AN: i'm 1/3rd into my nano goal so!


Chapter Thirty-Three

Thursday, November Twenty-First

Louis bolts up. It's a nightmare. Guns, bombs, fire, and his sister's face. The tattered bits of burned body parts, blood and guts charred from the fire. Charlie's unidentifiable body. A red sky and the Sumner heat. He falls back down onto the pillow.

There is a knock on his door, faint, but there. He gets up to open it, seeing Madi in a pair of matching pants and tank top. Her hair is messy, but not terribly so. After Louis wipes his eyes, he realizes that she looks worried. Madi asks, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he blinks at her, trying to focus with the lack of light, "Why?"

"You screamed."

Louis stares at her. He screamed and didn't even notice it. Blinking once, twice. He's not thinking, but he's not responding.

Madi asks, "What happened?"

"It was nothing." Louis lies, "Please go back to bed, Madi."

"We don't have to talk about it," Madi continues the conversation, ignoring his request, "but I'm up not wand not going back to sleep. We can talk about anything you want."

Louis sighs, "Alright."

They both walk towards the suite's living area, Louis sits on the couch. Madi heads to the kitchenette.

"Do you want anything to drink?" She asks.

"Coffee," Louis tells her, "but I'll make it in a minute. Don't worry about it."

"I can start it." Madi replies, "I'm making me some tea."

Louis turns on the t.v., after a minute of fumbling, trying to find it. The white light shines against his face, making Louis look paler than he is.

Madi holds hers and Louis glasses, then turns on the light. She comments, "You would think that there are other kinds of fancy lights other than chandeliers."

"What else were you expecting?"

"Candelabras." Madi admits.

"Like in Phantom?"

"Yeah." Madison replies, "The Phantom of the Opera was a beautiful musical. I'm thankful that you showed it to me."

"The play is almost four centuries old, but it's a musical masterpiece."

"Do you watch a lot of musicals?"

"No."

"So you're just a fan of 20th century French literature." Madi teases.

"I guess so." Louis laughs, "It introduced me to the language."

"I don't read much," Madison admits, "But I'll have to read it soon."

"It's great." Louis tells her, "and it includes the left out characters of The Persian and Phillipe de Chagny. Both of whom cause the Raoul, Christine, and Phantom situation added difficulty."

"You sound like you're writing an essay." Madi laughs, "but I'll have to check that out."

"What do you want to watch?"

"Is anything good on at this hour?"

Louis flips through the show directory. He concludes, "No, but I can get a movie on demand."

"Go for it," Madi tells him, "I'm not picky."

"At least tell me a genre."

"Rom-Com." Madison replies, "something lighthearted."

"Alright." Louis flips through the options, settling on one with an actor's face he recognizes, and turning it on.

As the movie starts, he rests his head on Madi's shoulder. It's an uncomfortable angle, but Louis doesn't mind. He's just trying to go back to sleep.


"Hey Louis," Madi shakes his shoulder, "It's nine and I ordered breakfast in. I hope you don't mind."

Louis wipes his eyes and glares at the sunlight pouring in, Madi's silhouette is shadowed, the only thing he can see that isn't coated in the sun's rays. He sits up and stretches, "Thanks."

He focuses on Madi, she's wearing a mint green tee shirt and grey leggings. Louis remembers what she was wearing when he fell asleep. This was not it.

"You're already ready." Louis comments, his brain isn't ready to filter thoughts out just yet.

Madi laughs, "Yeah, I woke up about two hours ago. Come on, breakfast will get cold."

Madi leads them to the kitchenette's breakfast bar. Two trays of food rest there, alongside a cup of coffee for Louis and tea for Madi.

"Eat up!" It's the only thing said during the entire meal. Madi and Louis, both focus on eating.

Louis is the first to finish. He stands, telling her, "I'll get ready quickly."

Showering, getting ready, and brushing his teeth takes Louis fifteen minutes maximum. Louis walks out of his room with his bag in hand. He sets it by the door, where Madi left her bag.

He looks around, it's cleaner than it was when he left. Everything is back to being as pristine as it was when they came in here yesterday.

"You cleaned." He notes.

Madi looks up from her phone, "Oh yeah, I didn't want to leave it such a mess for the cleaning lady. This is already such a large suite, the size of an apartment really, and I would feel bad making her clean the whole thing."

"That's nice of you." Louis replies, "but you know that's their job. They get paid for it."

"I know," Madi replies, "but I don't want to make it hard for them."

Louis doesn't say anything. He wouldn't know what to say.

Madi stands, sliding her phone in a pocket to her side. She says, "Well then, let's get this show on the road!"

"Bet you say that a lot." Louis laughs, "because… you know… the circus."

"Yeahーthe circus." Madi laughs, but it isn't the same light, airy laugh he's used to; it's staggered and nervous.

Louis grabs both Madi's and his bags, even opening the door for them both.

"Let me take my bag." Madi says.

Louis smirks, "Then where would chivalry be if I'd let you do that."

"With his arm interlocked with mine." Madi replies as she takes the bag and delivers on her promise. She continues, "just how I like it."

They head, arm in arm to the elevator and then towards the front desk to check out. Once that is over, they head towards the car their guard is guiding them to. Bags go into the trunk and then Madi sits to the left of Louis, both of them in the back seat.

"Lady Madison, where are we heading first?"

"The ice skating rink on Vineyard Drive." Madi replies, "Avery's Ice."

"Alright." The driver turns back around and starts driving.

Madi looks through her phone, finding music for them to listen to. As another SGrace song starts to play, Louis asks, "Ice skating?"

"Have you been?" Madi asks.

Louis laughs and grips the back of his neck, "No."

"Really?" Madison asks.

Louis nods, "Angeles doesn't really do things like that."

"I'll tell you a secret," Madi replies, "I've never been either."

Louis tells her, "That's relieving."

"What?" Madi teases, "Can't have a five beat you in something."

Louis' mouth drops as he laughs, "I did not say that!"

"I'm kidding." Madison comments, "However, I'll be better at ice skating than you."

"Who says?"

"I do."

"Do you now?"

"Yes," Madi confirms, "Yes I do."

"What do you want to bet on it?"

"Winner picks where we go for lunch."

"It's on Madison Louise Cooper."

"Okay Louis I-Don't-Know-Your-Middle-Name Schreave."

"It's Nicholas." Louis admits.

"Nicholas, huh?" Madi responds, "Well then, Louis Nicholas Schreave, it's on."

The first bits of snow falls upon Lakedon as Madi and Louis go back and forth, laughing and hyping up the competition. Neither or them being completely serious, but getting into the spirit of the competition.

The duo make it to the ice skating rink. Their guards stand present at the rinks' entrance while Louis and Madi get their skates. Carrying them away from the front desk, they lace up.

Whispers and secret pictures occur throughout the center while Madi and Louis are hyping up the competition.

"You're going down LNS!" Madi laughs.

Louis, looks at her, blinking twice, "What?"

"LNS," Madi stops laughing, "Louis Nicholas Schreave一your initials. I didn't think you wanted people to realize you were here."

"I knew that." Louis stares toward the ground, his face reddening, "and, thank you."

"No problem." Madi stands, her skates laced in already, "This'll be fun."

"Alright." Louis stands, "I'm going to be bad at this."

The skates make the tall prince even taller, slightly over 190cm. They also make him fall on his butt, a less impressive feat.

Madi helps Louis up, both of them sporting smiles. Slowly, they make it onto the ice. People are going much faster around them, including an elementary school class.

Louis comments, "I think I got this."

Madi lets go of his hand and Louis lets go of the ramp. While connected, they fell twice, both of them being Louis' fault.

"Good." Madi replies, "Because I got this too."

She lets off, not incredibly fast, but faster than Louis'll ever go. He tries to catch up to her, but slips. He gets up and continues, occasionally falling on the way.

Madi eventually laps around to him, surprising him. He jumps then falls. Madi helps him up again and he asks, "How are you so good?"

"The circus." Madi replies, "Acrobatics requires strong balance."

"I guess I don't have any."

"Mr. Sir," Louis and Madi both look down to a voice below them. It's one of the elementary kids, "Your friend here is much better at this than you."

The little boy skates off, rejoining his group of friends. Madison covers her face with her hand and laughs. Louis' jaw drops.

"I guess that settles that." Madi comments, "I get to pick where we have lunch."

"Alright." Louis laughs, "I guess it does."


Louis and Madi hold their drinks in hand. Louis has coffee and Madi has tea. They're walking down the streets of Lakedon. The snow still falls and Madison is wearing Louis' jacket from yesterday.

"I've never just walked around, in the snow." Louis admits.

Madi asks, "Really? Not even when you travel?"

"No, the nannies were ordered to make sure we weren't to be kept out in the cold," Louis replies, "Especially when we were travelling."

"So you've never had a snowball fight?"

"Like the ones on t.v.?"

"Yeah," Madi replies, "Just like those."

"No."

"I wish I was able to fix that," Madi replies, "Snowball fights are the best thing about snow."

"You might be able to one day."

Both of them pause the conversation, taking long, awkward drinks of their drinks. Madi untangles her left arm from Louis.

"Hey Louis," Madi changes the tone of the conversation, "I really like you, like I'd stay at the palace and be the Queen, levels of 'I like you', but I have a bit of confession to make. It isn't a bad thing, but sometimes people think negatively of people like me because of it."

Louis pales, but continues walking with Madi. She's slowed down the pace, but hasn't completely stopped it. He asks, "What is it?"

"I'm bisexual." Madison comes out, this time, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, making Louis and the two guards forced to stop too.

"Oh." Louis replies, "I thought I was going to be something terrible."

"So you're okay with it?" Madi asks, "You don't think of me differently because of it?"

Louis looks her in the eyes and holds her free hand, "Madison Louise Cooper, things like that do not bother me."

"Thank you." She doesn't let go of his hand, only gripping it tighter. A couple of tears roll down her face, but she doesn't clear them. "That means the world to me, Louis."

"Nobody should treat you differently because of that." Louis replies, "Ever."

Madison looks more relieved. Her smile widens, she's less tense, and she looks up towards the sky. The snow falls on her face, but if you ask her, nothing has been better than this.


Louis and Madi walk into the palace's plane, their bags have been taken for them. The only thing they hold is their individual jackets. Louis holds the brown, suede jacket he brought with him from Angeles and Madi holds the grey, fleece jacket Louis got her.

"Thanks again." Madison replies, "for everything."

"You deserve it, Madison." Louis leads her to a set of reclining seats, "I mean it."

She sits and Louis sits across from her. A flight attendant stands in front of them, "Hello Your Highness and Lady Cooper, we've prepared dinner for the two of you if you all want it."

"Please ma'am." Madison turns to her, "That would be great."

The flight attendant turns away, grabbing the food. Madi sits with her legs crossed and folded under her. Louis holds his face in his hand, smiling.

"Do you want any music?"

"Something softer." Madi nods, "Not more SGrace."

Louis laughs, messing with his phone, turning the music on low. The flight attendant brings the food to them and dims the lights as requested by Louis.

"Please buckle up and prepare for takeoff." The pilot's voice rings through the speakers.

"I want you一all of the girls一to be on the Report tomorrow." Louis starts the conversation, "It's when we're announcing Charlie's death to the public."

"Oh." Madison replies. There's another silent beat in the conversation, much like the one from earlier. She continues, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Louis sets down the fork, "Yeah, actually."

"I'm all ears."

"I don't know what the official story will be, but Charlie was a rebel. Or, at least she worked with them." Louis tells her, "I had no idea and I should've known. Charlie was the heart of the palace and the palace killed her."

Madison puts down her utensils, grabbing both of Louis' hands. She doesn't say a word, but looks at him, paying attention to every word she says.

"I just, I should've known. Charlie is my little sister and I should've known." Louis tells her, "and, what's worse is that I could've saved her. While she was there, before the attack, I could've saved her."

"If she was with them, how could you have saved her?" Madi softly asks, keeping her voice as soothing as possible.

"I was given a deadline to come up with a solution or they were going to attack." Louis admits, "and attack they did. I'm starting to get nightmares of Charlie and her remains. They can't identify her body, you know. She's dead and they can't bring a body home for her funeral. Her voice is off in my dreams; it isn't her voice, but it's supposed to be her. The last thing I heard from her when she was pleading for her life to my dad and he stood there, not doing anything."

"I'm so sorry Louis." Madi squeezes his hands, "truly. I can tell that she meant a lot to you."

"It's my fault. I should've known how to fix this. I should've realized she was with the rebels. I should've helped her."

"Louis, we can't dwell on what we should've done." Madi gets him to stand. She wraps her arms around him, "We just need to go forward and help her memory. Give her the best legacy."

"Alright." Louis concedes, hugging her back.