I'm Married to the Devil... What Now?!!

Chapter 8: Awakened and Unexcited

"Good morning sleepy-head!" Jastina sings as I rub the sleep from my eyes. It's dark out as I look around feeling suddenly lonely. I cross my arms, hugging myself tightly, instantly missing the arms that were there when I feel asleep.

"Jastina, was anyone here when you came in?" I ask. I want to know who the kind stranger was that cared for me so well, but I can't tell her if she knows nothing about it. A future queen isn't allowed to have strange men in her room when she sleeps.

"No. You were all alone. The only person who knew you were sleeping was the tutor. He said one of the maids told him and he canceled classes for us. I guess he thinks you need more sleep or something. I agree. You haven't been sleeping well. I hear you up at all kinds of ridiculous hours. And then you moan or yell in your sleep a lot too. I should warn the prince that he's never going to sleep ever again," she jokes. I fake a smile unsure of how to really feel.

"Oh. Well I guess I must've just felt the maids enter while I was sleeping then. I could've sworn someone came in."

"You were probably just dreaming. Don't fret about it. We're all going to dinner soon!"

"Who's we?" I ask curious.

"You and me and the rest of the royal group. We're going to have a delicious picnic out in the private garden. Then we might play some soccer if the prince doesn't mind. We might even stay out and our tutor has agreed to let us use his telescopes to watch the stars tonight!"

"You sound very excited."

"I am, Detini! I am so excited to be getting out tonight. You know the food will be amazing and the company even better. Plus, I've never gotten to actually use a telescope. No one would ever let me. And I haven't played soccer since I was taken from my parents to come here. Why aren't you excited?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm still trying to fully wake up. I'm sure I'll be excited once I wake up more," I lie. She smiles then and pulls me out of my warm bed. She practically shoves me in the shower, promising to have everything ready for when I get out. That worries me as I imagine all the weird things she could come up with for me to wear. Once the warm winter hits my skin all cares float out the window and I relax in the heat and steam of my shower.

"Detini! You're going to prune up! Get your butt out here now! It's been forty-five minutes!" I hear Jastina shouting through my bathroom door. I sigh and turn off the water reluctantly. I grab a fluffy white towel to dry off and leave the steamy room.

"Finally!" Jastina exclaims. I laugh.

"I wanted to give you plenty of time to come up with a fabulous outfit," I explain. She rolls her eyes and drags me by my arm into my closet. She starts throwing clothes in my hands. I don't even bother trying to figure out exactly what she's throwing at me as I stand there, arms at the ready.

She hurries me to get dressed, excitedly shrieking at every slow step I make. She hurries as she does my make-up and hair, placing beautiful jewelry all over me. I feel as if I am caught in the center of a tornado as she bustles around me. I have never cared this much about my appearance. I generally try to be comfy and get done as quickly as possible. In the end, I will have to admit that I look very cute. I have on dark dress jeans and a fancy colored white blouse with a preppy pink and green sweater vest. She smiles as I fasten on pink wedges and my bangs are swept over my forehead, giving my eyes even more of an accent. She paints my nails, that haven't been this long since I started piano in 5th grade, a sparkly pink. My eyes are once again darkly lined, but softened with a sweet pink shadow. My lips are a sparkly pink and Jastina exclaims that even she wants to kiss my lips.

A knock on the door interrupts the finishing touches, as I clasp on a silver bracelet. "Come in," I yell as Jastina runs into my closet to find an outfit for soccer and a nice jacket.

"Hello, my dear," Queen Lythia greets me with a hug and a kiss on each cheek. "I see you've heard about our plans for the evening. Jastina did a nice job dressing you."

"Thanks!" Jastina yells as she comes out of my closet bowing as she stumbles towards me. I laugh and grab the things from Jastina's hands.

"When are we leaving?" I ask, leaving it open for whoever to answer.

"Well, now," Queen Lythia announces. I stare at her unsure of what was happening. "We need to go out soon. The men will be waiting for us. They can be very impatient sometimes."

"Okay. Let's get out of here!" I say trying my best to sound excited about this whole new adventure. We all grab our things and head out of the room. Lythia slips her arm through mine as we walk to the guys. They look impatient and bored, but I try not to notice their lack of enthusiasm. I want to have fun tonight so I can forget about my mystery sandman.