Friday rolled around fast. My morning was spent reading my new novel, curtesy of Hardin, and sipping coffee whilst eating chocolate cookies, which have quickly become my favourite food.
I honestly don't know how I survived life without them.
I decided to go outside for a little while and get some air to clear my head before tonight. Tonight was my second chance at a date with Hardin.
We spoken a few times, after accidentally bumping into each other in the hallways but that was about it. Our conversions were pleasant but they always felt so stiff and professional.
Maybe after tonight, when we get to know each other a little more, things would be better?
I put on some white converses with my lime green dress and head out. I know, weird colour to wear, but the dress was surprisingly beautiful and complimented my figure well. My hair was let loose and slung over my shoulder and I had a fluffy white cardigan over my dress.
The girls were normally always outside, especially with the sudden increase in temperature. Rory was running around the grounds, Astrid was sat on a bench sketching away and Ivy and Sienna were over by the roses gossiping.
I decided just to walk around and let my feet decided, when Sienna unexpectedly called me over. I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest as I made my way over.
I made sure to keep a good distance between me and Ivy, who was busy examining her nails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.
"Arabella, I feel like I haven't seen you all week." I could see straight through the fake smile plastered on her face but keep a smile on mine anyway.
"Yes well, I prefer inside to the outdoors. Plus, I'm not very fond of the company you keep." Ivy scoffed and then returned back to focusing on her nails.
What was so damn interesting about her nails?
"Still that shouldn't keep us from hanging out? Here, I found this fruit in the bushes over there. They're amazing. Try some." She turned around, only to spin back around with something shining brightly in her hands.
I was taken about by this sudden act of kindness and although I was very sceptical about her, the fruit did look very appetising.
The orangey yellow colour was almost gold and there was a magical shimmer coating the whole of the outside. It was about the size of an orange and I felt weirdly compelled to eat it. Without even thinking, my hands reaches out and I took a big chunk out of it.
I moaned in delight, taking another bite of the juicy goodness. I don't think I had ever eaten something so delicious before, this definitely beat cookies.
I could feel the yellow juice travel down my throat and into my body. Suddenly, I felt so alive. The juice pumped through my body, flowing through my veins and I become addicted.
I had this sudden craving, this urge to eat more and more and more and never stop eating it.
What the fuck was happening to me?
My arms shot out and grabbed another piece of fruit from the small pile behind Sienna. She gladly moved out of my way as I dove for more, grabbing two at a time and greedily scoffing them both down within seconds.
It wasn't enough though, I needed more.
I lunged at Sienna, about to throttle her until she gave up the location of this new found drug I'd become addicted to, when Ivy stepped in my way.
That was fine, I had no problem killing both of them.
"Stop. Hands down to the side." I was about to laugh in the face at how she expected me to act like some obedient dog, when I did exactly what she said. I looked down at my arms in total confusion, and tried to move them but they stay glued to my side.
Sienna and Ivy both looked at each other in total disbelief, before bursting out into laughter. "It actually worked." Ivy breathed out, staring at me in total awe.
"We definitely have to read more of that book." Sienna added, grabbing an old dusty book from her bag. She flipped it open and then stopped on a page with a bright smile on her face.
"It says here that the spell will act indefinitely until the cure is given. Guess we've got ourselves a little toy to play with. This is amazing, we can give the fruit to the other two as well and then they'll be just us and we can let Hardin choose between us." She said giddily, before going back to reading the page.
If I knew Ivy, and I did, there was no way she was going to let naive little Sienna last until the end. She would probably just use her to help get rid of us and then kill her in her sleep or something evil like that.
"Dance." Ivy ordered, her eyebrow arched and her arms crossed over her chest. My body acted on its own and soon enough I was prancing around like a ballerina to Sienna and Ivy's obnoxious laughter.
"Stop." I freeze, my arm extended out and balancing carefully on one leg.
"Fall." I drop to the ground in a heap, my head collided with the grass and I frantically searched the grounds for someone to save me but Rory was nowhere to be seen and Astrid was too faraway to see what was happening.
"Go to the fountain, make yourself completely drenched in water, strip to your underwear and then bathe in the fountain." Oh no.
My body pulled itself up and I walked at a brisk pace towards the fountain, my tormenters just inches behind.
The fountain was almost the size of a large pool and definitely deep enough to the drown in. There was a huge sculpture in the centre made of solid granite of an angel playing the harp. Her body covered with a single sheet and her eyes shut as her fingers pluck the strings ever so delicately, and I was about to strip and then swim in it.
I was definitely going to hell after this.
I gingerly climbed in, careful of the slippery surface, and slid down to my knees. I cupped a handful of water in my hands and poured it over my head, before submerging myself into it fully. I come back up for air and smoothed my dripping wet hair back.
I ripped off my cardigan first and threw it on the grass next to me. Slowly, I slipped a finger under each of the thin straps holding up my dress and yanked them down. I silently thanked Flo for laying out a bra for me this morning and pulled down down my dress until my bellybutton was exposed.
Oh god! I was freaking out for what was to come next, knowing that my panties weren't exactly the most conservative pair. I pulled it off completely and laid it flat on the side of the fountain, hoping it would dry with the bright sun beaming down onto it.
"Come on, we want a show. Laugh and enjoy yourself playing in the water." A high pitched giggle left my mouth and dove into the water, creating a huge splash big enough to hit Ivy and Sienna, who thankfully screamed in horror when the water hit their hair.
Karma's a bitch.
I got back up and started throwing the water up and down with arms, splashing like a small toddler.
Two figures emerged from the open doors, their firmly fixed on the ground so when they looked up, shock was written all over their faces.
Hardin was frozen, his eyes wide and his mouth agape, whilst Wyatt was staring at me with mirth in his eyes.
I giggled loudly, hoping it was enough to get them over here and like magic it did. Hardin practically ran towards me and I could only imagine what he's thinking.
"Arabella? What are you doing?" His eyes raked up and down my wet body, lingering a little too long on my lower half. I wanted to cover up, but I couldn't, instead I continued to play around in the water like a child.
The laughter on my face said I was enjoying it but the desperation in my eyes said otherwise. I try to mouth help, but my mouth wouldn't even open up. I looked over at Wyatt, hoping he would understand but he was just as confused as Hardin, until his eyes glanced to the right.
They widen in realisation and he hastily whispered something in Hardin's ear that I longed to hear. Hardin's face morphed from shock to anger to panic. He stormed over to Sienna and Ivy, who were trying to act completely oblivious to this entire situation.
"Did you do this?" He spoke through gritted teeth and made no effort to hide his rising anger.
"What? Your highness no, we just found her in the fountain. In fact, we were about to find someone to help her. Thank god, you came out." Sienna was one of the worst liars I had ever seen, Ivy on the other hand kept a cool face.
"Yes she's right. We're worried about Arabella. Maybe this whole competition is just a little too much for her to handle?" Hardin didn't say anything, instead he kept glaring at her with an intense stare.
"Arabella stop." His words put my moves to a halt and I stood like a soldier with water up to my knees.
"Where did you get appleacheia from?"
Appleacheia? Is that the fruit?
"Your majesty, I..."
"Where did you get it from?" He boomed, his voice so loud that even Astrid began to make her way over here.
"Um, the bushes. We didn't know what it would do though, we swear. We just offered some to her and she ate it." Ivy was obviously fuming at the way Sienna caved so easily, despite still not telling the whole truth.
"Why have you two not eaten it then? The fruit is a drug, you should be drawn in with one look. Unless, you know the prevention and if you know the prevention then you must have the book. You took the book from the library's didn't you?" He didn't wait for a response as he snatched Sienna bag out of her hand and dumped the contents onto the floor.
"Watson!" Hardin shouted behind his shoulder and a middle aged man came running across the field. He stopped short once he reached Hardin and stared at me with absolute shock and even a little lust. His lingering stare was enough to make me cower even more in fear and humiliation.
This was my worst nightmare.
"Take your eyes off her now." Hardin seethed, sending a look harsh enough to kill at the old man, who immediately ripped his eyes away from me.
"Take the Appleacheia and dispose of them and then return that book to the restricted part of the library." He put a heavy emphasis on restricted and the both girls looked at each other, knowing they were in hot water.
"You two go inside. I will deal with you personally." They both scurried off and I wished I could have taken a photograph of Ivy's face in that exact moment.
Hardin sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he looked deep in thought. He turned around and then looked at me as if he just remembered I was still standing there.
"Arabella get out of the fountain." He ordered, walking around to stand next to Wyatt. My body carried itself out of the fountain and I stood there, dripping wet, in my now see through underwear, in-front of two of the most hottest guys I had ever seen in my life.
Wyatt ripped of his jacket and wrapped it around me, before buttoning up three of the buttons to keep it secure. He gave me a comforting smile, one that I sadly could not return without a command.
"Come on," Hardin mumbled, walking forward and swooping me up into his arms.
In truth, I wanted to tell him I was perfectly fine but my legs and arms were beginning to feel like jelly.
He carried me all the way to my room, Wyatt following closely behind and set me down on my bed. Flo was her usual worried self and began panicking until Wyatt managed to calm her down and instructed her to bring some smelling salts and cold water from the kitchen. She left immediately and I wanted to call her back but my body was too weak to even speak.
"Are you going to give her yours?"
"Well, I have too. If we wait any longer her symptoms could become fatal."
Fatal, that sounded like a bad word. My mind was doing backflips and the room started to spin. What was happening to me?
"Hurry up then, she looks close to passing out." I recognised the voice as Wyatt's and then everything was silent as the sound of a dagger being drawn filled the air.
What were they going to do? Cut me?
Hardin let out a small wince as I heard the dagger slicing something fast. Suddenly, a hand was cradling the back of my head and guiding me forward. Something warm was pressed against my mouth and a warm thick liquid was being forced down my throat.
The harsh metallic taste made me want gag and I tried to move back but the hand on my head kept a tight hold of me.
After about thirty seconds of pure torture, the hand let go of my head and I flopped back onto the bed. My eyes were fluttering shut and I ignored the panicked voices around me as I succumbed to the darkness.
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A/N: Who else wants to give Sienna and Ivy a taste of their own medicine?
Bring a smile to my face and please press that vote button. Also feel free to write a comment, I love hearing from you guys! ❤️