"I'm really sorry for yesterday," I say as I walk between the two Holy Knights.

Jericho and Guila weren't in the best mood today. Guila had a broken wrist and quite a few bruises and cuts to her face and Jericho had a leg injury, so she used crutches to get about. Both females gave me smiles anyway, saying how none of it was my fault whatsoever. After all, I was just the innocent and friendly princess. To them I was new here and had no idea what mess I was getting involved in by talking to the Sins. So I try to keep up that appearance, while still going to the Sins from time to time.

I frown as I think about two days ago. I had snuck out to go to the Boar Hat. I'm pretty sure both knights would view me differently if they knew I was doing everything I could to talk to the people they wanted me to avoid. The people who didn't seem a bad as people perceived them to be.

"There's no need for apology Elizabeth," Guila gave me a smile. It was meant to be welcoming, however with the bruises and plasters it looked like something from a nightmare.

Swallowing the fear rising in my chest, I gave her back a shaky smile. Hopefully it wasn't giving away how I really felt or anything. I'd hate to upset the knights any further. After all they have been looking out for me since Veronica's surprise announcement and even tried to seem friendly. It would be unfair of me to make them feel horrible.

"Yeah, that pipsqueak should've known not to be near you," Jericho spoke as she somehow maintained a pace beside me. I was honestly shocked that she could use crutches so well, I'd always pictured her as the type to be clumsy when injured. Especially because of her spontaneous and hotheaded nature. However she's probably been injured several times because of it. That would explain her skill whilst using her crutches.

"Diane can be excused because she's your roommate, but that blonde had no excuse," She growled, "It bugs me that he always seems to be near you. I mean what reason could the leader of the Sins have to be near you?"

I nod, taking in Jericho's words as we pass through the hall, people making a path for the two peeved knights.

It was true. Meliodas was always where I was, whether I wanted him to be or not. It was odd, but I understand why. I've always been in danger since I left Celestial Prep, a target to the Demons, however for those five years he wasn't there I was left to fend for myself in a way. In fact he was gone for five years because he told me I was safe with my family. Something I never really understood until I came here. Both my father and my sisters had striven to make sure I grew up happily. I'd taken it for granted, but once I came here I began to see exactly what they'd sheltered me from.

"I guess it's a mystery we'll never have an answer to," I reply casually as we round a corner.

"Every question has an answer," Guila spoke, "It's just how the world functions."

I just sighed as the two knights continued to express their opinions on the matter. Both agreed that I shouldn't get too buddy buddy with the Sins and that I should only talk to Diane because she is my roommate. They also told me not to think of them as friends (again) even though they seemed to have my safety at heart. They told me the Sins are dangerous and future criminals, probably ending up dead by the time they reach their thirties.

I clench my fists, my nails biting my skin. I really couldn't take this any longer. Picking and choosing between sides and always calculating how I could be as sneaky as possible. It was causing me to go mad with thought, let alone anxiety and guilt. My whole social life felt like it was on a thinly balanced scale and one wrong move would cause the whole thing to tip. Once it tipped everything would be sent flying; White lies and loosely based words being revealed for what they truly are.

Looking around the hallway for an escape, I smile as I spot the girls' toilets. I'm sure the knights wouldn't mind if I asked to go.

"Guila, Jericho," I caught both knights' attentions immediately, "I need to be excused."

I point to the door, a sheepish grin on my face. Hopefully I'd said it in a polite way. I was always taught to ask such things in a discreet but still polite way. In fact it was one of the first things I was taught as a princess.

"Ok, we'll stand watch outside," Jericho huffed, "We don't want you wandering off and getting lost again."

"Thank you," I flash the knights a grateful smile, making them return it.

I then head into the toilet, leaning on a sink and sighing as I finally have head space to think. No-one was there to influence my thoughts, let alone ask what I was thinking about. In fact I was pretty happy in the small room that reeked of cheap perfume and other aerosols, and floral soap. It was so quiet and peaceful - although a bit suffocating. A contrast to the busy and spontaneous days I'd had recently.

I look into one of the mirrors above the sinks and sigh. This week had definitely taken a toll on me. My usual bright and cheery face was dull and tired-looking, light circles below my eyes. My bangs had grown a little, giving me more of a preppy look with my hair tied back with a ribbon. Only one of my socks were on, as I'd forgotten the other again, and my flat shoes were mixed matched along with my tie being loosely secured and shirt crumpled.

I didn't recognise the reflection before me. The lack of sleep had certainly gotten to me, along with the pressure of being watched everywhere I went. Whether it was the Sins, the Holy Knights and Veronica, or even just one of the Society's spies, I never felt like I was alone. Or just allowed to have some privacy. I'm surprised no-one has barged into here already.

I reach a hand up gently brushing against my hair before fixing my shirt. A loud knock on the door interrupted me.

"Elizabeth," It was Guila, "Class is soon, you'd better hurry."

"Yep, almost done," I call as I turn on the tap and begin to 'wash my hands'.

I'd definitely took too long thinking and looking at my appearance. The last thing I want to do is alert the two knights and make them think they have to be in here with me. That would be a thousand times worse. Heading to the hand dryer, I begin to dry my hands when I hear a familiar voice from outside.

"Hey Elizabeth," I raised a brow, heading to the window.

"Meliodas?" I look down to the see the blonde grinning. I was around a floor up from ground level. "What are you doing out there?"

"Ditching," He answered simply, "Wanna come?"

I bit my lip, contemplating. As much as ditching is frowned upon, it's been a while since I've had time to not to be watched all the time. Plus classes were beginning to grow longer by the day, especially since I keep seeing this one guy with silvery blue hair watching me. It was really creepy. The way he just seemed to watch me and then disappear into the crowd. It constantly sent shivers down my spine. The thing is I never see him except for then.

"Sure, but how can I get out there?" I say looking over my shoulder to make sure the knights weren't coming.

"Jump," The blonde grinned, "Don't worry I'll catch you."

I rolled my eyes. I have no doubt that Meliodas would catch me, but the question was would it be wise to jump. I mean the Holy Knights already had a tight grasp on me already, if I ditched they might get even more watchful. They might even start to accompany me to the toilet. But I bet that's nothing compared to what they'd do to Meliodas. Both Guila and Jericho seemed to have a vendetta against him. Though I'm not one hundred percent sure why.

"Elizabeth?" Jericho's voice sounded impatient.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted a leg over the window ledge. I then moved the other round so that I was sitting on the ledge. The dryer had stopped making noise by now, alerting the knights of my eerie silence. They'd probably be preparing to check on me now. Wondering if I was ok and the cause for my sudden quietness. I glanced over my shoulder as they both barged in, weapons at the ready despite their injuries. Both had wide eyes as they spotted me sitting on the ledge, ready to push off.

"Elizabeth, don't do it," Guila's tone was firm, "The consequences will be dire."

I turned away from them before pushing myself off the ledge.


I felt a rush of air as I dropped one floor to the ground, landing unharmed in Meliodas' arms. It was a quick and easy landing, something I knew to expect. After that I remember running. A lot. Meliodas had grabbed my hand and we were soon rushing through the maze of paths that made up the campus.

At first Guila and Jericho had given us a swift pursuit, both females on our tail despite their injuries. Both seemed to wear permanent frowns of disapproval as they called out to me.

"Elizabeth stop running!" Guila's voice seemed to be pleading, "We don't want to injure you."

However I had no time to reply as I was focused on making sure I didn't trip over my own two feet. I had never really had to use them like this. I was always walking or running out of leisure. Running like this was never on the agenda. Well at least as I got older. By the time I was thirteen I had to stop playing games and focus solely on being a model princess. There was no room for childish antics.

"Meliodas when I get my hands on you - agh!" Jericho seemed to seethe with anger as she moved at a speedy pace, her crutches banging against the walkway.

"Have you got any idea on how to lose them?" I say as I glance back at the knights. I really don't want to know what would happen to Meliodas if they got their hands on him. Even if the two knights were injured, they'd probably still try to pummel him. The look on Jericho's face more or less said it all. Her snarl and furrowed brows spoke more than the crutches connecting harshly with the ground below them.

"Just one," I heard him say before taking a sharp turn to the right. I followed, nearly stumbling over the path. Luckily I caught myself just in time, swiftly working to catch up with the blonde.

I remember taking a couple more sharp turns and maybe jumping a few low walls, before actually feeling tired. My wings ached to just be revealed and allow me to escape from this chase, easily heading miles away from this campus and all the problems plaguing my mind here. However I couldn't do that. I had to keep them hidden and travel by foot; even if I was feeling exhausted. It was broad daylight and more or less everyone would see me flying. I'd never be forgiven if that were to happen.

I was cut out of my thoughts as Meliodas cut around yet another corner, flattening himself against a wall. I followed. It had to have been quite a while since I jumped from the window, maybe ten to twenty minutes. I'd lost count from when we started taking random turns.

I peeped around the corner, only to quickly bring my head back as I spotted the knights. Apparently the campus was large enough for us to end up by the main building again. That or there were some identical buildings. I had spotted a few students emerging from it before having to withdraw back to hiding. The familiar clomp of boots brought me out of my thoughts as I heard the two voices of the knights.

"I can't believe she went with him again," Jericho sounded exasperated, "I don't get why she can't just stay away from them."

"I know, Princess Veronica will have our asses on a silver platter if we don't get her back," Guila's tone was more concerned, "That's if she does come back. For all we know they could've left the campus."

"You don't think - no!" Jericho yelled, "She won't end up in trafficking or held at ransom! We'll just have to go and find her. The princess will not end up in danger because of some gang of idiots."

"Ok then," The other knight sounded tired, "I'll contact Howzer and Griamore. They should be able to help us if we're leaving the campus."

The sound of footsteps began again and I watched, holding a breath, as both knights walked past. Jericho was grumbling about her crutches and how I should stop running off like that, while Guila sighed and told her to let it go. Soon both their voices and footsteps were gone.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close," I say glancing at the blonde beside me.

"I've been in worse," Meliodas shrugged, "But we're gonna have to be careful from now on."

"What do you mean?" I ask as we both emerged from our hiding spot.

"Well, there's no way we're gonna get off campus by just walking out," He spoke, "Not with you with me anyway."

"So, why did you want me to ditch with you?" I ask as we make our way down the path, "It seems like a lot of effort to have me come with you."

There were a few students wandering about, mainly senior years who had a free lesson. I recognised a few faces from the Boar Hat and some seemed to raise a brow at us before going back to their own business. However many of them didn't give us a second glance as we calmly walked along. Instead they walked past, not aware of the two knights searching for us.

"Yeah, but you seemed like you could use a day off," Meliodas replied simply with a grin, "Plus you decided to jump from the window."

"Only because you asked," I retort, "Do I really look that stressed out?"

"Yep," The blonde answered, "Which is why we're going to have some fun."

"Fun?" I raise a brow, "What do you mean by 'fun'?"

Many thoughts popped into my head from the word. Knowing Meliodas, he could mean something that was actually fun and exciting or his version of fun. Something I had personally gone through two days ago. I'm hoping his version of fun was the first. He actually had some good ideas when his head wasn't in the gutter.

"You'll just have to wait and see," He smirked, making me frown with annoyance and anxiety.

"I hate you," I pout as I trail behind him.

"Love you too, Ellie," He answered nonchalantly as I tried to hide the smile that threatens to sneak onto my face.


"Elizabeth you made it!" Diane greeted me with a hug.

Somehow Meliodas and I had managed to sneak out of the campus. It had required a lot of luck as well as quick thinking. I'm actually surprised that we managed to pull it off without any questions asked. Especially with how the plan sounded when said out loud. Trust me I thought it was ridiculous until it actually worked. But that's how irony works I guess.

"How tough was it to get out?" Ban asked his tone actually concerned, "I spotted Jheri Curl and Guila not too long ago looking like hell. They both stormed past after threatening us about some kidnapping or somethin'."

"Yeah, what did you two do to get out?" King raised a brow, "Let's not mention get Elizabeth away from those two."

"I jumped from a window," I chuckled slightly.

All attention turned to me. The four Sins all seemed to have mixed reactions. King was shocked; whereas Diane had a look of awe on her face; Ban had his usual expression and Meliodas just seemed to grin. He already knew about me jumping anyway. But I'm guessing the others didn't expect me to do such a thing. It wasn't very ladylike of me and definitely not safe. I wonder if being around the Sins has affected me. I have been taking more risks lately.

"You jumped from a window!" Diane's eyes were wide, "Wow! Did you actually jump or were you forced to?"

"I jumped," I answer, "But the knights weren't too happy about that."

"I can imagine!" Diane grinned as she took me by the arm, "Jericho had a frown that could ruin even the sunniest of days. I was so worried when I saw that, 'cause I thought something terrible happened, especially when she mentioned trafficking. But why would it happen with the Captain with you? He watches you like a hawk."

"That's an exaggeration Diane," King spoke, "The Captain looks after Elizabeth as much as he looks after all of us."

"Nah I'd say he has a soft spot for the princess," Ban laughed as he ruffled the blonde's hair, "Right Captain?"

"You could say that," Meliodas shrugged, "I've just known Elizabeth long enough to know when something's wrong."

"Sure..." Diane smiled smugly before starting to drag me away, "Anyway, Elizabeth and I are gonna do some bonding. No guys allowed."

"Bonding?" I say as she leads me by the arm and walks away from Meliodas, King and Ban.

The three were continuing the talk, Meliodas and Ban laughing while King was crimson. Poor King. They were probably teasing him. It seemed like the other two Sins' favourite pastime. Well that and comparing Elaine and me. I don't see why it's so amazing. Even Diane refuses to partake in their conversations, well when she's mentioned she's the first to jump in and start talking. In fact she sometimes joins the guys when talking about me and Elaine.

"Yeah, we'll see the guys later," Diane answers still leading me away, "Right now I have a lot to show you. You're so gonna love ditching!"

"If you say so," I say as the brunette begins to talk about how much fun we were gonna have.

At first Diane insisted that she wasn't going to tell me where we were going. She said it was to help brighten my mood and take my mind off those grumpy knights. In fact the whole way to her surprise destination she told me about all the fun things there were to do here.

"Well there's the funfair that comes during the breaks," The brunette spoke as we walked down a busy street, "Then there's the beach that's like an hour's drive from here. I have so many pictures from our last trip! I already told you about the pool. Oh, there's a cinema and a bunch of other things! I'm surprised the school actually let us do all this stuff, especially with how strict other boarding schools are."

"Well, they're not in charge of your weekends," I say as I think back to Celestial Prep. I barely had a Saturday where I was free to relax and do something. Even when I did I was often called in to help prepare for something like Homecoming or Prom.

"True, but they could've just made a Saturday and Sunday school," Diane chirped before grimaced, "That reminds me of Saturday detentions. I had one after the locker room incident. It sucks."

"Really?" I say, eyes wide with curiosity, "I always thought being at school on a Saturday for detention would be different. I mean you wouldn't have to follow the rules or anything because it's technically not part of the school week. Plus the teacher probably wouldn't care because it's a weekend."

"That's what they want you to think," Diane sighed, "Saturday detentions are like Hell on Earth. I had to sit next to Jericho for my last one. The teacher told us we had to talk about our favorite hobby or something like that until she felt we were on equal terms. I bet you can tell how that went."

I nod understanding where she was coming from. Saturday detentions definitely sound terrible, however sitting next to someone you despise would have to be worse. Especially if that was in a classroom, sitting at a desk and watched by a teacher who was probably moaning about their job or the classes they teach. Or so I've gathered from those trashy teen shows and dramas Margaret used to watch. Celestial Prep didn't really have any detentions, so they were the only glimpse of a normal 'school life' I got before coming here. Though I did take many of them with a pinch of salt, hence the whole Saturday being different theory.

"Anyway, we're here!" Diane beamed as she gestured to a large building made of glass and metal. It was clearly made to catch the eyes of the public, the modern and sleek appearance enticing them to go inside. The shapes and even general appearance of the structure would make some question whether this was a government building. Especially with how clean and well cared for it looked. I couldn't see a single sign of weathering or age on the building.

Despite the formal appearance, I instantly knew what this place was. It was a mall. Teen central. The most cliche place for teenage girls to go to. But why would Diane bring me here? I didn't exactly think to bring money with me today. I'd planned to attend classes and eat lunch, maybe go visit Veronica after school or call Margaret to check up on things. I had never really anticipated that I would be here today of all days. The weekend probably, but not on a weekday.

"The mall?" I raise a brow as we walk inside, many people staring at our uniform but not saying anything. I think it's probably not taboo for students to come here during school hours.

"Yeah," Diane smiled, "What better way to cool down after a long week than a trip to the mall? We can go shopping, eat lunch, maybe we can even go see that new movie!"

I smiled at the brunette as she began to list off things we could do, excitement evident on her features. It all sounded nice but how was I going to pay for it? I'd left my money at the dorm. I didn't want to be indebted to Diane for this day out, but at the same time I didn't want to head back to class. Not if I had to see that silvery blue haired guy again. Taking a deep breath, I decide to tell her.

"That sounds nice, Diane, but how am I going to pay for it?" I say sheepishly, "I didn't think I'd be ditching today."

I arched a brow as the taller girl just laughed, unzipping her backpack. She then rummaged through it for a bit, before grinning as she produced my purse as well as hers. It had a leopard-print pattern, but not the trashy diva kind, and contrasted nicely with my plain navy one with a simple pink bow.

"I knew we'd be needing these today," She winked, "Now what should we do first?"


A/N: Ahhhh! Another update done and fresh off the press. Hope you all enjoy it!

Once again thanks for the kind reviews! You know who you are ;)

I'm so glad that people are really enjoying this. I thought it was a giant flop cause when I write it it seems so out of character, but when I re-read it seems better. But no-one's called me out on it so I'm guessing I'm doing a good job.

Well enough talking on my end. I'll try to update soon!

Make sure to favorite, follow or review! I'll really like it if you do~

D.L.D