Chapter Six

Things are going right? Wrong.

All was right with the world. Things couldn't get any better. The weather was warm, the trees had new leaves, and finally Boa didn't have sneak about the palace. Whenever she saw Carrion around, she would just wave enthusiastically at him and carry on with whatever it was she was doing. Whenever she saw Finnegan she would do the same. Yes, for Boa, everything was perfect.

It was her parents who noted this change in behaviour more than most, and their worries about her lifted immediately. It had been a phase after all. And with the King and Queen smiling also, nothing bothered the royal family for a week.

Boa sat on the grass next to the pond, one hand holding her hair up, the other rummaging around in her pocket for a hair band. She didn't notice the person walking towards her over the lawn.

"Boa?"

Boa looked around, not knowing who to expect standing there for the speaker had been a woman. She didn't have many female friends, at least none of which came to visit her spontaneously. Even looking at the woman gave no clues as to who she was, for Boa had never seen her in her life. She felt slightly annoyed that someone she didn't even know had addressed her with her first name; her defences went up immediately.

"Yes?" she asked looking up at the stranger without a smile.

"Don't you remember me?" the woman asked smiling a sickly fake smile.

Boa frowned. No, she didn't remember this woman, and was feeling slightly annoyed at being interrupted for it.

"No, sorry," she answered, the annoyed feeling wasn't going away, and she wasn't feeling sorry at all.

The woman shrugged as if it didn't matter and held out a letter for Boa to take.

"I am here to summon you to a meeting, it is in you best interest not to refuse to come, it would send the wrong message..."

Boa snatched the letter out her hand and looked at the name on the envelope. It was addressed to her all right.

"Does my father know you are here?" Boa asked her eyes narrowing. The woman looked indifferent to her words.

"Of course," she said stiffly. "Would I be allowed near you if I didn't have permission? Besides Lord Carrion is watching me."

Boa sat bolt upright and looked over at the palace, sure enough Christopher Carrion was stood outside of the door that led to the garden, staring menacingly at the woman in front of her. Well, she thought, I suppose he does have some uses after all.

"And what kind of meeting is this?"

"It's a meeting about you, we're not happy with the way you have been conducting the distribution of money in your charity. Some of it has gone missing, and is not in our eyes being well spent."

Boa gaped at her.

"Who is this we? And why has nothing been said before?" Boa shouted standing up to look the woman in the eye, she was smaller than Boa had imagined. "If money has been going missing it's not on my end, I can assure you of that!"

The woman shrugged.

"Well, we'll see," she said uncaring, she didn't seem at all worried about Boa's status, and so Boa assumed she must carry a high position of power in wherever it was that she came from.

Boa stuffed the letter in her pocket and began walking away from her, she didn't want to spend another minute being looked down on by this woman, whoever she was. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction of begging to know her name either, she could find out in less embarrassing ways anyway. Her cheeks burning, because she knew what Carrion would say about her running away and allowing herself to be spoken to so, Boa headed towards him.

"I hope you didn't overhear that," she said as soon as she was beside him.

"I didn't have to," he replied still watching the offending woman walk away. "She came to see me earlier. Charming isn't she?"

Boa frowned at him.

"I thought her manners would be right up your street," she said seriously, "everyone who works for you is rude."

"Not to me," he replied as if there was no other answer. Boa shrugged, they wouldn't dare she supposed.

"So, did she give you a letter too?" she asked hopefully. If Carrion had one, then she wouldn't have to go to this meeting on her own.

"She tried, but I set fire to it whilst she was still holding it," he said noting the look of horror that passed over Boa's face. "Then I threw her out of the window."

This time Boa laughed.

"You're a liar, I bet you just took it and left it somewhere, like the bin…" Boa said watching his posture stiffen.

"Have you been spying on me? No you can't have been, because I actually ripped it in half before I put it in the bin."

Boa rolled her eyes, and dug out the letter.

"Well what should we do about this one?" she asked holding it up in front of his face.

"Alright I can see it!" he snapped. Boa lowered it at once. "You won't be able to get rid of it before you read it, too afraid you'll miss something," he said knowingly.

Boa scowled and looked at the letter.

"I can. Watch," and with that she crossed back over to the pond and dropped the letter in. She watched it sink and waited for Carrion to catch her up. "Oh," she said as soon as it disappeared from the surface. "I shouldn't have done that, what if it was important?"

Carrion bit back a smile.

"Oh yes, very important, it probably contained directions and instructions as to where this meeting is being held. Shame, now you can't go, and it was all about you after all. Whatever will you do now?" he said with mocking surprise.

Boa looked up at him angrily.

"That was your fault, I'm going to be in trouble for this now. Why did you dare me? You knew that it was important after all! I bet you never ripped yours up, I bet you're going!" Boa accused.

Carrion didn't even attempt to look sorry for his trickery.

"Of course I'm going! You really think I wouldn't? Its all about you after all, should be amusing, anyway, your little charity has been itching to berate me for the 'unsatisfactory' running of my own island, and it doesn't help that the money you sent recently has gone missing now. So thank you for that, I thought I made it clear that Midnight didn't require your help! You've made trouble for me, consider this payback."

Boa looked as though she might explode with her anger.

"I could kill you!" she shouted drawing the attention of some other people who were walking in the garden.

Boa hit him hard in the chest, but before she could get away he had hold of her upper arm. Boa gasped in pain, she thought he'd broken her arm. But Carrion hadn't finished, he twisted her arm so that it was around her back and Boa was screaming in pain.

"Kill me? I could kill you! I asked you not interfere, but like all women you think you know best. Now I have an army of people looking into every piece of paperwork I have, wanting to know where this money has gone," he shouted over her screams of 'get off, let go!'.

The other people in the garden stood stock still, muttering to each other that it was indeed shocking what they were seeing.

"I didn't send any money!" Boa screamed at him. "Let me go!"

Carrion let go so roughly that Boa fell on the floor fidgeting with her sore arm. She wondered where all her guards were, but with a sickening feeling she remembered that Midnight guards were now watching her, and they weren't about to attack their employer.

"Well who did?" Carrion asked calm again after his sudden outburst of rage.

Boa blinked away her tears.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"Well that doesn't help me," Carrion said staring at the people watching him and sent them walking away quickly.

"Like I care now you broke my arm!" Boa said knowing full well it wasn't really broken; it had just felt that way when he was holding it. Carrion didn't look bothered by the fact her arm could indeed be broken, but just hauled her up onto her feet.

Boa knew one thing; she wouldn't be hitting him again in a hurry. Rubbing her arm, she watched Carrion take out a letter; identical to the one she had thrown in the pond.

"Alright, I'm sorry."

Boa blinked.

"I'm sorry?" had she just heard him right? Had he just apologised?

"Yes, that's what I just said."

Boa looked at him confused for a few moments, trying to understand what he meant by that. She decided not to tell him that she had meant 'pardon' because it would only get more complicated. Instead she just said: "Ok."

Actually she was feeling totally confused. Someone had given an order in her place to send the money to Midnight, and she was angry. She didn't now how she was going to find out whom either, at least not alone anyway.

Authors Note: And where oh where is Finnegan? Beautiful Finngean! I hear you all scream. … Or at least you all scream, but not because you love him. I haven't forgotten him, it's just time for some frustrating jealousy, mhahaha! …and of course, like always Boa is totally oblivious. Duh.

To everyone who is reading, many many hugs!

Delavega: holds wooden spoon Stan didn't get me today!