Princess at Heart (The Rosewood Chronicles)

Getting through the first half of the day was a living nightmare. Lottie watched the bright purple clock on the wall ticking away, edging closer to the end of English, and she begged it to slow down, knowing that she’d soon have to face Haru. Usually she loved Ms Kuma’s classes. The English department was airy and decorated with wondrous murals featuring images and quotes from famous novels, but right now it felt claustrophobic; all the colours and words were closing in around her like she was trapped in a book.

She hadn’t told Ellie, or anyone, about the letter she’d received. Haru’s threat meant that it was impossible for her to get the words out.

‘Thrice he assay’d, and, thrice in spite of scorn, tears, such as angels weep, burst forth!’ Ms Kuma intoned, her elegant face peering over the top of her copy of Milton’s Paradise Lost. ‘Can you tell me what that means? That he assay’d?’

Lottie raised her hand to speak but was cut off by another girl in what felt like a calculated interjection. ‘It means he tried to speak, ma’am, but each time he opened his mouth he’d start crying,’ said Billy Levine, a Stratus girl who Lottie knew from her habit of nabbing a number of leading roles in the school musicals. Looking very pleased with herself, Billy gave Lottie a wicked smile, her short, curly bobbed hair bouncing beneath a yellow beret like it was taunting her.

Even Lottie’s favourite class wasn’t safe from Haru’s poison.

‘It’s not just regular crying, though, is it?’ Ms Kuma continued. ‘These are angels’ tears, suggesting that there is still some goodness left in him at this point. That he still has regrets. Or perhaps it is his greatest deceit.’

Interrupting with a high-pitched trill, the bell went. The second she heard it, Lottie leaped to her feet like she’d been given a military command, packing up her bag with a sickly unease, each item taking her one step closer to Haru.

‘Now wait a moment!’ Ms Kuma gestured for everyone to sit back down, making Lottie wince. ‘With the Presentation of the Pillars coming up in the spring, I want you all to start thinking about how you’ll pay respect to your house namesakes. If any of you Ivy students want to discuss powerful women in poetry or literature for a Florence Ivy tribute, please do not hesitate to see me. Same goes to Conch students, although I’m not sure I will be much help there. And my fellow Stratus students –’ she beamed out at the room, her gaze falling naturally on Billy, who was clearly a favourite – ‘you know you can always come and chat to me any time. You’re dismissed.’

Lottie went to stand up, and Ms Kuma stopped her again. ‘Lottie, could I borrow you for a chat, please?’

‘Of course!’ Lottie smiled, putting to work all her princess training. She watched the rest of the class filter out, yellow, purple and red blending together as each of them stared at her. It wasn’t the usual nods and goodbyes she was used to. It was cold and alienating, and it reminded her of the damage Haru had caused.

‘Now, Lottie,’ Ms Kuma began, standing up and straightening her bright fuchsia trouser suit that made her look a bit like a maraschino cherry, with a sugary sweet perfume to match. ‘Every year that we do the PoP we pick one student who will perform a tribute to William Tufty.’

Lottie squeezed her lips together to stop a stunned laugh escaping, wondering what Ms Kuma would think if she knew Lottie had William Tufty’s heirloom in her bag right now, or that she’d found his secret study in a Stratus basement.

‘The other house mothers and I have been discussing it, and we would be delighted if you would do the honour this year. The headmaster informs us you’ve expressed an interest in our founder before and you clearly have the same passion for folklore and fairy tales.’ Ms Kuma stopped short, looking Lottie up and down, cleaning her glasses as if that might somehow change what she was looking at. ‘And I must say –’ she blinked a few more times – ‘since you’ve cut your hair short, the resemblance is rather uncanny. If I didn’t know you were next in line for the throne of Maradova, I’d almost think you two were related.’

Lottie put on a show of touching her hand to her chest in humble surprise, fingers meeting her wolf pendant. ‘Wouldn’t that be funny?’ she jested. ‘I’d be delighted to pay tribute to our founder, despite not being related to –’ Her throat closed up. ‘Excuse me,’ she said. ‘Yes, I’d be happy to.’ This new task weighed down, heavy and uncomfortable, upon Lottie; it was an unwanted distraction.

‘Excellent, thank you.’ Ms Kuma extended her hand for Lottie to shake. ‘We look forward to seeing what you prepare.’

The walk towards the old Conch pool was painful. Lottie felt like the Little Mermaid after she’d traded away her tail, each step one hundred stabs into the soles of her feet. She was counting herself lucky for not having bumped into Ellie or Jamie, but she was also ignoring how creepily empty this area of the school was. Bramble bushes arched over the mud path, with stinging nettles jutting out around the mulberry trees. This was the only area of the school that felt truly wild, like the Rose Wood had reached in and reclaimed the space.

Approaching the cast-iron gate, she wondered how she’d get in, and if Haru really expected her to climb over.

This is a terrible idea and you are a fool and anything bad that happens to you from here on out is your own fault.

The Jiminy Cricket on her shoulder was relentless. She wished she’d brought something to protect herself, perhaps sneaked out the ancestral sword that was still lying under her bed or grabbed a particularly heavy book, anything. As it was, all she had were her own two legs that were still sore from running away from Ingrid only a week ago. Despite how good she’d become at running, she couldn’t kid herself; she’d only got away from Ingrid because she’d surprised her, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do the same with Haru.

Pushing open the gate, she winced at the furious shriek it made. Her body was on high alert, waiting for the inevitable ambush that she’d walked into.

The last time she’d seen the outdoor pool was two years ago when they’d foolishly broken in during New Year’s. Back then, water still filled the green tiles up to the lip of the pool, reflecting the black sky until Jamie had fallen into it, shattering the stars. Now, the water had been drained, the stones cracked where the weeds broke through, and there was an empty hole in the ground waiting to swallow her up.

‘Hello, Princess.’ Haru’s voice was as soft as butter, his freckled face appearing to her from the gazebo like a trickster spirit of the woods, a Puck or Pan. ‘I hope you were not too alarmed by my letter; it was simply important you took it seriously.’

He sauntered down the steps and along the side of the empty pool, the light through the trees casting shadows over his skin, his features constantly warping, impossible to pin down.

‘Thank you for being on time.’

The way he spoke always had a formal quality to it, one that was both delicate and detached, at odds with his fluffy hair and doe eyes. He smiled at her from the other side of the pool. Only this wasn’t his usual summer-breeze smile that left you forgetting you should be afraid; this one made her feel small, like she was a dog who’d pleased her master.

Lottie was torn, not sure if she should continue to pretend she didn’t know who Haru truly was, or dive right in and get it out of the way. Haru watched her the whole time, a laugh teasing the corners of his mouth, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

‘Please don’t patronize me with this fake charm,’ Lottie said at last, using all her willpower to keep her voice steady. ‘Why are you here? What do you want?’

Lottie noted that Haru didn’t approach any further; he stayed at the other side of the pool with his hands out in the open, almost as if he was doing it on purpose, to put her at ease.

‘I only want to avoid any unnecessary trouble,’ he replied coyly, tilting his head with a pout that made him look almost cute. If Lottie hadn’t seen what was beneath that mask, she could easily have fallen for it. ‘It’s come to my attention that you are aware of my alignment, and we can’t have you hurting anyone with your misguided attempts to interfere.’

Lottie baulked. ‘Me? I’m not the one hurting people.’

Something flashed across Haru’s face, sharp and deadly, and it made Lottie take an involuntary step back. She was glad it was her here and not Ellie. She could get through this if it meant keeping her and everyone else safe.

‘You have no idea what you do,’ Haru said, his smile quickly blooming again, leaving Lottie with little time to process what he meant. ‘Who else knows?’ he asked, the two of them facing each other head on across the empty pool.

She kept her mouth firmly shut, refusing to throw Anastacia, Saskia and Ellie under the bus, which only made him laugh – and, worst of all, it was a honeyed laugh, the kind that made her feel like they were both in on the joke.

‘Never mind.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m pretty certain I know already, and I think it’s wise that none of you told Jamie. Very courteous of you.’

Lottie bit her tongue, furious that she hadn’t persuaded Ellie and Sayuri to tell him, but now it was too late.

‘It’s your responsibility to make sure they don’t interfere, and your reward will be their health and safety. Now …’ Haru said, taking a seat at the edge of the pool and gesturing for Lottie to do the same until their feet were dangling over the ledge. The bottom smelled like wet dirt and there were old leaves and debris beneath her black pumps. ‘While you were away, I found something in the woods, something that had been entrusted to me. It didn’t take long for me to piece together where it had come from and what it meant.’

Claude’s wolf pendant, Lottie thought, feeling the weight of her own round her neck. It was the one thing all the Wolfsons shared, proof that she’d been welcomed into the pack. She’d had to leave Claude’s broken pendant in the woods when she’d run away from Ingrid.

‘Your uncle sends his regards, Princess. In fact, he wants to keep in touch,’ Haru declared, snapping Lottie out of her thoughts.

‘What?’ She was still trying to come to terms with what Haru knew, and now he was telling her that Claude, the Goat Man, the Master of Leviathan himself, wanted to keep in touch with her? The very thought made her shudder.

‘Here is what’s going to happen.’ In a flash Haru removed something from his jacket. ‘I will act as your delivery boy.’ He held out a small manila envelope, similar to the one she’d received earlier. ‘I’ll pass these on to you, and I expect you to give your replies to me. And don’t worry,’ he added, gifting her a fox-like grin, ‘I promise I won’t read them.’

Lottie felt hot and yet she was shaking as if it were the dead of winter. She could still remember finding Jamie, feverish and afraid, begging her to get as far away from the Goat Man as possible. He was the looming shadow that followed them, always just out of reach, but now he was close enough that she could practically feel him under her skin.

‘Why on earth would I agree to that, after everything he’s done to my friends and family?’ She tried not to let the fear seep into her voice.

‘I am not finished yet,’ Haru said sharply, reminding her she didn’t have a choice. ‘We want to give you a chance to put things right, and I am here to keep an eye on you, to make sure you and your little friends stop interfering in business that you do not understand.’

Lottie recoiled, feeling like Haru really was a teacher at the school and that she was being reprimanded.

‘These are not requests. These are rules.’ His eyes locked on hers like a vice, forcing her to hold his gaze. ‘You have seen what we can do, but we would much rather avoid any serious unpleasantness.’

It was another threat, and Lottie could only gulp it down, thinking of Dom, Marcy and Ellie and all her friends.

‘Do you understand?’

Lottie nodded.

‘I want to hear you say it.’

Any ounce of pride Lottie had was shattered, and she looked up through her furrowed brows, not hiding any of her anger when she replied: ‘Yes, I understand.’

Even though Haru was on the other side of the pool, she could still smell the toasted marshmallow scent that followed him around, like he was right there, hand at her neck.

‘Good.’ His summery smile spread back over his lips like frosting, covering up his harshness, and it made her feel crazy, like she’d imagined the whole thing. ‘Now, are you ready to hear the rest of our rules?’

Lottie went to nod again, but Haru’s eyes narrowed.

‘Yes, I’m ready,’ she said, gritting her teeth, and wishing she could kick him into the bottom of the empty pool.

‘Along with giving me your replies to Claude once a week, I will spend one hour alone with Jamie, completely undisturbed. If you fail to allow this, we will take your Partizan by force.’

‘No.’ Lottie said it without thinking, and in that split second she really felt like she could take Haru on, a trained Partizan, if it meant keeping Jamie safe. Haru didn’t look angry. On the contrary he seemed pleased with her response.

‘You have my word that no harm will come to your Partizan, as long as you keep everything secret from him. I only want to get to know him.’ He spoke earnestly, and in spite of everything she felt a strange connection to Haru, as if they’d both just discovered they were fighting the same war. But she must not have looked convinced because he put his hand on his heart with not an inch of irony, and continued, ‘If any harm comes to your Partizan under my watch, I will turn myself in and leave you alone forever – that is, so long as you keep to your side of the bargain. If Jamie so much as suspects me, I cannot be held responsible.’

Lottie nearly choked. ‘What do you want with Jamie anyway?’ She could feel dandelions in the cracked tiles by her palms.

Haru smiled again, as if her question was endearing. ‘We only want to put things right.’

Lottie felt like she was back in the Rose Wood again, Ingrid whispering in her ear. And, despite herself, her fingers twitched, as she wondered what might be in the letter Haru held.

‘So how does that sound?’ he said, interrupting her train of thought and flicking the envelope in his hand around, taunting her. ‘You follow my rules, behave yourself and keep your friends in check, and I promise nothing bad will happen to any student at Rosewood Hall.’

It was a tempting proposition. Lottie thought of Ellie and the purple marks under her eyes that wouldn’t go away. The idea that all she had to do was say yes and Leviathan would give them a semblance of normal school life, that only Lottie would have to carry this burden and everyone else would be free, left her feeling like there was no other choice.

‘You promise that everyone will be left alone? That we can just go about school as normal?’ Lottie asked, feeling guilty.

‘That’s what we want,’ he said.

Letting out a long breath, she hardly needed to reply. It was clear from the way her body went slack that he’d won. ‘OK.’

All of a sudden Haru jumped down into the empty pool, taking long steps towards her, his feet crunching against the leaves. She was too frazzled to consider moving, but he didn’t reach up to touch her; he only bowed slightly, holding up the letter like a gift.

‘For you,’ he said, and Lottie noticed that his head was at perfect kicking distance from her foot.

Fighting this urge, Lottie took in a big breath and grabbed the envelope, realizing as she laid her eyes on the elegant script that they’d never had any power at all.