Chapter 13- I'm Going To Have To Say... Goodbye? For Good?
I sit at breakfast in the dining hall wearing a short pale pink sundress and matching flats. My hair is down in long golden locks. I sit across from Charlie, and I eat some chocolate chip pancakes. A lady that sits beside me stares at her pancake in disgust.
"What is wrong?" I ask.
She huffs, "I'm not a fan of chocolate..."
My eyes widen. I have never met anyone who doesn't care for chocolate. Chocolate is the best thing ever made!
"Don't look at me that way, lil' gal!" She rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her orange juice.
My face turns red. Why do so many people here have to be so stuck up?
"My apologies..." I mumble.
She ignores me for the rest of breakfast. I munch on my delicious pancake, and gulp down my chocolate milk. Once we are all finished, we are dismissed. I get up, dabbing my mouth delicately and set my napkin beside my plate. I walk out and I decide to explore a bit of the castle. I walk through a series of hallways and go through several doorways until I find myself in the sitting room. I stop in the doorway and soak in everything again. I stare at each painting of each Royal on the wall.
My eyes land on the one of Queen Chelsea. She looks young, around twenty years old. She is beautiful. Her light brown hair pinned up and her hazel eyes are perfectly painted. She looks beautiful, but her looks will deceive you. She is ugly on the inside. I don't see what King Randolph sees in her other than her looks. The woman is as pretty as a daisy that grows in the garden on the outside but as vicious as a snake on the inside.
I walk across the room to the fireplace, and slide fingertips across the smooth and cool white marble. I notice picture frames atop the fireplace and I look at it. A smile crosses my face automatically. It's Charles as a baby and a toddler. He looks so adorable! I giggle to myself. In a picture, he looks as if he's a newborn and he wears tiny baby blue footie pajamas that are so cute.
Once I stop looking at cute pictures of Charlie, I sit in the rocking chair. I find myself crossing my ankles like the queen has instructed me. I've already started that habit. I rock back and forth. I close my eyes. I'm relaxed.
I sit there with my eyes closed and my head tilted back for at least twenty minutes until I hear someone come in. For a moment, I thought it was Charlie until I heard the clicking of high heels against the hard floor. My eyes fly open to find Queen Chelsea. She stands in front of the painting of her, admiring it.
"Good morning, Arizona." She says, still admiring herself.
"Good morning, your Majesty." I reply.
"How are you on this fine day?" She asks, finally looking at me.
I shrug, "I'm homesick..."
She glides her way to a couch, easing into the cushions, "Oh... Still missing them?"
"Of course! Miles is my brother and Jasper is my best friend," I reply.
"More like boyfriend, dear."
"Fine. He is my best friend/boyfriend."
"Was. He was your best friend/boyfriend."
It suddenly hits me that I haven't seen them in a while and I'm curious to when I can see them both again. So I can talk and cope with this situation with Miles. Miles would give me advice for all this. Jasper. Well, I want Jasper to hold me in his embrace. I want him to comfort me.
"Speaking of Miles and Jasper... When am I going to see them?" I ask.
She looks at me mysteriously, "Well, Miles is your blood relative, right?"
"Well, yes."
"Blood relatives are occasionally allowed to visit once a month," she replies.
"Once? Only once?! Why not all the time?!" I ask, my voice slowly growing and growing.
"Because, this castle is made for Royals, servants, and our relatives that eat with us! Nobody else!" She demands.
"But he is my relative!" I shout.
"Yes, but only Randolph and I's relatives, not anyone else's!"
"But he is all I have... Surely that can be accepted!"
"No! Rules are rules, so follow them." She growls.
"Fine..." I say while I shake my head. I stare at the ground. "I'll be happy with being able to see Miles and Jasper once a month..."
"No, you aren't seeing Jasper once a month..." She clarifies.
"What do you mean?" I don't have a clue of what she means.
"Only blood relatives. No friends." Queen Chelsea says.
"So... When do I get to see him?!" I ask.
She stares at me for a good bit, "You won't see him again."
I feel my face get hot and I start trembling uncontrollably. My voice shakes, "But I have too see him..." My voice falters.
She shakes her head. She doesn't care. "No. You will not see him again, Arizona..."
"But I have to! I just have to!" I scream.
I have to feel his arms wrapped around me. I have to hear his laugh. I have to see his sparkly eyes and his black hair. I have to see him again. I have to! It's not just a want, it's a need. I'm so used to him always being around... Same with Miles. Now, seeing Miles once a month doesn't seem so bad...
Tears sting my eyes. "Please... Please... Please!" I plead over and over as I rise from my chair. I fall to my knees.
"No, Arizona! No! No! No!" She yells back to me.
She glares down at me. Her eyes cold and mean and careless! How can she be this way? This is cruel!
"I didn't even say goodbye!" I scream.
Warm tears slip down my red hot cheeks. I take deep breathes, and run my fingers through my hair. I scream in frustration. Why? Why did this have to happen? My situation was already bad enough! I calm myself enough to tell her a desperate request.
"Please..." I try to make my voice calm but it wavers, "Let me at least say goodbye..."
She ponders on this for awhile. "Fine. I will schedule for some servants to pick up Jasper and Miles today so you can talk to them and say your special goodbye to Jasper. But that's it... I'm not bending the rules again."
I nod, thankful for what little I did get, but my heart aches. That will be it. That precious time with Jasper won't last long, but maybe, just maybe, I can become free and I will come back for him. Yes, that seems like a good plan except for the fact I have no idea how I'm going to be set free.
I will be free. I'm determined. I'll be able to see Miles more than just once a month, and I'll be able to see Jasper again.
Free.
That word sounds foreign to me, now...