Chapter 16
Anna
I woke up with gritty-feeling eyes and a sore heart, jumping into the shower before Johanna came back from her workout. After a round of classes, including the monster test that I barely finished, I felt like I had been put through the wringer.
By the time I walked back to the room, I was just tired.
“You look like shit, friend,” Johanna remarked as I threw my bag on the bed, falling over it. “What happened last night?”
I propped my head on my arms, staring out of the window. “The kings screwed me over again.”
Johanna sat on my bed, rubbing my back. “Let it out, Anna.”
“I really thought they had changed,” I said softly, tears threatening to spill once more. “I thought that they cared.” Quickly I told her about my run-in with Royce and how he nearly had gotten me to tell him how I felt about him. I told her about the conversation that I had overhead and how the kings had tried to talk to me, but I had brushed them off.
Johanna sighed as I finished, her hand stroking my back. “If there’s one thing I know about royalty, it’s that they find it very hard to apologize.”
“This is more than just apologizing,” I answered. “I’m hurt, Johanna. I thought they were changing.”
“Maybe they are, sweetie,” she said. “Don’t give up just yet.”
I didn’t want to. Even after I had gotten back to the dorm, I couldn’t shake the look on Royce’s face or that of Arthur’s or Max’s.
And it wasn’t just the fact that they had been busted either.
I hated this feeling inside. I hated that I felt vulnerable.
“Can I tell you one thing?” Johanna asked.
“Of course,” I murmured.
She sighed. “I’ve never seen the kings act like this. I’ve known Arthur for years and never seen him want to help another person. I’ve watched as Royce has gone from this scary king to someone who I think genuinely cares about you, maybe even loves you. The looks he throws you, girl, are the stuff of dreams.”
I felt my heart clench at the thought. I wanted him to look at me that way. I loved him and his surly attitude or the way that he hid behind his swords and his demeanor. Royce was a wild card that I desperately wanted to draw.
Was Johanna right? Had they changed?
“I thought I could make a decision regarding my father’s will,” I told her. “I thought I was ready.”
Johanna’s hand stilled. “You were going to pick one?”
“Maybe,” I answered. If I wanted my father’s money, I had to.
But the thought of having that kind of money also scared me to death. I would become a different person and while some wouldn’t care, I didn’t want to. I liked me.
Well, maybe not right at the moment, but I liked me most of the time.
“You don’t have to make a choice,” Johanna finally said, standing. “You don’t have to become one of us.”
I sat up on the bed, eyeing her. “Do you not think I can?”
“Of course I do,” she said quickly, grabbing my hand. “I think you could be the freaking queen of England if you wanted to be, but don’t think that you have to change your entire life because you feel like you are being pressured by your father’s will or by the kings. This is your life, Anna, not anyone else’s, and you have to make the decisions that are best for you.”
I squeezed her hand. “When did you become so smart?”
Johanna grinned. “When I became your roommate, apparently. It’s been a crazy freshman year because of you.” She tugged on my hand. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk to clear your head.”
“That sounds nice.”
So, we stopped by the freshman commons area and grabbed cups of coffee before taking a familiar path toward the copse of trees that framed the lake. I smiled ruefully as I looked at the glossy surface, knowing that the body of water likely was going to shut down Isauros forever. I had done that. I had helped Max concoct the plan.
“I’m thinking that in a few weeks you should come home with me,” Johanna stated, looping her arm in mine. “I would love to introduce you to my home.”
“That would be nice,” I murmured. “I just don’t know if I want to continue at the academy.”
Johanna paused, forcing me to meet her eyes. “Didn’t we just talk about this?”
I sighed. “If I take my father’s money, I will have bigger responsibilities than a college degree. If I don’t, then I can’t afford the tuition here anyway.”
“I can pay it,” Johanna offered. “I don’t want to lose you.”
I wrapped my arm around her. “You aren’t going to lose me! You can come to the States and I can give you the American welcome.”
Johanna hugged me back. “I just want you to be happy, Anna. You deserve it.”
That was all I wanted too. I wanted to have a future in the making, to be surrounded by my newfound family on my mother’s side and my friends that would cheer me on no matter what I decided to do.
I wanted to wake up each morning with a clear conscience and a smile on my face, instead of this constant looking over my shoulder or the weight of the world resting on me.
Most of all, I wanted to smile more, to go back to the young woman who was about to embark on the rest of her life before I had been thrown into Weissmore and drama beyond my means.
“Come on,” Johanna laughed, pulling me along with her. “Let’s finish this walk and our coffee. Then we can plot your future out together.”
I smiled and allowed her to get me into a rhythm, our steps matching each other’s as we strolled through the woods. It was a beautiful day, the birds chirping overhead and the sun filtering through the trees, highlighting spots along the trail. We passed more than one person, some alone getting their run on and others doing what we were, enjoying the sunshine.
But as we rounded the last bend, I halted in my tracks.
“Oh shit,” Johanna whispered as Isauros started toward her, murderous rage reflecting on her face. “Do you think they fired her?”
I didn’t know, but I definitely didn’t like the fact that she was here and so was Johanna. “I need for you to run.”
“Hell no,” Johanna said, drawing to her full height. “I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
I did the same as the headmistress approached, her eyes wild. “You little bitch!”