Short update ... "I won't let him hurt you," he said, softly. That's it!, I thought, This fighting has to stop! "What'd you mean ... 'hurt me'?" I raised my eyebrow. "Carl would never do such a thing! You know that!" "I - I - I do ... I just ... Er ..." He stammered. I let go of him and walked off down the corridor, my arms shaking. I looked back; he wasn't following me. I looked back again once I had reached the stairs; he still wasn't following me. I got to the American Garden, and I was soon approached by none other than Michelle O'Brien, the woman who made sure I ended up with James. "Ah, Ella! Darling! Fabulous to see you!" She hugged me with her scrawny arms, then pulled away and smiled. "How are things?" "Good," I lied. "Ah, excellent! I expect you'll be leaving soon?" She asked. "Leaving?" "Why, yes! Your honeymoon, dear!" I had completely forgotten the honeymoon. Seeing Carl had wiped everything from my mind. "Oh, yes, yes," I replied.
"Excellent! Have fun then dear," and with that, she disappeared into the crowd of guests. I looked around desperately for any sign of Carl. I saw Eleanor. I saw Noelia. I didn't see Carl. I ran through the crowd, stumbling every now and then, until I came to the forest that stood behind the large palace gardens. I looked deep into the trees, I could see something moving. There was never any animals this close to the house. I looked closer. I saw a figure, crouched over something. Something on the forest floor. No. No. No! It was Carl. Carl. Crouching over what looked like a deer. A dead deer. I scanned my memory for him showing any signs of his eating habits now that he was a Fallen Angel. I came across one memory. I had sat with Carl on a river bank, a sunny afternoon in July. I was asking him questions. Questions about ... him. What he was. I had asked him how he excused himself from meal times. He had said "It's easy, I just say 'I'm not hungry, thank you,". At this, we both laughed. I asked him what he ate. He replied "Mostly animals. Not the stuff from the store. The real thing!" I snapped out of my trance. Carl had noticed me, and was walking deeper into the forest. Away from me.
I stumbled into the forest after him. My legs were shaking with both fear and anger. I couldn't hold myself up straight. Tears began spilling down my cheeks. Did he really just kill a deer? Tree roots got in my way, and I often tripped. I wondered deeper and deeper into the forest, but there was no sign of Carl. No footprints in the mud, nothing. I slowed down. Where was he? Was he really that fast? Thoughts spun round and round in my mind. I journeyed deeper and deeper into the forest.
* I must have been walking for hours, because the noise of the party had faded completely, and my feet were becoming blistered. I looked over my shoulder. It was dark. Extremely dark. I stared at the trees surrounding me, examined the detail on the trunks. Where was I? Would I get back before the end of the party? Had anybody noticed I'd left? I suddenly saw James' face in my mind. What was he doing right now? We've never been apart for so long, how was he handling it? I knew how I was handling it. I felt empty. Lifeless. I needed James. I looked over my shoulder again. I could hear voices. The faint sounds of twigs snapping. I stumbled backwards and hid behind a large oak tree, my back pressed hard against the bark. The voices got louder and louder. Twigs snapping began to sound like branches breaking. I heard a familiar voice, but I couldn't quite put my finger on who it was? I tripped, and fell into the line of sight of the voices. I looked up, and saw five tall men standing over me.
All of the men were quite muscular, and had short, brown hair. I looked up at them, my eyes widening in fear. The first man was wearing a blue shirt, with suit trousers and polished black shoes. He reached down with his hand and pulled me to my feet. His grip was firm; I felt safe in his presence. He looked at me with big, blue eyes, then smiled, and said "I'm Sam. And this is Ben, Alex, Daniel and Zak. Carl sent us to find you." "C-Carl?" I stammered. "Yes," replied the second man, Ben. "Where is he?" I tried to look over their shoulders, but they were too tall. "He's gone," "Where?" "Nowhere you need to know," growled Alex. I felt a sudden pain in my side. Where was he? Who are these people? Sam stepped forward and placed his hand on my back, and lead me towards the palace. "We'll see you back. Don't want you running off after Carl." We walked for a while. A long while. I didn't look around at the trees, or the men, I just stared at the ground as we walked, Sam's hand still rested gently on my back. We got the edge of the forest, and there, waiting for me, was James, accompanied by Alice. My insides twisted. "I'll take it from here," announced James. "Take care of her, James. You remember the promise." Replied Sam. James merely nodded and beckoned them away with one hand. He placed his right arm around my waist, and led me back to the American gardens.
"What did he mean by 'promise'?" I asked James. "Nothing you need to worry about," he snapped. I felt my insides twist. What was he hiding from me? Why was he hiding something from me? We came to a large crowd of guests gathered around a black Mercedes-Benz. One of the women shouted "They're coming!", and the rest of the guests broke into an applause. I felt the redness of my cheeks arrive. James turned to look at me, and when he noticed my cheeks, he smiled and kissed both of them. My mother ushered us into the vehicle. I sat down on the surprisingly comfortable leather seat, and rolled down my tinted black window. My mother was leaning in, and I turned to look at James, who was talking to Alice in a fast, hushed tone. "I love you," my mother announced, and I quickly turned my attention back to her. "I love you, too," I replied. But, I couldn't help crying, I saw James' mother, Alexandrina, sitting in her wheelchair a few yards behind my mother. "Promise you'll stay safe?" My mother asked me. "Promised," I said. She straightened herself up once more, wiped a small tear from her crystal blue eye, then the car began to roll off. I could hear the noise of the crowd of guests died down as we headed towards the airport - towards our honeymoon.
The car journey was quiet. Nobody spoke. Occasionally, I'd lean on James' chest, but it didn't feel as comforting as it would a few hours ago. Thoughts were spinning around in my mind. What did he mean by 'promise'? We pulled into Coasta-Luna Port slowly, and James drove the car onto the boat. Once we were parked, he got out, took my hand, and didn't say anything. He just lead me onto the third floor of the ferry, and sat down in the restaurant. 'I think,' he began. 'That you should've know what I promised to Carl's friends.' 'What is it?' I asked, anxiety clear in my voice. 'I told them, that if they stopped you from going too far into the forest, that I would reward them greatly.' 'But, why would you want to keep me out of the forest?' This question, he did not answer. He simply hung his head and didn't speak for the rest of the journey.
Chapter Three Everything 'But why can't you tell me?' I demanded as we entered the hotel room in Jamaica. It was a large room, with a fireplace in the corner and a gold four-poster bed in the middle of the room. 'Because you wouldn't understand,' he replied. 'Well, I'm sure you have time to explain.' 'Ella, listen-' 'No, you listen! I want to know what that was about. Married couples aren't supposed to keep secrets. Please James! Please!' He sighed then sat on the silk covers of the four-poster bed. 'Well,' he began. 'It all started when Carl was ... turned. His friends had been waiting for it, it would happen some day. It's in his blood. 'Anyway, when it did happen, Carl made me promise something. He wanted to live in the forest that surrounded Belle Palace. He made me promise that, as long as you live, he is to watch over, and protect you.' He sighed once more. 'And why was this such a hard promise to make?' 'I thought that, if he protected you, and grew closer to you, then ... you would ...'
"I would what?" My voice shook as I asked the question. "You would ... fall in love with him ..." My eyes widened in shock. I thought about the way Carl looked at me that day at the Regal Parade, and how he felt about me. My body started shaking. I pulled James into a tight hug. His body was warm against mine, yet he didn't feel as firm as he normally did. I let go then looked at his face. It was as though he was in pain. "I ... have to ... uh ... check in," he announced after a few minutes' silence. "No, James, please stay," He sat beside me, and I leant my head on his chest. He stroked my hair in a comforting way, and it made me feel a lot better. "I love you," he assured me. "I love you, too," I replied. * The short, weekend long honeymoon was over with quick succession. In no time we were back at Belle Palace, in our bedroom for the first time as husband and wife. All of my family was now back in Ireland, and my dad in Scotland. I sat on the large, four-poster bed and smoothed out the duvet either side of me. James brushed his lips against my head then left the room, and didn't say another word. He could tell I wanted to be alone, to think. I stood up and walked towards the large window overlooking the American Garden. I saw the new Royal Dresser roaming the grounds, with her two-year-old daughter clutching the end of her dress. I smiled as the small girl bent down and picked a daisy from the grass, then handed it to her mother. I turned from the window and started thinking of ways to show James that I love him, and not Carl. I know it's stupid, seeing as we had just got married, but I needed to prove it to him. The light from the window made my back burn, and I was forever to turn around again. That's when I saw it. The little girl. I knew how I could show James that I loved him. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! It was exactly what that girl was. A child. I needed a child.
Chapter Four The Phone Call I stopped staring out the window and sprinted to the other side of the room. Panting, I opened the large doors to see James leaning on the opposite wall of the hallway. He smiled as he saw my face and walked towards me, into the room. Once again, I sat on the large bed and gestured for James to do the same. However, he remained standing. "Well?" He began. "What is it?" "I've thought of a way to prove how much I love you!" I exclaimed. "But, Ella, we just got married. Isn't that enough?" "No! Marriage is just ... a piece of paper. I have a better way!" "What is it?" I couldn't think of a way of telling him my idea. I just got up, walked towards him and our lips met instantly. One of his hands was on my hip, the other brushing my hair away. His face moulded into mine as the kiss got more intense. This had never happened before. He soon realised what I was getting at, and pulled away, then touched his forehead to mine. "Is this all?" He asked me. "No." I replied. "It's more than what you think it is. I want something out of this, James. I want a ..." He stopped me as if I were about to swear. In an instant our lips were touching again, and our arms wrapped tightly round one another. I stole a quick glance at the clock over James' shoulder, it was nine o'clock at night. * The next morning, I woke up cocooned in the silky duvet of mine and James' bed. I sat up and saw that he was not lying next to me. As I slowly rose from the bed to get dressed, I noticed the Royal Dresser and her daughter out in the gardens again. The little girl was running along the grass, while her mother walked slowly behind. I thought about her, the Royal Dresser, and how she had nothing to do while Queen Alexandrina, James' mother, was in hospital with breast cancer. The though suddenly hit me. I had been so self-absorbed these past few days that I hadn't once spared a thought for Alexandrina. I imagined her lying alone in her hospital bed, weak and fragile, nobody to talk to but the nurses.