Chapter Five - Where it All Started

                Joey found Savannah in her room, again. Hearing the light tap against her window, Savannah wondered if this was her new normal. She almost felt like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality Two, all work no sleep.

                Reluctantly, she let him in. She was eager to know what he had to say, or maybe if Donnie had sent him.

                “Hey,” he breathed, crossing his arms against his chest. “It’s so cold out. I can’t believe we have to meet outside!”

                Savannah tilted her head. “What?”

                “My servant dude gave me a note from Donnie. He told me to wait here with you. He’d be here shortly and we’d talk away from the house so we’ll have some privacy.” He shrugged leaning back on Savannah’s bed, flipping half of her plush comforter over him. “We might freeze to death, enjoy the warmth while you can.” He winked.

                She hopped in next to him, heading his warning. It was cold enough just inside her room right now. She couldn’t imagine going out in the snow.

“So Donnie said he’d been here since he…” Joey trailed off, unsure of Savannah’s reaction to the end of his sentence.

                She stiffened at first before she forced herself to relax and nod. “He said he came here when he died. He had to learn the ropes just like we have been. I’m just thankful we found him to help us. Who knows how long it would’ve been before we screwed up.”

                Joey didn’t even want to think about the consequence that would follow if they did. A silence filled the air between them before Joey decided to address the elephant in the room. “How was it,” he looked downward for a moment before allowing Savannah to see the sincerity in his eyes, “How was it seeing Donnie again?”

                She faltered, probably not anticipating Joey’s bluntness. Yet, in a way she was glad she could talk to someone about it. It’s not every day you’re reunited with your dead brother you never thought you’d see again. “It was really weird. He completely surprised me.” She sighed, “Like I accidently told him I was envious of his eye color. Flat out. If he wouldn’t have been my Donnie, things could’ve gotten awkward very quickly.”

                “So he just knew it was you?”

                “More or less.”

                “Wow, talk about a siblings bond.” He chuckled. “So Michael’s a complete sleaze.”

                She fell back into her pillows with a soft thud, causing her lush pillows to fold around her. “Tell me about it. Not only is he a drunk, but a total pervert.” She rolled her eyes.

                Joey tightened, and his voice became hard. “Did he try anything this afternoon?”

                “Thank god, no. But he isn’t shy about verbalizing it. That’s for sure.”

                Joey rolled from his back to his stomach, resting on his elbows. His face was closer to Savannah’s now, and she took a long look at him.  “What am I supposed to do? Marry him? Kill him? How am I going to keep up with this façade?” Her voice was low and scared. Joey reached up and caressed her cheek.

                “Don’t worry about that Savannah. I’ll make sure you stay safe. Hopefully Donnie will have the solution to all of this. He may even know a way to send us back sooner than we expect. Preferably before any wedding or scheming can even take place.” He traced his thumb down her jaw, brushing lightly over her lips. His eyes flickered to them. They were so soft! Suddenly his head went fuzzy and he felt butterflies creeping through his stomach. Whoa. Too intense. Joey removed his hand in a quick jerk.

                Savannah noticed Joey’s change in mood, but didn’t pay it much mind. She was more focused on his words. ‘Donnie will have the solution to all of this, He may even know a way to send us back sooner than we expect,’ That should excite her. But all she felt was sadness. This type of sadness was familiar. She just gained her brother back. Did she really want to lose him already? And if he did know how to ‘send them back’, why hadn’t he come back himself already? Savannah swallowed those thoughts.

                “Maybe we were sent here to find him.” She muttered, speaking more to herself than Joey. “Maybe we were sent here to save him. Maybe there’s a way for us to bring him back with us.”

                Joey’s eyes looked pained. Sure, he understood that she missed him and that this all was quite a coincidence, but something about bringing a person back from the dead seemed unlikely. For Savannah’s sake, he nodded deciding to give her a little piece of hope to hold on it. “Maybe,”

                “It just wouldn’t make since why you came with me though,” she shook her head, clearly conflicted and unsure what to believe.

                He swallowed. If she wanted to throw out crazy scenarios, surely she couldn’t be upset if he offered his own. Maybe he’d gone with her because she was supposed to see that they were meant to be together. He decided against it.

                Soon enough, there was a faint, single knock on the door. “Savannah?”

                It was Donnie’s voice. She immediate hopped off the bed and let him in. Before he even had time to close the door behind him, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He laughed and pushed her gently away. “Hey to you, too.”

                She looked up at him and Joey was jealous of the admiration in her eyes. He knew that she was his sister and all, but still she beamed up at him as if he was the hero. And hell, he just might be. The thing that worried him was just how long it’d be until she’d be heartbroken all over again.

                Donnie exchanged a nod with Joey, before looking back down at Savannah. “Put a coat on. We’re going back to the clearing. I know it’s cold out, but it’s the only place I feel safe here. Edith has eyes and ears everywhere.”

                The clearing? As in the place where this whole mess started? She didn’t ask questions, just fumbled through her huge closet and prepared herself for the worst.

                The three of them silently slipped through the house, making their way to the front door. Donnie lead, peaking around each corner before motioning for the rest to follow. As they rounded the last wall, the door in sight, Savannah heard a creek in the floor coming from a darkened hall. She froze, causing Joey to bump into her slightly. Donnie was already out of sight, waiting in the foyer while Savannah peered down the hall, willing her eyes to search for any kind of shadow.

                It was a small one. One that she’d recognized. Mrs. Crock. She noticed the shadow disappeared as quickly as she saw it. Savannah felt conflicted. Mrs. Crock seemed like a nice lady. It didn’t seem like she had any loyalties to Edith. But Donnie did say Edith had eyes and ears everywhere.

                Shaking it off, Savannah continued after Donnie and ventured out into the cold night.

 

 

                “Is this where you started, too?” Savannah asked as they finally reached the clearing. She was breathing heavy, and thoroughly frozen. She snuggled deeper into her coat.

                Donnie nodded. “I’m not sure why, but this seems to be some kind of portal. I’m not really sure how it works. That’s why we have to find out.” He paced, looking around like the answer was going to magically appear.

                “I understand the importance of figuring out how to send us back, but in the meantime, can you give us a little insight on what is going on here?” Joey asked.

Donnie stopped and faced Joey and Savannah. “I’ll explain it all, just try and follow this crazy train.” He smiled before taking a deep breath. “Our father married Edith about ten years ago. He loved her. The first five years Edith wasn’t the same person as she is now. They actually loved each other. It wasn’t until they moved here that Edith became obsessed with power. She wanted to be Queen. So, she began scheming. At first, Dad thought it was just a phase. He thought that she’d get over it after she realized that in order to be royalty you basically had to be born or married into it.”

He sighed, “After two years or so, right about when I got here, Edith was pushing Dad to a breaking point. She accused him of not loving her because he wouldn’t participate in helping her get to the thrones. She told him that if he really loved her, then he’d do whatever it takes. That led to the mishap that Edith refers to as Dad’s failure. Dad landed a job at the castle managing the King’s finances. He managed all the treasures and basically dealt with anything the King deemed valuable. He took that opportunity to strike. He bribed people inside the castle, with the King’s money, to execute him. There has always been a small uprising against the King. He figured out who was in the castle and involved with the uprising as well.”

“Obviously, he was successful. One of the Kings guards caught on to the plan before they had a chance to act, and Dad was executed. We went through a lot of grief after that. People accused us of being traitors, but good old Edith is smart with her words and claimed innocence; that Dad planned it all without her knowledge and she wouldn’t dream of doing anything to harm anyone in the castle. After many hearings, the King finally spared Edith and the rest of our family. In the time the King spent questioning Edith, he actually became fond of her. I’m not sure if there was a relationship, but I do know that Edith spent many nights in the castle. I’d sometimes catch her sneaking back home early in the morning.”

Savannah and Joey stared blankly at Donnie. This was a total overload of information. They were just trying to keep up.

“Since then, she’s remained close with the King who basically cleared her name to the public and became one of the towns’ aristocrats. She was invited to all the balls, garden parties, and royal events. Edith would bring you, Savannah, to all these gatherings. That’s where Michael first laid eyes on you.”

Savannah interrupted. “She only brought me, not you?”

“After our fathers’ mishap, and whatever she was doing at the castle late hours, I knew she hadn’t given up hope about stealing the crown. I wasn’t going to have any part of it. So she left me to do my own thing. We stayed out of each other’s way. As long as I didn’t ‘interfere’ with any of her diabolical plans, she’d leave me be. But you, you were her princess. You were her key to the crown. She noticed the way Michael looked at you. Michael is the biggest sleaze in the kingdom. His reputation is notorious for the biggest player. But you, Savannah, you didn’t like him.” Donnie smiled at this, “You had your eyes one someone else.”

Savannah gaped. “Who?”

Donnie’s smile widened. “Michael’s best friend.” His eyes flickered over to Joey whose expression was unreadable. “Joseph.”

Joey’s mind was whirling. So, before they got here Savannah was interested in him? He felt a pang of nervousness and avoided her gaze.

“Michael knew this, as did Edith. That’s when the real scheming began. Edith pretty much put you,” he looked at Savannah, “on lock down. You weren’t allowed to see Joseph anymore. Instead, she took you along on her trips to the castle. Granted, you and Joseph weren’t official, but there was definitely something brewing between you. It was obvious to anyone who watched you together. Like Michael.”

“Michael is a very interesting character. Some of the things he does, I don’t quite understand. He’s the one that’s unpredictable. I’ve been trying to figure him out since I got here, and I haven’t had much headway. I do know one thing, the fact that Joseph was interested in you, Savannah, made Michael want you that much more. And being the Prince of Eddington, meant his wants came before Josephs, or even Savannah’s.”

“The King loved Savannah from the beginning. As soon as Michael shared his interest with the King, outings were scheduled, the kingdom began gossiping, and it had become official. Savannah was Michael’s property. Joseph was outraged, but he had to bottle it. He couldn’t go against the Prince, his best friend. Michael pretty much threw a bucket of water on whatever fire was between you two.”

                “Edith’s scheming continued. She coached you. What to say, what not to say, how to act. It was then her plan to kill the King flourished. All she had to do was keep you appealing to Michael, and make the kingdom fall in love with you as well. She succeeded. And here we are. You’re engaged. It’s all happened so quickly. Edith is becoming impatient. She wants the crown and she’s tired of waiting for it. As the wedding comes closer, Edith is getting antsy, desperate even. It makes me nervous the lengths she’s willing to go. You two have got to be extremely careful-”

                Donnie stopped and his eyes darted into the darkness were the snap of a branch caught everyone’s attention. The silence enveloped the three of them, almost hurting their ears as they strained to hear anything more. Nothing.

                Donnie’s eyes stay on that spot as he continued to speak, in a softer voice. “You two have got to be extremely careful. No one is your ally. Let’s get out of here. We’ll figure out the portal situation later. It’s getting colder.”

                Joey led this time, becoming familiar to the pathway. Donnie stayed behind Savannah, constantly looking around them. Ever since he heard that branch snap it seemed he was on high alert.

                Joey split from Savannah and Donnie with promises to meet up tomorrow sometime. Savannah’s brain hadn’t stopped processing everything Donnie had shared.

                Noticing Savannah’s quiet state, Donnie spoke. “Don’t worry Savannah. Everything will work out. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He wrapped and arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. “I promise.”

                She looked up at him. “I know.”

                “So, how exactly did you and Joey get here?”

                Her heart rate quickened. “I went to one of his parties. It was at the same house he is in now.”

                He nodded. “Is there something going on between you to or something? I thought you’d still be with Michael?”

                She sighed. Great, now her brother was going to think she was a w***e. But she had to tell him. Maybe it had something to do with how she got here in the first place. “I am �" was? We’re still together. I, uh, kind of drank a little too much and we were playing seven minutes in heaven and Joey kissed me, that’s how we both ended up here.” She blurted out.

                He just looked over at her and smiled. “My sister, a cheater.” He laughed, squeezing her shoulder. “Boy how things have changed.”

                Savannah opened her mouth to object, but shut it.

                “I think you like him.”

                “Just take me home, Donnie.” She laughed, pushing him away from her.

                “You know you missed me!”

Author's Note

Thanks for reading so far, any comments?

Reviews

[Cheshire]

I'll end my reviews on a positive note :) You have a very creative mind, and your story is interesting. With a good editor, I could see this as a novel that I would read, easily. I may not notice when you post more chapters, as I'm typically all over the place, but you have a great start to your story, keep up the good work :)