I sat up, realizing I'd slept longer than I'd meant to. Ripping off my covers I walked to my wardrobe, threw the doors open, and grabbed the first thing I saw. A dress. It was light green, soft and comfortable to the touch. It was figure-hugging above the waist but the skirt was loose and wide enough to move in.

I shut the door behind me and peeked down the steps, not bothering to tie up my hair. I held up my skirts, annoyed, that it was getting under my boots as I walked, and slowly stepped down the stairs.

The rooms were empty. Everything was quiet. "Hello?" I whispered. No one answered. Where had everyone gone? Was this a trap?

As I walked through the rooms, peeking through doors and into game rooms bathrooms and rooms. Suddenly, I heard footsteps.

"Who's there?" I called out bravely. The footsteps stopped. "Show yourself," I commanded, taking five quick steps towards the sound, when suddenly I slammed into a figure who had taken the same move. We both stumbled back.

Regaining my position, I heard a small intake of breath.

I looked up, confused for a second, and what I saw left me shocked.

"You?" she whispered, covering her mouth.

"You," I hissed, grabbing her shoulders. Now it was all beginning to make sense. It was her. She'd poisoned Xavier, and then she escaped, coming back here.

Lorelle.

"I-I can explain!" she gasped, backing away.

I was more worried than she'd ever be. She could turn me in or reveal my secrets in the blink of an eye.

"You traitor," I hissed, dragging her into an empty room. She didn't even try to pull her arm out of my grasp. "You poisoned Xavier? How could you do something like that?" I was furious with her. "You're worthless," I spat.

"I didn't. I mean, I did—but you don't get it," her lip quivered, tears starting to pool in her eyes. Oh, don't even start. "Just hear me out." I stepped back, pushing her away from me and turning my back to her.

"Okay," she said shakily. "Do you know why I'm here?" I didn't bother to respond. She was the spy that had prevented me from killing the Duke. The spy in the castle. The one that meddled with the letter. "My mother is the Leader," she whispered.

My eyes widened and I gripped the wall in front of me. "What?" Bring the Leader's child back as a hostage.

The Leader's child was Lorelle.

"There are three Leaders," she breathed out. "One is my mother. The other one is a man, and the third is another woman. My aunt." I rested my head against the wall, bewildered. Who knew things would take such a twisted turn? "I'm the daughter of one of them. Look at me, Adalia. You need to look at me right now." I didn't move at all. "I need you to face me," she grabbed my arm and spun me around. Her eyes were glistening. "Do you know who my father was?" she asked. I shook my head, unaware of what she was going to say. "My father . . . My stepfather was the Duke of Dystalphi. The one you killed."

"What?" I repeated.

"For revenge, I was supposed to kill someone close to the King so he would suffer the same way . . . the same way we did. My mother ordered it," she bit her lip, sighing shakily. "I poisoned Prince Xavier not because I wanted to. But if I didn't, I wouldn't have been welcomed back home,. Yes, I was already at the castle before you kill—before my father was killed," she corrected, her eyes trained on me, careful. "I'd been assigned there by my mother. She's very strict. If I didn't follow orders, she'd throw me out as a traitor."

I looked away from her face. She grabbed my arm.

"I swear," she said, her hands shaking, "I swear I didn't want to hurt him. But I had to—like you had been ordered to kill all those other people."

I rested my back against the wall. She dared use that against me? "You're the Leader's daughter? I can't believe this." I killed her stepfather, and they wanted Xavier in return. And now I had to take her back to the castle as hostage. A little part of me wished I hadn't seen her here. Another, bigger part of me was relieved that I would get this over with quicker than I'd expected.

She sat down next to me. She whispered, a fat tear slipping down her cheek. "I never wanted this."

"You have no idea, Lorelle. You have no idea why I'm here." My stomach was turning over.

"I don't," she shook her head. "I really don't. Why are you here, Adalia?"

"My name is Kristina," I hissed. "And why I'm here is none of your business." I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. "How long is the poison going to last?" I asked, trying to clear my head by taking deep breaths.

"I don't know," she said. "Mother gave it to me. I know it's new. We tested it on some lab rats, but so far nothing involving . . . death," she whispered, "has happened. We've been working on the antidote in the labs underground." Her eyes widened as she realized she'd said too much.

"Are you going to give me away?" I asked, getting to my feet.

"Me?" she asked. "No, not after I took Prince Xavier from you." She spoke as if he was already dead.

"Stop talking as if he's dead," I said stiffly.

She shrugged unhappily. "He has at least a week of pain and misery. The rats have lasted this long." She shuddered at the thought and I couldn't help but cringe.

"I still can't believe you did this." I narrowed my eyes. "If I killed your father, it was a quick and painless death. You're putting Xavier through hell before he dies."

"I know," she choked back a sob. "But I had to. I would never have wanted to put Xavier through this."

"I don't care what you wanted. You were a part of it." She regretted it, and hadn't wanted to do it in the first place. I was sure she even refused to do it but then was told the consequences of her choice, so she'd carried it out half-heartedly; whereas I had always been ordered to kill and never cared about the consequences altogether. I just acted, and didn't worry about the family they'd left behind. I didn't regret nor did I argue. What was I? A puppet that couldn't make decisions for herself?

"I'm so sorry." She buried her face in her hands, a teary mess. Was I sorry for killing her father along with so many others?

Not really.

I stared at her for a moment, and then surprised myself by saying, "Stop crying."

She looked up, her nose red and her eyes puffy. "What?" She sniffed.

"Get up." I held out a hand.

She smiled through her tears and wiped her eyes. "So you aren't going to kill me?" she joked.

"No, not until you say anything first," I said to her.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Oh." Lance stopped, looking at us both. Today, he wore a white shirt, his sleeves rolled up as usual above his elbows, and brown pants with clean boots. His brown hair looked messy in a nice way, and his forest green eyes almost looked like rare gems as they caught the rays of sunlight from the open windows. He lifted a half-gloved hand and pointed at us. "I see you two have met?"

Lorelle nodded, grinning. "Ad—I mean, Kristina—is quite amusing to be around."

Lance relaxed, keeping his eyes on her. "I know, right? She's entertaining in her own way."

"Hello? I'm right here." I waved my hands in their faces.

Lorelle turned to me and gave me a wow you are the biggest liar I have ever meet in my life why don't you act like this all the time look and I looked away quickly. My act was going to be hard to keep up with her around.

"Where is everyone?" I said, running a hand through the small tangles of my hair.

"Um. . ." Lance paused, as if unsure what to say. "Underground."

"What are they doing there?"

"Having a meeting. I actually came to take Lor down but I see you two are busy—"

"I can come," Lorelle said hurriedly. "Does my mother have anything to say to me?"

"I'm not sure." Lance tugged on his collar, looking around the room nervously. His gaze stopped on me and he said, "Would you like to come?"

"Sure," I shrugged. Lance turned away abruptly, walking out. I turned to Lorelle questioningly. "Why does he sound so nervous?"

"Two reasons." She smiled, walking with me and lowering her voice, somewhat recovered from the harsh reality check, "Either he wasn't supposed to bring you down because you're new but he still did because it would be rude not to or he just fancies you."

"What?" I felt my face reddening. "No, the first one makes more sense."

"Sure," she teased and walked ahead of me, falling into step beside Lance.

But I wasn't in the mood for this. All I kept thinking about was Xavier.

Death came easily but left painfully, not giving a chance for someone to say goodbye or realize what's happening. The pain would slowly be eating him alive, slowly killing him from the inside. It wasn't clear to me how long I'd be staying, or whether I'd fail the mission or not. I didn't know if I was really going to kidnap Lorelle. My heart wasn't into it.

I stopped abruptly. Since when did my heart care? I didn't have a heart. In place of it was a cold and cruel rock that never hesitated to do anything.

Yet I cared right now. I cared about Xavier who was laying on his deathbed and now I couldn't think about bringing Lorelle as a hostage?

My heart was definitely working, but my mind wasn't agreeing. I wasn't supposed to feel. I was being stupid.

I'd even started blushing. I was letting my guard down in just two days. My mind-walls were beginning to crack without warning me, when I'd taken more than seven years to build them up. Nothing was really going according to plan, was it? I had to be strong here. I couldn't let anything get in my way.

For whose sake? For Xavier's life, or for my life, which had its neck tightly wrapped in the King's leash?

The Leader I'd met with Lance earlier eyed me coldly as I walked in. I wondered if she was Lorelle's mother—the one who had decided to poison the Xavier.

"Why is she here?" she said out loud without a care that I was there. "Didn't I specifically tell you not to bring her along?"

"Mother," Lorelle spoke up warmly, confirming my suspicions, "leave her be. This isn't a life and death situation. It's just one meeting."

"I'm watching you," the Leader said with venom in her voice, turning away. I glanced at Lorelle.

She gave me a look. A look full of sadness. A look that whispered to me, please don't let me regret this. Please don't hurt us by doing something we both will regret.

I made sure I looked away, but the look on her face struck me harshly. I was going to let her down.

Lance shot me an apologetic look and split away from us. Taking a deep breath, I followed Lorelle, feeling unwelcome. My black boots tapped on the flat earth below my feet, the soft lime dress brushing my bare legs. I hesitated before I sat beside Lorelle around a table in another room. There were many tables in the area where most people were already seated, and in front of us, slightly more elevated than the rest, was a long table fit for three. That was where the three Leaders would be seated.

The first Leader, the one that seemed to dislike me greatly, was watching me closely. The second Leader was an older man with hints of gray in his black hair, and a small scruffy beard. He was tall, and must've been very handsome in his early years. The third Leader, Lor's aunt, was a blond. She was pretty and looked smart, with greenish brown eyes, hazel from where I could see, and a nice face. She looked serious about her position, though in her eyes I could see a sense of childishness. Through the serious face there was a secret softness tucked away where no one could see it.

Everyone took their places, and the meeting started.

"As you know, one of our dear rebels took on the spot of taking the life of the Prince of Astodia, in return for what they did to our leader—one of the many rebels that have been murdered by the King," Lorelle's mother began with coldness in her voice. Lorelle fidgeted uncomfortably beside me, looking at her hands folded in her lap. "She was successful, and she has made it back to us. That shows how easy it is to breach the walls of the castle and break in to finish our business. They'll never be able to distinguish between the rebels or the Loyals. Also," she paused for dramatic effect, "the prince will be dead in a week and a half or two at the most." A murmur ran through the crowd.

"Why not immediately?" someone yelled from the crowd. Hatred spun a web inside me.

The Rebel Leader laughed coldly, her voice echoing throughout the room. "After the King sees the pain of his son for two continuous weeks, three hundred and thirty six hours, he will realize who he's dealing with. In order to keep from losing more lives of the ones he loves, he will come to an agreement with us."

Everyone cheered, laughing, chortling; satisfied with the plan. I bit the inside of my lip to keep from spitting on the floor. My nails were digging into my palms, and I was waiting for the moment she would completely tick me off so I could get up and punch her right across that smug face of hers. Lorelle realized this, because she reached over and squeezed my arm. I looked back at the Leader.

"There's nothing you can do, Adalia," she whispered softly in my ear. She wasn't trying to convince me, I realized. She was trying to convince herself.

Lorelle's mother was grinning. "Now is the time we celebrate. Bring out the drinks!" She swept her arm towards the doors. Celebrate?

"Excuse me!" I said, standing up abruptly. The chair almost tipped over and I reached out automatically to steady it. My head was pounding and my stomach twisting in disgust. I glanced next to me to see Lorelle's light eyes widen with horror, and she put her face in her hands. Silence fell over the whole room like a heavy blanket.

"Please, no," she groaned.

Everyone froze and turned towards me, shocked to see me, the new girl, having something to say.

"I just have one question," I said, looking at the woman straight in her eyes. "The King, from what I've heard, only has one thing left in his life that is dear to him, and that is his very own son. What makes you think that he'll try to come to terms with you after he realizes that you're the ones that murdered him? He'll have nothing more to lose, and after the grief he'll go through from losing his only child, what makes you think he'll be willing to trust you? To work things out? How do you expect him to throw away his feelings like that? He'll turn against you. He'll become even more stubborn and more persistent to hunt you down. He won't have anything to lose. Any normal human being would know. Unless you're not human beings."

I scanned everyone's faces to find some nodding agreeably, some shaking their heads with disapproval, and others just confused. I sat back down, keeping my eyes on the Lorelle's mother.

She wasn't happy, I figured. Judging by the looks of everyone's faces, I realized that not many people would have done what I just did, and I'd just singled myself out. Great work, Assassin. Next time, why don't you stand up and sing a song for them about the King's love for his son? Dance a jig, how about? Or maybe, notify a pack of hungry wolves that you've got a bunch of delicious sheep stored under your clothes? How about that?

"It's not your place to decide what to do." Her voice was calm, but her eyes were angry.

"Is it? I thought this was a democracy. Do you decide or the people?"

More people were nodding now, a slight buzz of awakening moving through the tables.

Her face stayed expressionless. "Who are you? And how do you know so much?"

"It's quite obvious, don't you think?" Someone laughed, and I saw her temper flare.

"Enough!" she yelled, when suddenly the male Leader got to his feet.

"You may sit down, Clarice," he motioned to Lorelle's mother. "This girl," he nodded towards me, "has raised a good point. We shouldn't make a decision without consulting the rest of the group first."

A hum of approval rippled through the room.

"All those in favors of the plan we have come up with, say aye."

Less than half the room muttered "Aye."

A look of understanding crossed his face. "We shall discuss this matter later," he said after a few seconds. "For now, relax and enjoy your feast."

His eyes locked onto mine, and I nodded. His bright blue eyes blinked, and then turned away as people blocked my view of him.

The whole place was abuzz. The smell of fried duck wafted to my nose, and I felt saliva forming in my mouth. I hadn't realized how hungry I was for real food, and now my stomach was begging for some.

"Adalia." Lorelle shook my shoulders, her light brown hair loosening around her face. "You have just ruined your life here."

"Life?" I echoed.

Lorelle stared into my eyes for a second, and then realized the truth. "This is it, then? You are a spy, aren't you? I doubted it for a moment. But you're really here for information?" She shook her head in disbelief. "I'm helping you. If I ever get found out. . . ."

"You won't." The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

I couldn't tell Lorelle the real purpose of why I was here. There was a chance she'd stop me. She was still loyal to the rebels, and there was no way she'd let me pass without keeping a close eye on me. The antidote would just slip further away from my reach, and I would never be able to bring her as hostage.

If I did bring her as hostage.

My thoughts were interrupted by the platter of food that slapped the wooden table right in front of my eyes, and Lorelle's words drowned away in the laughter and discussions around the whole room.