I have no good excuse on why I haven't updated in a while. I just haven't. But I did make this chapter extra long. Btw, the marketplace section I wrote in this chapter is based on the marketplace scene in the Disney movie Aladdin. One more thing, the song I use for this chapter fits perfectly. Listen to it right after you read this chapter and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi, Aladdin, or the song Forgive me by Evanescence. Darn it!

ChapterEleven

I heard the words come out

I felt that I would die

It hurts so much to hurt you

Clare's P.O.V.

Ugh! I can't believe him! He does not know what it feels like to feel the way that I do. It's this exasperated sensation and it's like you are suffocating. And when you feel suffocated, you do whatever necessary to be able to breathe again.

I sigh and sit against the outside of Adam's home made of wattle and daub. He brought me to his house while Eli cooled down. They are neighbors, so we will know when he gets back.

Maybe Eli was right. I should have just stayed in the castle and I wouldn't have been running any risk. We could have figured out another way to solve my problem without putting me in danger. As soon as I see Eli, I am going to apologize for being so stupid and naïve.

As I made that promise to myself, I saw a tall figure with raven black hair approach us. When Eli came more into sight, everything I had just gone over in my head a few minutes ago went down the drain. I was soon overcome with anger. I tried to calm down. I don't want to make anything worse between us.

"Hi." He simply said. I just stood up with my arms crossed.

He cleared his throat. "Listen I'm sorry about snapping at both of you. You guys are my best friends and I don't know what I would do without you."

"Apology accepted!" Adam said with a smile plastered on his face. They had a friend hug before Eli gave Adam a look.

"Well, I'll be inside if you need me." He said quickly, giving Eli a playful shove. After he went inside, Eli turned to me and took hold of my hands.

"Clare, I… I feel terrible that I accused you the way that I did. And I'm sorry for yelling at you. That was wrong of me. But…" I looked away from our linked hands and looked into his jade eyes. But?! I stared at him with a confused expression.

"I still think it wasn't a good idea for you to leave. I would have come up with a plan to get us together. Instead, you put your life in danger." In one swift movement, I yanked my hands away from his and they formed into shaking fists.

"You would have come up with a plan huh? When?" I began to become irritated. I'm expecting steam to come out of my ears any second now.

"Uh…" Eli stuttered. He seemed baffled and nervous.

"Suitors were lined up to ask for my hand in marriage yesterday evening! I said I would choose a suitor by morning! Where was your plan last night?! Huh?! Of course you didn't want to help me so I had to take things into my own hands. I had no other choice than to leave! If it wasn't for Adam I would be dead by now! AND WHERE WERE YOU WITH YOUR PLAN?! You were too busy worrying about yourself to listen to me." I finished off with a whisper. My voice cracked and angry tears raced down my crimson cheeks.

Eli just stood there with shock written all over his expression. Hurt lingered in his eyes. Puh-lease. The last thing he should be feeling is hurt. I can't be here right now. I ran and ran and ignored the voices calling my name.

Eli's P.O.V

"Clare!" Come back!" Adam and I ran after her but we soon lost sight of her.

"Damn it! This is all my fault. I just had to tell her she made a mistake. You should have seen her yell at me. She seemed so pained and infuriated. And the worst part is that I'm the cause." I groaned loudly with desperation and I kicked the nearest wall.

"And now she's out in the open all alone doing God knows what. I hate myself! How could I do this to her?" I scolded myself. Adam placed his hand on my shoulder in an effort to comfort me.

"Stop beating yourself up about it. She's obviously stressed out about her situation at home. You just happen to be the one she took everything out on. It's not your fault." He said calmly. I nearly busted out laughing with frustration at the irony of his statement.

"You don't understand, Adam! It is my fault! I was the last straw and I made her explode. I broke her." A tear slipped out of my eyes and I felt like a wimp crying in front of Adam. I've only done it once and it was because of…her. I honestly didn't think he would ever see me cry again. But I was just so scared that I didn't care.

"We'll find her Eli. I promise." Adam reassured me. I simply looked at him with a saddened expression.

I hope you're right, Adam. I hope you're right.

Clare's P.O.V

I was soon back at the marketplace. I wandered around the crowded bazaar without a clue. My hood was on my head once again and I tried my best to keep my face hidden so no one would recognize who I was.

I admired all of the items being sold. Pots made of brass and silver; sugar dates, figs, pistachios, and other types of fruit and nuts; different assortments of fine jewelry; fresh animals as well like fish and pork. There were also street entertainers like fire swallowers, sword swallowers, and people stepping on hot coals.

I walked past a stand filled with fruit like watermelons, grapes, and apples. There was a poor little boy trying to reach for an apple. He seemed like he was homeless and he was so skinny. He was probably starving. So I walked over and handed him an apple.

"Aw, here you go." As soon as I was walking away, a large masculine voice emerges.

"Hey lady! You need to pay for that!" the man yelled. I turned around to see a large male around his mid forties with a large amount of facial hair. He seemed very intimidating.

"Um…I'm sorry sir. I don't have any money." I said ever so innocently. Maybe he'll hear the sincerity in my voice and be kind enough to release me with a warning.

"Thief! No one steals from ME!" He roared loudly as he grasped my wrist tightly, making sure I wouldn't try to run away without paying. Of course this would happen to me twice in one day. I'm sure I'm going to get a bruise from all this violent manipulation.

"There are consequences for those who are thieves, miss." The man seemed furious as he drew out his sword. Uh-oh.

"No please! I beg of you!" I plead helplessly. I close my eyes shut thinking, for the second time today, I'm going to die.

"STOP!" I heard a female voice erupt. I open my eyes and turn to the source of the voice. It's a small dark girl about my age and she has long black hair that reaches her waist. She has a long brown dress that's ripped and looks very filthy.

"She's with me." The girl said as she yanked me away from the angry shopkeeper. The male tried to snatch me back into his possession but the girl quickly moved me out of his reach. She threw two shinny gold coins in the air for him to catch. And she dragged me away.

"Um…thank you for saving me." I said awkwardly. I had no idea where we were headed but for some odd reason, I didn't care.

"Yeah yeah. No biggie, Hun." The girl answered with a smirk.

"So…. Why did you save me?" I asked curiously. It's not every day a stranger saves your life for no reason. Well Eli did rescue me from the dungeon that one day but that's beside the point.

She stayed silent for a moment before answering. "I just saw you in need of a friend." I saw her give me a genuine smile and I returned it with appreciation.

"So what on earth were you doing in the marketplace all alone? And more importantly, why did you steal from Big Frank?" The girl asked.

"Well I needed to clear my head so I decided to wander through the marketplace. And there was a poor little homeless boy that seemed like he needed some food. But I didn't have any money so I discretely gave him an apple. But I got caught." I said as my cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Ah, trying to play the hero are we?" She commented smugly. I giggled before becoming serious again.

"I just didn't want him to suffer like I did." I replied. She nodded with understanding and I felt relieved that she left it at that. We walked in a peaceful silence. It honestly feels nice to not have a care in the world.

"So where are we headed?" I asked the dark skinned teen.

"Let's go to my place." She said as we walked towards the outer part of the village.

We walked into a humble little adobo home and I noticed that it was decorated very simply. There was an African style rug in the middle of what seemed to be the living room, a little brown couch in the corner of the room, and a wooden box, which I assume was used as a coffee table, in the center. There was a long, dark, wooden table on the other side of the room with a bench on each side. There was an entry to another room which I assumed was a bedroom.

"What a sweet little home you have here. It's so cozy." I said with admiration.

"If by cozy, you mean crowded and suffocating then yes. It's very cozy." She mumbled sardonically.

"It's not too small. I think it's a good size for you." I commented.

"I agree! Except I live with my parents and my eight siblings. It tends to get a little crammed." The girl responded.

"I know that you are a generous and kind girl that saved my life, has a small home and lives with her parents and eight siblings. But I still don't know your name." I realized out loud. She started to burst out laughing. It was a little odd, I'll admit but it wasn't that hilarious. I laughed nervously.

"Oh I'm sorry. I just remembered something that happened some time ago. I began small talking to a stranger that I met in the village and then I started to rant and rant and then that person interrupted me and said 'um I don't even know you'. So this is kind of like that cuz you know a lot about me but you're practically a stranger and…I'm doing it again aren't I?" I nodded. After a couple of seconds of silence, we both began to crack up.

I'm having so much fun with this stranger and I still don't know her name.

"I'm…Alli…by the…way." The girl said in between cackles. After we calmed down, I decided to speak.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Alli. I'm….." I debated in my head whether to tell her who I am or not. My hood was already off and she didn't recognize me so that's a good sign. Maybe if I tell her my real name she'll connect the dots. So I decided against it. "Diana Edwards." I answered.

"Well it's nice to officially meet you, Diana. You seem kind of familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it." I laughed nervously. She was on to me.

At that moment, a middle-eastern lady walked into the house with a box filled with groceries in her hands. She seemed around forty years of age.

"Here mother, let me help you with that." Alli stood up quickly and took the box from her mother's hands. The woman wiped her hands on the apron she wore and when she looked up to me, she seemed startled. I guess they don't get many visitors.

"Princess Clare? What are you doing here your highness?" She asked as she curtsied to me. As I opened my mouth to deny, Alli interrupted.

"That's who you look like. You do look a lot like the princess!" Alli exclaimed.

"Yeah I get that a lot." I responded, not knowing what else I could say.

"Mother, this is Diana Edwards she's not from around here. I had to save her from Big Frank chopping her hand off." Alli said proudly as she set down the box on the table. I could have probably defended myself; she just didn't give me a chance to. Haha who am I kidding. That would have been the end of me.

"Oh my!" Alli's mother responded. "Very nice to meet you, Diana. I'm Mrs Bhandari." She said with a smile. I smiled back.

"Nice to meet you too." I responded.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Mrs. Bhandari asked kindly. As if on que, my stomach rumbled very loudly and we all began to laugh.

"Well I guess that's a yes!" Alli said and I nodded gratefully.

I was having a wonderful time at the small Bhandari home. We all sat at the dinner table and we were laughing so much to the extent that I thought I was going to fall out of my seat. I got to know this family fairly well. Alli is very outgoing and funny and she's really pretty as well. Her mother is equally beautiful but she is more conservative than her daughter. Mr. Bhandari was very loud, in a good way, and he was making jokes left and right. Sav, the oldest of the siblings, was very polite but he was on the shy side, unlike his sister. The rest of the siblings made a lot of commotion that one needed to yell just to be heard on the other side of the extensive wooden table. When we all calmed down and became semi-quiet, I opened my mouth to ask the question that has been bugging me ever since dinner started.

"So…I don't mean to snoop in your business, but what's your religion?" I asked carefully. Everyone got quiet and I felt embarrassed. Did I say the wrong thing?

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that. I don't know what came over me." I looked down in shame and picked at the beans on my plate. From the corner of my eye, I could see the four adults exchange glances while the little ones resumed their bickering.

"No it's ok, Diane. I know it's a little strange that an Indian family is living here in Britain. You see…" Alli began to explain before her father interrupted her to continue the story himself.

"Our family was having trouble with the government in our old country, so we decided to come here. The only problem was that we had to be catholic to become citizens. So we said that we converted, but secretly, we're still Muslims." Mr. Bhandari finished with a whisper. I formed my mouth in the shape of an "O" and nodded understandingly. I felt honored that they trusted me so much to tell me their little secret, but I also felt terrible that they didn't know who I really was. If I tell them they won't trust me again and I really like these people and…

"Diane, darling, are you alright? You look a little pale." Mrs. Bhandari interrupted my thoughts.

"Oh!...No. I'm fine I just…." Should I tell them or not?"

"I am really…" As I was about to tell them my true identity, there was a loud knock at the door. Alli stood up to answer it.

"Is she here?" I heard a familiar male voice ask anxiously.

"Is who here? What are you talking about?" Alli sounded confused. The male sighed exasperatedly.

"I went to the market and Big Frank said she followed you home. Where is she? Are you hiding her? Is she ok?" With bewilderment etched on their faces, the Bhandari parents stood up and walked to the living room and I followed.

"Who Eli?!" asked Alli. Wait did she say Eli?

"Clare!" Eli said hysterically.

Soon, the back of Alli became visible and Eli peeked over her shoulder to look for me. As soon as he saw me, he pushed passed a perplexed Alli and embraced me tightly. I just stayed motionless, much like he did when I hugged him earlier.

"Eli. What are you doing here?" I asked softly. He let go of me and studied me carefully, without letting go of my arms.

"What do you mean? I came to look for you. I was worried sick!" He said sternly.

"I don't need your help. I was perfectly fine here. Actually, I was having a pretty good time until you arrived!" I spat out fiercely. I know I was being a bit harsh.

"Diane? Is everything alright?" Alli asked ever so innocently. Great, something else I have to explain.

"Diane?" Eli asked slowly. I grunted with frustration.

"Eli, go wait outside. I'll deal with you later." He gave me strange look, but listened to me anyway. When he was outside, I turned to Alli and her family. I sighed deeply.

"Thank you so much for allowing me join you for dinner. It was very pleasant. I got to be normal for once in my life. I feel terrible because you guys were so nice to me and you trusted me with your family secret while all I did was lie to you guys. My name is Diane Edwards, but it's not my complete name. I am Princess Clare Diane Martin. I'm sorry for lying to you guys. I just didn't want to be treated like royalty anymore. I am sick and tired of not being able to be a normal teenager for once. So I hope you can forgive me." I finished and I began to walk out the door, when I was embraced from behind. Alli giggled and I soon joined her.

"We forgive you, Diane I mean Clare. Let me tell you something. I hate royalty because they make sure everyone knows who they are. You, however, are the most normal person I have ever met. I want to remain your friend. By the way, how do you and Eli know each other?" She asked suggestively. I smiled widely.

"Well it's a long story." I simply said.

"So are you two…?"

"No! We aren't." I answered in a disappointed tone.

"But you want to." It came out as a statement.

"Whaaaat? What makes you think that?" I blushed.

"Your blush does." Alli added smugly. "You should go fix that. By what I saw a few minutes ago, he really and I mean really cares about you." She smirked. I just smiled and nodded. She's right. What's the point of fighting all the time? All he proved is that he really likes me if he came to look for me.

"Tell me everything later!" Alli said as she pushed me out the door. Outside I found a saddened Eli. He looked up and I smiled. He is really handsome and I was too busy being mad at him to notice. So I took this time to just take in his appearance. He had a perfectly fit body and he had defined muscles. His jaw was broad and his pitch black hair fell just above his beautiful jade green eyes. His crooked lips were perfectly shaped. I guess I was staring at him because he looked at me with an arched eyebrow.

"What are you lookin' at Martin?" Eli asked. Instead of responding, I moved closer and closer. He seemed to be confused as to what my intentions were. When I was about an inch apart, I glanced from his eyes back to his crooked lips while I bit my own lips. Before I knew it, I leaned in and joined our lips. He was shocked at first but soon enough he melted into the kiss and he responded with as much passion. I couldn't help but smile into the kiss as he grasped my waist and pulled me closer while I wrapped my arms behind his neck. I hope we don't fight anymore because I would much rather be doing this.

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Again I'm sorry for not updating in almost two months. I hate when people leave stories unfinished and know that I will never not finish a story. It might just take some time. Don't forget to listen to Forgive Me by Evanescence cuz it fits this chapter perfectly and when i heard this song I imagined it to be in Eli's point of view. So don't forget to review! Love you guys soo much! Bye bye (: