A Vagabond's Tale [COMPLETED]

Chapter 33 - "Am I wrong?"

As the guard shut Gigi inside her room, she staggered forward and fell against the bed. Her mind was a chaos of thoughts she was drowning in. Weak with the reality she was now facing, she sank to the ground, curling her knees to her chest. The patter of footsteps alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone. Margo stopped before her.

"Lady?" she said.

"Please leave me." Gigi's voice was small and choked with building tears.

Margo paused, feeling the need to comfort Gigi though she didn't know what from.

"Go," Gigi said when she didn't hear Margo leave.

The maid nodded and left. When the door clicked shut, Gigi laid her head on her knees and cried. The tears were slow, quiet, as they released the bits of the emotions flooding her. Alone and faced with the truth of who her grandparents were, Gigi thought of her mother. Her warnings against her grandparents.

In that moment, Gigi hated herself. Hated the way she had betrayed the mother who loved her completely. Hated that she turned away from the family that was so accepting of everyone. Hated that she had let herself be bewitched by the illusion of refinement. Hated this world that she was now trapped in. Hated beauty that covered up the vileness that lay beneath.

But most of all she hated the fact that she broke her word to Huck that she would come home. Hated that she would never get to tell her family of how much she loved them. They would believe that she had willingly turned away from them for a life of luxury. They would not know there was no other place she would rather be in that moment than with them.

These thoughts ran around and around in Gigi's head until she felt exhausted from them. Until her tears had run out.

Lifting her head, she gazed around the spotless room, at the silken sheets, the rich curtains, and thick carpet. This finery was now her prison. Though she knew there were so many that would take her place, she didn't want it. She wanted the thin, straw-filled bed, patched canvas tent and the floor of grass.

A pang of longing hit her harder than before. It filled every inch of her. The image of her family pushed all other thoughts from her mind. Her father's unshaven jaw and soothing but deep voice. Her mother's gentle smile and feather soft touch on her cheek. Huck's merry blue eyes and unkempt hair.

As if wishing he would come to steal her away again, she looked to the balcony doors. In her weariness, she could almost picture his mischievous grin looking back at her from behind the glass.

A new wave of tears streamed out, wanting so much to tell him she was sorry. Sorry that she ever left him. Sorry that she let some glittering thing snatch her away. Sorry she didn't keep her word. Sorry she didn't get to tell him that she was a fool and he had been right.

A laugh bubbled in her throat as she imagined his crooked smile at her words. He would accept her statement as fact and that would be the end of it. He would not hold it over her. He would forgive her.

The laugh was never released as she knew he would never hear her say that she was a fool. She wouldn't see his crooked smile. A fresh swirl of grief overtook Gigi. She buried her head in her hands, trying not to let it pull her down again, but couldn't see a way past it.

A knock on her door startled her. As it opened, she pushed herself up. Her grandmother entered and hot anger burned away every other emotion Gigi felt. Hurt mingled with the white-hot feeling and both raced through her body. When her grandmother moved towards her, Gigi took a step back. The concerned look her grandmother had been wearing - when she entered - dropped away and in its place was a calm, determined look.