They Were Expecting A Lady, Instead They Met Me (Part II)

Chapter Twenty Six

26. The Cold Christmas

 

When I awoke there were two people in the room waiting for me. One was Tayla, who was cuddled up to my side and fast asleep. The other was an unfamiliar man leaning against the wall. His hair was the colour of the moon and his eyes matched. There was also something strange about his face that called out to me.

            It took me a second to realize that it was because we looked the same. He had the same nose as me, as well as the overall face in general. His built was also slight, but dangerous and sly like a panther. Even the way he leant against the wall behind him was graceful. In a way he reminded me of a dagger.

            I took a moment to close my tired eyes, and when the opened again he was gone. Maybe I’d just imagined the whole thing?

            “Sissy…” Tayla whispered. I looked down to see her rubbing her dark eyes, her small lips pouting outwards. “You’re awake.”

            “I am,” I replied softly, pulling her closer. For some reason I felt like it was us against the world. I could tell that we were back in the castle, but if we were then where was Christopher? Or the king? There was a strange aura of unwelcomeness coming from the stone walls. I felt a shiver race down my spine.

            Something had changed.

            There was a quiet knock on the door before a maid entered timidly. She placed a tray of food down, glanced at me once, and then hurried out like I had the plague. I frowned. Usually the staff and servants here were ridiculously social.

            Tayla shifted out of the bed from next to me and excitedly ran over a trunk at the edge of the room. She pulled out a big leather bound book and carried it wobbly to me.

            “Look,” she said proudly, “this is my portfolio from school!”

            “Wow!” I cried, faking amazement as I looked through it. “This is so good Tayla! You’re so smart!”

            I wasn’t even kidding. She’d gotten pretty good marks for a six year old. The school scored a ‘1’ as an ‘A’ and a ‘5’ as an ‘F’, and Tayla had only gotten ‘1s’ and ‘2s’. TO say I was proud was an understatement.

            “Did you make any friends in your class?” I asked her as I continued looking through her drawings. It was there that I knew she had amazing talent- art, I mean. She was almost like a prodigy when it came to painting and drawing. I would have to arrange private lessons when she grew a little older.

            “Yeah, lots! Except for Leo. I hate him!” She crossed her arms and pouted at me. “One time he pulled my favorite ribbon from my hair and he wouldn’t give it back! He still has it! Or maybe he threw it in the bin…”

            I watched, trying to keep in my amused smile, as tears filled her eyes.

            “It’s not fair! He’s really nice to everyone else, and he loves Aqua! He even asked her out on a date! Why isn’t he nice to me? Neh, Sissy?”

            “Well,” I began, pulling her into my arms, “sometimes boys do that sort of stuff because truthfully, you’re the person he wants to be the nicest to.”

            “That doesn’t make sense, Sissy. Did Christopher act that way when you first met him? Did he steal your pretty pink ribbon?”