The Candidate ✓ (Book Two)

Chapter Nineteen

Aileen.

Amber Garland.

  Minister Garland- though not dead yet, he might as well be. He hasn't been right in the head since the day he saw his son beheaded.

  And now- Joseph. Every single person who tries to help me dies. Aileen wasn't perfect- sure she was traumatized, but after hearing that she left her child in that place out of desperation so she could escape- I was disgusted. I didn't have any right to be- at that point she was dead and she'd played a huge part in getting me out of that place- which just proves how much better than me she still is. Amber- I don't even want to think about what happened to him.

  I stand- frozen for a second, the phone still up to my ear. He can't be gone too- no. There must be some misunderstanding but he has to be alive. "Lauren? Lauren he's gone-" Ali chokes on his own tears.

  I try to compose myself- one of us has to stay calm. Kyle's standing beside me now, able to tell somethings wrong. "Ali..what happened?" I try to keep my voice steady but it cracks.

"I don't- I don't know we were just sleeping and one of our guards burst in and shot him oh god there's so much blood.." I hear commotion on the other end- people trying to get him away from the body, probably. "How am I gonna tell my children- even the oldest loved him like a second dad- Mina, who's telling her?" Ali starts hyperventilating.

My heart drops into my stomach. Mina's been through enough in her life- with the abrupt culture shock and being pulled away from the only family she'd ever known at just five years old. I don't want to be in the room when she finds out- but I'll have to be.

"Ali-" I try to say calmly. "Are there any media representatives or reporters staying in the castle at the moment?"

"Tell Ella to make Mina come home- now." I mouth to Kyle.

"I d- I don't think so but fuck this place has over a hundred guest rooms that are constantly filled!"

"Okay- Ali, I'll tell her, can you hand the phone to an aide?" There's a moment of partial silence on the other end- background noise from the chaos.

"Yes, Ms.Wells?" A female answers.

"Is there a protocol in place for the last member of the royal family dying?"

"Sort of." She sighs. "A few years ago- Joseph and the prime minister added an amendment section that stated 'If the current crowned king or prince dies- and the remaining members do not wish to accept their seat, the partner of the crowned ruler shall take his or her place."

I feel sick for a second. They knew something like this would happen eventually. They had to plan a section of their constitution around the high likelihood of his death. Ali's not in any place- mentally at least, to handle the abrupt transition right now. "Okay... thank you." I hang up before I start crying, since apparently that's not allowed- with the hell they put David through after his mother's death.

  Kyle doesn't even have to ask- he figured it out the second I asked him to get Mina home. Slowly- we walk back downstairs and sit at the bottom step to wait on her.

I almost hyperventilate myself when I hear the cars pull into our driveway. The fingerprint scanner beeps  and I realize I have no plan as to what I'm going to say.

"Hey sweetie, your only living brother's kinda dead." No- I try to picture myself saying those words, and tears threaten to well up in my eyes.

Kyle squeezes my hand as the door swings open.

The only time I've felt something remotely close was in the moments right after Isabelle's death. Noises escaped my mouth that I didn't think a human could make, and I finally snapped.