Founder's night: Find The Egg
1598 Words
Arthur's POV
I hold out my hand to her but she looks me in the eyes, basically glaring at me.
I can tell she doesn't like this idea of us pairing up but it's either her or the gamma and delta, and none of them like me either.
She surprisingly nods agreeing to pair up with me and I smile.
Though I sense it's because she doesn't want me to pair up with the others who I can boss around.
Anyway this is my opportunity to grill her, maybe by the end of tonight I can find out what she's hiding.
I walk over to my aunt and Lydia presents to us a tray with three envelopes on it.
I pick one envelope from the tray and inspect it.
It has a printed drawing of the egg on it and the words founder's night boldly at the back.
Lucas and Michael take theirs and we look at Katherine.
"You know how it's done, you have one hour and the person who finds the egg first must mind link the rest to call off the search." I nod at her.
"Let the tradition begin." She says and nods to Claire before leaving with Logan and Lydia.
Michael and Lucas leave to read the clue and find the egg.
I look around for the path to take whilst Claire looks at the entrance.
"He's not coming, so how about we get this over with." I wave the envelope in front of her and she looks up into my eyes clearly annoyed.
I chuckle and walk away from her taking the route to the other parts of the castle.
Besides annoying my cousin it seems annoying her is the next best thing.
I hear her following me and I pause.
"Why are you behind, I don't bite." I say with a grin on my face and she rolls her eyes before walking pass me and staying ahead of me.
I look at her choice of clothes mostly especially her tight jeans and I swallow a bit.
That stupid cousin of mine has good taste after all.
"Where are we going anyway, what does the clue say?" She pauses then looks at me and I smile.
"I thought you knew, since you led the way."
"I led the way?" It seems I've trigger some anger here but I can't help but smile.
She sees that and bites on her tongue.
"You took this route, I only followed you." She says more calmly and I nod.
"Ok, let's see what clue they gave." I take out the envelope and open it as she rolls her eyes at me.
I take out the paper and unfold it to see some sort of poetry or riddle.
*
A treasure it is
A treasure it shall be.
Placed in it rightful place
It glitters less but it is far more precious than the treasures that surrounds it.
A treasure it is
A treasure it shall be.
*
I read the whole thing then frown.
Who sat down and decided to write this cheap literature.
"What does it say?" Claire asks walking over to me.
"I don't know, I don't understand cheap literature." She creases her forehead before taking the paper from me.
"A treasure it is......"
"Can you read the cheap thing in your head?" I cut in with a sarcastic smile but she just glares at me then continues.
I watch her eyebrows twitch as she analyzes the poem then chuckles.
"What? What's funny?" I ask rather perplexed.
"It's in the treasury." She smiles at me and I instantly feel some warmth from within.
"You got that from reading that cheap thing?" She rolls her eyes before handing the paper to me.
"I enjoy reading, besides read the words.
A treasure it is, a treasure it shall be, which is the egg, placed in it rightful place....
She pauses then looks at me.
"What is the rightful place for a treasure?" She asks and it immediately clicks but I don't think it's that easy.
"That egg is more than a treasure and it rightful place should be a glass cage in a museum or something heavily guarded." I say and she considers my words for a while.
"True but our search is limited to the castle so I say let's check the treasury." She says then starts walking away.
I exhale hard before following her.
"The treasury is huge, how are we going to find a tiny egg that doesn't glitter among golds?"
"I don't know why you're complaining. At least you know what the egg looks like." I stop walking at her statement and she walks off again.
I stop and chuckle to myself before following her.
I reach her and continue to follow from a short distance.
"Don't you ever think of giving up?" I ask and she pauses to look at me both annoyed and confused.
"I mean the role of the queen, seems pretty stressful, isn't' it?" She narrows her eyes at me then walks away whilst I follow.
"I know you were sent to spy on us and you want to grill me for info I won't give you." She pauses then looks at me.
"Don't you ever think of giving up." She says with a sarcastic smile on her face then continues walking.
I guess Ethan told her that.
"So you are hiding something."
"I'm not, and even if I am, it's none of your business." She says before we turn to the hallway with the treasury at the end.
I try not to chuckle or smile with the guards around but I can't help it.
Claire turns to look back and I assume it's to see whether Lucas and Michael are coming.
She begins to walk towards the vault with a questioning look on her face.
"What?" I ask but she just shakes her head at me.
We get to the vault and she steps aside for me.
I chuckle at her before signaling some of the guards to open it.
They turn the handle and the door unlocks before they open it wide.
The guards walk away and I stare at the room full of treasures.
Claire steps forward and almost enters but I quickly pull her back slamming her into my chest.
With my hand on her waist and her proximity I can't help but inhale her scent which I find very intoxicating.
"Hey!"
She pulls away from me looking very annoyed and I turn off the lasers which appear before disappearing.
"For a future queen you really know nothing about this castle." I say but she seems a bit spooked that she almost got cut into several pieces.
"The first time I came here with Ethan the door was already opened before we got there." She says and I shrug before walking inside.
"They disabled it before you got there."
But laser or not this treasury is still insecure. All one has to do is cut off the power then it's easy to get in.
Claire finally walks in and we stare at the room.
"Thank you." She says out of the blue and walks away before I can say a word.
Honestly I don't think I have anything to say again.
Her gratefulness took me by surprise.
"You take the left side and I'll take the right." She says and I nod.
We search in silence for the egg and I can't help but want to annoy her again.
"So how did you and my cousin meet?" She pauses then exhales.
"We met through a party, at my house." She replies calmly.
"It's one of those petty pack parties, isn't it?" I chuckle but she doesn't respond or make any expression.
"Why hasn't he marked you?" I ask again and even though she's not facing me I see her clench her fists.
Seems like I've landed on a sensitive topic, but believe me I'm more curious to know.
"Can't we just find the egg and leave." She turns to me annoyed.
I suddenly spot the egg among a neatly pile of gold behind her and smile whilst walking towards her.
I stop beside her with some little space between us.
"I'm just curious to why my stupid cousin hasn't marked a beauty like you." I whisper into her ear and watch her jaws clench before walking towards the pile looking satisfied.
"Found it." I take out the egg and show it to her.
She looks more relieved to see it because it means our time together is over.
Sucks.
We walk out of the treasury and I mind link the others to call off the search.
"So what should we ask for?" I ask as we walk side by side.
"What?" She looks at me confused.
"The reward for finding the egg. We get to ask my aunt for anything and she must oblige." I say and she nods.
"Well I don't want anything." I pause at her statement and she does same turning to me.
"You're not going to ask for a vacation or something? You look like you need a vacation." I say and she chuckles walking closer to me.
"Obviously you want something, so how about you add my wish to yours, it'll be like we both agreed to it."
"Is that a deal?" I ask trying to hide my excitement.
"Sure." She says not putting too much thought into it and I can't help but chuckle after she walks away.
"Nice offer, I wonder what I can do with it?"
- Writer
