Bethany has permission to walk these halls, even this late at night, yet she still moves quickly and cautiously. She’s on a secret mission to scope out the secret location to see if Samuel arrives and what his reaction is to Harper not meeting him. Harper hasn’t been herself since arriving back from the gala. Usually the king’s rage triggers her own, and she’ll be fired up and raving about him. This time, she was much like a broken woman, sad and quiet. It was so unlike the woman Bethany knew that it frightened her. Harper had done a lot to get her to become her friend, to trust her, and put her faith in her for a brighter future for them both. For Harper to now retreat inside of herself makes everything that came before feel like a deception. Maybe Harper never intended to be kind. O

