Agents swarmed the ship, searching the deck and every level below to check for any hidden trouble. Alec was trouble, so he sort of hid behind me the entire time, clutching my shoulders as agents clad in shadows climbed aboard, aiming their guns in front of them.
"Chicken," I muttered.Jasper laughed at that, but it quickly turned into a hacking cough. I became alarmed--was Jasper sick? It was actually really cold, but thanks to my jacket, I was warm enough to pass the time by. Jasper was wearing only a thin gray t-shirt, and his pants seemed a bit too wet.
I reached out and pulled him against me. Yeah, he was soaking wet alright. I didn't know how--hadn't they used a boat to bring him up top? Unless Alec's henchmen sucked so much that they actually dropped my little brother into the ocean.
Jasper began coughing heavily into my shirt. That grabbed the attention of an agent walking nearby. I opened my mouth to ask for help for Jasper when I saw who it was.
"Who's that?" Alec asked in my ear as the agent approached us.
The agent had damp brown hair, sticking to his cheeks like brown glue. He ran his gloved fingers through his hair and it stuck up like a hedgehog's back. His hawklike eyes, a normally bright, bored butterscotch color was now a burning gold, as if someone had taken a dragon's treasure and set it on fire.
He stopped right in front of us, his pale face looking even more deadly than the last time I had seen him. It took me back to our years at Cross Academy, whenever we'd literally walk right into each other, and he'd glare at me like I was the most disgusting piece of vermin to have ever existed.
His black jacket was dripping water, and I saw that a puddle of water was forming around his black sneakers. Okay, seriously, where were the boats? Did XYZ agents not know such a thing existed? You're telling me that these super-smart agents rushed to Laguna Bay and not think to bring a few boats along?
Several more agents showed up behind Cross, putting down their guns as they realized it was just us. They did, however, shoot dark glances towards my lovely friend, Alec, but they stayed silent. Only then did I realize that Logan was the captain of the squad.
Uh-oh.
"Who's he?" Cross asked, his tone cold and relentless. He didn't even address me and I got terrifying chills creep down my spine. This boy would be the perfect villain. I keep meaning to tell him that, but I just keep forgetting.
Once I thought about it, if I told him he was evil, he'd probably kill me.
Jasper stuttered at first, not used to seeing the dark side of Logan Cross. I had to nudge him strongly in order for him to actually blink. It was a little while before he even opened his mouth to start the first syllable.
"Alec," Jasper muttered.
"Alec who?"
"Alec Darkwood," Alec answered, instead of Jasper. My little brother sighed in relief, happy that the pressure of being interrogated by the master villain of all time.
"Oh, look, it's Six!" Jasper cried all of a sudden, flashing both Alec and I an encouraging yet backstabbing smile before scurrying off to the older agent. Tha-that traitor!
"I wasn't talking to you, Alec," Cross sneered. "You may speak when addressed."
"I'll speak if the conversation involves me," Alec snorted. "I don't need your permission, Mother."
I stifled a chuckle, and shot him an approving look. This guy is like, my male bias. Alec smirked as Cross' glare became even more pointed. An icy monster had seem to taken ahold of Logan's heart as he continued his stare-down with Alec.
I knew very well about the amount of pride Cross had, and Darkwood seemed like the most second most stubborn person in the world (right after me, obviously). I stepped in before they started throwing some unnecessary punches.
"Ladies, ladies," I sighed, quickly stepping in between the both of them, "you're both very pretty."
"Shut up, Sparrow," the two of them snarled. Wow, I'm stuck between two nefarious robots. It seemed like the perfect sign for me to get the heck out of here before Cross started paying full attention to me.
Since their alpha wolf glowering began to return, I slowly tiptoed backwards, my mind set on finding an agent that could save me from my impending doom. I'll even settle for Six in this scenario--desperate times call for desperate measures.
On an unexpected note, something cold and wet wrapped itself around my wrist and roughly yanked me backwards; hard enough that I fell, right into someone's soggy black jacket. "Take Darkwood to the palace. I will personally escort the princess back home."
I gulped. Alec sent me an apprehensive glance as two agents seized his shoulders and marched him to the ledge, sending him down a newly tied ladder that other agents had recently created. I managed to give him a tight, grim smile before my newly found friend's head disappeared down the ledge.
A hand gripped my shoulder with an unbelievable strength that I actually winced. Yes, Park Sparrow actually felt pain inflicted by another human being. I know, I know, it's very strange. What if Logan wasn't actually human? What if he was a werewolf with werewolf-y strengths and now that he was angry, he couldn't conceal all that power anymore?
"Come on, princess," Logan said indifferently, dragging me away from the scene. He practically pushed me over the edge. The steps were wet and slippery, and at one point I lost my footing. I fell, and on instinct, my hand snatched out and grabbed onto a step.
The cut that had I had gained myself earlier sent intolerable spasms of pain up and down my arm. A cry escaped my lips--more like an inappropriate curse word.
"Dammit, Park!" Logan snapped as he reached out a hand. I stretched as much as I could, seriously, I did. But right as our fingertips touched, the pain became too much to bear and my arm acted on its own, letting go of the ladder and splashing into the water below.
As fast as I could, I fought the waves and pushed myself upwards. There was saltwater everywhere in my mouth. Oh, wait, not just my mouth--it was in my dang eyes as well. So that meant I couldn't say another wave crash over me, forcing me down under.
Oh, crap--I hadn't realized that I wasn't in shallow water either. The water had forced me farther away from the shore and more into the open. I was going to die, wasn't I?
Staying afloat had become incredibly difficult all of a sudden. The water kept on tossing me around, violent and unrelenting. Not to mention it was night time, and my eyes were having trouble adjusting to both the pitch darkness of water and the sky around me, having lost my night vision.
Just as my arms were morphing into solid blocks of lead, someone's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me away from the battle of tidal waves. I didn't even have to look up to know who it was. His identity was plain in his urgency, his uncontrollable fear at letting me go.
We stood up out of the water finally. Well, Logan did. The moment I tried standing up, my legs transformed into mounds of gelatin and I collapsed. Oops. If I was this uncoordinated when I washed up out of the ocean, I couldn't wait to meet myself when I was drunk.
Logan caught me in a flash. He carried me, bridal-style, to the farthest part of the shore, where the sand met the wall of rocks that led to the cliffs up above. I hated being carried, and began wriggling like a fish on dry land.
"Logan!" I protested. "Let me down; I don't need your help!"
Surprisingly, he let me go, and I fell onto the rough sand. That was unexpected and totally uncalled for. Instantly, I was on my feet, prepared to fight with him when he turned around, the most betrayed expression on his face.
"That's right," he laughed darkly, "you don't need my help. You don't need anyone's help. You don't seem to care about who offers you help because you're just so dense!"
Okay, now this was unexpected.
"I do care!" I argued back.
"Really?" he snapped. "Then why didn't you stay at the palace? Why didn't you listen to me and take care of yourself?" He surged forwards and gripped my chin in his fingers. "Do you not feel those bruises? Those cuts on your face? Is that what you call taking care of yourself?"
"Yes, actually! It's not your business of what I choose to do, Cross!"
"Oh, just shut up!" he groaned, stepping away from me. "This is what I mean: you don't care! Did you even stop to think of what kind of situation you would put your entire family through if you didn't survive this? What you would put your kingdom through? What you would put me through?"
Guilt washed through me. Yes, I had thought of that. But thoughts of my brother went through. No, not just brother. Brothers. Archer would've done the same thing if he was in my place. Before he left, he made me promise that I would keep this family safe no matter what. Archer had been prepared to do it; there was a reason why he joined Order of the Dragons. It was to protect us, even if it meant death. And that applied to me as well.
"No, I don't think," I snarled. "I act. For your information, if it wasn't for me, you gys wouldn't have found Jasper. I know what I'm doing, and I know about the punishment for it. So leave me alone, Cross! Why do you care so much if I got hurt?"
"Because I'm your bodyguard!" he half laughed, half shouted. "That's what I'm supposed to do!"
"No, as a bodyguard, you're supposed to keep protected as you guard me from harm. If I'm already in trouble, it's your job to fight off the trouble. It's not your job to shout at me about what I'm supposed to think! Tell the truth, Logan," and I paused, breathing unevenly. Shouting was taking up all my energy. "Why are you angry about this?"
"Fine," he retorted, and the bitterness in his voice slapped me hard. So much that I took a tentative step back, not believing the venom I was hearing.
"It's because I care too much. It's because I don't want to see you get hurt. It's because I like you, alright? There, I said it. I like you."
It was as if someone had taken a blow to my stomach, and then my lungs, and then fed me this type of poison that turned me into a human statue. I couldn't breathe. An indescribable feeling pooled everywhere in my stomach. A fluttery, light sensation that reminded me of the butterflies in the spring.
Don't even get me started on my heartbeat.
"Wha...what did you just say?"
He made a noise, a sound that explained that he was incredibly frustrated, annoyed, and also on the verge of jumping off that cliff above us. "I. Like. You. The most irritating thing on this earth is that I like this girl who is always constantly moments away from death, or a bullet to the heart, or a knife to the throat, but she won't even let me do one single thing to protect her."
Behind me, an agent was shouting at us as they passed the dock, beckoning us to come closer to the water so we could hop on board and head back to a more secure place. We didn't pay much attention to it.
"Logan, I..."
"I'm not asking for an answer," he shot. "I'm just begging that you start thinking about others for once."
* * *
"So let me get this straight," my mother sighed, her face in her hands, "you called Zen, asked him to hack into my phone and trace the signal, left the castle without a single weapon, and faced the enemy head on by yourself?"
"Bingo," I drawled.
Alec and I were in my mother's private office. I realized my mother had a lot of her own private rooms in this palace. A private drawing room, office, library, music room. How selfish. That word lead me to remember earlier tonight, when Logan had lectured me hard. Quickly, I shut those thoughts away and concentrated on some more interrogating from my mother.
Jasper was being tended to. He seemed to have come down with a fever, and his loss of blood was taking a toll on his body. He would be questioned later, and I bet my life that all my mother would continuously ask is, "Is my little baby alright?"
He probably won't even get catechized. Lucky son of a dragon.
"And Alec? You're telling me that you were brainwashed into working for our enemy, because they used your weakness and status as the last Darkwood, but Park promised to help you bring back the Darkwood estate if you turned on your boss and came over to her side?"
Alec had refused to tell my mother a lie, saying it was disgraceful and would only get him into way more trouble. He was an honorable soul; my heart commended him for that. But at the same time, I laughed at him uncontrollably and he became Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes.
Alec nodded stiffly, unable to look my mother in the eye. I sighed into my palms as I watched my mother smile at his uneasiness. Gosh, this kid sucked at being fearless. I thought he was supposed to be my male half.
"Couldn't you have just let the agents save Jasper?" my mother sighed.
"I told you, Mother," I repeated through gritted teeth, "they weren't there when I arrived. If I left it up to them, Jasper wouldn't be home right now."
"They got a call," my mother informed. This was surprising information. My expression was..."mystified" as I leaned forward. And by mystified, I meant suspicious as a CSI investigator looking right at the suspect who had the perfect alibi. Like something was right, and at the same time, something was off.
"The anonymous caller apparently knew that you had left the palace and was headed to where Jasper was. See? Even if you hadn't left the palace, everything would've fallen into place eventually."
I didn't care about the last part. My mind was reeling like gears on a gigantic clock as I pieced together bit by bit, thinking of all the possible explanations.
I had a small talk with Six and a few other agents after I had been rescued. It turned out that headquarters had told them the Plaza had been Jasper's fixed location. So the teams were dispatched there. An hour later, Six and the agents had contacted headquarters, rejecting the information. Jasper had not been at the Plaza (obviously).
Right around that mome, headquarters had their system jammed, and the signal started jumping around on the globe all over again, confusing the agents back at XYZ. Also around that time, Six had received a mysterious call from an unknown stranger who had demanded to speak with Logan.
The caller had known who Logan was. They must've known that Logan was my bodyguard. They also knew about Jasper's actual whereabouts, and where the princess of Cimeria was instead of her room.
Someone who was talented enough to trace the actual signal. Someone who knew where I was going. And someone who knew Logan was in XYZ, and also working as my bodyguard. Someone who cared about my safety even though he never acted like he did.
"Zen," I breathed. My mother raised an eyebrow, patiently waiting for me to continue.
"Zen...he was the one who called for reinforcements. Of course he did, he never trusted me on my own," I practically laughed. "I guess, without me out on the field, they actually would've never found Jasper."
Disbelief colored my mother's face as she took in my words. She knew very well about Zen's unbelievable computer skills. She also knew that he was family to me, and we owed each other so much, we'd do practically anything to help each other. Which also meant hacking into the queen's phone and tracing down an untraceable signal.
"Park--two, Mother--zero!" I sang, springing up to my feet. "I told you so!"
"You didn't tell me anything!" my mother groaned exasperatedly. She rolled her ink blue eyes at me, finding my behavior practically intolerable. She stood up in a quick motion, fixing her skirt before she made her way to the door.
"Park, just remember that this conversation is confidential," she reminded, shooting me the most stern. "Alec's life is on the line if you reveal the truth." She gave a final tug on her night coat before closing the door, her heels clicking as she strode away.
Who wears heels at ten 'o' clock at night?
My mother still had a taste for dramatic emphasis on everything she did. I was used to the theatrical way my mother lived, but it sent Alec into awe. An admiring gaze was set strongly on his face--so prominent that I snorted at it. What an idiot.
"What?" he snapped, his jade green eyes narrowing into ferocious slits.
"I'm just thinking about what an idiot you are," I said truthfully. "Come on, I'll show you your new room!" I laughed as I saw how annoyed he was at my words. He was tired too, though, and promptly followed me out of my mother's private office and up the marble staircases.
Alec wasn't much of a talker. I guessed that much from the interrogation I gave him on the boat. Did this mean that every time I wanted to have a decent conversation with him, I would need to beat him senseless and threaten to break his ribcage?
I hope not.
I found a guest room on the fourth floor, the floor right below mine and Logan's bedrooms. The beddroom was one of four, and since I was such a generous person, I gave him the one with the largest bathroom.
It was a forest green themed area, with matching bed sets and pillow sheets. The walls were painted dark green, like the inside of a fairy tale forest while the floorboards were a tenebrous mahogany.
"It matches your eyes," I joked, thinking of how his bright, jade green pupils would conflict the murkiness of the beddroom forest.
"Shut up, Sparrow," he mumbled. I ruffled his head, snickering as he slapped my hands away, and shot me a raging glare.
"If something's wrong, ask a maid or Alfred. He's a good guy, he'll help you out. If you need some clothes, I hope you have fun shopping. I've had enough stores to last me the entire summer."
"I don't need your help," Alec grumbled, shoving past me to get into his new room.
"Oh, well then. Would you like to remind me as to how you're here?" I sneered. Again, we exchanged an intense stare-down (I'm not kidding, I've glared at this boy the same amount of time I've glared at Logan). Speaking of Logan...
I wasn't actually speaking; I was thinking about him. Great, great. Now I'm correcting my mental state. Could I get any more crazy? Don't answer that.
"I have to go," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Alec." I gave him a lazy wave but then he called me back. I really needed to go talk to my bodyguard, but Curiousity dragged me backwards. I poked my head around the door frame.
"Is it boyfriend issues?" Alec asked, smirking just a tad bit. But enough to make me want to punch him in the face.
"He's not my boyfriend," I moaned exasperatedly.
"You could've fooled me," he remarked. "He looked as if he was going to punch me when he saw my hands on your shoulders."
"He's my bodyguard," I informed him. "It's his job to be protective."
"I've had a bodyguard, Park. One that's a girl, and one that was my age. But never did she look at a stranger the way your boy looked at me. He likes you, doesn't he?"
Why the hell was he so smart? I was wasting time, so I merely stuck my tongue out at Alec before walking away again. This meant that I was incredibly dumb. Alec hadn't even known Logan but in one glance, he could tell the truth. And me? I've been hanging around this kid for almost two months now. What did I realize out of it? Nothing.
So much for an emotional blood hound.
My steps faltered right outside Logan's room, my hand poised to knock. Maybe I should wait until tomorrow. He could be sleeping right now, and then be even more angrier if I wake him up. But if there's anything I learned from the hundreds of books in my personal library, it's that you shouldn't really wait. One night could be all it takes for the odds to turn against you.
Another question struck my mind. What the hell was I going to say? Obviously, this one-sided conversation was going to need some deep thinking, and Park Sparrow wasn't much for in-depth thoughts. Especially about herself.
I thought of Logan. I recalled our six years of relentless battles and wars, our flaming dislike upon each other. I thought it could never be cured, and that I would spend the rest of my life hating Logan Cross. But then I thought of the first time he actually picked up my books for me, followed by the night we learned about our true identities. I still had his tie back at Montana. I thought of his frustration whenever I disappeared. The night he first met Eli, we had taken pictures--the first time he hadn't acted so arrogant and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
The plane flight here, our first night in the palace. The fountain incident. I thought of his dark brown hair and his buttery golden eyes, usually frozen over, but I noticed they started thawing out, day by day. I always loved to see him angry and irritated, but it made me even more happier when I saw him smile--at me.
Holy crap.
I liked Logan Cross.
And just like that, I knocked on his door. When no reply came, I took a deep and steadying breath, making a mental note to shoot myself right afterwards.
"I'm sorry," I started off. "I'm sorry for making you worry constantly. I'm also sorry for not noticing how you feel about me. I know that I've put you through a lot of stress, so I'm also apologizing for any gray hairs that might start showing up."
"I'm sorry that you like me, though. It's not because I don't like you back. Because I do. I like you, Logan."
Never thought I'd ever be saying that out loud.
"But I can't do this to you. There's something else you don't know about me, and I can't let it hurt you. I suck at apologies more than I suck at being your friend, but this is the best I could do. I care for you--a lot. Which is why I'm telling you to lose your feelings for me. This--whatever it is--it can't work out. I'm sorry."
Logan didn't open the door. There was no reply, no shuffling of the feet, not even one thing to let me know he was awake. I stood there for the longest time, not believing what the heck just happened. After that, my legs gave out and I sat against the wall next to his double doors, repeatedly banging my head against the wall.
That was an entire speech wasted! What the bloody hell was this? Park Sparrow a.k.a moi, decides to be sensitive and pours her heart (sort of) to the guy she never thought she'd like, but guess what? He's asleep.
I got up on my feet, a time-bomb anger ticking in my bloodstream as I passed his doors and made way towards mine. "I hate you, Logan James Cross," I muttered, sneering his name like a curse word that would make even a sailor blush.
I opened my doors, and then my entire froze when I heard a certain muffled voice speak through the oak doors.
"I hate you too, Sparrow."