The Princess and the Guard (Book 1)

Fifty-One

Juliette's head hurt so badly. She couldn't stop crying, even as Odette walked in and demanded that she get it together and stop acting like a baby.

"My... head... I can't... think..." Juliette sobbed, tears trickling down her face, her nose running.

"Then stop thinking!" Odette cried.

"Your Majesty, I might suggest we give her some space to... to let her brain rest," another woman said. Another doctor, though Juliette had no idea who she was either. She barely remembered Natasha, only after Odette reminded her.

Juliette's brain felt like it was being squeezed, and it was making her nauseous.

Odette, for some reason, listened to the new doctor. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Then what do we do? How do we fix this? If she can't remember anything, she can't be triggered!"

"That's not necessarily true. The trigger is just meant to create an emotional reaction so that Sagitta will be activated. If I've implemented everything correctly, which I believe I have, it won't matter."

Odette still didn't look happy.

"Trust me, Your Majesty, this isn't a setback. I mean, it is for her, but—"

"I don't care about her. I need this serum to work. If it works, and memory loss is a side effect, then that's a hit we'll have to take. Can we test it again and see if it still works?"

The other doctor—Dr. Violet, Juliette thought Odette called her—hesitated. "I would prefer to run some tests, and see what's going on first."

Odette shook her head. "Fine. Do whatever you have to do, but I want to try it again."

"We will. Your Highness, why don't you come on back up on the bed, and let's see if we can make you more comfortable?"

Juliette would have laughed if it didn't hurt. They were all talking as if she wasn't there and were now going to treat her like an idiot? She didn't have the strength to resist, and let herself be pulled back onto the bed. She was barely aware of Dr. Violet checking her heart rate, then sticking something on the side of her head that connected to one of the computers. A light shone in her eyes, causing her head to pound even harder.

She barely managed to lean over the bed before throwing up.

Finally, after what felt like hours of being poked and prodded, she was left alone. Natasha walked with her back to her room, and Juliette collapsed onto the bed. She tried to take in her surroundings, tried to find something that struck a chord with her, but everything was new.

New and different and terrifyingly unimpressionable.

Trembling, Juliette raked the hair away from her face. She stood up again, moving to the window and peering out into the trees below.

She thought something fluttered in her peripherals—a butterfly?—but it disappeared so quickly, she thought she must have imagined it.

Butterfly, let's fly away.

The voice sprung unbidden into her thoughts, a needle to her brain. Juliette cringed, backing away from the window and closing the drapes.