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Chapter 7 - I need to get it back

EMMA

My throat is sore and my eyes refuse to open. The bright sunlight forces them to close again. I groan and roll face down in my bed. Lucas is right, the nightmares are getting worse. I’m starting to see actual werewolves in them. The scent of magnolias increases when I press my nose into my fluffy pillow. The smooth cotton is feather-soft against my skin.

Wait, what?

I lift my head and force one eye to open. I’m lying on a king-size bed with thick white cotton bedsheets and four matching pillows.

The memories flood back. Kiya, the princess, the prince, the forest and that black wolf. I was sure that I was going to die. Torn apart by its sharp teeth. I clutch one pillow close to my chest and sit up. I sink further into the soft bed as I take in the rest of the room.

The room is about five times the size of my bedroom at home, which was not much more than the size of a broom closet with a twin bed. Pristine white walls and ornaments decorate the ceiling that reaches ten feet tall. A golden chandelier hangs in the middle of the room. There are two floor-to-ceiling windows with thick red curtains. Two white lacquered bedside tables with golden decorations are placed on each side of the bed.

I don’t even own a bedside table.

My breaths get shorter as the air thins. I press a hand beneath the hollow of my neck and reach for my necklace, but there’s nothing there. My neck is bare and the panic increases when my eyes confirm what my body already knows. My necklace is gone.

No, no, no.

I spring from the bed and search beneath the pillows and the bedspread. I crawl to the floor and search under the bed. Then in the drawers of the bedside tables. Every inch of the floor and every corner of the bed. Then I go back and check the bed linen again. I helplessly look around the room for any spot that I might have missed.

It’s gone. My necklace is gone.

I am on the verge of screaming. The tears have already started spilling down my cheeks.

I have to find it. I cannot lose it. I promised.

I sink to the floor as the strength leaves my legs. It’s the first time I notice that I’m not wearing my own clothes, but a satin nightgown.

There is a knock on the door. I wipe the tears away with the back of my hand and I crawl back up from the floor. When I open the door, I’m surprised by how close the woman stands in the doorway. I instinctively take a step back.

The woman has a wide smile as she greets me. “Welcome Emma, to our magnificent kingdom. My name is Camilla and I will be your host until the choosing ceremony.” Her smile doesn’t waver and it seriously creeps me out. Her dark brown hair is sleek and her outfit is free from any wrinkles. The charcoal gray pantssuit is long and simple. The woman is nearly a head taller than me and I can’t tell if she would be considered beautiful here. It's like she presents herself to blend into the background.

“Hi, uhm—“

“How about we take a tour around the palace, before your appointment with the palace healer?” Camilla asks with her unwavering smile.

“The healer?”

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. Just making sure you’re not already pregnant or anything.” Camilla waves it away and walks into my room, carrying a garment bag. She carefully lays out a ruby-red dress on the bed. Which is not something I would ever choose for myself.

“Unfortunately there was not a lot of time to prepare for your arrival. The rooms on the first floor are mostly used for the entourage of government officials or pack leaders.” Camilla tells me. Her smile wavers for the first time, but she quickly recovers. “Fortunately It’s only for a few days. I just received the good news. The choosing ceremony will be in three days.”

“Thr— three days?” I stutter.

“Yes, how exciting, isn’t it?” She says as she clasps her hands.

Exciting is one word for it. Horrible, frightening or overwhelming are other words I would choose.

“If you’re chosen, you’ll move to the royal wing after the ceremony.” She gives me an even wider smile, which I now know for sure, is fake.

I eye the red intricate dress on the bed. “Uhm, where are my clothes and, other personal belongings?” I ask with hesitation.

“I’ve brought your clothing to the maids to wash. They will be returned to you in a few hours. Do you want me to help you with the dress?”

My eyes widen. “No, I can do it myself.” I pull the side of my lower lip between my teeth. “Uhm, and my silver necklace?”

Camilla stays stoic, but her eyes widen ever so slightly. “Silver is forbidden to be brought into the palace without prior consent of the mayor general of the royal army,” Camilla says with a smile and an even tone.

“Can we go to them then?” I plead. Hope blooms in my chest.

“Oh no, Princess Morana is very busy. One cannot just walk in to see her. I can send in a request for an audience with Her Highness, but it can take years for even regular citizens to get approved for one.”

“Years?” This is crazy. Every sprinkle of hope that ignited in me just now has been trampled on with a single sentence.

“Yes, but there is also good news. If the prince chooses you, then you can request an audience much quicker than even high officials.”

Her smile is so bright, it sends a shiver down my spine. Camilla doesn’t move as she waits.

“Uhm, could I have some privacy?”

Camilla's eyebrows rise ever so slightly. Like she is confused, but doesn’t want to show it.

She even keeps her smile firmly in place when she speaks. “Of course, I’ll wait outside. Just call me if you need anything.”

Camilla moves out of the room and with a soft click of the door, the room is quiet again. I take a deep breath and my hand automatically rises to the absent necklace. I swallow the lump in my throat and eye the dress on the bed. The dress is beautiful. Made from a rich fabric. It could be silk, but I have never held something like that before. I owned one dress at home. A simple blue summer dress that I got from one of the girls in the village when she got pregnant. It’s the dress I’ve worn for every birthday and special occasion for the past three years.

I wash my face and brush my teeth in the adjacent bathroom which is still bigger than my room. There’s a ceramic bath, bottles of scented oils and luxurious soaps. I clean the mud stains off my skin and I pull my hair back in a ponytail.

I pull off the nightgown that I woke up in and put on the red dress. The dress has three different layers and embroidered seams. It flows out at the bottom and I think it should be knee-length, but it reaches past my calves. The dress fits around my frame but is way too long.

I don’t feel like I belong in a dress like this. It's too beautiful to be worn by me. My skin looks sickly pale against the red fabric. I meet Camilla outside the room and she fails to hide her shock. She recovers quickly, but not quickly enough to fool me.

“Well, maybe we can squeeze in some time with the tailor before your appointment with the healer. Do you want me to do your hair?”

I hold the ends of my ponytail. “What’s wrong with it?”

I prefer my hair in a ponytail. My white hair is long and wild and gets in the way if I don’t.

“Oh no. It’s not wrong, just simple.”

“I like simple.”

We stare at each other for a few seconds and neither speaks.

“All right then. Let's begin our tour.” Camilla says, breaking the silence.

I nod and follow her through the halls. Camilla talks about all the details of the building and the history of it, but I can’t focus. My mind keeps returning to my necklace. It’s the last thing I have from my mother. I promised to hold on to it and I can’t believe I lost it.

I need to get it back.

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