"Lucas?"

Annie struggled to see his large figure in the blinding light.

"Yep. It's me. Also, you might want to get out of that chest."

Soon the light faded enough for Annie to see the room she was in. It was a new room, just as weird as the other ones she had seen, with its rouge-and-orange diamond patterned walls and a purple couch. Other than the couch and the chest, there were no other pieces of furniture. There were also no windows, so Annie assumed that they were in the basement.

Annie put her foot into one of the small indents inside the chest and hoisted up, only to lose her balance, but Lucas - with his quick reflexes - caught her.

Annie's head was pressed inside of Lucas's chest and his arms wrapped around her waist.

He smells like strawberries.

"I- uh, um, sorry about that, I'm a bit clumsy." Annie stuttered and pulled away from him.

Why did I say that? now he's gonna think i'm stuttering because i'm into him. Ughhh.

"All good." Lucas says, his face reflecting no emotions. "Anyways, follow me, we need to talk about what's happening."

Ah. He didn't even turn the slightest bit red. I guess a guy like him probably has girls lining up behind him. Anyways. 

"Right. Let's go." Lucas spun on his heel and walked at a fast pace towards out of the room. Annie followed behind him.

"Right. We're here." 

Annie spun around in awe at the room before her. It was a traveller's dream room, with maps covering every inch of the wall, armchairs dotted around and tables filled with souvenir's from perhaps every place in the world. 

"Welcome to the map room." Lucas said with obvious pride.

What a generic name.

"So, what are we doing here?" Annie questioned. 

"We're going to a place-" Lucas pulled out an old map and pointed to a location on a secluded island. "-over here, called the green castle. It's the safest place to hide from Zadimus."

"How are we going to get there though? a plane?"

"No, definitely not. We would be much more susceptible to attacks from Zadimus' forces that high up in the air. Plus, I'm pretty sure the island which we're travelling to - called Ezekia Naika, meaning safe haven in Skyer, - doesn't have an airport."

"Ah. So we must be going by ship." Annie moved closer to the map to get a better look at the small island. She unintentionally moved closer to Lucas too. 

This reminded her of something. 

This house had no other habitants.

It was just Lucas and her.

Alone.

Stop Annie! since when did you latch on to every boy that came your way?

"Uh- yes we are." Annie could swear that for a split second she saw an uncomfortable look on Lucas' face before he went back to that casual indifference.

"We leave in a few days' time." Lucas runs a hand through his hair. "And uh, we may be entering the ship illegally, but we should be fine as long as we lay low."

illegally?

"What? why illegally? can't you just book a ship or something?"

"It would raise to much attention if escorted a young girl, the same age as the heir of Keros, to the green castle. We must disguise ourselves in every way possible. We will be chefs, sent to cook meals for the people on the ship and the monks of the green castle. I have already created two fake ID's and secured two spots on the ship's cooking team."

Lucas smirks.

"I hope you know how to cook."

"Cook?! I suck at cooking!" Annie groans. "Could you not have asked me before hand or something? we could've been laundry people! not chefs!"

Just as quickly as Lucas' smile appears, it vanishes.

"The people aboard the ship at not nice people, Annie. They are known for their notorious personalities. It was quite unlucky that this was the only ship leaving for a month. Maids and servants are known to be beaten and tortured. Being a chef was the only way, since they work under a head chef, not the passengers."

"But why would the people want to go to the green castle anyway? are they running away from Zadimus too?" 

"They aren't going to the green castle, they're only stopping there. Their actual destination is the island of the pearls."

Annie had heard about the island of the pearls. It was a vacation spot for very rich people. Going on vacation there cost hundreds of thousands of rhyons.

But why had she never heard of the green castle?

"I've never heard of the green castle, even though I have of the island of the pearls. Why is that?"

"Because the green castle is disguised as a monastery. On the outside, it looks incredibly drab and run down, enough to deter visitors. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow. I'm a bit tired today actually. I've done a lot of work."

Lucas yawns and stretches his arms above his head. Annie's traitorous eyes observes his muscles flexing underneath his thin white shirt.

"Ok. I think I'm going to sleep too." Annie wasn't tired, but she needed to think about the whirlwind of information she had just been told. "Where's my room?"

"The same room you woke up in when I rescued you. Follow me."

Lucas walks out of the door, Annie following. They walk down a corridor filled with paintings from every era imaginable until they reach the room.

"The bathroom is the room next door, the closet is to your right and my room is just down the hall." Lucas stands stiffly at the door. "Er, well, goodnight."

"Goodnight Lucas." Annie forces a smile as she shuts the door in his face.

Phew. Finally. Some alone time. 

Annie pulls out a pair of pyjamas and starts to change.  But before she finishes, she hears a knock.

"Uh- yes?" Annie says, trying to change as fast as possible.

"Er, I forgot to give you dinner." Lucas replies awkwardly.

Oh right. I didn't eat lunch today.

"Right. Um, just give me a second." Annie finishes changing and rushes to open the door. She expects Lucas' awkward face to turn bright red when he sees her in a tank top and shorts. 

To her surprise he doesn't even flinch. His face doesn't show any emotion. At all.

Ew. Since when did I become like this? what was I expecting anyway, it's not like the guy hasn't seen a female before. Besides he probably has a girlfriend. Or two.

"Here." Lucas says simply, giving her a tray filled with a burger and some chips.

"Thanks." Annie grabs the tray and shuts the door in his face once again.

Annie puts her tray on the bedside table and opens the ivory curtains. 

The view was spectacular. It was a sunset. Annie could see tendrils of blue, purple, crimson and orange, pink forming where the colours combined. It was like painting, only much bigger. The syrupy sun was vanishing underneath the horizon, leaving behind a trail the colour of blood and oranges, which soon surrendered to the cool blue and purple of the night sky.

Annie continues to gaze at the sunset, until all that is left is a navy sky, speckled with stars.

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