Now that Leopold’s mom is staying with us, I have no excuse not to go to the Bearer Center. Even though I dread to go back, I am received by some interest changes: thanks to Leopold’s close experience with death, the Matrons have decided to forgive him for yelling at Mother Addison and regard him once more as Estermond’s hero; this turned out to be a good thing for me because they are kinder to me; but it’s not just the Matrons who have changed, Alice is so thankful for what I did with the Andersons that she now treats me in a friendly manner, her change of heart is noticed by the rest of the Bearers, and so they decide I am no longer a pariah in the group. I go from being Aubrey the Eel to just being Aubrey, another Bearer from group 11. Eliza is also back, although she keeps to herself all of the time and barely talks to the rest of us. Fiona and I have tried to talk to her about her absence but she refuses to say anything.
I spend the days leading to our getaway wondering where Leopold is taking me. He refuses to give me any clues and tells me I do not have to pack anything because he has arranged everything himself.The day finally arrives, I feel excited and nervous at the same time. We leave at dawn, I get in his car without the slightest idea of where we are going. Leopold kisses the palm of my hand before starting the car.“Are you ready?” he asks with a sly smile.I shrug, I do not know what to expect. He drives and drives, and we leave the city behind us and drive through the Equality Forest. I used to come here to camp with my friends. Is he taking me camping? Leopold doesn’t seem like the kind of man that likes to camp and I am definitely not the kind of girl that li
The dress Mabel chose for me is breathtaking. I have never seen a dress like this before. I was expecting for her to sabotage me in some way, choosing a cheap fabric, an unflattering design or giving the dressmaker the wrong size, but none of that happened, the dress is spectacular and it fits me perfectly. I think it is safe to say the my mother-in-law is finally starting to accept me. Mabel even offered me to help me do my hair and she did an amazing job making it into a waterfall braid that suits my features just right.“Keep in mind that this is a very important day, Leopold is going to be in front of his superiors and all the family has to rise to the occasion. Please, girl, do not make a fool of yourself during the event, do not embarrass my son,” Mabel reminds me as puts the final touches to my hairdo.
I go to the nearest restrooms and change my dress. Luckily, Alice and I are the same size. Alice’s dress is not as spectacular as the one I had, but it is cute and, the best part, the design is original. I toss Grace’s dress to the trash, furious at Mabel for what she did.I walk back to my group. Mabel’s face reddens with anger when she sees me coming.“What happened to you, girl? Where is your dress?” She asks angrily. “Alice’s son spilled grape juice on it and it got ruined, she gave me a spare she had as an apology,” I lie not able to hide a joyful grin.“Oh, what a shame, it was such a nice dress,” Grandma exclaims. “But this one is pretty too.”Mrs. Jordan smile
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)I pull Aubrey closer to me, I do not wish to let her go. I place my hands around her tiny waist. For some silly reason, seeing that boy, Zack Peterson, infuriated me. I am certain that he is in love with Aubrey, I can see it in his eyes along with something else I can not quite figure out just yet but it makes me not trust him. There is something about that boy I just do not like. I should not have left Jareth convince me to accept him in the 9th Unit, but I found no valid reason to reject him, his performance inside the Shark Youth Forces was remarkable, besides, he was brave enough to come forward and tell us about Aubrey’s innocence, which I find admirable. Probably I just do not like him because I am jealous, and it would be unprofessional of me to allow my feeling to make decisions for me. At least it seems like I have nothing to worry about, Aubrey is clearly not interested in the boy. She wants me, I do not
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I tremble inconsolably as Grandma and Mrs. Jordan drag me as far as possible from where Eliza’s corpse is lying, Mabel is following us closely, she too looks upset about what we just witnessed. I can not believe Eliza committed suicide. I let the women take me without resistance, my mind is too troubled and it prevents me from thinking clearly. The women take me back to one of the tents and find a seat for me to rest. Mabel fans me vigorously as Mrs. Jordan wipes my tears away. Grandma is standing next to me, looking concerned.“That poor girl…” mutters Mrs. Jordan“What a terrible thing just happened,” Grandma exclaims.“Why would someone do that?” Mabel asks.
We have spent the whole day glued to the TV. I am sure many people all over Estermond are doing the exact same. Mother Addison’s murdered is an unprecedented event in this nation. Never before have the Eels had so much power. Roberta Jordan came over to watch the news with us, no one feels like being alone right now, there is too much uncertainty and a sense of danger in the air. I go downstairs to make us some tea to calm our nerves when all of a sudden the doorbell rings. When I open the door I find two men with brown overalls with the initials M.E. embroidered on the left front pocket.“Good afternoon. We are sorry to bother you, ma’am, we are workers from the Ministry of Energy. We received some reports about voltage fluctuations around the area and we have come in to check your energy supply,” one of the men, the shortest one, explains to me as he takes a step forward.
I rush to see what is going on. Both women are looking open-mouthed at the TV screen. I turn to see what they are seeing: Leopold and Jareth are on the screen, along with the rest of the 9th Unit. I do not even pay attention to what the reporter is saying, I only care about how Leopold is doing, he looks so strong and determined it is hard to imagine that he was so close to death only a few weeks ago. I sigh relieved to see he is okay, but my relief doesn’t last long, the camera shows Zack among the Sharks and cold sweat starts to run down my back, he should not be there. I do not like this.“I am glad see they are alright,” Mrs. Jordan exclaims with a sigh of relief.“Of course they are alright. Our sons are heroes of Estermond! If anyone can put a stop to those wretc
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)Locked in my room, I cry for hours, I try to be as quiet as I can so my mother-in-law won’t hear me. I do not want her to know how much her mean-spirited remarks hurt me. Besides, as much as it pains me, I have to admit that she only spoke the truth. Grace is Leopold’s original Bearer, I was only a poor substitute. Now it is time for her to take her rightful place beside him and for me to step aside.Mrs. Jordan and Mabel watch television for a couple more hours, the volume is so high I can clearly hear what happened with the Shark mission: the live transmission was interrupted to take Grace to a safe location. Just the idea of Leopold and Grace being together while I lie on the bed makes my stomach churn. I wonder if he is happy to be reunited with her? I wish I knew what was going on, at first I thought Grace being there meant she ran