She looked around, I think making sure no one was listening to what we were saying, "OK, I'll be honest with you, I can't lie to your face. Something has happened to Alexander, however, it's nothing for you to worry about."

I narrowed my eyes at Charlotte, she was being strangely vague. Why couldn't she just tell me what it was? Unless it was something for me to worry about and she was lying to my face. "Something like what?"

To avoid my stare, she instead looked at her maths book, not appearing to be reading it. "The prince put you here so you wouldn't get involved in anything that's going on back home. He trusted us with you to make sure you don't get involved. Therefore, I cannot tell you anything else."

"He won't talk to me, you and Leandra won't talk to me, and anytime I've asked the kids here, they don't tell me anything either. So you either tell me or I'll find out myself! Alexander is my husband and I will do anything I can to make sure he's safe, the same way he does for me."

Charlotte only glanced up at me momentarily before smiling, catching me completely off guard. "He'll probably be angry with me after telling you this, but he has a surprise for you. He wants you away while he sorts it out, so you can be nearer to him."

I nodded and exhaled. That was all I wanted to know. Some details. Charlotte really wouldn't lie to me, so I believed her. I also believed Alex would be stupid enough to focus on me rather than the war going on.

Finally, I more at ease with the whole Alex situation. Even though at the back of my mind, I still felt something was wrong, I managed to revise somewhat peacefully.

The sun gave everything on the school grounds a beautiful glow. Not too far away, I could see the sea and its soft, glittering waves. Here, it was like an Eden.

Later on, after the rest of my lessons, I returned to my room, where for once, it was empty. I slept. I was knackered, and I didn't think it was just because of the late sleep I had the previous night.

A whole two months passed, I hadn't mentioned Alexander since Charlotte told me he was planning something. People stopped asking me questions about being a princess and Nox Aterrima too. Everyone seemed to be distancing themselves away from me, and I noticed that.

When I would go to ask Kyra or April if they wanted to hang out, they'd turn me down. I even noticed teachers not choosing to let me answer questions. Leandra was becoming seemingly impossible to get a hold of between lessons and even after school hours. However, I noticed something was happening when there was an assembly for those who were vampires, and for the first time, I was told I had to go to the one for just humans.

Something was happening that I wasn't allowed to know about, but I promised myself I'd find out somehow. No matter how or who from.

There was a boy in all of my classes called Lucas, he never spoke unless spoken to. According to Kyra, if you knew how to ask him he'd have the answer to anything. For someone who didn't speak to anyone, he was the biggest gossip in the school. Now, I was going to make him gossip to me. I needed to know what happened or was happening.

Rocking on the balls of my feet, I waited for him outside of the classroom at the end of the school day. He always came out last from what I noticed. He eventually wandered out of the classroom.

"Lucas," I called out, immediately grabbing the boys attention, his grey eyes widened when he locked with mine. "I need a favour, please."

"Princess, of course," Lucas answered faintly.

That was a lot easier than I initially expected. Lucas signalled for me to follow him, where he took me to one of the tables not far from the cliffside. Not many people were around, there wasn't much of a chance of anyone listening in or interrupting.

"In the assembly last Wednesday, what was it about?" I queried the second we sat down.

"Would you order me lemonade with crushed ice, please?" Was all he responded.

I stared at him incredulously; didn't he hear me or did he just choose to ignore me? Then I thought maybe he was joking, but his aloof expression as he looking over the top of his glasses told me otherwise.

I blinked a few times, still in disbelief, and raised my hand slowly for one of the waiters. One came over almost immediately and I ordered the lemonade with crushed ice for Lucas and a glass of water for myself.

In the blink of an eye, the waiter returned with our drinks and placed them in front of us and then departed.

Lucas took three long gulps of his lemonade like he hadn't drunk all day, while I only sipped on my water, staring right at him. He was really strange.

He sighed after drinking and finally looked back to me, "so you want to know about the assembly, Princess?"

I nodded.

"Ok, I'm feeling generous today so I won't ask you any challenging favours. But before you think to tell anyone that you got this from me, I have a lot of dirt on you, dirt you probably don't anyone to know about."

Once again I nodded. This guy was so weird it was unbelievable. The longer he looked at me, the more I felt he was just reading into every secret I had. Back to when I was a child and I used to steal playdough from nursery!

"Wednesday's assembly was about the current status of the war between Nox Aterrima and Drecott. It was announced that Alexander was captured by Prince Austin a while back-"

"Captured? As in kidnapped?" I almost screamed. Nothing that was going through my mind could even come out of my mouth fast enough. I suddenly felt weak. This was what everyone was keeping from me. This is why Leandra told me Alexander was unable to talk to me. He really couldn't.

It was just unbearable to think about: Alexander in the hands of Austin. I knew Austin would make every moment for Alex there a living hell. I knew how much they despised each other and I knew now just what kind of person Austin was.

"Kidnapped," he repeated flatly. "that was after Austin finished beating the life out of him. The headmaster told us not to tell you, they didn't say why, but they didn't forget to mention the consequences of telling you. So if you tell anyone, I'll ruin your life."

"Is he ok? Where is he?" I questioned, my voice breaking slightly.

Lucas merely shrugged. "I'm sure if you use one of your roommates' laptops you can find out all about it. Now, I'm going to leave, and you're going to tell no one I told you." He then took his leave, leaving me sitting in a state of bewilderment and uneasiness.

Charlotte had told me she couldn't lie to my face, but she did. Leandra too.

I slammed my fist down on the table in annoyance at myself. I was so stupid, it was only now I realised Charlotte and Leandra had both told me two different lies; Charlotte said Alexander had a surprise for me, whereas Leandra said the King moved him to a different location.

All I could think of was why didn't they want me to know. Why didn't anyone want me to know to the point there was an assembly that I was excluded from where all the vampire students were threatened not to tell me.

I felt cheated and deceived by everyone around me; my husband was in danger, and it was kept from me while I was told it was nothing for me to worry about. Well, I was more than worried! I was scared... I couldn't begin to imagine the way Austin would treat Alexander. I didn't know how he was or what was being done.

Come to think of it, I didn't even know what the war was even like there. I didn't know which side was winning or what damage had been done. I knew nothing.

Early evening arrived, I was still sat at the table and dark grey clouds started to form overhead. It was going to rain soon, so I finally managed to break away from the table where Lucas left me to my own thoughts and questions, and back to my room.

April was sat on her bed with her laptop and book, probably doing homework. Meanwhile, Kyra was reading a book whose name I couldn't have cared less about even if I wanted to.

I came in silently, giving both the girls a forced smile and went straight to the bathroom to shower. I needed to loosen up after being sat in the same seat for about three hours, my lower back and neck hurt.

I hoped by the time I finished in the bathroom, the two other girls would be ready to sleep. I was going to ask one of them if I could use their laptop like Lucas suggested so I could read up about everything that had happened. The following day, I'd confront Charlotte and Leandra about it. I needed to know why this was being kept from me so desperately.