•Chapter Eight•

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My heart races and thumps powerfully in my chest, as Tobias and I follow Caleb to the meeting room.

Why would they be threatening me? What have I got that they want?

I race after Celeb and Tobias' large strides. Soon, we reach the meeting room, where mother and father are waiting for us. Caleb stops outside and turns to look at me.

"Mother and father want to speak to Tobias." Caleb says and I furrow my eyebrows.

"Yeah, I know...?" I answer. Why else would we be coming down to the meeting room?

"Beatrice...I meant...just Tobias." He says and my eyes widen and my mouth drops open. 

"What?! I can't come in?" I demand. This was my safety they were speaking about and I wasn't allowed to listen?

"No, Beatrice." He sighs. "This is proper business stuff, you wouldn't understand."

"I think I'll understand if it's about me!" I scream. They can't shut me out forever. "This is stupid! I'm the princess and I can't know what's going on?"

"This is my decision and I have decided that I don't want you to hear this!" Caleb hisses.

"Why not? It's me you are talking about! This is so stupid!" I argue.

"Beatrice listen, you can't come in and that's final!" He says, firmly as I glare at him.

He opens the door and gestures for Tobias to enter. Tobias looks at me and gives me a sorry glance before turning around and entering. I glare at Caleb as he closes the door on me.

I rush and put my ear up to the door, desperate to hear what they're talking about.

It's no use. Just like I had done countless times before, when I tried to listen into meetings- I can only hear the mumbles. No actual words. I sigh and lean down my back against the door, my knees bent to my chest.

Why do they insist that I can't know anything?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One hour, 32 minutes and 27 seconds later the door opens and Tobias emerges.

I rush up to him from the plush chair I was sat on.

He has his closed off expression on. He doesn't want any emotions shown. As if no one can ever know what his mind is thinking.

"So? What did they say? What did they say?" I ask, running up to him.

"They just told me what I needed to know." He states waking back up the staircase.

I rush up behind him. "Yes, but what happened? What's on the note? What did mother and father say?" I say, the questions flowing out of my mouth, one after another. He is walking so fast I have to jog a bit to catch up.

"It's not important," He mumbles.

I stop dead in my tracks. "Are you seriously not going to tell me?" I say in disbelief.

He realises I stopped and turned around to face me.

"Tris, I promised I wouldn't tell..." He says, scratching the back of his neck.

"But...but you're my friend?" I say, pathetically looking down at my socks.

He is deep in thought for a few seconds before he reaches for my hand and pulls me into him bedroom. Butterflies erupt in my stomach from the contact of our hands.

He closes the door behind us and locks it. Still holding my hand he drags me to his bed, where we were sat just a couple of hours ago when none of this as a problem.

"Listen," He says as he lets go of my hand and we sit on his bed opposite each other. "I promised your brother I wouldn't tell. But you want to know?"

I nodded my head eagerly.

"You have to promise you wont speak a word or I'll lose my job. Maybe my head." He says seriously and I gasp holding my hands up to my neck absentmindedly.

"I promise." I squeak.

"The note the king and queen received a date, place and a time for us to hand you over." He says.

"To who?" I think out loud.

"We don't know." he sighs. "The date is tomorrow night."

"But why would they want me?" I ask, confused. "I'm not even next in line or anything."

"I think it's because you're loved by everyone. If you died, it would affect people greatly, of course, but it would affect the king, queen and Caleb as well. That's a weakness they could use."

I'm the kingdom's weakness. Great.

"So, what's going to happen?" I say in a mouse voice.

"They're increasing security. I have to be with you at all times. You can't go outside- always in the castle."

"What? Why?" I say.

"Another threat on the letter said that if we don't hand you over then they'll come get you themselves."

I sigh in defeat. I know they have good reasoning's but not going outside it going to kill me.

"Hey, it's not that bad." Tobias tries to make me feel better.

I stare at him with a deadpan expression.

"Okay, okay!" He puts his hands up in mock surrender. "You have a murderer after you, you can't go outside and you're family doesn't want you to know anything about it. So? You still have me?"

I smile at him. "Yeah, I guess you're okay..." I joke.

He pushes my shoulder in jest which makes me laugh more.

I calm down and look back up at him. I stare at him for a few seconds before we both burst out laughing again.

We sit there laughing on his bed all afternoon. That's when I realise what I had been missing out on all my life. Friendship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here it is, at long last!

I'm really sorry for leaving you all on a cliffhanger for ages.

Leave a comment or a vote if you enjoyed this chapter!

See you later ;)

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