Daffodils and Hyacinths (3rd book in the Forgotten Truths series)

18. PRINCE CHARMING (1/2)

  I feel like I'm in the flower-people's village. Tonight is so perfect. I cannot imagine anything going wrong.

  My feet glide me back to the garden Bean and I have always met at, and tended to. It is no wonder that here, the flowers spring up so much taller than the others. They have such wonderful people to tend to them.

  As I reach the area, Bean suddenly springs up from behind the flowers, "Hebe! You made it," He grins at me, and sends my heart in spirals.

  I smile back, and brush off a bit of dirt off of his forehead, "Of course I'm here. Wait, how long were you waiting there?"

  "Uhm," He looks down at his feet, and I start laughing. I make sure to not get too loud, so we won't get caught. "I wanted to get here early in case you came earlier, to surprise you,"

  "Awwe, Bean, that's too sweet," I murmur. Sure, "Bean" is a weird name, but Bean really fits "Bean."

  He smiles at me again, before taking my hand, and glancing back at the house. He pulls me along down the path. We are moving so fast, that I have to place a hand on my wig to keep it from flying off.

  "Where are we going?" I call.

  He doesn't answer for a bit, before responding, "I wanted to bring you somewhere special,"

  I have never been this far from the house. The forest here is glowing from the light rain earlier, added with the moon in its full form. Flowers and vines seem to spring out from every branch. A few night birds sing soft songs, with an owl cooing every now and then.

  Then, we come to a large lake. There is a second moon reflecting in its soft waters. Every star in the sky is sprinkled on down here. I catch a few fish playing below, in their own little world.

For a moment, I wonder if the flower-people really did make this place. It's so perfect, and beautiful. I know they are not real, but that adds to it. This place cannot be real.

  "Do you like it?" He whispers, we are barely inches away from touching.

  I nod, "Of course.. It's perfect,"

  Bean bends down, and plucks one of the flowers beside the path. It is a pretty yellow, matching my eyes.

  "Perfect, just like you," He murmurs as he places it in my hair.

  We go quiet, as we slowly lean closer to one another. I know this is a mistake. I know this is wrong. I know the consequences that will come with this.

  Can't the world just give me a break? At least for one night. I want to enjoy tonight, before anything horrible can happen.

We are about to do something I know I will not regret, when I feel something slips itself off.

  'Shit.' I hiss to myself. I don't dare to look down, where I feel something hairy by my feet.

  I do, though. We both take a step back, and do. There it is. Those many strands of blonde knit together to hide my true, impure hair.

  I pick it up, and just stare at it. Why, world. Why?

  I slip off the cap holding the rest of my hair. Bean is being awful quiet right now. I swear I can hear, what did he call them? Oh, yes, the gods. I hear those people laughing real hard right now.

  My hair, my real hair, this time, swishes down my back. I hadn't realized how long it had gotten. I look up at Bean. He's just watching me.

  "I'm so sorry," I mumble.

  He gets out of his trance, and quickly shakes his head, "What do you mean, 'sorry'? You should never be ashamed of yourself. Why did you hide your hair?"

  I look at my dress, and think of Mom. I have always looked up to her, but maybe she isn't as glorious as I imagined her to be.

  "My mom had me wearing it," I mumble, and remind myself of the second smallest number I know: 8. "Ever since I was eight,"

  "Oh.. huh." He says, and then looks down at my hands at where I hold my wig and cap. Then Bean takes my other hand, "Doesn't matter. Have you ever been on a boat?"

I feel more comfortable with the topic being changed. I shake my head, and Bean gasps.

  "Now that is a crime!" He laughs, and then takes me over to a carved hunk of wood. Somehow, it is able to float on the water.

  I give it the word I just learned, "boat." He quickly unties a rope which holds the boat to land. Then he helps me inside.

  "Ack!" I yelp as water splashes onto me. Again, Bean laughs.

  Once I am safely inside the vessel, he gets in too. The boat rocks a little from both of our weight. Bean then pushes us off into the water.

  I find myself clutching my wig and the side of the boat for dear life. I am truly terrified to fall in. The water is clear, and I can see the little fish doing fish-stuff in the water. I know they are slimy. I do not want to be slimy.

  He gently pads us through the serene water. Small waves are made from his ores. This, too, is like an art. The way Bean paints little ripples across the lake, is similar to how Clover would paint intricate designs on just hair.

  "Hebe," Bean says after we are a good ways down the lake.

  "Hm?" I turn away from where I watch the water.

  "Listen, I want to tell you something." He begins, "Not only because you are a... well, what we are called, 'dirty-coats', I'm telling this because I love you and I want the best world for us,"

  He has my full attention, "We are planning a rebellion. We are going to make every last one of those white-coats pay for what they make us do." Bean takes my hands again, and looks ecstatic about this all, "Hebe, imagine, a world with just us. With every one of those filthy white-coats dead!"

  I pull my hands away, and Bean looks confused. "Is this not what you want, too?"

  I sigh, "Bean, I love you too," — I am surprised on how I finally got the guts to say that — "but.. as you said before, we aren't defined by whether we are white-coat or dirty-coat. There are good white-coats. I know them, and so do you,"

"After all, I once was a white-coat to you, too."

  He just gives me a smile, "I suppose—"

  "—Good." I cut him off and kiss him.

——
A/N: Taken from the book, "The Society"