“You’re not planning on running, are you?” Yvette asked with suspicion. “Cause I don’t think that will help your reputation any. Also, it would only help the mistress evict you from the house sooner.”
“No, not running...” I admitted cautiously. “But there is somewhere I need to visit, before Sapphira chains me up in a make-shift dungeon.”
The ladies shared a knowing look with each other. “To the palace gardens?” Beatrice asked with intrigue.
“Yes…” I paused. “I just want to see the flowers one last time before being cooped up inside.” I gave them my most convincing smile, but they only smirked at me.
“Kalina, did you think we wouldn’t notice that smile of yours every time you got back from a ride?” Yvette raised her brow with humored accusation.
“Or the fact that ya always had a letter sticking out of yer pocket each time?” Beatrice added.
“I was going to tell you…” I felt my cheeks grow warm as a swell of embarrassment flooded me at their knowledge, and I couldn’t seem to push it away.
“There’s nothing to be getting red about,” Beatrice jested. “It’s about time you got some friends outside of us old folk.”
“Eh!” Chester detested. “Who are you callin’ old? I’m not even fifteen yet!”
The two ladies passed an amused glance between themselves as they ignored his outburst. “You better hurry now,” Yvette said. “Go leave your message, but don’t be gone too long. You don’t want to invoke any more of that woman’s wrath than you already have.”
I nodded in nervous agreement. “I should go. Thank you all.”
I took off toward the stables and found myself mounting Burlap once more. Pumpkin was napping, and I didn’t have time to stir her. Without even bidding Corliss a hello, I mounted the mare bareback and sped out of the stables. I had barely made it beyond the stable doors when I noticed something that made my heart shatter into a thousand pieces. A chill breezed straight through my bones as I took in the heart-wrenching scene playing out across the grass.
Sapphira was standing outside, pointing a long finger toward my garden. Following her outstretched hand were three of her most loyal servants, each carrying a large pair of garden shears. I clasped my hand over my mouth as I watched my three companions attempt to block their path. A sharp word from Sapphira forced the gardeners to stand down and the servants continued forward. Chester wrapped the two women into a heart-broken hug as they hid their eyes from what happened next. The first servant pulled apart their shears, positioned the blades just below the blooms of my mother’s pink rose bush, and then…
Snap
I couldn’t watch. Foolishly, my eyes turned to Sapphira, who had noticed me on Burlap. Her furious eyes burned at me from across the grounds, unmoving in their dominance.
Snap, snap, snap.
The horrid sounds of my garden’s destruction pained my ears. A triumphant smile spread eerily across Sapphira’s face. She looked so proud, so pleased that she had taken away the last remnant of my parents’ memory. The snapping echoed louder, and her smile grew brighter.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran.
With a flick of Burlap’s mane, I escaped down the road. Once Sapphira disappeared into the distance, I let my tears fall. Hurt and anger erupted inside me as I pushed Burlap to move faster.How could she!? Over a little spilt tea!?I cried out in anger as I ran Burlap along the quiet road. She knew that Father loved that garden as much as I did, yet she destroyed it with a smile. What kind of twisted woman would do such a thing?
As many times as Sapphira had threatened to destroy my garden, I somehow believed in the back of my mind that she wouldn’t go through with it. Father had romanced her by bringing her bouquets of the fresh blooms and had proposed to her amongst those roses, but clearly, none of that mattered to her. All she cared about was controlling me, using me for her last paycheck from the kingdom, and then depositing me in the trash, much like those beautiful flowers… Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, so I had to wipe my eyes in Burlap’s hair before approaching the capital roads. I didn’t need to fuel the fire of my deteriorated position amongst the society. Not that wiping a few tears could save what Sapphira had already sowed.
Once I approached the garden’s familiar birch bench, I sat upon it in silence. My heart was too heavy to appreciate the beauty in front of me. The typically vibrant flowers seemed almost colorless through my tear-filled eyes. I had planned to leave a letter, but instead, I could only sit. My gaze lingered on the various blossoms, and I imagined the sickening sound of snapping shears, beheading every bloom. My throat tightened, threatening to release more tears, but I swallowed them back.
I hadn’t even brought something to write with. How was I meant to leave a message? I slumped back onto the bench with a broken sigh as I contemplated my options. There was no chance I would be able to return to the garden until after my birthday. Sapphira and the girls would be out for the ball, but I’m sure the gardens would be closed for the event. If I didn’t explain my absence to my mystery companion, would he forgive me for the rejection? Would I lose him, too? My stepmother may have managed to take more from me than she realized…
A heavy weight hung down on me as I realized how soon my life would be stolen from me. In less than four days, Sapphira will have won. She’ll have successfully stolen my inheritance, the crown’s support for my upbringing, and the last remains of societal standings I possessed. She’d done it. She had successfully disposed of her unwanted stepdaughter in nearly every way imaginable, and here I was, the victim, unable to even leave a note that might prevent me from losing my only real friend along with the rest of my life.
Feeling as though my purpose in lingering was gone, I stood from the bench and slowly trudged back to Burlap. I only made it a few steps before I caught sight of a perfect stargazer lily, just like the one I had grown for my sample. My footsteps halted momentarily to gaze at the flower, my misted eyes softening on its beautiful shape. My gaze lingered on the bursting center of the star-shaped flower when an idea struck me.
I reached into the bloom and plucked the dark-brown, pollen seeds from the center of the flower. The dark pollen instantly stained my fingers upon contact, solidifying my idea. With the seeds in hand, I returned to the birch bench and scraped my note into the wood. The pollen provided a strong contrast to the light wood, but it was difficult to write with such a small item. With a significant amount of struggling, I managed to buff in a simple message.
I’m sorry, we cannot meet. Please forgive me.
The note hardly conveyed what I meant, but it was the best I could do for now. I rushed over to the muddy section of the garden and dipped my thumb into the ooze. I then returned to the bench and pressed my thumb into the wood alongside the words, sealing my note. As long as no rain came, and the pollen didn’t smudge, the message should stay. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take long for my companion to check the garden. I also had to hope that he would notice the message when it wasn’t hidden in the flowers, per usual.
With a dissatisfied sigh, I dropped the remaining seeds and left my note as it was. Standing around and wondering wasn’t doing me any good. So instead, I returned to Burlap and rode off into town, aiming for anywhere but home.
chapter nine
I wasn’t sure where I was going. All I knew was that I wasn’t ready to see the carnage left in the place of my once flourishing garden. Just the thought of the destruction left me feeling cold and empty. I couldn’t go back yet, so instead, I wandered for hours. At a slow walk, Burlap and I circled the town at least three times, slowly watching the sun set over the horizon. The city was built like a bullseye, with the palace in the center, the gardens circling it, and the rest of the city spanning out from there. The farther out you moved from the palace, the less reputable the businesses became. At this point, I was on the outskirts of the capital, passing by overgrown shops and run-down work mills. By the time it had grown dark, I considered returning home, but my stomach growled too loudly at me to think clearly. Unfortunately, an obscene amount of biscuits hadn’t been enough to tide me over for an extended ride, and I didn’t have any money on me…