The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

A little thrill goes through me as I look around the Land of Darkness and realize that I am, for the first time in weeks, outside of my stupid little cage. I glance back at the little nest of pillows and blankets that I left there - that I usually sleep in at night - and a laugh bubbles out of my throat. Because I'm free - at least for now - and I'm going to get some damn answers.

I turn to my left and stride away along the distance that I think is the hall I've walked down a couple of times at Gabriel's side. I go to where I think the end should be and look left and right, trying to remember the layout of the castle. To the right is the more public parts of the palace - meeting rooms and all that - but to the left...

I take a deep breath and just go for it, knowing that experimentation is my best chance here. I stride forward a little more, reveling at the relative freedom, and then shift back to Atalaxia to see if I've made any progress.

A footman carrying a try about ten feet away from me shrieks and jumps straight in the air when I appear, staring at me like I'm a ghost. I grin at him and looking around, quite pleased to realize that I calculated correctly and am indeed in another hallway - one I haven't been in before - that leads away from the public parts of the castle.

I turn a bit, recognizing the panicked shouts somewhere around where my room should be, and laugh as I turn back to the hall - taking in the relative length and disappear again.

Then, in the Land of Darkness, I run forward, delighted as I go, desperate to get to the end of the hall. I meet another iron fence but barely notice it, flashing back to Atalaxia, stepping a few feet forward to the point where I'm beyond the iron fence, and then flashing back to Darkness and starting to run again.

I get the hang of it all fairly quickly, negotiating the palace, flashing back every time I need a point of reference for where I am, and starting to move quickly. I grin as I go, knowing this is going to piss Gabriel off a great deal and glad of it.

I get a great deal of pleasure from pissing him off. Because he deserves it.

By the time ten minutes has passed, I've made good distance in the castle and have learned a few very interesting things. First, that I actually Cannot transition back to Atalaxia at a place where there's a wall try to shift, but it just feels likest hit something quite solid and bounce back to Darkness, But all I have to do is step a bit to the side into an empty space and it works just fine.

The second thing that I learn is that I cannot shift to different floors in Atalaxia, though it doesn't make much sense to me why I can't. But once I realize this, I make quite a bit of stir when I dash barefoot and in a dressing gown down a servant's stair. Servants gasp and step eagerly out of my way, staring as I go, though none touch or try to stop me.

Stnoveldrama

The third thing I put together is that I have very little time before the Atalaxian royals figure out that I'm loose and come after me in full force. don't know if Pippa is simply keeping my secret or hasn't found Gabriel yet, but I'm sure my freedom is limited.

So I exhale quickly and get to work, flashing from world to world, working hard to locate my people. Finally, I find a long stretch of quiet hallway all with closed doors. It's not the first I've found like this, but the others didn't turn up anything useful.

Still, I have to try. I step up to one door and put my hands against it, flashing into the Land of Darkness and taking three steps forward and then flashing back to Atalaxia.

I find myself immediately in a guest bedroom - this one occupied. The aforementioned guest gasps in shock to find me suddenly standing in his room.

I stare at him for a second as he sits frozen on his bed, papers spread out all around him, just staring at me like I'm a mirage. But then my face breaks into a smile.