a phone record that was thrown out. This specific one is from the palace. So that means they have talked to someone here only two days ago. Why would someone try to hide that call? You said you have not spoken to them in over a week, so who was it?”
The Queen's eyes widen while she takes in the number.
“Do you think we have a moll?” She says with a quiver in her voice.
“I do.”
“I have to speak to my husband,” she says as she checks the number one more time, “Amber, Shanna, thank you for all your help. I am afraid I won’t be able to ask you to come with us.” She nods at both ladies.
I understand why she can’t bring them. He would never take it seriously if we would show up with this group of women.
“Mera, as my interim assistant, you should come, will you please join me to show our findings?”
“Of course Your Majesty.”
We say our goodbyes. The Queen with a nod and a handshake and me with a hug. We then grab our findings and the Queen takes the lead towards her husband’s office. The selected are usually not supposed to come to his office unannounced. Walking in this corridor with the Queen makes me feel kind of giddy. We actually found a clue! And here I am, a mere human, coming to tell the King about it. The Queen starts our walk with a bounce of excitement, full of life and hope. The closer we get to the King’s office, the smaller the Queen becomes. She does not like coming here.
Why? What does she have to fear exactly?
I hear the King before I see him, Pure anger in his voice. Stories have warned me of this anger. But hearing it firsthand sends shivers down my spine. This is not a conversation I should hear. But there is no way out. The Queen notices my hesitation and gives my arm a little squeeze, telling me it is ok. She doesn't even notice it anymore. This must be her normal.
From the words I have just heard I do not expect the sight unfolding before me. The words had been so downgrading that he had to be speaking to a servant, not his own son. The King towers over Will, who sits in a chair next to a small desk. Everything in the King´s demeanor shows anger, and everything in Will’s demeanor shows he has been through this many times before.
Will told me about his disagreement with his father over the way he treats the humans. But who could have known it was this bad. My dislike of the King reaches a new found high. Anger rises in me. How dare he treat Will this way? My Will. I want to stop him. I want to hug Will. I want to tell the King to shut it. Instead I stand still.
Will looks up at me with embarrassment flushing his face. This conversation had definitely not been for my ears. I force myself to give him a little nod and a hint of a smile before facing his horrible father. I curtsy, but only because I know I have to. This man has given me no reason to actually respect him.
“William, Mera and I have been looking into some details,” she starts. She does not mention Amber and Shanna on purpose. No way the King is going to listen to her if he knows who have been helping us.
“Why would you, I am sure security and the police are more than capable of their job,” he says waving us off.
The Queen looks beaten and starts to slowly turn away. She has lost her backbone a long time ago when it involved her husband.
“But Sir,” I begin, immediately wishing I had kept silent.
His eyes drill into mine, he knows exactly who I am. He must be wondering why the hell he has not gotten rid of me yet and I know he is wondering what I am standing in his office for. He will get rid of me for entering his office without being summoned, so I have nothing to lose. Might as well speak up.
“Sir,” I begin again, this time putting every bit of confidence into my voice and the way I stand. “The Queen and I believe the palace has a moll, in the security department, to be exact.”
His face reads mine, and even though I am terrified I keep my eyes on his. He has to listen to us. The smallest hint of wonder forms in his eyes and he gives a nod I almost miss. I take it as a sign to go on.
“The Princesses would not come home without anyone knowing. So they must have wanted to inform the palace. They called and told someone at security. He must have sent a limo to pick them up. He must have tried to delete the phone number. I am sure this person is the moll.” I point at our papers while explaining what we have found.
The King’s glare shoot daggers at me. I wait for his yell. I wait for the outburst. After all the anger he has just unleashed on his own son, he will not find it hard to take it out on me next. He is aware of the fact that I am a human, it is frightening to think of what he will do to me.
Before he can speak his son stands up and checks our evidence.
“Father, this would mean..” he looks up pleading with his father. Begging him to understand what this means. I feel a hint of pride. He is standing up to his father for me.
“Yes,” the King replies. Then he looks at me, “get out, now.”
This time I do exactly what has been asked of me. Leaving the King, the Queen and their handsome son behind. I have done my part. This is it. This moment will either make the King change his mind about humans, or it will get me killed.
I make my way to my room, not sure of what else I can do, and a bath would really be nice. Entering the room Amber stands waiting for me, making me wonder if she is a mind reader. She turns to draw me a hot bath. That solves it, she really is a mind reader.
We do not speak. She does not ask me about the King. She knows my mind is too overworked. Instead her soothing hands help me undress.
I step into the wonderfully hot and fragrant water. I smell lavender and roses, soft music playing in the background. I close my eyes and sink my head into the water. For a moment I lay there, letting the heat swallow me. While releasing the air bubble out of my mouth I focus on the pain rising as my body starts to scream for air. My lungs fill with air as I pull my head out of the warmth. I do this a few times before finding the calmness my body needs. I try to relax and allow whatever will happen next, to happen. Whatever punishment is waiting for me, let it come.
A knock on the bathroom door wakes me.
“Miss, you have a visitor,” Amber speaks softly.
“Uh, Ok, give me a moment I will come out,” I reply startled. The water is not completely cold, so I could not have slept for too long, but still the sleep makes me groggy.
I hoist myself out of the tub and dry off a little before putting on a bathrobe. I almost forget to put my contacts in but manage them quickly. Then I make my way into my bedroom.
“Will,” I breath when I see him standing there. He is still in his clothing he had on this morning and he looks a mess, but still I receive a small smile. I am way too aware of my lack of clothing and flush scarlet.
Will turns to Amber, who is trying not to stare at the Prince and gives her a small nod. She gets the hint and turns to leave out the door.
“Erm, mind if I put on a little more than this?” I say.
He breaks eye contact, as he looks further down he flushes. He clears his throat before speaking. “Hm, yes that might be a smart thing to do.”
The way he says it makes my heart leap. “I’ll only be a minute.”
“I’ll be waiting, not thinking about you, ehh, dressing yourself.” He turns away but I can see the smirk on his face. Even though he is a prince, he is still a guy. Funny how they seem to lose focus when a woman without much clothing walks by.
Once I exit the bathroom his hands reach out to mine and he pulls in for a hug before sinking unto the sofa. I sit down to, legs up, angling my body towards him.
“Mera,“ he begins.
I want to answer but he takes my head and presses his lips on mine. You cannot really call it a kiss. It is more an act of desperation. His lips press firmly on mine. Crushing them on me. He has been trying to keep himself together. The always calm exterior cracks a little as he holds me. I can feel the emotions behind his touch, the pain. His eyes are pressed tightly closed. Not sure of what to do I brush my hand over his cheek, softly, comforting. The touch seems to loosen his tension. Slowly his lips leave mine. Only to linger a few millimeters from my face.
“Sorry, I just..” he stammers, “I am so glad you are ok. I am sorry about my father. I missed you and, and thank you.” It comes out as a rambling whisper.
I lean in to leave a small kiss on his lips. “What do you mean?”
“Well, while we were in lockdown all I could think about was you,” he says, blushing. He pushes a small kiss on my lips. And, your search for my sisters has brought out a new lead and they are currently following up on it,” he continues.
“Me too,” I confess, kissing him back, “and I thought your father dismissed my lead?”
“Oh no, he just can’t help admitting to other people they did a good job. Especially when that person is not only here as a selected, but is also right about a moll. Your theory means he has allowed someone with
bad intentions close to him and that makes him feel weak.”
“Oh.” Now I am definitely going to be kicked out during the next cut. Or maybe worse. I look into his eyes, his beautiful red eyes, sadness creeps up in me. I don’t want to say goodbye to him. I can’t, not with all these fireworks roaming within me.
“But once you left he looked over the intel again and asked the head of security to look into this further. They found out a human rebel has somehow gotten a job in security, pretending to be an Elite. He took my sisters’ call and then made that call.. disappear.” He sighs, his hands find mine and he pulls me in further.
“I am glad to have been of assistance, that is my job, of course,” I try to sound light. Inside I die a little. This twist of events must make the King hate us humans even more than he already had. I want to tell Will so bad. This happiness will come to an end soon. Our time is only limited. Why can’t I control my heart? We should be saying our goodbyes. He should know the truth, this is only going to hurt us both. Sitting here with him makes me want him to care for me more than ever. I want him to hold me, to tell me that it is ok that I am a human.
The emotional rollercoaster will soon get the better of me. Soon it will make me crack. The thought of my parents safety makes me snap out of it. I cannot tell him and breaking down is not an option. I need to keep them safe.
“Have they.. uhm.. been found yet?”
I try to push away the King´s hatred and focus on the handsome boy in front of me. He will one day be king and he will make a difference. I hope.
“Not yet, but Frank, the guy who took the call is being interrogated as we speak,” he says.
“So we wait?”
“Yes, we wait,” he says pulling me into his arms.
Chapter 10
My pillow feels strange. The usual soft and fluffiness now feels hard and rocky. My back is sore. The mattress is hard, harder than my mattress back home. I should feel more scared by my weird surroundings, but something keeps me calm. Someone. Opening my eyes I notice my bed, untouched.
I move my head a little to look up and a smile crosses my lips. The strange pillow underneath my head are actually his legs. He is still fast asleep, looking so calm and collected sitting there. I watch his head move up and down from the small breathing, his lips separated a little and his eyes firmly shut. It truly is the cutest sight. If only I could wake up close to him every day.
I Am Elite (A Colors novel Book 1) Page 10