She nods. “How do you like the Dragon Kingdom so far?”
“It’s...good.”
She cocks her head to the side. “You don’t really like it here.” I study her, unsure all what to say. “It’s okay; I won’t tell my brother.” I glance away, trying not to smile.
“Well, I won’t be here long anyway, so...” I let my words drop and look around her room and then back at her. “Why didn’t I know you were here?”
She sighs. “I told my brother you would figure it out.”
I frown. “I don’t understand.”
“My brother thinks he can protect me by keeping me hidden.”
My frown increases as I try to understand what’s going on. “Why would he need to keep you hidden?”
“He doesn’t want anyone to know about me.”
Anger burns through me. “Why not?”
She shrugs. “He says it’s for my protection.”
“Well, that’s no excuse. So, you’ve had to stay hidden since I got here.”
“What? Oh, no. I’m always hidden.”
My eyes widen in shock. “No way.”
“Yes, way. My brother is hoping that no one will find outabout me. I tell him all the time I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen, but I haven’t won that argument, as you can plainly see,” she says motioning around her room with her hands.
I’m honestly in shock with this crazy turn of events. I shake my head. “I am going to talk to your brother. This is ridiculous. You should not be stuck in this room all the time.” I walk over to her bed. “Can I sit here?” She nods, and I continue. “You obviously haven’t met me yet.”
“What are you going to do?” She eyes me warily, but I don’t think I imagine the tiny spark in her eyes.Hope, maybe?
“I’m not sure yet,” I tell her honestly. “But I’ll figure it out. In the meantime,” I glance around her room once again. “What do you want to do?” My eyes land back on her.
“Do?”
“Yes. What do you want to do?” She continues to stare at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “We’re both stuck in this castle. What should we do?”
She stares at me for a long moment and then says in a quiet voice, “You’re not seeing the whole picture.” Then she removes the large blanket over her lap. I take in the crude wooden chair she’s sitting in that has large wheels on either side. It hits me suddenly, and my gaze moves back to hers.
“You can’t walk.”
“Now, you’re getting it.” I stare at her, trying to wrap my mind around this. And then if that wasn’t enough, she adds, “You don’t have to do anything with me; I’m used to playing alone.”
Her words do something to me; I’m not exactly sure what.I don’t try to figure it out. “Well, I’m here; so, you don’t have to play alone anymore.” She doesn’t say anything, and I try to think of something fun. “How about we play hide and seek?”
She frowns. “I can’t play hide and seek.”
“You don’t know how?” I ask, pretending not to know what she’s getting at.
“I know how; I’ve just...never played. I can’t play in this chair.”
My heart breaks a little more, but I keep my face void of expression. “Do you know how to navigate in that chair.”
She rolls her eyes at me, and I’m grateful to see her spunk. “Yes.”
“Then you can play. Do you want to count first or hide first?”
