Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 49415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“Yes.” Mrs. Bauer refused to rise to the bait. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“You’ve gotta be joking—-”
“Look at me in the eye and tell me all your smiles are real.”
The girl’s lips parted, but no words came out.
“Because if they’re not, then your smiles are all to hide something—-” A barely audible beeping cut her off, and the untimely interruption caused Mrs. Bauer to nearly forget herself, with a series of rude words brimming on her lips.
The alarm signaled the end of the session, and before she could say another word, her student had already scrambled to her feet and slung the straps of her bag over her shoulder. “Hold on, Ms. Kahveci,” Mrs. Bauer protested.
“Sorry, Mrs. B. I can’t stay another minute. My sister’s waiting—-”
“Isn’t Anisah away for a two-day conference?”
But the girl didn’t seem to hear her, backing away as she did towards the door. “See you tomorrow.”
Mrs. Bauer watched her student rush out of her office and tried to take comfort from the fact that the session wasn’t a complete failure. Because Hyacinth wasn’t smiling when she left, she thought.
It was the smallest of changes, but it was at least a step towards the right direction.
HYACINTH WAS THIRTEEN when she first found it: a journal of hand-sketched maps of the palace’s massive system of secret tunnels, stuck inside a hidden compartment under one of the desks at the royal library. She would never have found it if not for an earthquake drill that had sent her hiding under the desk, and while waiting for the second bell to ring, she had looked up, and there it was, waiting for her like a key to unlock the greatest secrets.
Since then, the palace’s hidden passageways had been her girl cave (literally) – a safe place to let off steam, which she certainly needed to do so now.
“Dammit, goddammit, dammit.”
I should never have lowered my guard with Mrs. B., Hyacinth thought mournfully.
But she had, and now she was paying the price.
So what’s the next step, H?
No doubt her homeroom teacher imagined her struggling with a deep, dark secret. But the truth was so much simpler – and worse.
I’m an evil, foul-mouthed, bad-tempered little bitch.
She had always been one for as long as she could remember, and she was half-convinced she had been born one. Everyone had always thought she was the nicer Kahveci sister, and all of them couldn’t be more wrong. Anisah might be frowning all the time, but at least her sister’s frowns were genuine while all of Hyacinth’s smiles weren’t real...just as Mrs. B. had suspected. Anisah might often speak harshly, but at least her words were always meant to help. Hyacinth, however...
Last Sunday, she and Anisah were doing groceries when the cashier had recognized them and started muttering under her breath about how lucky some people were, to live in the palace even without royal blood.
Anisah being Anisah had taken the high road by ignoring the woman’s bitter ranting, and Hyacinth, knowing what was expected of her, had done the same. But in her mind, she was like a feral, rabid dog begging to be let loose.
You old dumb hag, you have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about!
Palace wards like us are held to the same standards as the royal family – but minus all the perks! We even get targeted for kidnapping threats, but unlike the royal family, we don’t have private security to keep our butts safe.
It may be state money that pays for our education, but we’re also expected to pull our weight at the palace – for free!
So next time you open your fucking mouth, you could at least damn well make sure you know what you’re talking about. And while you’re at it, here’s a goddamn toothbrush – you don’t seem to have ever used one since YOUR BREATH FUCKING STINKS!
Now that she thought about it, ‘harsh’ might not even be the right word to describe the nature of her thoughts. No, her thoughts were probably on another level. More likely, they were better described as...savage?
Hyacinth absently nodded to herself.
Yup.
Her thoughts were the very definition of savage.
And that’s the truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God, Hyacinth thought. I’m an evil, foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, savage little bitch.
She tried to imagine herself saying the words – and the shitstorm it would generate all the way to the royal palace.
Nope.
Not happening.
Ever.
Mrs. B, being the strict but well-meaning teacher that she was, would likely blame herself for a student’s character defect, especially if that same student was her so-called favorite. And then there was her overprotective sister, who was likely to go into hysterics, and of course the royal family would have to be involved, maybe even forced to issue a public apology on Hyacinth’s behalf.
And all that, she thought in frustration, was because she had smiled a little too much than what was necessary?