Escaping Her Curse—Completed

Chapter Twenty-Four

“You’re…leaving?” a quiet voice called from behind her.

Jessie winced, hearing the betrayal in his voice. She didn’t want to face him, but she knew that he would not simply leave without an explanation. She owed him at least that. Stopping in the middle of the hallway with Lydia trailing behind her, she tried to settle her nerves.

“Yes,” she replied in a hushed tone, turning to face him.

Simon stared at her in disbelief. If he hadn’t been randomly roaming the hallways, as he was apt to do on rainy nights, then he never would have stumbled onto her departure. He took in her small frame wrapped in an old, shabby dress made of simple cloth. The color had faded to a dull pink and had a few small tears in the sleeves. She was holding a black, battered suitcase in both hands, which she gripped until her fingers were white.

“Why?”

“I cannot stay here. Not anymore.”

“Just because of the marriage? We’ll figure it out. I already have a plan in motion. I’ve spoken to the king, and he’s coming around to my idea. I thought–”

Jessie shook her head. “I cannot stay. I’m sorry. The prince and I, uh, no longer see eye-to-eye. He has accepted my resignation already.”

“What? No! How can this be? He wouldn’t…he wouldn’t do that. He’s not thinking straight. Don’t leave because of a fight, Jessie. Please, don’t do this.”

“I’ve already made up my mind, m’lord. There’s no going back now. I trust that you will keep what you’ve seen here tonight between just the two of us.”

“I can’t let you go like this. Surely, surely there’s a way to work this out,” Simon pleaded, taking her hands in his, making her drop the suitcase.

Giving him a sad smile, Jessie attempted to dislodge his hold on her. “I have had very few choices in my life, but this is one of them. It would be best if I disappeared into the night as an old memory fades away. I cannot be the person you want. I cannot be the person he wants. I am merely me, and it is not enough for either of you. It would be best if you accepted that now.”

“And give you up without so much as a fight?”

“Yes, exactly that.”

“How can I let someone so extraordinary just slip through my fingers?”

Jessie couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. “You’re bound to find better, of that, I am sure.”

“Where will you go?”

Lydia and Jessie shared a worried glance. “A–away from the palace.”

Simon sighed heavily. “Does our friendship really mean so little to you that you cannot trust me with such information? It will never be uttered from my lips. I promise you. I just want…would you allow me to check up on you regularly? Just to make sure you’re safe?”

“If I allow that, then you will not be able to let me go.”

“I don’t intend to.”

“But then how will you move on?”

A sneaky smile crept onto his lips. “My only plan is to move forward with you. Whatever that may look like, my dear. If you do not permit me a location, I will follow you to wherever it is you’re going. Jessie, I will follow you off a cliff if it means I could hold you as we fall. My love for you is never-ending, for I will never allow it to end. I will never give up pursuing you. I would gladly throw away my title if it meant I could be with you.”

“Even if you discovered the truth behind my facade?” she asked fearfully and in a breathless tone.

“Yes.”

Biting her bottom lip, Jessie quickly went through her thoughts. She couldn’t tell him where she was going, but she couldn’t risk him following her either. She was positive that he would, especially if she denied him.

Making up her mind, she finally said, “Alright. Every other Thursday, I will meet you at 1627 Daisy Lane at precisely 10 o’clock at night. Will that suffice?”

“I’ll take what I can get,” he said with a cheeky grin. “I plan on seeing you in two days. Don’t be late.”

Jessie nodded and started down the hallway once more before looking over her shoulder when he called her name.

“Stay safe,” Simon said, sadness creeping back into his eyes.

“You too,” she replied.

She and Lydia disappeared around the corner and went out an unmarked door, leading to the south part of the garden. There, the two slipped through a hidden door that had been built into the fence. It led to the greater city and beyond. Once the two were a distance away from the palace, Jessie looked back at it. The towers loomed over the city, and even in the rain, the design swirled in the moonlight, casting intriguing shadows. She said goodbye, for the second time, to the place she had grown up in. She said goodbye, for the second time, to the boy who had grown into a man–a man she loved dearly.

“Are you ready, Miss Jessie?” Lydia asked. “I don’t mean to interrupt your moment, but time is running short.”

“Yes, Lydia, I’m ready. And remember? It’s no longer Jessie, it’s Lauren, your cousin,” she replied tiredly.

A new place meant a new name. A new name meant a new life. A new life meant she couldn’t hurt the people she cared about. Lydia had promised her a new life where she could learn to control her magic. Since that night, it had been constantly threatening to escape her body. It took every ounce of self-control for her to keep it under wraps, but her composure had been slipping, and after her conversation with Oliver, she knew that there would be a repeat of 10 years ago. She needed to stop that from happening at all costs. Her nerves and emotions were all over the place, and without complete control over herself, she couldn’t keep those around her safe.

“Right, Lauren. Well, Lauren, are you ready to begin your new life and leave all this behind?”

“Yes, I am.”

“It will be different from the palace. I know I explained it to you back in your room, but this is when you’ll experience it for the first time. Where we’re going isn’t like the palace or the dukedom you’re used to. Don’t look at nobody in the eyes, okay? Don’t talk unless you’re spoken to first. Keep your eyes low and on the ground. Follow my lead. And please try to rid yourself of that proper speech. It’ll be a dead give ‘way. This needs to be believable if we’re to keep your true identity a secret.”

“Yes'm. I’ll do my best,” Lauren replied, slurring her words slightly.

Lydia nodded and headed forward into the city. Lauren followed diligently, knowing how easy it was to get lost in the alleyways if one wasn’t careful. She had a few memories of the city, but they were vague and not as clear as they had been the last time she had stepped foot in the place.

After about ten minutes of following her guide through the turns and side streets and alleyways, Lauren was thoroughly lost. She knew that Lydia would be giving her a map to memorize in order to help her story seem plausible, but she wished she had already looked at it before that night. Though, there had not been a lot of time to plan everything.

Laurent barely caught herself from running into the other maid as she had stopped abruptly.

“Why’d we stop?”

Lydia only put a finger to her lips and passed her a piece of charcoal. She carefully pointed over a little way off, to where there were several men milling about. Lauren silently began running it over her fingers and hands, scrapping it even into her fingernails, as the other maid mimed the instructions to her. Not only did Lauren look too clean for the area, she realized just how unsafe the two women were in the sketchy area they were in.

She then watched as Lydia pulled out an opaque crystal from her pocket. Frowning, Lauren flinched as Lydia put it to her face. Pain blinded her senses as her face became hot over her scar. Minutes later, Lydia stopped, grabbed the charcoal from her hand, and rubbed it under her eyes and on her lips and cheeks and hair. She shoved a piece of broken mirror into Lauren’s hands, who looked into the shard and barely recognized the woman staring back at her.

For the first time in over ten years, she saw herself without the scar. Her blonde hair had been muddied from the charcoal, making it look dirty and more brown. Her eyes looked tired with large bags underneath them and she had a look of grime about her. Lauren had decided to keep her green eyes.

After giving Lauren an approved once-over, Lydia signaled for them to continue with a nudge of her head. A few minutes later, they came upon a broken-down building. Two giant men peered at them suspiciously. They sat upon broken chairs on the only non-broken pieces of floorboard still intact. In between them was a closed wooden door.

As instructed, Lauren kept her gaze on the ground.

“Whadda you want?” one asked gruffly.

“Tom, ya know it’s me. Ya know what I want. Lemme in.”

Tom gave them a toothy smile, or rather, a toothless smile. He was missing both of his front teeth. “Who’s she?”

“My cousin, Lauren.”

“I didn’t know ya got a cousin, Lyddy.”

Lydia shrugged. “She’s a bastard on my da’s side. Imma help her outta sticky situation. That’s all ya gotta know, k?”

Tom laughed as he vulgarly scratched his crotch. “Ya here that, Timmy? Maybe we could, uh, help her out too. Give her a little sumthi’g for the road?”

“No,” Lydia said harshly.

“Oh come on. Just playin’. Don’t take no attitude with me, Lyddy.”

“Then let us pass, please.”

“Gimme the password.”

Lydia rolled her eyes and shook her head as she said, “There was once a grandma who lived at the bottom of the river.”

“And she hated it,” Tom bellowed, laughing loudly. “Okay, okay, okay. Come on. In ya go. Say hi to da bossman for me.”

Lydia grabbed Lauren’s arm and walked up the broken stairs and into the now open door. As they slipped into the dark building, Lauren felt one of their hands grab onto her butt. She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from reacting. She didn’t want trouble. She heard them laughing and chose to ignore it.

Before the two was another door.

“Here we go,” she mumbled to herself as Lydia opened the door and the two stepped inside.