Hey guys, I've decided that I'm gonna try and write longer chapters so please bear with me. Tell me if you think thigs are going too fast or slow. Thanks to my reviewers!
devlish angel: Hi Samia! I'm still dying here! She hasn't updated! I read your story haha! It's so funny. No school for two weeks! yay! No more circut either! but ballroom dancing? With mr allum. : ( Enjoy your holidays (while they last) because next term we have...dun dun dun...Ms Ratcliffe! Oh no!
Robyn: Thanks, I love Callista's name too.
fantasygirl16: I'm glad you like my story.
HI MAGGIE! :sticks tongue out The circut man was scary on Friday! I'm glad we don't have it anymore!. And in this chappie, Eric actually forgets what he remembered! He's so stupid. And ditzy is the exact word except, Mary's decided to be evil today. You'll see. Callista gets to yell! Hooray, she finally stands up to Mary. You have signed reviews now! Yay! I saw it on my otherstory. Finally. Now you havta re-post Unbelievable. Have a nice holiday!
Eastern Star: Thanks for reading. I'm working on the conflict and there'll be a twist soon!
Thanks to anyone else who reads my story...here's the next chapter fo you guys...
Eric opened his eyes to see darkness through his window. The sun hadn't risen yet but Eric didn't feel like going back to sleep. Blearily, he got up and dressed. Vague thoughts came to him as he bathed his face in cold water. He had been thinking about something important last night. Something about dancing. There was something important he had to remember. Eric dragged his fingers through his hair exasperatedly. What was he supposed to remember? Eric was still trying to recall his dream as he entered the dining hall. At such an early hour, Eric wasn't surprised to see that the hall was almost empty. Only a handful of nobles were seated at the tables. A cheerful William greeted him as he walked in. "You're up early today. What's the matter?" he asked as he saw the annoyed look on Eric's face.
"There was something important I was supposed to remember and I've forgotten."
"What was it about?"
"I realised something about that green-eyed girl last night and now I can't remember what it was"
"Ah, the green-eyed girl." William said teasingly. Eric frowned at him "Maybe some fresh air will help you remember," William suggested." My horse cast a shoe after a certain friend of mine finished dozing on him." he looked pointedly at Eric who pretended not to notice. "Anyway, I need to see the blacksmith and wanted to get in early this morning. Would you like to come?" William asked. Eric looked at his mother, who was sitting by herself. She had several different coloured napkins in her hands and was waving them around, then nodded. "Anything to get away from ball preparations." Eric said.
"Callista! Wake up! You have to get up NOW!" Callista heard Mary yell. Wow, I didn't believe such a spoilt brat could be up so early she thought amusedly. "Callista!" Mary yelled again. The voice seemed to be getting louder. Callista half-opened one eye and caught sight of her window. The sun hadn't even risen yet. What could she want at his hour? she thought annoyed. "Get up, get up get up!" Her voice gets louder and more annoying every minute Callista thought. She heard Mary walk out of the room. Finally, I can go back to sleep She heard Mary re-enter the room. Fine, fine, have it your way, I'm getting up already, just stop yelling! She thought. Callista opened her eyes resignedly and blinked in confusion as she glimpsed blue eyes, before a whole lot of freezing cold water spilt onto her face. "Ahhh!" she exclaimed as the cold water splashed her face and seeped into her clothes. "What in hell's name did you do that for!" she yelled at Mary who was standing beside her with the water jug in her hands.
"You weren't getting up" she said innocently.
"Well?" Callista said.
"Well what?" Mary said, confused.
"Why did you pour a jug of freezing cold water on me at this crude hour? The sun's not even up yet."
"I told you, you weren't waking up"
"Why did you want to wake me up" she said, as though she were talking to a small child.
"Oh, I needed you to do something for me."
Callista let out a frustrated sigh. "What did you want?" Mary seemed to remember something and the innocent look on her face turned into a look of madness. "You have to check on my dress." Mary said urgently. Words rushed out of Mary's mouth. Callista only caught a couple of words including dress, prince and ball. Oh boy, here we go Callista thought. "Slow down" she ordered. "I can't understand what you're saying."
"I had this horrible dream, there were these giant rats and it ate my dress. You have to Callista, you have to!"
Annoyance turned into anger. "That's what you woke me up for?" Callista said crossly.
"Of course, you have to save my dress."
"You woke me up, God knows how many hours before dawn, to tell me to check on you stupid dress?"
"But the rats!" she cried
"THERE ARE NO DAMN RATS!" Callista yelled. Mary seemed surprised that she had raised her voice at her, but overcame it by yelling back, "YES THERE ARE! THE RATS ARE GOING TO EAT MY DRESS!"
"I AM NOT GOING THREE MILES INTO TOWN ON FOOT TO WAKE UP THE SEAMSTRESS, WHO WILL MOST LIKELY HIT ME OVER THE HEAD FOR WAKING HER AT THIS INAPPROPRIATE HOUR, SO SHE CAN CHECK ON YOUR STUPID DRESS BECAUSE YOU HAD A DAMN DREAM!"
"YOU HAVE TO GO!"
"NO!"
"BUT MY DRESS!" Mary cried wildly . She kept yelling for several minutes, her scream becoming an inaudible wail. The door slammed open and a livid Adrianna stormed into the room. "What is going on here?" she said, her voice dangerously soft. "Mother!" Mary wailed, throwing herself hysterically at her mother. "C-callist-ta won't g-go check-k on my-y dr-ress." She sobbed.
"Hush dear." Adrianna said soothingly, patting the girl's head. "It's going to be alright. Now why do you need to check on your dress?" Mary's wails had quietened and she was left hiccuping. "I had hiccup this dream where hiccup these giant rats hiccup were eating my dress and it was hiccup horrible" She collapsed into tears again. Adrianna led the girl out of the room, trying to quieten the girl. "Go check on the dress Callista" she called over the sobbing girl's shoulder. "We'll deal with this incident when you get back." The door closed and Callista was left in silence. She sank onto the bed and rested her head in her hands. You shouldn't have lost your temper Callista told herself. Part of her was strangely glad about the argument. It's time you stood up to that spoilt brat it said. But I'm going to be in so much trouble when I get back. Adrianna will think of an especially evil punishment that will take me years to do, or worse, she'll whip me. That's what a lot of the nobles are doing now .Callista shivered slightly.
It's not your fault though, her cold, distant side argued no one wants to get up at the crack of dawn to check on a silly dress. Callista sighed and got dressed. Muttering death threats under her breath, she walked out of the manor and towards the city.
By the time she got to the city, it was only an hour past dawn. The streets were still quite empty and the only businesses the blacksmith's forge and the bakery. Callista's stomach grumbled at the smell of freshly baked bread and since she had missed breakfast, she decided to buy some. She had quite a lot of money left over from the amount Anna had given her. Most of it was hidden in her room, inside a wall at the back of her she had discovered could swing open, with her necklace and other things that were valuable to her. But she had enough in her pocket to buy a sweet bun. Nibbling on the bun, she went to find a place to sit while she waited for the seamstress's shop to open. There was a low wall between the blacksmith's forge and the seamstress's cottage so Callista decided to sit on the wall while she waited.
Eric and William wandered through empty city streets, enjoying the silence. It was a cold morning, and their cloaks rippled in the chilly breeze. Eric jammed his hands into his pockets and tried to remember his dream. He recalled he had been young in the dream. They were having some sort of lesson and they were dancing. Eric wasn't sure if it was a real memory, or just his thoughts muddled up with the upcoming ball. He remembered his partner falling and then looking up at him with- "So, do you remember anything about that girl?" William asked, interrupting his thoughts. Eric was slightly annoyed, he had been so close to remembering something. Maybe William remembers if we had a dancing lesson Eric thought excitedly. "William, do you remember ever having a dancing lesson?" he asked.
"We've had several. There was that one where you knocked over that statue, the one where you almost broke my foot, the one where Alex ended up with a broken arm, after you made everyone fall onto him…"
"Do you enjoy rubbing my former clumsiness in? Because it's not helping me figure out who this girl is. Come on, be serious, have we had any lessons with actual girls?"
"Hmm. There was that one time when we were eleven. But that was the only one I think. And that one was cut short."
"Why?" "Um, I think it was because someone had died." William screwed his face up in concentration "Yes, it was because the Duke of Rasine had died." All at once, Eric remembered his dream and what his mother had told him the night before. "Are you alright?" William asked him. Eric realised he was grinning like a fool. Eric quickly recounted his dream and his conversation with his mother. "So you think that this mystery girl is Lady Adonia's daughter?"
"It has to be."
"But isn't she supposed to be dead?"
"Yeah, that's the bit that I get stuck on."
It took the two young men quite a while to reach the forge but no one was there except the blacksmith and . a girl sitting on the low wall beside the forge. William was halfway to the door when he realised Eric had stopped. He was looking at a young woman who was sitting on the low wall next to the forge. Her head was drooping onto her chest and she though it was rather cold, she had no cloak. As if the girl realised she was drifting off to sleep, she shook her head to clear it. As she looked up, William gasped. She was beautiful. She was dressed simply but the simplicity of her clothes just emphasized her features . She had vibrant green eyes and her hair was a lovely dark red. No wonder Eric's staring, she's stunning. Wait, he told himself red hair and green eyes? Isn't that Eric's mystery girl? The girl looked up at them. "You know, it's rude to stare" she said tartly. " I wasn't, I mean we weren't" William stuttered. The girl raised an eyebrow. " I mean, we were, but we didn't mean to. Stare, I mean." Now Eric looked at him strangely too. Eric turned to the girl. This time, he wasn't the one being embarrassed. This time, he would be calm and collected. "He means to say, we're sorry, milady"
"Sorry, milady" the prince said suavely. 'Milady'? Is he making fun of me? Callista thought Fine. Two can play at that game ."Apology accepted, your highness" she curtsied ever so slightly.
"May I ask what you name is?" he asked Why does he care? Should I tell him my name? I don't think so, what if he tells Adrianna I was dawdling? I'll be in worse trouble then. " You may ask, majesty," she said mischievously, "but I don't feel inclined to answer." The prince seemed confused.
"Why?" he said
"Why what"
"Why won't you tell me your name?"
"Why do you need to know my name?"
"Why don't you want to give it?"
"Because I'm really a princess under a curse and telling you my name could kill me"
"Really? Then why aren't you locked in a tower somewhere" the prince said sarcastically. This was getting him nowhere. "What would I do in a tower? Wait for someone to come and rescue me? I'd rather climb out of the tower myself than drive myself mad waiting for some egotistical prince to rescue me."
"Are you implying that I'm egotistical"
"I said naught of the sort" Callista said innocently. There was a brief silence. Callista shivered.
"Would you like my cloak?" the prince asked.
"Why would I need your cloak?" she replied.
"Uh, because it's cold?"
"Won't you be cold then?"
"I like the cold" Eric lied
"How do you know I don't like the cold as well.
"You shivered"
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Are you going to disagree with everything I say?"
"What makes you think I'm disagreeing?"
"See, you just disagreed again." Eric said triumphantly.
The door of the seamstress's shop opened and the Callista realised what she was supposed to be doing.
"Fine, I'm disagreeing with you, but I need to go now."
"Oh" Eric said "Alright, this time it's a truce."
"This time? I'm going to see you again?"
"Yes, I'm inviting you to my ball. I'd give you an invitation but I don't have one right now. Where do you live? I'll send one to you."
"I know what you're trying to do"
"What?" Eric asked innocently
"You're going to find out where I live so you can find out which family lives there. You won't be able to trick me that easily. Anyway, I already have an invitation."
"You do?"
"Yes, the last time we met, you dropped one after you, uh…fell off your horse"
"Actually, it wasn't my horse, it was William's." he gestured towards the other young man behind him. "How rude of me, this is Sir William of Deverell." Callista curtsied.
"Sir William, your majesty, I must check on a dress for a friend of mine, if you'll excuse me." She walked towards the seamstress's shop, as she opened the door, she called over her shoulder, "oh,and your majesty, I'm glad you stayed awake this time" she gave him an impish grin and disappeared into the store.
Thanks for reading and please review!