Chapter Twenty Four

"Please tell me you aren't that stupid." Lily barging into my room, causes me to glance up from my study. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

I know there's numerous reasons that could lead Lily into believing I was stupid but the last sentence is a dead give away.

It's been two days since I got the answer I've been looking for and I haven't done much with the information other than wondering how Allison is the key I've been hoping for, waiting for.

I wasn't planning on telling her, or anyone, about what I was going to do but Lily being the seer, of course I knew she would eventually find out. I was just hoping it wasn't this soon.

"You saw it, didn't you?" I ask.

She crosses her arms. "Yeah, I did. Why wouldn't you tell me something like that?"

"The same reason why, you're keeping your own secret from me." I throw back at her, narrowing my eyes.

"That's different."

"How is it any different from mine?"

"Because we can do something about yours." She tells me. "There's nothing you can do about mine. There's no point of trying to."

I frown. "What is it?"

She shakes her head. "It's something I don't want you to worry about. We have other things to worry over."

"We?" I arch an eyebrow.

She nods. "Yes, we." She walks over to my bed and takes a seat. "I told you, whenever you're ready to tell Abe, I'll be right there beside you and I meant that."

"I know you did but there's something I need to do before I can."

"No." She says, firmly. "We're telling him right now. Get up."

I reach out and grab her arm, stopping her. "No, not right now. Not until I found out about Allison."

She frowns in confusion. "Allison?" She repeats. "What does she have to do with any of this?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

She sits back down. "Who told you about Allison?"

I haven't told anyone about the voice inside my head and I don't think I'm going to. They already think I can't handle much as it is and telling I hear a voice is another reason for them to think I'm going completely crazy.

"It came to me in my dreams two days ago." I lie. "They mentioned Allison is the key we need to convince Abe to remove the law before it's too late."

"Okay.."Lily trails off. "So, why haven't you asked Abe about it yet?"

"I'm not really on speaking terms with Abe if you haven't noticed yet."

As soon as I stepping inside the mansion, instead of asking me how my week was like he did every time I came back, he was informing me about Marceau and arranging flight to France for next month. He talked about nothing else except for the marriage. He doesn't want us to be engaged for a few years but less than. He already has wedding ideas and I try to stay away from altogether after that.

"I get that but the longer you wait, the less time you have to remove the law." She points out. "I saw what's going to happen in the future and I don't want that for you. Or for Hayes."

"You're right." I agree. "But every time I do see him, he's shoving wedding themes down my throat. Even if I do, ask him about Allison, how will I know if he'll tell me the truth?"

"You don't." She says. "Is that why you're waiting?"

I nod. "Yeah. I need to find someone who knows as much about Allison as Abe does and I can only think of two people."

She immediately knows who I'm referring to and her eyebrows shoots up.

"Monica and Nathan."

I nod, again. "The problem is, we're not on the visiting list."

We aren't supposed to be anywhere near that area. I didn't want to be anywhere near because that's where they're at and I don't want to accidentally see them.

I didn't want to see them ever again but what Mallory is saying it's true, I'll have to see him and forgive to him to move on with me life. But that's a task for another day.

"Maybe we're not but there is another way to get inside." Lily says.

"How?" I ask.

"Remember when we were first training and Hayes was telling you about your powers." I nod my head, thinking about the miserable workout right after that. "Well, you can use your compulsion."

Compulsion is one of the few powers I have. Hard told me I could get anyone or anything under my complete control and I didn't like it because it made me feel like one of my many enemies. And I don't want to be like them in any way.

Which is another reason why I don't want to compel Abe. I may have the powers to do so but I want Abe to want to remove the law himself because he cares about his daughters' happiness rather than me ordering him into doing it.

Let's to say I did compel him, he could change the law right back if he so choose to and he would choose. It would useless in trying to compel without my necklace anyway. Without it, I only have half my power, half my strength.

"No. No way." I tell her, shaking my head. "I'll figure out another way."

"There isn't another way. That's it. I know how you feel about it but this it's for something greater than what you're feeling right now. A few seconds of guiltiness triumphs over a lifetime of misery and unhappiness."

What she's saying is true but I still wouldn't feel right going into someone's mind and making them do whatever I asked them to do. It isn't right.

"Even if I wanted to, which I'm not saying I want to, I don't know how to use it." I tell her.

"You can try it on me." She volunteers herself, enthusiastically. "I always wanted to pretend to be a monkey. I want to feel how Tarzan felt, hanging around them." She shrugs. "It seems like fun."

I stare at her in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

She nods. "Yeah, why not? If it doesn't work, no harm done, right?"

"But what if it does works?" I counter.

She smiles. "Then I'll be the hottest monkey around."

"Okay." I say. "I'll try it."

I'm going against what I said but Lily's right, I don't want to live an unhappy life. I want to be with the person I loved more than anything. If a little compulsion is all it takes then I'll do it.

I look Lily in her eyes and she stares back, completely okay with this. I give her one more chance to change her mind and she doesn't take it.

I sigh. Okay here goes nothing.

"Act like a monkey." I tell her, calmly. "Whatever they do, you do as well. You are a monkey now." I repeat again, still staring into her hazel eyes.

I'm not sure if it worked or not because she kept staring at me, without blinking and it's starts to weird me out. I lift my arm and wave my hand in front of her face.

"Lily?" I say, worriedly.

Suddenly she's out my bed and on the floor, walking on her knuckles, making monkey noises. I smile a the fact that it actually worked and wish I had something to record her with so she could see herself later.

She's really acting like a monkey and it's quite hilarious. I watch her amused as she walks over to the closed door and my smiles drops when she opens the door and rushes out before I can do anything to stop her.

I follow, immediately behind her, calling her name, which she ignores as she hurries down the hall and towards the stairs. Instead of using the stairs, she hangs off the rail, receiving confused looks from the maids, heading upstairs.

I give them a small smile as I walk pass them and forward Lily, who lets go off the rail and falls to the ground below.

"Lily." I call out again.

Does she listen to me? Nope. She runs towards the kitchen, still on her knuckles and making monkey noises.

"Princess Lillian?" One maid ask, looking at Lily with a weird expression. "Are you okay?"

"She's fine." I tell her. "We're playing charades and she really gets into it." I laugh it off.

The maid gives me a small smile back. "She's quite the actress, isn't she?"

"The best around." I agree.

I walk away and head into the kitchen where I last seen Lily run in but when I round the corner, she's no where in sight. This is just great. I lost my monkey compelled twin sister.

I walk around the bottom floor, calling out Lily's name. I get to one room and it's empty. I sigh to myself.

"What are you doing?" A voice asks from behind me.

I spin around to see Hayes looking at me.

"I'm looking for Lily." I tell him. "Have you seen her? We're playing a game."

If he had seen her, I can tell him why she's acting so strangely if he asked. It'll all be apart of the game I have to think of in in the very moment he questioned it.

He shakes his head. "No, I haven't. Did you look in her art room?"

"No. She wouldn't be in there."

She's a monkey. I doubt she'll remember her art room. And as soon as we're leaving the area, I hear her and so does Hayes. We both look up at the same time and I stare in horror as I see Lily hanging on the chandelier, swinging back and forth.

How did she got up there? I don't have the slightest idea. But she needs to get down before she hurts herself.

"Lily!" I say. "Get down! Right now!"

She ignores me yet again and continues to swing as she makes her animal noises.

I glance at Hayes and he turns to look at me. He arches an eyebrow.

"Care to tell me what game you're playing?"

"Uh, charades?" I say it more as a question.

"And that involves Lily swinging on a chandelier?" He questions.

I nod. "It does if she's acting like a monkey."

"A monkey?" He repeats.

"Yes, a monkey."

He looks at me totally unconvinced and I don't blame him because even if we were playing charades it wouldn't explain how Lily got up there in the first place.

"What's actually going on?" He asks.

I can't lie to him again. He didn't even believe the first lie and I need his help to get Lily down and back to my room before anyone else sees her.

I sigh. "She wanted me to compel her and I did. I didn't know she would literally turn into a human monkey."

His eyes narrows. "She's compelled?" I nod. "You have to removed the compulsion before she stays stuck like this." He adds.

My eyes widen. "What? Stay stuck as a monkey forever?"

Why didn't anyone tell me about the long lasting effect my compulsion has on other? That seems like something I should know before I use it on someone.

"Go get a banana." He orders me.

I rush to the kitchen and grab a banana from the fruit bowl before running back to them. Lily's still on the chandelier when I returned.

"Look, Lily." I say, waving the yellow fruit in my hand. "A banana."

That gets her attention and she stops swinging. She stares at the fruit in my hand.

"Come get it." I coax her.

With her eyes still on the banana, she gets down from the chandelier by letting go and falling to the ground. Luckily, there's a couch below her and she falls onto it.

She gets on her knuckles and walks, slowly over to me.

"That's it." I tell her, softly. "Come over to me."

Once she's arm length from me, she reaches out her arm, asking for the fruit. I give it to her and she begins to peel it.

"What do I do now?" I ask Hayes.

"Now, you compel her back to her normal self."

I nod. "Okay, I can do that." I look at Lily and she's eating the banana. I take a step forward to her and bent down so I'm eye level with her. "Lily." I say, once she's looking at me. "You are no longer a monkey. Go back to your normal self."

She stares at me and before blinking and looking away from, continuing to eat her beloved banana.

"It didn't work." I say, looking at Hayes.

"Try it again."

I glance back at Lily and she's done eating the banana. I say her name and she looks at me, holding out her hand, wanting another banana. I ignore it and focus on her eyes.

"Stop acting like a monkey. You are a human again. You are Lily, now." I demand her. "You are no longer a monkey."

After a few seconds has passed by, she slowly comes out her trance and she shakes her head. She looks around, confused.

"I'm assuming it worked." She says, looking at the banana.

I throw my arms around her. "Lily, you're back! I thought you were stuck as a monkey."

"I don't even want to know what I did." She replies.

"But I want to know, why you compelled her." Hayes says.

I exchange glances with Lily. Should we tell him the real reason? Or not? She nods, signaling for me to tell him the truth.

"I needed to see if I could compel a person." I tell him.

"Compel who?"

"The guard watching Monica and Nathan."

He frowns. "Why do you want to see them?"

"They have information on what I need." I say. "I can't tell you what it is but it's important I see them."

I'm expecting him to demand what I'm holding back from him and force me to tell him what I'm keeping but instead he nods.

"If you went as far as compelling Lily to act as monkey, I know whatever you need has to be important." He says. "I can get you in without the compulsion."

I arch an eyebrow. "You're not going to ask what I'm keeping from you?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'm not. Whatever it is, you'll tell me when you're ready." He shrugs. "And if you don't tell me, I'm okay with that."

"Thank you for understanding." I say.

He simple nods. "If you want to see them, now's our best chance."

"Right now?" I ask.

"Yeah. Unless you want to wait another two weeks."

"No!" Lily jumps in, quickly. "She'll see them, right now. Won't you, Millie?" She looks at me.

"Okay. I'll go." I say.

"Alright, let's go." Hayes says.

I trail behind him as we head to the area where Abe keeps them locked up at. He wanted to send them where the others are, somewhere in the central states, but he thought keeping them close by, is better.

Just in case. He said.

We still aren't one hundred percent certain that Monica and Nathan are traitors. We don't have enough evidences to prove they are but Abe wasn't going to take any chances and I still feel bad for them. What if they aren't traitors? What if Lily and I misheard them and we got them into serious trouble?

We arrive to the door that leads to holding cells. There's a man standing beside the door, looking bored out his mind. Hayes walks over to him and as they talk, the man's eyes flickers over to me,  briefly before he starts shaking his head.

He's not going to let me in but whatever Hayes tells him, makes him change his mind in the next second. Hayes motions for me to come over and I do.

"I can only give you ten minutes." The man says. "Whatever you have to say, make it quick."

I nod. "I will."

He opens the door and I step inside. Inside, there's stairs leading down to the cells and once I'm at the bottom, I look at the eight holding cells. Four on each side. Two are being occupied as of right now.

I walk to the first one on the left side and see Monica sitting on a nice enough bed. When I think of cell, I think of a ratty, horrible, metal uncomfortable place but it's nothing like that. The cell Monica's currently in is like another guest room.

She has carpet floor and another room, leading to a small bathroom. If it isn't for the mental door, locking her in or lack of windows, I would've thought it was a hotel room.

"Monica." I say.

She glances up and when she sees who it is, she frowns in confusion.

"Princess Millian?" She says, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

For seeing the person who got her locked up in the first place, she isn't furious or upset. She's just utterly confused and shocked. She probably doesn't know I'm the one who told Abe about her and Nathan.

If she doesn't, I'll keep her in the dark until I get what I need.

"I have a few questions, I need answered." I tell her. "It's about my mother, Allison?"

"Why don't you ask your father about her?" She asks, looking down.

"Because he won't tell me if I did. I need your help, please." I beg.

She glances at me. "What's your question?"

How do I put into words about Allison being the key into getting out of my arranged marriage? It's not like I can say, "I heard a voice in my head telling me that Allison is my key to removing the law that keeps me from being with my forbidden guardian."

No. I can't say that. I would sound crazy.

"Were my parents forced into an arranged marriage like I am?" I decide on.

"You're engaged, now?" She lifts an eyebrow. "So soon. Who is it?"

"Uh, I really don't have time to discuss that at the very moment. I need you to answer my question."

"Oh, right." She says. "No, they weren't."

"Why not?"

"Because Abe wasn't always as strict as he is now. His parents allowed him to choose who he wanted to be with and he chose Allison. It didn't settled well with many people and fights broke out because of Allison. The other kingdoms around us, disapproved of it and they left. They felt insulted and dishonor Abe. They wanted nothing to do with Abe's kingdom once he became king."

I never really thought about it but back on Arsyn we weren't the only royal family. Yes, we ruled over the others but there were still a few others lower than us. I don't know where they are here on Earth but they have to still be around.

I frown. "Why not? Why were they so upset?"

The next thing she says, changes everything.

"Because Allison wasn't always royalty."