Elena's P.O.V.
The moment I stepped into the 16th century (those statements never get old) I wasted no time to climb up the hill and run straight to the village.
Thanks to the dumbass driver who almost killed me, and made my situation with Adam even more awkward, I came much later than I had planned.
Stupid idiot. . . the next time I see that old, broken car, I will make sure to break it into pieces and use one to hit the driver for being so reckless.
When I reached the village, the loud streets filled my ears before my eyes could catch its sight. Without a further thought, I pulled the gray hood over my head, concealing my hair and face with my new clothing.
If I didn't want to be caught by His Majesty and his companions, I had to keep my head low and don't draw any attention towards me.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Basically, I'm trying to stay invisible with my hood. Just like Robert Pattinson when people mention Twilight.
Can't be that hard, right?
Obviously, I can't take down three guys - at least not at the same time - therefore, my biggest strategy would be using my brain.
If Hazel ever heard me say that out loud, I swear, I would never hear the end of it.
I blended into the sea of people, occasionally turning around to make sure that I wasn't followed again. After a while, I found myself walking into the heart of this place with no one after me.
This plan is going great for the time being.
But when my attention traveled to my surroundings, my orbs were slowly beginning to settle down on a familiar blonde hair.
I squinted to make out the identity of the person standing next to a booth, and when she turned around, a huge smile cracked my poker-face.
A bullet of happiness shot through my body, and I did something that was against my entire plan of staying invisible: I shouted.
"Aria!" She clearly didn't hear me through the turmoil of noises, but that didn't stop me from speed-walking to her. "Aria!" I shouted again with my hands cupped around my mouth, successfully drawing her attention to me.
Her face was painted in confusion, but it was soon replaced with a goofy smile on her pink lips when our eyes met.
"Elena!" My blonde-haired friend enfolded me in a big hug, the basket of groceries hanging around her elbow. "It's so good to see you again," she pulled away at an arm's length. "I haven't seen you in days, where have you been?"
I smiled with an innocent shrug. "Around."
"Well aren't you such an informative person?" She chuckled and let go of my arms.
"I try my best," was my response that made the girl in the red dress laugh.
However, her hilarity did not live to its fullest due to her being too busy turning her head around. Her eyes were wary, looking and searching as if she was making sure no one could follow her words.
My eyebrows knitted in perplex when the older girl's smile didn't falter, yet, it looked like she was cautious of speaking.
"Have you heard?" Her voice was low and filled with excitement.
A puzzled look was burgeoning on my face, "Heard what?"
The brown-eyed girl sighed in glee, looking dreamily into the air. "There are rumors saying that the prince was here, in this very own village, can you believe that?"
What happened to Daniel? I wanted to ask.
"A prince?" I repeated with an amused tone, stiffening a snort that was about to escape when I thought about Ethan.
Although a laughter was building in the back of my throat, her statement still managed to push me into a puddle of thoughts.
There are thousands - even tens of thousands - of people in this village. The prince (if the rumors are true) could've been anywhere. It's just a coincidence that I saw 'Prince' Ethan at the same place Aria was gesturing to. There is no way that he has blue blood, he can't be a royal.
Or is he?
No, he can't be, he's just too stupid for that.
Or can he?
"Yes, and everyone in the village is talking about it!" She chirped happily, but then looked at me with a perfectly raised eyebrow. "Well, everyone except for you, of course."
I waved my hand. "Pfft, I have better things to do than gossiping about some prince."
Aria momentarily stopped in her tracks, her heels digging into the ground. It was almost like her legs had become dead.
With widened eyes, she spoke through her slightly agape mouth. "Elena, this isn't 'some prince'," she made air quotations, holding our eye contact in a firm grip. "It's the Prince of Areadan. He is the son of the King and Queen of Areadan, the heir to the most powerful kingdom of all times. It's not something you can avoid talking about."
Her voice was powerful, yet, the words didn't hit me. "Well, looks like I'm doing wonders then," I gave her a smirk, playfully pushing her.
This time, Aria cracked up with a short-lived laugh. "Indeed you do, Elena."
"But," I started with my index finger flying in the air. "If the rumors really are true, then what was the prince doing here in the village?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know." Was her reply before her brown eyes met my green ones. "Some say that the prince was only messing around, others believe that he was running after a thief who stole a valuable possession of his."
This is why you should never listen to rumors - they're always filled with lies and fiction.
"Wow, rumors really do make someone look bad," I shook my head. "Next thing you know; he was running after the next victim of his serial killer crimes."
The blonde-haired girl laughed loudly at my words, her sudden outburst stood out, yet, not a single villager seemed to bat an eye to it.
Huh, looks like it's actually easy to stay invisible, I almost considering to pull down my gray hood.
Aria's laughter quickly died when her eyes settled on something- or should I say someone. I followed the direction of her orbs, which I soon found out were locked on a certain boy by a booth.
A smirk appeared on my face, which was soon followed by me pushing her forward. "Go on, talk to him," I encouraged the girl who finally snapped out of her daydream.
"Huh? Talk to whom?" Her voice was distant, but that didn't stop her reddening cheeks from growing darker.
She tried to cover up the fact that she had been staring at the black-haired boy by walking away, but I wasn't going to let it go that easily.
"Nope, you're going to talk to Daniel, develop a relationship, get married, have children and live happily ever after," I said the whole way while dragging the tomato girl to her lover boy.
"W-what? No, we're not-" Aria was cut shortly off when I pushed her forward with everything I had, causing the blonde-haired girl to stumble and lose her balance.
But before she could hit the ground, Daniel caught her.
"Whoa, easy there!" He held her by the waist, triggering a smirk on my face for the success in my plan.
She will thank me for this later.
My journey had yet to begin because I still had a certain monk to visit. Francis and I made a deal that we would continue the homework Ms. Foster had so rudely shoved into my hands.
And not to mention, he also promised to give me piano lessons when my arm had healed, something I looked forward to.
For all I know, with one lesson I could be the next Ludwig Van Beethoven and compose symphonies in orchestras. That, my friend, is something I call an old-fashioned dream.
"He was running after a thief!"
I was pulled out of my sea of thoughts by the gossiping villagers, who all seemed to be talking about the same thing. A topic that seems to be difficult to put out.
The prince.
Their comments irked my curiosity, and I wanted to hear more about what they had to say. Before you judge me for eavesdropping, you should know that I'm not the one who's making the rumors.
So, technically, I'm a good person. Well, sort of.
"I swear, I saw the prince with my very own eyes!"
"Someone was chasing him! It must have been a murder or a pirate."
"He even left his shoe!"
Are you sure that it was a prince and not Cinderella?
I almost laughed at what my ears were witnessing. It was hilarious to listen to how different each rumor was, and the more I heard, the bigger my amusement grew.
It went from 'running after a thief' to 'running from a murderer'. I wouldn't be surprised if I heard the prince had been on the moon, as well.
When I reached the familiar place where the alley was located, I turned my head one last time to make sure that no one was following me. Luckily, I didn't see anything out of order nor did anyone seem bothered by me either.
Maybe God has finally gotten tired of watching 'Elena's life' show?
Without bumping into villagers, I reached the alley without any obstacles this time. A breath - I didn't know I was holding - escaped my lips when the shadows hugged my body.
Who knew that I would prefer a dark alley rather than daylight and people? Sometimes, I feel like I'm that one, stupid person in horror movies who always dies first.
Before my assumptions that I would actually die become reality, I speed walked all the way to the theater. I would be so annoyed if I was to survive everything I have gone through to only be that idiot in a horror movie.
"Francis!" I shouted the moment I stepped into the abandoned building's main room. "Yo, Frans!"
Where is that darn monk?
"Yo?" A familiar voice questioned, making me whip my head to the source of the old man in his brown tunic. "What kind of a word is that?"
I laughed curtly, but still kept the grin plastered on my face. "It's just some slang."
Although my explanation made his eyebrows knit in confusion, he didn't ask me to elaborate. "Well, then. . ." His words were slow, followed by a shake of his head. "But enough of that, I have something to tell you."
It was my turn to give him a look of bewilderment, "Tell me what?" I asked, following him like a lost kid to the grand piano.
"Yesterday, I decided to stay here for the night - considering that we ended quite late." He started, pulling out song sheets behind the instrument. "And as I was trying to sleep, there were some. . . noises of someone walking around."
What if it was a ghost? Wait a minute. I'm ending up like that idiot, aren't I?
Blinking a couple of times to shake off my stupid thought, I looked at him with a tensed body. "What? Are you sure that it wasn't a rat or something?"
"No, they were definitely humans."
"They? As in plural? Meaning that there was more than one?" My mind went back to Ethan and the two other guys.
What if I had led them here and now they know about - not only my - but Francis' whereabouts?
No, that can't be possible. If they really knew where I was, wouldn't they have followed me all the way to the theater? Why even break into it in the middle of the night? It doesn't add up.
"I did not see them, but I could feel and hear their presence in the room." Francis continued and looked at me with his colorless orbs. "Not only did they appear at the strangest time, but they also disappeared into the night the moment I called after them."
I rubbed my face harshly in frustration and groaned, replacing the air in my lungs with a heavy breath.
If this really was Ethan last night, we're all doomed.
"And I guess that you may have something to do with this, do you not?"
Great, how am I supposed to explain myself out of this one?
"You could say that," I mumbled and met the monk's silver eyes. "Francis, you better get comfy now, because this is gonna take a while to explain. . ."
And then I told him everything - from the first encounter I had with His Majesty, and to the part where I was chased by the three hooded boys. I didn't leave anything out and gave him all the details I could remember.
It felt like an eternity when I finished, and all I could do was to wait for some unoriginal lecture about 'stranger danger'.
But instead, a roar of laughter broke out of the monk's lips, filling the entire theater with his bright glee.
"Oh, Jesus and his twelve disciples! You are a God-given genius!" He chocked out before he drowned into another fit of laughter.
To say that I was surprised by his reaction was an understatement, heck, even the surprise birthday party Hazel planned for me can't top this one.
The startled look on my face soon converted into a gleam, "Well, I try my best."
Francis wiped a tear from his eye, his body shaking with chuckles. "But this Ethan. . ." He trailed off, looking at me with his glimmering, amused-filled eyes. "I do not think you need to worry about him nor his friends - especially when you have your witty ways of getting rid of them."
I nodded my head in a brief laugh, "Yeah, I'm not. His Majesty is only wasting his time if he thinks he can find me."
The old man laughed again, patting me lightly on my shoulder with his wrinkled hand. "Ah, you should not underestimate him too much, dear. Because Prince Ethan can use that as an advantage - in the same way, you used against him."
There was something about the way Francis said Ethan's name - something strange was laced in his voice, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.
"It's nothing to worry about," I waved it off. "His Majesty can just give it up already because he is never going to catch me."
My statement only made the old man's smile widen, almost like he knew something that I didn't.
What's he up to?
"May I ask you something, dear?" He suddenly asked in a soft tone. "Why do you not believe his words of being a prince? Is there something that makes it so preposterous?"
I opened my mouth to tell him what I had on my chest, but then quickly closed it as I tried to think of a nice way to put it in.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
"Well, he's just. . . I mean, it's not-" I sighed when my words couldn't complete a sentence. "What I'm trying to say is that he can't be one because there's no way that a prince would help me out. That only happens in mov- I mean fairy tales." I continued before Francis could say anything. "And not to mention, he just seems too stupid to be royal. Aren't princes supposed to be smart and nice?"
The monk guffawed again. "Well, he did help you out, did he not?" Francis referred to me being held as a captive by the pile of rocks.
"Yeah, but now he's following me like a crazy stalker with no life, and that's not nice."
"You have a point there, darling." Francis chuckled and cleaned his glasses with his brown tunic. "But have you tried to talk to him, or at least given this boy a chance to explain?"
I gave him a puzzled look.
What?
Not only did his words leave me in confusion as to why he was defending Ethan, but it also took a while before my lips could properly function again. "Well, considering that he's after me - probably for some revenge, - I didn't really think to give him the chance to explain himself. For all I know, he could be a serial killer."
Francis held a hand over his mouth and coughed, but I could still see the huge smile he was hiding as he choked back a laugh. "Indeed he could be, but I really doubt that this boy is a murderer."
It sounded ridiculously funny when those words slipped out of his lips.
I shrugged, "You never know."
The gray-haired man gave me a cheeky smile. "Exactly the same way that you will never know what Prince Ethan's actions mean unless you let him speak and explain."
Jeez, what are they? Best friends or something?
"Okay, why are you defending my stalker?" I narrowed my eyes at him, wanting an answer for his weird behavior throughout the entire conversation.
Francis shrugged his shoulders, "I am not."
"Yes. Yes, you are!"
He shook his head, still grinning from ear to ear. "Why would I defend a person who is after you?"
"That's why I'm asking!"
The monk laughed before he got up from the stool. "Well, I am not defending anyone - nor am I accusing a silent soul. Elena, darling, you simply cannot judge a person for their actions before you have heard their reasons."
I narrowed my eyes at the old man. "Okay, if I let Ethan explain himself, but it turned out to that he's actually a serial killer, what do I do then?"
Francis stopped in his tracks and looked up, thinking while rubbing his stubbled chin.
It was silent for a good moment, and when I thought that he wasn't going to answer, he said the most unexpected thing a monk could ever say.
"You run like hell."
I shot up from the stool, making it tip over. "Oh!" I 'oohed' for a couple of seconds, pointing my finger at him and looking at him with eyes as big as the sun. "No, way - no, freaking way! Can you say that again?"
For the first time ever, I saw the old monk roll his eyes. "My point, dearie, is that you should let this young man explain himself before you make any conclusions."
"Yeah, sure, whatever, but can you repeat that again?"
He shook his head with a smile. "I think it is enough for today. You better go home, child, it is getting quite late now."
"What? No, it's not, it's barely- Whoa, what the heck?" Looking out of the window, I saw that the sun was, indeed, settling in. "But. . . I just got here!"
Francis offered me a smile. "Well, time flies fast when you interact in a deep conversation - especially the ones about a boy you have concluded is a serial killer."
I cracked a smile, "Yeah, you're right."
The old monk patted my shoulder, holding his hand there for a couple seconds to look warmly into my eyes. "Go home, darling. We can continue this another day, okay?" He handed me the homework, which I folded and put into my hood's pocket.
"Yes, sir!" I gave him a mock salute, which he found amusing, "Bye, Francis, I'll see you soon."
"Farewell, child, and please stay safe." With one last wave, I walked out of the room and the building.
Even if I left the theater with a smile, I still couldn't get rid of the feeling that Francis had been hiding something from me. It was as if he knew a secret that I had yet to discover.
What is he not telling me? The curious feeling was itching me as I put my hands into the pockets of my dress.
Maybe I'm overreacting? If it truly was that important, he would surely have told me, right? Unless he had a good reason not to.
I shook my head, tired of this long train of thoughts. Who knew that thinking so much could tire a person out?
Oh, right, students all over the world.
My eyes looked up to meet the sky, and fortunately for me, the sun had yet to fully settle. But that didn't stop the darkness from dominating over the beaming lights.
I wasn't worried to have anything happen to me at this time of the day, because I knew that I could always run like hell.
A grin danced its way on my lips - almost making me laugh. However, even for me, that was a creepy thing to do at an hour like this.
And that says something.
The echoing sound of a rock being kicked on the concentrate ground interrupted my thoughts - ruining my cheery mood in the process. I stopped and listened, quickly turning around to be met with an empty alley.
There wasn't a lot to see, considering that the darkness covered almost every inch of this place. With one last glance over my shoulder, I began to walk again - at a quicker pace this time.
It's probably a cat, I tried to convince myself, trying not to get afraid of something that might be a silly imagination.
But I knew it wasn't an innocent imagination in this case - it was far from it actually. Because suddenly, the echoing sound of footsteps broke the night's tranquility. It wasn't an animal or a mind-trick as I had hoped it would be.
Somebody was following me. Again.
The only thing I could think about was Francis' words that echoed like a bell inside my head.
"You run like hell."
And that's what I did.
I sprinted with all I had, which made the air whip my hair and cause it to fly behind me. Not long after, the sound of someone running followed.
Goddammit! Why do these kinds of things always happen to me? I cursed, my heart punching my rib cage repeatedly, almost reopening the wounds of my healed ribs.
I pulled up my light blue dress, giving my feet more room to run faster while the hood was flying behind me. The following footsteps sounded distant, but I knew better than to stop now.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins faster than I could run, and it didn't take too before a light of relief warmed my chest when I saw the end of the alley.
Hallelujah, I'm saved! That shouting thought made me bolt forward, almost like a flying arrow. If I could just get a bit closer now, I won't end up like that idiot in horror movi-
"Gotcha!" A familiar voice spoke, his hands locked around my waist in a grip that prevented me from escaping. "Again."
"Hey!" I protested, hitting my fists on the person's arms.
"Hello!" The curly-haired boy - Lorenzò, I think it was - responded with a cheery tone. Despite my struggles, his arms did not falter from holding me above the ground.
"Put me down immediately! I have better things to do than being kidnapped now."
The Hispanic boy's laughter filled my ears, his breath meeting my neck. "I think many people have better things to do at this moment."
"And yours is to kidnap me?" I stopped struggling for a moment to look at him, my eyebrow raised high in the air, displaying the judgmental glare.
Lorenzò thought for a minute before nodding, "Yeah, pretty much." He shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, wait - where's Conner?"
As a cue, the person who had been following me from the theater finally rounded the corner. His blonde hair was glued to his forehead due to the fat sweat beams.
Conner looked tired as heck, and I'm not saying that because he's bending over to catch his breath, wheezing and looking as if he is about to pass out - no. His face was even redder than Aria when she's blushing.
"Well, aren't you a speedy one?" Lorenzò chuckled, turning his attention away from me and at his friend who was slowly walking to us.
Taking the opportunity of his distraction, I held onto his sleeve-covered arms to get into a better position. Then, I swiftly kicked the boy behind his knee as hard as I could. He yelped, falling on his other knee and losing the iron grip in the process - something I took an advantage of as I broke free from his hold.
Before he could get up, I aimed another kick toward the same knee.
Well, I can thank soccer practices for those kicks.
Not wasting another second, I sprinted straight out of the alley to be surrounded by people, which made the feeling of safety hug my body like a warm blanket.
"Sorry," I shouted, flinching when I looked at his groaning state.
I shook my head and turned my attention to the direction of the forest, running at a fast pace with adrenaline kicking on my heels.
How could I have been so stupid? I scolded myself, avoiding to bump into the villagers. Ugh, how am I supposed to get to the theater now that they know about the passageway?
This is one of the reasons why I want wings.
Dammit, I should've been more careful, a sigh escaped my lips at that thought, but I knew it was too late now.
I wouldn't blame my guardian angels if they wanted to quit their jobs.
When I reached the green forest, I turned my head around to make sure that no one was following. However, that didn't stop me from running at full speed towards the location of the portal tree.
Maybe luck is finally on my side? No, stop it. With thoughts like that, I'm going to jinx it. Luck is never on my side as long as God is still using me for his entertainment.
As if He had heard me, He pulled another 'trick' out of His sleeve, but only this time, I was convinced that the Man Upstairs was trying to kill me.
All the air was knocked out of me as if every single cell in my body froze to ice. The warm blood that once streamed through my veins went cold, making my entire body shake due to the lack of heat - or was that fear?
Everything I could do in this numb moment of despair was to stare with widened eyes on the dangerous animal in front of me.
Why can't God just watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians like normal people?
My throat turned dry with terror, and I found it difficult to think straight.
I gulped loudly when I met the crazy look of the black-furred wolf, and I regretted instantly when I let my eyes travel down to its razor-sharp teeth.
I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, was the only thing that chanted inside my stupid and empty head as I took a slow step back.
My statement was confirmed when I (of course) stepped on a twig. The sudden sound made the wolf snap out of the dangerous staring contest that I had been forced to participate in.
Although I wanted nothing more than to scream, my body reacted quicker than my mind - thus, I sprinted the heck away.
Why does the universe hate me so much? I asked the most philosophical question that has ever existed in my life, running away with the barking animal hot on my heels.
There was no way in hell that I stood a chance against this mighty creature, so the odds of me getting out of here alive decreased drastically.
Thinking quickly over my options - which were not a lot, - an idea struck me like lightning.
"This better work," I mumbled and acted quickly.
As fast as I could, I ran towards the biggest and tallest tree my eyes could spot. And let me tell you this: it wasn't easy, heck, even calculus looks like a piece of cake compared to this!
With every piece of energy that was left in me, I sprinted towards the massive oak tree, almost letting out a battle cry like they do in the movies.
Taking a hold of the branches, I swiftly hauled myself up - just in time, too - before the wolf could take a bite of my foot.
My lungs gasped for air, and despite my body's protests, I forced myself to climb. You know, just in case God decides to give the animal the skills of climbing or sending a bear to finish the job.
Fortunately for me, the wolf wasn't able to climb - which it growled at me for when I should be the pissed one here. But that didn't stop it from circling the tree, waiting for me to come down.
Like hell, I would do that.
The creature's determined look and flare was more than enough for me to understand that it wasn't leaving anytime sooner.
"God, do I hate you. . ." I mumbled under my breath, not sure who I was referring it to.