Disclaimer × Mm… I don't own any of the characters that you recognise. But I do own those that you don't recognise… hehe.
Author's Note × Sorry for the small wait… I have so much h/w and projects… it's not fair! Lol. Exams are being held at this week and the next, so I won't be able to update then. Sorry (again)! I'll try, but no promises. =)
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HIDDEN THREAT
Chapter Seven ◊ New Friends
Erin froze when she felt someone grab her arm. Her first thought was that Zak had realised his money was missing and had come after her. But instead, she turned around to face a young man with bright hazel eyes not unlike her own. He was looking at her with an amused grin.
"What do you want?" Erin asked coolly, pulling her arm from his grip. The stranger mentioned to her and moved over to the side of the street where they wouldn't attract as much attention. Without really thinking, Erin followed him.
"The name's George. George Cooper" the young man answered, with a lazy smile. Erin stared at him.
"That doesn't exactly help"
"It wasn't supposed to"
There was a brief silence, before Erin had a sudden thought. Her eyes narrowed as she remembered the slight headache she had felt before, "you have the Gift don't you?"
George looked surprised, before his smile widened. "Yer an observant lass, aren't ye?"
Erin pouted, "do you ever answer a question with a straight answer?"
"Maybe I'm just a crooked person"
"What do you want?" Erin asked again, tired of playing games. Alanna was probably beginning to wonder what happened to her. If this George wanted the money she just stole, then he should say so and let her on her way.
"Well, yer right. I do have the Gift, and it told me somethin' very interesting…" George said, as they began walking slowly down the street again.
"Oh?"
"And when it tells me somethin', I never ignore it"
"And what did it tell you?" Erin asked in a slightly sarcastic tone of voice.
"I don't know" George admitted, smiling when he noticed a flicker or irritation cross Erin's pretty face. She spun around to face him.
"Then what-"
"All I know is that I'm supposed to help someone you know in some way…" George interrupted.
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Alanna was standing by the window thinking, when the door to the room opened. She didn't need to look up to know that it was Erin.
"Where have you been?" Alanna asked, covering a yawn. After her visit from Thom, she was fully awake with all sorts of thoughts running through her head. The thought of how strong Thom's Gift was also scared her a bit. Erin sat down on Alanna's bed.
"I found some money we can use to pay for a few more nights at the inn," she said, opening her purse and counting the gold coins. Alanna looked at her friend in surprise.
"How'd you manage to do that?" Alanna asked, brushing a lock of auburn hair out of her eyes. Erin shrugged. She decided not to mention the stealing or George. Though he seemed sure, Erin tried to convince him that he must have mistaken her for someone else. When Alanna realised that she wasn't about to say how she got the money, she continued and told Erin what Thom had told her that morning. At the mention of poison, Erin sat upright.
"Poison? Are you sure?" she asked, frowning. Alanna nodded.
"Thom seemed pretty sure, anyway. He also said that he can organize a couple of rooms for us to stay at the Palace," Alanna said, suddenly remembering what else her twin brother had said. After vaguely complaining about getting no where, Thom had suggested that she and Erin stay at the Palace so that they can keep an eye on things while Thom was training to become a knight. It seemed like a pretty good idea to Alanna.
Erin grinned at Alanna, eyes twinkling. Alanna didn't think she liked that look very much, "what?"
"Oh nothing. But think about all the balls we're going to have to attend," she said casually, with a slight smirk.
Alanna groaned. She had forgotten about the balls at the Palace.
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Alanna looked around her room in the Palace. It wasn't one of the best and small, but it was beautiful none the less. There was a small fireplace opposite a comfortable double bed draped with fine and warm cloths. The cool floor was covered with a thick, deeply coloured rug and mysterious paintings decorated the walls. It was better than her room at the inn and she was staying there for free. Though she didn't know how, Thom had made some arrangements and managed to get her and Erin a room each. The only problem was that their rooms weren't together.
After unpacking what little things she had with her, Alanna decided to take a little walk around the Palace. It was a cool, light day and she still had an hour before dinnertime. Walking out of her room, Alanna nearly collided with a young man she had seen at the Mid-Autumn Festival. She watched in amusement as the young man tried to remember where he had seen her before, his face brightened when he suddenly remembered.
"Lady Alanna, what are you doing here?" he asked, giving a polite bow. Alanna responded with an equally polite curtsy.
"Sir Gary," she said, with a small smile. While she was vaguely happy the see a familiar face, all she wanted to do was explore on her own for a while. "My brother Squire Thom, invited me to stay at the Palace for a while".
"With your friend, Lady Erin?" he asked casually. Alanna nearly rolled her eyes, before stopping herself in time. The Daughters at the convents were always telling her how unladylike it was. Not that she really cared. Yet, whenever Erin rolled her eyes or cursed, they never said a word against her! Life was unfair sometimes.
"Yes, Lady Erin is staying here also, though her room is not near mine"
Gary nodded, "and where are you off to now?"
"I thought I'd just… um, look around. I don't really know my way around yet"
Gary grinned, "would you like a guide? I don't really have anything to do at the moment, so why don't I show you around?"
Alanna thought about it briefly for a bit, before deciding to accept. She had plenty of time to explore on her own later on. She smiled sincerely, "I would love that"
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AN × Okay… um, not much happened. Sorry about that! Hehe. R/R plz!
Cassa-Andra - Oops… wasn't meaning to give Erin a bigger role… don't worry, it'll change soon. =) Alanna will be doing a lot more later on. Lol.
Reaya - Lol. I'm not planning to leave too many cliffhangers… or not intentionally anyway… either way I'll try!
---× Lady Kalitana ×---
