Part 8: Shifting Bonds
Clover emerged from the bedroom Queen Tassara had given her for the night, stretching in the luxurious thin silk nightgown she was given. She felt like a million bucks despite the unfamiliar surroundings. The accommodations around here were far beyond even her normal standards of living in Beverly Hills. She felt like a queen... and was probably as close as she would ever get to being one. So she should enjoy it while she could.
She wandered down the hall until she stumbled into a large dining room, with an ornately carved wooden table large enough to accommodate at least fifty people, and enough chairs to seat them all. Queen Tassara sat at the very end of the table, eating a small plate of eggs and other assorted breakfast foods. She looked up when Clover entered.
"Please, sit and eat." Tassara commanded with a wave of her hand. She was already wearing a rather regal looking outfit that made Clover feel underdressed, but she did as she was told and sat in the seat just to Tassara's right hand side. "The chef will be here in a moment with your food." She snapped her fingers and made a gesture at the other end of the table.
Clover watched the man bow and turn to leave before looking at Tassara again. "I really can't thank you enough for all of this Tassara... I mean, this place is amazing and you just let me walk in even though I'm a fugitive right now." Tassara laughed lightly.
"Think nothing of it. I make sure I repay those who do me as great a service as you and your friends did." The queen daintily took a bite of her food, watching Clover out of the corner of her eye.
"Yeah well..." Clover blushed, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the table. Finally the chef returned and set a plate of food in front of her so she could concentrate on eating instead of being nervous and unworthy. They ate in companionable silence. Clover didn't really like the quiet, she preferred to have some noise to focus on.
They were both interrupted when a man burst into the dining room quickly, marching up to the queen. He whispered urgently into her ear, so that Clover couldn't make out what he was saying. When he finished the queen thanked him and sent him away, giving Clover a weary smile.
"I must leave to have a small talk with your friends. If you'll excuse me." She stood up from the table and turned to head for the door.
"Hey, wait!" Clover rushed after her. "I want to listen, I want to know what they're saying about me." In truth, she was a bit worried Tassara might rat her out. She wanted to trust the kindly queen, but after seeing Sam and Alex looking for her like a pair of bloodhounds, she found it difficult to put complete trust in anybody.
Tassara seemed to read this in her expression. She smiled a bit sadly and nodded in acceptance, turning to walk through the passageways to the high-tech computerized section of the building she'd shown Clover before. Clover crept behind one of the computers in the middle of the room while Tassara walked past her toward a large screen set against the wall.
"Your highness." Clover heard Sam's voice issue from the speakers around the screen. She didn't dare look for fear of being spotted. "We have something urgent we need to discuss."
"Then please, enlighten me." Tassara replied.
"There've been some recent tragic events... some pretty bad crimes. All of the evidence points to Clover, and we have reason to believe she may be headed your way." Sam replied. Clover's breath caught in her throat. Evidence? How could they have evidence of her doing it when she didn't do it?
"What kind of evidence?" Tassara asked. Clover thought to herself, SHIT! Tassara had to be contemplating whether or not to turn her over. If she spilled there wasn't a damn thing Clover could do. She was trapped here in the center of the royal Lyrobian palace.
"Very persuasive evidence." Sam's voice replied. "Have you seen her lurking about anywhere? Has she tried to contact you?" Clover froze, it felt like even her heart had stopped beating while she waited for Tassara's response. She would turn her over she knew it...
"No, I'm sorry but I have not seen her." Tassara replied coolly. Clover heaved a sigh of relief, the first breath she had taken in the last three minutes or so. "What makes you believe she would try to come here and contact me? Surely she has others who are closer to home than I?" She asked.
"We have an informant." Sam replied. Clover stared down at the steel floor. She had to mean Mandy... the little rat bitch had squealed her out. She should have known better than to trust the spoiled stuck up little snot. Now Tassara was walking a very thin tightrope. Before, she could have simply not said anything about Clover being there and feigned ignorance about the crime if she was discovered. Now if the Americans discovered her outright lie, it could put her and her whole country in jeopardy.
"If she shows up there, please contact us immediately." Sam said.
"Of course." Tassara replied. Clover heard a small blip as the video screen shut down, leaving the queen staring at the wall. Clover pushed herself to her feet, looking over at the queen with a newfound respect and admiration. Sam and Alex, it seemed, had turned on her from the very beginning without even talking to her. Mandy had squealed to save her own skin. Tassara, however, had just stuck her neck in a noose for her.
Clover stood silently as Tassara turned to walk over to her, giving her a light smile. "We should try to figure out who's behind all this as soon as possible. They may send some of their WOOHP spies to make sure you're not here." Clover blinked, clearing her head of the sudden fog that had settled over her.
"Yeah... you're right... how do we do that?" Clover asked.
"Perhaps we should investigate all of the changes made to the WOOHP organization as a result of recent events." Tassara suggested.
"Um... right, that's a good idea." Clover said. What was wrong with her? She should have been able to think better than this. Her brain was completely blank for some reason.
"Come then, we should get started... after we finish breakfast." The queen took Clover's wrist gently in her hand and pulled the younger girl toward the door. Clover gulped, looking down at Tassara's hand on her wrist. The contact felt good, Tassara's skin was somewhat rough from living under the desert heat, but her grip was firm and strong...
They returned to the dining room and sat down to eat, almost as if nothing had interrupted their meal. Clover was having a lot of trouble wrapping her brain around this. Everyone she knew back home was turning on her left and right, while a woman she only knew from one incident months ago was willing to put her entire country on the line for her.
And all because they thought she killed Jerry. That was some pretty heavy-duty stuff right there. Whoever was responsible had to be in a position of power in the first place, and had to have a lot to gain by getting rid of Jerry. The first suspect that came to mind was Richard. Off the boss and take his job, it was a classic.
"Are you feeling okay Clover?" Tassara asked gently, reaching across the table to clasp Clover's hand. Clover looked down at her hand, then raised her gaze to the queen's deep brown eyes. They matched her skin tone very well, giving her an almost machine-like appearance if it wasn't for the warmth that hid just behind those eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine... thank you." Clover confused herself by blushing and looking down at the table. This was too weird... she wasn't used to feeling like this. Yet it felt right. Tassara was the only person she could rely on right now, the only person who seemed to be able to see past what everyone else was saying about her to see that she was telling the truth. She trusted Tassara now more than she could trust anyone else... with everything.
TO BE CONTINUED
Clover emerged from the bedroom Queen Tassara had given her for the night, stretching in the luxurious thin silk nightgown she was given. She felt like a million bucks despite the unfamiliar surroundings. The accommodations around here were far beyond even her normal standards of living in Beverly Hills. She felt like a queen... and was probably as close as she would ever get to being one. So she should enjoy it while she could.
She wandered down the hall until she stumbled into a large dining room, with an ornately carved wooden table large enough to accommodate at least fifty people, and enough chairs to seat them all. Queen Tassara sat at the very end of the table, eating a small plate of eggs and other assorted breakfast foods. She looked up when Clover entered.
"Please, sit and eat." Tassara commanded with a wave of her hand. She was already wearing a rather regal looking outfit that made Clover feel underdressed, but she did as she was told and sat in the seat just to Tassara's right hand side. "The chef will be here in a moment with your food." She snapped her fingers and made a gesture at the other end of the table.
Clover watched the man bow and turn to leave before looking at Tassara again. "I really can't thank you enough for all of this Tassara... I mean, this place is amazing and you just let me walk in even though I'm a fugitive right now." Tassara laughed lightly.
"Think nothing of it. I make sure I repay those who do me as great a service as you and your friends did." The queen daintily took a bite of her food, watching Clover out of the corner of her eye.
"Yeah well..." Clover blushed, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the table. Finally the chef returned and set a plate of food in front of her so she could concentrate on eating instead of being nervous and unworthy. They ate in companionable silence. Clover didn't really like the quiet, she preferred to have some noise to focus on.
They were both interrupted when a man burst into the dining room quickly, marching up to the queen. He whispered urgently into her ear, so that Clover couldn't make out what he was saying. When he finished the queen thanked him and sent him away, giving Clover a weary smile.
"I must leave to have a small talk with your friends. If you'll excuse me." She stood up from the table and turned to head for the door.
"Hey, wait!" Clover rushed after her. "I want to listen, I want to know what they're saying about me." In truth, she was a bit worried Tassara might rat her out. She wanted to trust the kindly queen, but after seeing Sam and Alex looking for her like a pair of bloodhounds, she found it difficult to put complete trust in anybody.
Tassara seemed to read this in her expression. She smiled a bit sadly and nodded in acceptance, turning to walk through the passageways to the high-tech computerized section of the building she'd shown Clover before. Clover crept behind one of the computers in the middle of the room while Tassara walked past her toward a large screen set against the wall.
"Your highness." Clover heard Sam's voice issue from the speakers around the screen. She didn't dare look for fear of being spotted. "We have something urgent we need to discuss."
"Then please, enlighten me." Tassara replied.
"There've been some recent tragic events... some pretty bad crimes. All of the evidence points to Clover, and we have reason to believe she may be headed your way." Sam replied. Clover's breath caught in her throat. Evidence? How could they have evidence of her doing it when she didn't do it?
"What kind of evidence?" Tassara asked. Clover thought to herself, SHIT! Tassara had to be contemplating whether or not to turn her over. If she spilled there wasn't a damn thing Clover could do. She was trapped here in the center of the royal Lyrobian palace.
"Very persuasive evidence." Sam's voice replied. "Have you seen her lurking about anywhere? Has she tried to contact you?" Clover froze, it felt like even her heart had stopped beating while she waited for Tassara's response. She would turn her over she knew it...
"No, I'm sorry but I have not seen her." Tassara replied coolly. Clover heaved a sigh of relief, the first breath she had taken in the last three minutes or so. "What makes you believe she would try to come here and contact me? Surely she has others who are closer to home than I?" She asked.
"We have an informant." Sam replied. Clover stared down at the steel floor. She had to mean Mandy... the little rat bitch had squealed her out. She should have known better than to trust the spoiled stuck up little snot. Now Tassara was walking a very thin tightrope. Before, she could have simply not said anything about Clover being there and feigned ignorance about the crime if she was discovered. Now if the Americans discovered her outright lie, it could put her and her whole country in jeopardy.
"If she shows up there, please contact us immediately." Sam said.
"Of course." Tassara replied. Clover heard a small blip as the video screen shut down, leaving the queen staring at the wall. Clover pushed herself to her feet, looking over at the queen with a newfound respect and admiration. Sam and Alex, it seemed, had turned on her from the very beginning without even talking to her. Mandy had squealed to save her own skin. Tassara, however, had just stuck her neck in a noose for her.
Clover stood silently as Tassara turned to walk over to her, giving her a light smile. "We should try to figure out who's behind all this as soon as possible. They may send some of their WOOHP spies to make sure you're not here." Clover blinked, clearing her head of the sudden fog that had settled over her.
"Yeah... you're right... how do we do that?" Clover asked.
"Perhaps we should investigate all of the changes made to the WOOHP organization as a result of recent events." Tassara suggested.
"Um... right, that's a good idea." Clover said. What was wrong with her? She should have been able to think better than this. Her brain was completely blank for some reason.
"Come then, we should get started... after we finish breakfast." The queen took Clover's wrist gently in her hand and pulled the younger girl toward the door. Clover gulped, looking down at Tassara's hand on her wrist. The contact felt good, Tassara's skin was somewhat rough from living under the desert heat, but her grip was firm and strong...
They returned to the dining room and sat down to eat, almost as if nothing had interrupted their meal. Clover was having a lot of trouble wrapping her brain around this. Everyone she knew back home was turning on her left and right, while a woman she only knew from one incident months ago was willing to put her entire country on the line for her.
And all because they thought she killed Jerry. That was some pretty heavy-duty stuff right there. Whoever was responsible had to be in a position of power in the first place, and had to have a lot to gain by getting rid of Jerry. The first suspect that came to mind was Richard. Off the boss and take his job, it was a classic.
"Are you feeling okay Clover?" Tassara asked gently, reaching across the table to clasp Clover's hand. Clover looked down at her hand, then raised her gaze to the queen's deep brown eyes. They matched her skin tone very well, giving her an almost machine-like appearance if it wasn't for the warmth that hid just behind those eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine... thank you." Clover confused herself by blushing and looking down at the table. This was too weird... she wasn't used to feeling like this. Yet it felt right. Tassara was the only person she could rely on right now, the only person who seemed to be able to see past what everyone else was saying about her to see that she was telling the truth. She trusted Tassara now more than she could trust anyone else... with everything.
TO BE CONTINUED