Hopeful (My Sequel to Heartless) Unfinished

Chapter 24 - Explanations

"Not a big deal? Not a big deal Callum?!" She all but screamed at her son as they walked through the gardens. 

It had been a week since the Jabberwock incident, a long week filled with meetings to discuss repairs and attending funerals for those lost in the attack. It was during those funerals that Cath wished she hadn't been growing another heart. Every time she saw a wet and splotchy face, she hurt. A lot. She knew it was nothing compared to the people around her, but she couldn't stop the tears and pain that came after the events. 

She wished things were different. She knew that the Jabberwock attack was not her fault, that it was just an escape plan, but it still didn't dismiss the fact that it was terrible and wrong in every way. 

Yet the only thing left to do was move forward and pray everything went right in the next phase of their plan.

The garden was a complete mess; dirt covered the sidewalks and weeds grew between the cracks. Apparently, the new gardeners weren't doing a good job of keeping the place in perfect condition, but the queen didn't care about that. Her focus was directed to the single apple tree that grew in the center of the garden where dozens of black apples grew.

The queen was not happy about this.

Apparently, the apples are supposed to grow in the pearliest shade of white and sparkle as the sun reflected on them, but at some point during the night, a mercenary had come through and painted them with the thickest, tarriest shade of black. 

As soon as Chrystal caught sight of the fruit, she went on a rampage while Callum had tried to steer her focus away.

It was a failed attempt, of course, because once the queen saw something she didn't like, she informed the whole world of how unhappy she was.

Callum was currently trying to calm her while Cath began poking around the garden.

She traveled along the path as she began to think of her friends. Had they made it back? If so, what were they doing at the moment? Did Jest miss her as much as she missed him? She couldn't stop thinking about them, but there were 3 other people she couldn't get her mind off of; her former husband and 2 children.

The more her heart grew, the more she missed her kids. She hoped it wouldn't be weird now that she was, physically, only a few years older than them, but in her head, she was still a 28-year-old mother and queen. She could now say she loved her children and felt absolutely dreadful that she had left them. She was a terrible mother and she knew it, and she couldn't wait to scoop them up and tell them how much she missed them and how much they meant to her. Part of her knew Jest would love them too, it was just sort of an instinct she had. She could see Sunday picnics with them, baking time in the kitchen as she tried to keep Diamond from eating the raw dough because she had always been the hungry one. She hoped that when she got back, she could prove herself worthy enough to hear them speak.

Just once.

She stopped in her tracks as she arrived at a patch of roses, all of them bright pink except for the one right in the center because it was a bright shade of white. 

She smiled and leaned down before picking it and fingering the velvety petals. It made her think of Jest, and for the first time in a long time, the sight of a white rose didn't make her want to die. If anything, it made the idea of living so much sweeter.

"Mother would be absolutely furious if she saw you with that."

Cath whirled around and saw a rigid Callum standing behind her. She lifted her chin, "I suppose that would be a problem if I cared what your mother thought." She said absently as if talking about the weather. The prince didn't even blink before nudging his head toward the direction he came from, "Come. I'm supposed to show you the tulips." He said giving no indication of who gave him this order. She hesitated before following behind him leaving a large gap between them.