Hopeful (My Sequel to Heartless) Unfinished

Chapter 27 - More Romantic Encounters

Jest couldn't figure out what the other 2 keys unlocked for the life of him. He tried every door in the palace within the past 2 weeks and felt incredibly dejected. The only bright side was that Penelope was well enough to walk with crutches which was some improvement.

Apparently, turning into a Jabberwock does a lot of damage to one's body.

After he had found the diary, he decided to take his time reading it because it was almost utter nonsense. The last page only held one small paragraph,

Windows, so many windows. so many woes as we witness the saddest things in life. My old love, the cause of both all my joy and hatred, look to the sky and read the patterns. Look through the windows when the sun had begun to set into the night sky. Look for the answer in the patterns.

He was baffled. It must have meant something to Cath, and he would ask her about it when they reunited.

And it would be soon. He would make sure of it.

He couldn't wait until this was over. He wanted nothing more than just some time with Cath and to enjoy each other's presence. He wanted to help her through all the things she regretted. Help her fix the things he knew haunted her.

But he knew none of this could happen anytime soon. There was still so much to do.

As he sat in his chamber re-reading the diary, he heard footsteps approach his door. A brisk knock sounded through the room and Jest put the diary down to answer it.

Hatta promptly walked in after he opened the door and placed himself on Jest's bed. "So, what's next?" Hatta asked kicking his legs back and forth. Jest smiled to himself. He had missed his friend. He walked over and sat next to Hatta. "Well," he replied, "We need to find Cath's heart."

Hatta frowned, "Why? She has a new heart, why can't we just use that?" He asked. 

Jest's faced Hatta and ran a hand through his hair, "That heart has a large price on it and could be used for who knows what. The fact that someone like your mother has it means it can't be good. Our best option is to find the original one. Besides, I will never try to take any more hearts from Cath." He answered fiercely. Hatta put his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "All right, all right, how do we find my mother?" He asked.

Jest sighed, "I don't know, but I'm hoping the keys the girls gave me will help find the answer." 

Hatta's face stretched into an enormous grin. "Ooooh! A game! How fun! Let's get started."

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Cath was incredibly full from the food samples that she tried with Callum and Chrystal for the wedding reception. They had decided on a brown sugar glazed chicken with a side of spiced asparagus, peppered potatoes, and for dessert, a different array of cakes. She would have to reschedule her dress fitting for tomorrow, she didn't think she could fit in her dress.

That would leave only one more thing on her schedule; a public date with Callum.

She hadn't spoken to him since that day in the garden over a week ago. In fact, the food tasting had been the first time she'd seen him since.

She made her way down the hall to her room where she would change into the dress that the Duke of Snow had given her at the engagement ball. It was one of the few presents that had survived Penelope's rampage.

The skirt of the dress had been made of snowflakes the size of her face, each one having a different pattern, but the bodice was just plain white. It was a strapless little thing that stopped just above her knee, and she was unhappy about how short it was but carried on doing her hair.