Hiding In Plain Sight

Hugs and Horror

After dinner, Trina is taking a bath in her room, and Peter returns to see how I am. I'm currently reading a book, laying on my side. "Hello." He says, startling me.
"Oh, hi." I say, blushing slightly. I sit up, and he shakes his head, so I lay back down.
"I just wanted to check in." He says.
"I'm doing better." I say.
"Good." His voice sounds choked.
"What's wrong?" I ask him.
"Can I have a hug?" He says, collapsing on my bed.
"Oh, Peter, what's wrong?" I say, throwing the book on the floor and coming closer to him.
"I feel terrible and I don't know why. I've been wandering for hours and I ended up here." He says, muffled into the blankets.
"Did you try eating popcorn?" I ask.
He chuckles. "Yes. It only took my mind off of things for some minute or two."
"Well, can't you tell me what's wrong? Please?" He hesitates, and instead turns onto his side away from me.
"I can't really. Like, you so eloquently put, I can't talk to you about how infuriating you are, and the other half of it is politics that are bothering me." He lapses into silence.
"I thought you wanted a hug." I point out.
Sighing, he props himself up with one arm and turns around, sitting on his knees. I sit on my knees. Then he stares at me. I stare at him. Then, he turns my knees out of the way and pulls me to his chest, heaving a jagged sigh. "I really really wish that I could tell you everything that I want to."
I let myself be hugged, soaking in his warmth as he holds me close. "See, you like it."
"Like what?" I ask, confused.
"You like me, silly." He laughs.
"Can't I just enjoy the hug?" I ask. "I've been under severe emotional distress."
"No, there are always ulterior motives." He teases, tightening his arms around me. "Even if you don't realize it, you're falling in love with me, Charlotte Neal."
I lapse into silence for a couple of minutes. "Can't I just enjoy the hug?" I ask, tears slipping down my face.
"Why are you crying?" He pulls back to look at my face, and I hide it. "Is the thought of you falling for me so bad that you're driven for tears?"
I fall silent again for a while, trying to think of what to say. "Can't I just go home? Wouldn't it be easier then?"
He makes a choking gasping sound and doesn't say anything, just shifts and moves his lips to behind my ear. "Would it matter if I begged you to stay?" He murmurs against my skin.
"You asked me that a week and a half ago." I say, trying to squirm away from his lips.
"Something's changed since then." He smiles against my skin.
"No." I claim, and he smiles again. "Stop that!"
"Stop what?" He asks, lifting his lips.
"That thing you're doing with your lips, Peter!" I say, and start hitting his arms.
"I'm not doing anything."
"Yes, it's the other person in the room who's kissing behind my ear! Doesn't make you jealous?" I hiss at him.
"Yes." He answers. "Who's this mysterious person?"
"Stop." I laugh.
"Does me kissing the other girls make you jealous?"
"You've kissed the other girls?" I ask, turning my head to look at him.
He grins. "I don't like to kiss and tell. Charlie, you're jealous."
"I'm not. I'm just wondering." I cross my arms.
He giggles. "You're jealous."
"Are you done with this hug yet?" I squirm. "Because I would like to go home soon."
"You know that's not possible." He says, becoming serious. "Nehmo won't let anyone leave until she's certain that she's gotten all she needs to know about the attack." He's telling me what I already know, and not what I want to hear at the moment. "Charlie?"
"Yeah?" I respond.
"If you don't win the Selection, who would you say should win?" He says, voice soft.
I don't hesitate. "Amelia."
"Not Trina?"
"Trina doesn't want to be here as much as I don't want to. She was going to leave the day after I did." He nods like he already knows this, and twists a lock of my hair around my finger.
"What about Amanda?" A flash of anger spreads through me at her name, but  I keep it hidden. She's playing the game.
"Amelia's my top choice for you." I say. "She's nice, and sweet, and would be a perfect Queen."
Peter lays back, pulling me onto his stomach, so that he can look at me. "You know, you still owe me a date." He grins.
"I don't owe you anything." I tell her, laying my head on his chest.
"Oh, but, I won that race."
"Says who?" His face contorts into multiple emotions and I close my eyes, yawning.
"Time for bed." He rolls over so that I'm now on my back, and he's pressing on me. "Do you need a kiss goodnight?"
"You know, I think that I'm good." I say, and try to push him away.
"Your loss." He says, standing. "You're sick. I think you need settling."
"I'm settled. I'll go back to reading as soon as you leave."
"No. Time for bed." He says, pulling the covers back. "I am the Royal Prince of Illea." I roll my eyes.
"Goodnight, Peter." I say, sarcastically and reach down to grab my book.
The door slams open, and Trina storms in, eyes landing on me immediately. "Get out, Your Highness."
"Trina, what's wrong?"
"Please leave, Peter. I have urgent matters that I need to discuss with Charlie."
"Charlie." He looks at me.
"It's best if you don't cross her." I say, and he straightens his jacket, bowing before leaving.
"What is it?" I ask her, a little tersely.
"Oh, I'm sorry that I ruined your make out session." I turn beet red and try to stammer out a reply.
"Okay. Now Peter's gone. When I heard you two talking, I decided to take a walk. I heard Nehmo, so I decided to eavesdrop. She was talking to Serena! She mentioned something or someone called Alpha, and said that Serena would be greatly rewarded for her actions. Serena's a spy, Charlie! And I went to the library to research Alpha. It's the largest wolf company in Illea. They've subtlety been growing among the lower castes for years because of their approach to irradiating the wolves."
I take all of this in with shock. "But, Nehmo's trying to keep his identity hidden from everyone."
"Either because she cares or she wants it to be announced at the right time. Charlie, no one knows that Nehmo is with Alpha and we could be in danger we tattle to the Prince! To the Queen! If Alpha is infiltrating the Selection, then they're everywhere."
"She wants to start a war. The war that the Royalty is trying to stop at all costs." I say, and realize the severity of the situation. "Alpha's probably waiting until they have enough followers to overthrow the Queen. They'll be killed. The Queen, Peter, Jared. They'll be killed."
Trina pales and sits down on my bed, her hands shaking. "What do we do?"
"We have to tell them. We have to warn them." I'm freaking out.
"But, we're in danger now. If Alpha finds out, then it's our heads on the chopping block." Trina starts to panic.
"Is that why the rebel attacks on the palace have been occurring with less frequency as I originally thought?"  I stammer.
"We're going to die. We have to go to the Queen. Now." Trina stands, and I pull her back down.
"How can we be sure that Nehmo won't find out?"
"They need time to prepare!" Trina yells at me.
"What if Nehmo has everything bugged? So she could hear us right now."
"Wait." She hops off of the bed and transforms into a wolf so quickly that I let out a high-pitched yelp. She sniffs around the room and then changes back. "We're good. So's my room. I would've smelled it yesterday. Charlie, we have to go now."
"Yes. But we have to go to the Queen. Not to Peter." She nods, and throws a robe on me since I'm wearing my pajamas.
We run up to the upper floors, where we're not allowed to go. This is the Royalty floor, where The Prince Suite, Jared's room, the Queen's room is, the Princess Suite, the Queen's office, the Prince's office, and several meeting rooms are. "Excuse me, you two aren't allowed to be on this floor." A guard says, stopping us as soon as we jump off of the last step, me panting, Trina looking panicked.
"We need to speak to the Queen! It's an emergency!" Trina says.
"The Queen is busy with an emergency." The guard says. "Please get back to your rooms."
"No!" Trina yells. "We will storm in there!"
"The Queen is busy dealing with matters with Miss Nehmo." The guard says, looking unhappy.
Trina pales, I pale. "Never mind." I say. "We were just overreacting." I drag Trina back down the stairs and into my room.
"I'm too scared to sleep alone. So get in here." I say, throwing the robe on the floor and climbing into bed. Absentmindedly, she gets into the bed too. She lays awake for a while before settling into an uneasy sleep.