Chapter 9: Chapter 9

“You are dumber than I thought! Why are you acting like they did not kidnap you?!”.

Annette’s fucking sneer is already getting a reaction out of me. Like got dammit, shouldn’t I have missed her! “I don’t know what happened! And how could they if you were the last person I remember seeing!”. Annette glances away, looking guilty as hell, then drags her hand across her face, clearly battling on what to say next. I nearly smile, knowing what she is trying so hard not to let out. “Do you know how scared I was to wake up here.”. My acting is superb. Hell, I even believe I was scared. Guilt pours out of her more, but I hold back my smile, waiting for her to fully crack.

Annette turns further away and then mumbles something under her breath…impossibly low for me to hear.

I inch forward. “I’m sorry, what was that?”. She turns back to me, now, standing straight with every ounce of guilt gone.

“I said let us go.”.

-_- We both stare at each other.

She purposely said it low, so I couldn’t fucking hear her, but saying it, period, eased her conscience! “That doesn’t count.”.

“It does.”.

Her fucking face is just as straight as mine. I clench my fist at the agitation she has sparked, and it hasn’t even been 5 minutes yet. Annette has the nerve to throw me a winning smirk. “I wasn’t playing, so you won nothing.”. I grind my teeth together as her fucking eyebrow raises.

“You sure?”…..…

I take in a deep breath, pushing the air out my nose. I never wanted to beat the fuck out of anyone so fucking bad! This fucking body is the only thing keeping me from doing so! “I’m not doing this with you, ol” -

Annette hits me dead center of my chest, and I slide on my back...across the stoned ground…..

“Princess!”. Ian rushes after me, running…daintily as a Princess, I might add, and helps me up.

I groan...that shit hurt! “You fu – that was fucking uncalled for!”. Annette shoots a fireball at me, and I drop back to the ground, ducking under it.

“Is this normal!?”. Ian looks between us, clearly confused by this situation.

“Unfortunately, yes. That – doesn’t –

“You really have a death wish today.”, Annette says, cutting me off.

“Don’t I get to be pissed! Y’all made me feel that hell of pain, then you let me get taken!”…... I feel myself growing unsteady, so I quickly regain control, dropping this subject...for now. I don’t need the whole world to know I’m sick.

Annette stops in her tracks, letting it go too. She then turns her attention to Ian and Talia. Talia is wearing a...specific tight smile, glancing over every inch of Annette….. Ian and I glance at each other, watching our mothers.

What the hell is this!? They are obviously into each other. Ian just shrugs like it’s nothing new, but there is no way I can just shrug it off. I hadn’t noticed she never seemed interested in anyone before…....... I look back to Ian. “Is your Mom…you know?”.

“Is yours?”.

I’m not sure about mine, but he seems to be sure about his.

“How about a drink before you leave, Queen Annette Lux?”…….

Oh, that tone. Hell, if Talia said that to me...I would be in pieces now. Annette doesn’t seem fazed, but her eyes haven’t moved off Talia...once. I don’t think she’ll refuse the drink.

Ian helps me stand again and brushes down my...dress…… Since when was I wearing – why the hell didn’t I notice it before?! It’s all...frilly...oh fucking shit, this is not happening right now. That coughing feels like it’s about to come out and play any second, and I have no clue why!!?? That irritation, on another irritation...on something else, is sending me over that cliff. I’m fighting so fucking hard to keep from jumping off.

Annette glances at me, then back at Talia. “Maybe next time. I have to get back.”……

What!!!!????? I’m shocked! “Seriously ‘you’re’ turning down alcohol?”. Annette fly’s up to me, scooping me in her arms. She gives Ian a vicious glare before taking off.

“Don’t forget to think about our offer!!!!”.

Annette speeds up, hurrying us away from him. I stare at her. She’s ignored me the entire time we’ve been in the air. I’m at least...relaxed...calm...eh, none of those seem to fit...I’m unbothered now. Annette’s irritated, and I watch her expression change at least 100 times before it finally returns to its normal position.

“What?!!”.

She finally noticed me, and she just had to yell. I’m ignoring that outburst. “Something.”. Annette rolls her eyes. “Gonna tell me how I ended up there?”.

She turns her face away from me, but I can tell she’s wondering the same thing. “Ask once we are back.”.

We make record time flying this go around. Annette flew too damn fast that I had to keep my face buried in her. I don’t know how she managed to breathe, but we only stopped once to rest and eat, and it literally took her 24 hours to fly between 2 countries. Sometime during the morning, we slow and land, but instead of landing in the Moon residence, we drop down in the middle of a military camp, and I see numerous signs with the Moon sigil……….

“Annette, what the hell happened?”. She doesn’t answer, dragging me into the largest tent.

“Thank goodness.”, Kent says once we enter. Paula and Anthony are at least sporting apologetic looks.

“…Can someone explain what the hell is happening!?”.

Kent stands slightly, bowing in my direction. “First, we need to apologize, Princess.”.

At least he can apologize…I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with Annette. She, by the way, is already nursing a bottle.

“After seeing you like that, it was clear what was done to you. So...we...kind of lost it.”. Anthony sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.

“Keep in mind our temper isn’t our strong suit. So those who understood what they witnessed -

“Charged somewhere.”, I say, interrupting Paula.

“Precisely. Those who remained were distracted. So when the house was attacked -

“Not many were left to defend.”. Paula nods at me as I finish her statement.

“To clarify, the royal guards attacked, while another slipped in and took you.”. I nod at Anthony, still following along as Kent turns to me...during some pretty hard blinking...it makes him look even more like a psycho killer. “Where did you end up?”.

“The palace in Dangr.”.

Anthony and Kent both frown, swinging their heads at Annette.

“Well, well, well.”. Paula’s scary smile makes me shudder.

Again they fall silent and start that thinking……. Why is it so hard to tell me what’s going on! I will not have this damn silence this time. “They wanted to propose an alliance.”.

“They didn’t need to keep you that long for that!”.

When Anthony snarls, that sparks my own irritation. “No, but it’s better than me falling into the royal guard’s hands.”. The 4 of them drop their heads again…... I can’t believe they all flew off in a rage fit. I thought they were a little more level-headed than monster Annette.

“I understand now why King Vincent hid you away. I don’t see how you’re alive.”......

What does Kent mean by that? Paula snickers at my confusion.

“Our magic pools keep us healthy, Princess. Blocking that, is like starving your soul, and a person without a soul obviously dies.”. Again with this pool thing. “It’s clear your magic is...blocked, but you’re still alive…somehow. By all accounts, you should be dead, and that makes you an anomaly. For some, anomalies are like an omen.”.

So that thing I felt inside me is blocking my magic, and pool is short for magic pools...but what the hell do they do? Fuck...I should have paid attention the 1st go around. I want to ask, but at the same time, I don’t want to make myself seem weird. What would they do if –

“I will not let anyone near you again.”.

I look at Annette. Her words were heavy with guilt, and the night I got here comes to mind. Something did kill her baby and brought me to this body somehow.

“That spell is prohibited by all 3 countries. It’s a capital offense, and an entire family carries the weight of the punishment.”. Anthony’s eyes gloss over, and rage catches in the other 3 eyes as well.

If the Lux family was responsible for the spell/curse, it would make sense why they were killed. What is not making sense is why we are in a military camp? “Then who did y’all attack?”.

Paula sighs. “...The castle.”.

The thought of the Moon family charging into the castle...must have been terrifying for my royal family. I bet they all nearly pissed themselves…wonder how they compared to that other attack. I almost laugh imagining their faces, but this family….. That spell was done years ago...why would they charge the castle? It sounds like Vincent already...prosecuted the guilty party. “So...what happens now?”.

“The King never showed, so naturally, everyone believed the rumors. The entire facade that he’s alive has been glossed over. Goranous is currently in full war mode, with your sibling and their backers fighting for the crown.”.

Thank you, Kent, but things sound mighty quiet here for there to be a war happening.

“Someone is protesting hard that you are the Queen by birthright.”.

I roll my eyes at Paula. I know that has to be Leon and his gang. This shit is moving way too fast. “How did all this happen in 2 days?”. They all give me this puzzled look.

“You were gone for 2 weeks.”.

Wait...wait, I couldn’t have heard Kent correctly. I was lying in that bed being drugged for 2 weeks!!! I start coughing before I can get a handle on my anger.

“Princess, try -

“They had me drugged, why?!”, I yell over Anthony.

“So I could not track you! And you were laughing and being all friendly with them! It pisses me off!”.

“How was I supposed to know I was there that long!”.

“You knew they drugged you! You are not that stupid! So why the hell were you so, goo goo eyed over that guy!”…....

“What the hell do you expect me to do! I can’t fight my way out of everything like you can! And Ian wouldn’t have my attention in a million years, but what about you?!”. Annette stares at me, trying to play dumb. Oh no, the hell you don’t. “Those eyes of yours seemed pretty stuck on someone!”.

She turns away from me, downing the rest of her drink. “We are not talking about me! The point is this country is a war zone -

“And they did you a favor! Let me guess, this camp just got set up!”, I yell, interrupting her. Annette mumbles something as Paula speaks up. “I guess so. Now, calm down. It can’t be healthy coughing up so much blood.”.

Yes, I have decorated the floor before me with a pleasant shade of red. “It’s not! I’m tired of this fucking place! I just wished I had fucking stayed dead!”. My outburst hit a sore spot in all of them as I sink to the floor…. They really don’t understand how tiresome it is trying to control your emotions. Too happy or too sad triggers this damn pain! I had lived my life the way I wanted and died. No fucking regrets. No wishing to redo a got damn thing, so why am I here trapped in this shit body where I couldn’t be myself even if I wanted to! Whatever is inside me wouldn’t allow it. This is pure fucking hell!

“...I was a naive child…back then and put you in danger. I -

“Annette, stop. The child you’re blaming yourself over has already died. This...I’m not accusing you of anything. This frustration is that of my own. I was …..”. My words fall short of what I was about to say. I’m not sure they’ll believe me even if I told them I wasn’t from this world. Part of me wants to assume they’ll help, while the other part worries I’ll just be condemning myself.

Then the question remains...what will happen to me? If I die once more, will I stay dead or end up in another fucking circus. I can’t get a handle on my anger, so the coughing knocks me out.