Perfect

“I need to know Claire, it’s vital to my health.”

Claire looked at me as if I was stupid. The face she was pulling made her look constipated. “It’s not vital to your health Bella, it’s for him to tell you, and I don’t even know the whole story. I only know rumours that I’ve heard and you know how I feel about untrue rumours.”

I could totally understand where she was coming from but today I felt an emotion towards Cameron that I'd never felt before, protective and even worried. That’s two emotions, might as well call me Saint Mary. It’s not like I necessarily hated Cameron, so that gave me a right to care, I hope. All we did was play unnecessary pranks and games with each other so I guess we were friends but enemies as well.

Either way, if Claire didn’t tell me what was going on I’d find out myself. It wasn’t really to be nosy but to make sure that he was okay. Something inside me just needed to calmed. Even though there was nothing I could do even if something was going on. “But what if we could help in some kind of way?”

There we go again, my brain not connecting with my mouth. Claire looked at me curiously, “He has his friends to do that Bella.”

“I know, just seeing him like that today make me worried, I guess.”

“You, worried about Cameron? I thought I’d never see the day.”

“Yeah yeah so funny.” I laughed slapping her shoulder lightly. “The most important thing though Bella is that he couldn’t have left that note at your house.” I obviously looked confused because she continued to explain. “Seth told me he had taken Cameron home after we saw them because he hadn’t felt well and this was exactly around the time the note was left at your house. He has an alibi, Seth.”

So much was going through my brain, if it wasn’t Cameron then someone was definitely after me and it wasn’t a stupid brain dead teenager. It was someone with cunning skills that knew how to threaten me, scare me. I took a deep breath and tried to collect myself, “Then we need to start posting more guards around the clock, I know it’ll be tiring but it’s for their own protection as well. I’ll need all locks on doors and windows to be checked and every inch of the house to be scoured for evidence of a presence inside.”

A proud glint shone in Claire’s eyes before she quickly nodded her head turning back to her lunch. She was tapping away at her phone already which meant she was in contact with our national security.

My only final thought was to get through the rest of this week and if I could achieve that then maybe I would feel like I’d actually accomplished something.

Saturday rolled by quicker then I thought it would. No more notes had been left on my balcony or anywhere around the house and I hadn’t been threatened in any way. Everyone was working around the clock and were more than exhausted. The intruder hadn’t left a single piece of evidence, no fingerprints or hair follicles, nothing. I barely saw Claire since she was so busy putting all her effort into keeping me safe. I loved her for it but she was my shoulder to rely on for happiness, especially in these times and school the past four days had been hard to get through.

All I did now was surround myself with work which was currently scattered all over my bed. Maths, English and god knows what other horrible pieces of assessment I had. I moved around uncomfortably, it was early morning and somehow I had to occupy myself for the rest of the day and I really didn’t know how. Shaking my head and deciding that I’d had my eyes on the books for too long already, I figured a walk would do me some good. Fresh air at least since I’d been locked up in my room away from the rest of the world.

Cleaning up the books and notepads I placed them beside my bedside table and went into the wardrobe for some joggers and a thick jumper. I was already in sweatpants and a crop so I didn’t see a reason to get out more workout gear. I grabbed my phone and opened the screen, thirty percent, not really ideal to be going out on my own but I’d just have to make the walk short.

Heading towards the front door was easy since most of the guards were outside doing perimeter. My biggest task was getting out the front gates. There were at least half of my guards roaming around outside, so around about fifty. Slipping out the front door I looked left and right a few times before speed walking towards the front gate, my breath showing how cold it was.

“Princess Isabella?”

“Shit.” I cursed to myself silently.

Turning around I saw Henry heading right my way. “Hello Henry.” I addressed him confidently. He gave me a stern look because let’s just say right, this place was pretty much a prison to keep me safe. I wasn’t allowed out except for school and no one was allowed in other than Claire and palace staff. “Where are you heading off too?” He asked with a cocked eyebrow. Keeping my confidence in check I lied as if lying was my second language, “Just heading for a walk around the gardens. There’s a great amount of guards out, including you Henry. I’ll be fine.”

Sighing heavily he looked at me with concern, “Do you have your phone on you?” I pulled it out of my pocket and pointed at it. “Why would I ever go anywhere without it silly.”

“Alright, but only a short walk, I’ll have guards on the lookout for you.” I nodded my heart breaking at the thought of losing his trust. I needed a break from the stuffy house though and the garden wasn’t going to cut it.

Henry walked away turning the corner to go back to his original post, he moved down this way every ten minutes so I needed to move. Backing slowly up the driveway again I couldn’t see any guards. It was probably close to time for a rotate though so I unlocked the gate with the code, closed it behind me and headed at a fast pace down the road. I stuck right against the trees that surrounded my house until it was just forest. It would take me a good thirty minutes to reach the town but I wasn’t intending on going that far. Twenty minutes till another civilized neighbourhood, fifteen to school and eight to a bus stop down the road.

I was planning on going wherever my feet took me, I just couldn’t care less.

It was quite beautiful, like something out of a book. I never took time to look at the surrounding forests when I was on my drive to school or the town just simply because I was either catching up on sleep or in too much of a rush. The trees were a beautiful auburn colour as it was autumn heading slowly into winter. Leaves were scattered across the road of all different colours and sizes. Ice covered the sides of the road, the lush green grass and tips of the trees, it was beautiful.

Before long I’d arrived at the little town, I hadn’t planned on going so far nor had I planned on going here originally. It was a popular place for people who didn’t live by the law. It was refreshing in a sense. The law was my parents and I essentially, also the government. Some people just wanted to do their own things and I respected that, to a certain extent. Heading into the town I started looking around for something to entertain me for a while. I was getting stares but it was beyond me on why, I looked like every other normal teenager. My only conclusion was that everyone in town knew each other and I wasn’t apart of this big family.

Not a moment later I’d found a book store. Exactly something I could do with right now. Walking through the door caused the bell to chime, I looked around the store for an owner but couldn’t see anyone. I shrugged my shoulders and started at the front of the book store browsing through any genre I could find for a new book that would catch my eye.

I was halfway through the store when the bell chimed again. I froze, I didn’t know why but the chill I was getting from those heavy footsteps wasn’t a good one. My breathing was heavy and my heart erratic. It was like the note scenario was happening all over again.

Peeking around the corner I saw the back of a tall muscular boy standing at the shop counter. The shopkeeper that wasn’t there previously was chatting to him in hushed tones. I could only just hear them.

“What’s the news for tonight?”

“It’s apparently a 6pm start and your dad won’t be happy again if you don’t win this time round.”

“I know,” the boy said, “no need to remind me of what he likes to do if I fail.” Pulling up his shirt there were large bruises covering his entire midsection. By what I could gather from what I’d heard, his father beat him if he didn’t win whatever he was in a competition for.

“The boys will prep you for tonight.”

“Thankyou Archie, you could replace my father.”

The old man cast the boy a warm smile but it was grim, “Don’t let him catch you saying that!”

With the last line the boy headed towards the door to head out of the store. Any sight of the old man already gone. I was already holding a few books and went to stand tall as his body started going out the door frame.

Three of my books scattered along the floor and I internally gasped. The door hadn’t closed. I looked back up and saw him looking around the shop for whatever had made the noise. I cursed silently and looked for a place to hide while picking up the dropped books.

I couldn’t make out his face from this far away but I didn’t want too. I’m sure the conversation they just had wasn’t for anyone else’s ears but their own, and I just intruded.

Spotting a ceiling to floor length curtain covering a wall, I headed in a ducked down position towards it. I could hear his footsteps again and I assumed he was now searching the store. I was beyond nervous now, border-lining on scared. I slipped behind the curtains and prayed to Jesus that he wouldn’t come down this way.

I heard steps for a few more minutes before hearing the bell at the door again. I stayed inside the curtain for another five minutes just to make sure he’d left before I made my way out. I let out a sigh of relief at now having no one in the store. Rushing to the counter I looked around for anything to signal that I was ready to purchase. I saw a bell and lightly tapped it, although it didn’t sound like I did. The ding of the bell bounced off every wall inside the store. The same old man poked his head out of the curtain and looked at me curiously. I could see the cogs going around in his brain before he looked at the books in my hands and his face was clear of any confusion previously there.

“I haven’t had a visitor for books in quite a while, what brings you down this way?”

“Needed a walk and somehow I ended up here and I love books so I thought, why not purchase a few.”

The man started grabbing the books from the countertop where I’d placed them and began scanning them through the system. It’d obviously not been used for a while as he had to scan the books two or three times through.

It was such an odd part of town and all the people the I’d seen so far were shifty and would probably jump ten feet in the air if you walked up behind them. It was an awkward goodbye from the bookstore man who I’d found had the odd name of Archibald. Go figure on why the man called him Archie.

The thing is is the whole walk home I couldn’t get this guy out of my mind. He looked familiar but something about his stance and build was so different. Oh and gosh did I want to know what they were talking about. Although let’s be real, everyone knows about the use of curiosity killed the cat but knowing me I’d probably try and find out who and what it was without even thinking about it.

I reached the gates of home and peaked around corners to check for guards. I couldn’t seen anyone but that didn’t mean shit, rotations were probably about to change again and I had no idea how long I’d been gone. It was bordering on night and the moon was a bright crescent and now high in the sky. They were probably freaking out about where I was anyway so I just confidently strode up to the door and inside the house. I was necessarily trying to be quiet but I didn’t really want anyone to find me.

My hand was twisting the door handle around when I heard footsteps stampeding up the staircase, “Bella.” I heard Claire gasp when she got to the top of the staircase.

I rolled my eyes slumping my shoulders back with an internal groan. I was not prepared for the lecture Claire was about to give me and it wouldn’t just come from her, it’d come from Pete, Henry and Michael as well. God forbid my parents finding out.

A good hour later and two small tubs of ice cream empty on the side of the bed, I was done with everyone that had a lecture to give me. I think I’d fallen asleep halfway through Claire’s since her’s was so bloody long. I was exhausted from the walk today and my feet hurt, I’m pretty sure they were swollen.

I was back in my own room now and the scene had been thoroughly looked over and no evidence was found. Although every shiver the rocked my body had me more then aware that it was him. How he found me or how he got here was a mystery to both me and the Royal Guard.

Even throughout the scary thoughts of Victor I couldn’t get the boy that I’d seen in the shop today out of my head, something about him just made me feel different. I couldn’t exactly explain how or why but I felt like a part of me knew him in some sense.

I had to find out, so let’s see if curiosity really did get the cat killed.