Loving Rain (Watty Awards 2011)

Chapter 16 - The Book

               I giggled (Again. This was crazy.) and looked over at Gunter, who was shaking his head. “He’s actually not really kidding. Cian gets the first seat, because he’s the successor. Then there’s usually me. Then Melvin, Cian’s future advisor, then Lynn, my future advisor. Then there’s other friends and family.”

               Gunter usually sat next to Cian? So I had definitely been in the wrong place at dinner last night. I had been sitting in the seat of a Prince! “Well, I’m sorry that I took over your spot last night,” I told him. “I’ll make sure I sit at the end this time.”

               Lynn and Gunter exchanged glances, and then they both laughed. “Nope, I’m pretty sure you’ll continue to sit where you are,” Lynn said when he could finally breathe again.

               “What do you mean?” I asked, but they both ignored me and eventually Gunter continued the tour. I was shown to the servants’ quarters (in case I ever needed anything), the ballroom, the kitchen, several rooms just for relaxing or conversing with any other guests (not something I was ever planning on doing. The less I was around people, the better.), the five long hallways made up entirely of bedrooms for all the royal family (except for the princes and the king and queen, which apparently had their own hallway), and finally Gunter led me to a set of large wooden doors that were lined with golden edging.

               “This is one of my favorite rooms,” he said, and I could detect the smile in his voice. He pushed the doors open and I found myself inside a library even bigger than Alan’s had been.

               The room itself was huge, but there were shelves from floor to ceiling on every single wall. There was only room for one medium-sized window seat at the opposite end of the room, and then the doors. There didn’t seem to be room for one more book. A few desks were sitting in the middle of the room, and soft-looking rugs littered the rest of the floor. I must have expressed some noise of excitement, because Gunter turned to me and simply said, “Yeah, I know.”

               I found myself walking over to one of the shelves and rubbing my fingers across the binding of several books. Some of them were old and close to falling apart, and others were new and smooth. I realized that I was holding my breath.

               Gunter walked over to where I was standing and pulled a book out. It had a green cover. He flipped through a few pages, skimmed over one page in particular, and then handed the book to me. “Here,” he told me. “Take it, and read it. I think it’d be something that you’d enjoy.”

               I eyed him carefully, but still grabbed the book from his hands. Just like in the tower, I would let reading be my escape from this place. At least until I left, which I hoped would be soon. “What is that supposed to mean? ‘Something you’d enjoy?’”

               “You just seem like the kind of person that would enjoy a good book. Especially one like that.”

               I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just hugged the book to my chest and looked around again.

               “Rain, can I ask you a question?”

               “Uhm, sure,” was all that I could manage to squeeze out. My heart stopped and I’m fairly certain that my breathing slowed. But I didn’t want to look like I was keeping secrets from the family nice enough to take me in.

               “Why are you here? And what are you running from?”

               “Those are two questions,” I said, hiding the truth. “You only asked for one.” I was trying to say it in a teasing manner, but instead I was afraid that I just sounded nervous.

               “Well, yes, but…”

               At that exact moment, Lynn showed up at the doors. “I hate to interrupt, Gunter, but your parents need to see you. Now.” Lynn wouldn’t look at me, and then I grew even more subconscious and nervous. He had been perfectly friendly just a minute ago. What could have happened in such a short amount of time?

               Oh no, please tell me it doesn’t have anything to do with Alan. Please, please, please.

               Gunter looked at me for a few seconds longer, as if debating whether or not to stick around for the answer to his question. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he turned and headed out. “I’m sorry that I have to leave you here, Rain. But I think you can find your way back to your room.”

               “Of course,” I said, a little too quickly. I kicked myself as soon as I said it, sure he would detect the eagerness to be left alone in my voice.

               He turned around one last time before he left, and looked straight into my eyes when he said, “We’ll talk later.”

               I knew what he meant. I mean, how could I not know what he meant? Somehow, I had to come up with some kind of answer to his question before he forced one out of me, and he was telling me that he wasn’t going to drop it. “Of course,” I said again, and he nodded as if he knew that I knew his words’ hidden meaning. Then he was gone.

               I slid down into the floor and sat in silence for several minutes. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I needed to do it soon. I knew Alan, and I knew that he wouldn’t have given up searching for me. Even if Lynn’s strange change in behavior didn’t have anything to do with Alan, this whole situation was risky. He still had several months before he turned eighteen and the curse was locked forever. And besides, my hope was that he thought I would be kidnapped. He was probably out scouring every corner of the globe for me. I couldn’t be that far away from him here, because I had only been on horseback and then on foot. How long would it be before he eventually found me just sitting, waiting in another castle?

               So did I risk telling the truth, and see if Gunter and his family would protect me? Or did I lie, and hope that Alan didn’t come searching for me here? Or, the biggest decision of all, should I stay here, or should I leave and stay on the move? If I kept going, nobody would have to know the truth, and Alan might have less of a chance of finding me.

               I also had to ask myself if I really wanted to hide from Alan, or if I was secretly hoping that he cared enough about me to come find me.