*Danika*
“Did you hear that sound?” Paisley asked the King from the bedroom and I ceased my breath, my hand placed on my chest to quell the thunderous sound exploding there.
“It’s nothing. I’m sure it’s probably rodents in there or something,” Alonso said dryly, sounding like he wasn’t perturbed with the fact that we would soon be caught.
“Rodent?! How can there be rodents here and you aren’t disturbed? I hate rodents! What the heck do those maids do if they allow rodents in here, c’mon we have to kill them!” I heard a shuffling sound and my eyes expanded, quickly seeking the nearest hideout in case she came searching. Gad, I’m done for! Paisley wouldn’t spare me from running out to yap to everyone what she saw and that would be after she’s done roasting me alive. What was I thinking about accepting a sleepover!
“Stop! Listen, Paisley, it’s time for you to leave… I’m serious! I have a lot planned for this morning and you are disrupting it by coming in and-and doing shits I’m not comfortable with,” Alonso’s voice rose, trying to distract her from the present predicament.
However, Paisley doesn’t look like she was going to relent. “Fine, I will leave but first, let’s get that rodent out. You are my baby and I want you to be safe. I don’t want you sharing a room with those creepy scribbers!” Her heels hastened to the bathroom while I stood in my spot already making up my mind to face her. What’s the worst she can do? Attack me? Call me names? Then go tell Theresa!
No, no… That’s my problem! Jeez, that would be the worst thing to happen to me in this place. I was doing so well, making new friends and learning new things. Now all these things would be gone. My friends would hate me! Alfred, Nadia, Mary! They would look at me with contempt because I had lied to them. Alfred asked me and I lied. Maybe I should have trusted them and then this wouldn’t be too much for them to handle.
Tears poured down my face as I fiddled with my hands in front of me. I closed my eyes tightly not wanting to see her face when she finds me out.
Then at once, something else happened. My body experienced a rapturous motion. I fell to the ground calmly, holding onto my chest as it shattered in pain. It seemed like fire was raging all over my body, destroying every attempt to quench it. It was that same pain I felt the day Ethan cheated on me with my sister, the same pain I felt the first time Alonso cheated on me too. That means he was doing it again.
Just the way it started, it stopped instantly. I collapsed further to the ground, holding on to my chest and breathing raggedly. Why would he do that knowing the effect it would have on me?! I couldn’t move from the spot, still reeling from the assault when the door snatched open and hurried steps rushed toward me.
I was thinking it was Paisley and had closed my eyes but when I felt a large hand on my face, I opened my eyes feebly to meet the worried regard of Alonso.
“I’m sorry about this. I only wanted to distract her to leave.” I was deeply hurt by his action and couldn’t help but feel jealous that he did something with her. He shared something special with her no matter what it was. But, for the first time, I was hearing him say sorry to me. It dissolved every pang in my heart to be replaced by love and understanding.
“It’s okay. I’m good now,” I said and slowly stood from the ground. He reached to help me up and carried me bridal style to the bed where he laid me.
“Are you sure you are okay?” he asked again. I searched his eyes to decipher if it was truly my Alonso talking. He looked and acted so differently. As if noticing my confusion, he shifted away and brushed his hand through his head. He looked so much like a boy then.
I snickered. “You’re doing so well, you know,” I teased, earning a glare from him.
He scoffed, threw me another look, and walked to his closet. “Since you still have your humor intact, it means you are fine,” he said as he walked to the bathroom.
When I heard the water running, I stood up from the bed and made my way out of the room. I stood at the entrance and looked around the hall to make sure no one was lurking around or was likely to see me. Thankfully, by this time of the day, the Omegas were viable to be in the kitchen running around to make breakfast, scrubbing the halls, or in the rooms of their masters and mistresses attending to them.
I took off to my room and was lucky when I got there, Nadia wasn’t still present. Or so I thought.
“Tadah!” She jumped out of the bathroom, startling me almost to my death.
I quickly recovered from my shock and faked her a wide grin. “You are here!” I squealed through tight lips and went to dive under the covers, dragging the quilt to cover my pink cheeks.
She observed me closely. “Are you okay?” Her forehead was knitted together in consternation, possibly confused with my behavior. “Initially, I thought you might have left for training. But from your dressing, you don’t look like you went training.”
I bounced my head. “I-I went strolling.”
“Strolling? And why are you acting strange?” She inched nearer, while I flinched back in the cover, still striving to act normal.
“I’m not acting strange. I told you I went strolling. The cold outside was too much and-and now I’m freezing!”
“Oh, okay. Forgive my nosing around. I will prepare you a hot bath and then I will have to change what I had in mind for you to wear to breakfast.” She went into motion. I pinched my eyes closed in guilt. Nadia is such a nice person and so are my other friends. Yet, I can’t find it in me to tell them this one thing that was likely to ruin our friendship when it finally gets out!
I had merely escaped it this morning. But that doesn’t mean I have escaped it in toto. Paisley suspects us. And it’s because of Alonso. His behavior is starting to be noticed by all. The other day Alfred said the same thing Paisley said to him! They all see the way he looks at me.
What of Theresa? If these two people who to me were less observant during gatherings are suspicious, how is it possible that Theresa with her in-depth hawk eyes hasn’t? I don’t think so.
The more I think about it the more jittery I get. I think I need to-someone was trying to link to me.
“Alfred?” I knew he was the one.
“Why weren’t you present for training this morning?”
I scratched my head. I forgot again! “I-I am sorry! I trained in the night so by this morning I was whippe-”
“You trained last night?” he cut me off.
“Yeah!” I dubbed. Well, technically I had gone for my mind training even though I couldn’t concentrate. So it wasn’t all a lie. He doesn’t need to know that.
“Okay… You are forgiven then. Where specifically did you train? Outside?”
“What!” My eyes widened whilst I tossed to face the window. “You don’t expect me to train outside by myself! Are you serious?”
He chuckled boisterously, making me realize how I’d missed the sound. “It’s okay, I will see you at breakfast.”
“Alright, bye.” I severed the link to look up at Nadia who is standing in front of me with two clothes in her hands, sampling.
“I think I will take the red one,” I pointed out, not even knowing why. Maybe because hearing Alonso liked red colors, I now want to wear them. No! That’s not fair. “The peach one… uhm… The red one. Oh, just set the two down,” I told her, abjectly filled with difficulty on which to settle for.
I might have resumed hating Paisley for flirting with Alonso and even allowing him to kiss her, but I still don’t want to be a bitch and try to earn Alonso’s attention as I know I would if I eventually wear the red color to breakfast. I have to be cautious. If he isn’t working hard to keep this secret, I have to help him. Because in the long run, I will be the most affected if the truth gets out.
I stood from the bed and went to take my bath. I made sure I savored the hot bathe with lavender scrub to calm my nerves. This morning was eventful and I wanted it to end there. I didn’t want any further drama which was why when I came out of the bathroom, I knew I had to disobey Alonso and go to the infirmary.
“Nadia, please help me bring out another dress for work. I will be going to the infirmary.”
…