me wondered if it was the prince’s orders, or it was just a tradition or whatever. Something inside of me wanted to think it was really the prince’s order, and that he’d only asked for it to make sure that I’d be okay. Another thing told me with a voice loud enough for me to hear it and believe that I was being stupid, so stupid. Because if the prince had really asked her that, it would only be for him to make sure I didn’t go anywhere–of course it was only that, nothing more.
Once Mona left the room, I opened my mouth and was only able to get a low “What–” out before Janna stopped me from finishing my question by raising her hand in front of her, the inside of her hand toward my face in a ‘Stop’ motion. Then she tapped her finger to her ear a couple of times before pointing to where Mona had just left. I listened closely for a few moments until I heard the faint sound of yet another door being closed, which drew a sigh of relief from Janna’s mouth.
“We’re leaving now,” she whispered. “This door leads to the space between your and Rosanna’s wing. There are elevators, but we will use the stairs to avoid being under the cameras for too long. We’ll use one of the back doors to the palace, and a car is already waiting for you there. The driver believes it’s me he’s taking to the airport, so all you have to do is get in the car and he’ll drive you there without a word–you don’t have to speak at all. You can’t speak at all, or everything will be blown. If anyone on the way from the back door to the car, or from the car to the jet speaks to you, you don’t reply at all, you just silence them the same way I silenced you right now.” She raised her hand again like she just had a minute ago to make sure I knew what she was talking about before she continued, “Then you move on, don’t even glance their way. They’ll think you’re not interested, or don’t have the time, and they will respect that and do as the daughter of the king has ordered.”
I swallowed thickly, inhaling and exhaling in short breaths as I had held my breath all the while I listened very carefully to Janna as she told me her plan. Said plan sounded okay, and could very well work. But it was just that–’Okay’. I was so worried I would get caught, and I had no idea what would happen to me if I got caught. But then again, it was my only chance to go back home, and I just had to take it, even if the chance of succeeding wasn’t so big. I had to.
“But...what about when I’m on the plane? Will I have to stay silent for the whole trip?” I couldn’t imagine how that would be: the trip lasted a bit longer than half a day–would I even get to take off my niqab? I was hardly able to breathe in it already.
Janna shook her head. “Marie, dear, do you really think that you’ll be away from the palace for sixteen hours before someone realizes you’re missing?”
I gaped at her, saying nothing.
“We’ll be lucky if an hour passes before your absence is noticed, and my hope is that by then, you’ll be on that jet on your way to your country, when it’ll too late to get you back.”
Dear God!
“Only an hour?” I asked in shock.
“If we’re lucky, that’s how long it will take Mona to be finished with my bags. The first thing she’ll do after that is go to Rosanna’s wing–where she won’t find you–and then she’ll run to tell Mazen.”
Mazen …
What will he do then?
How will he react?
Heart. Head. Both ached. Hard.
“But...he could do something to get me back, right? He could easily send an order to the pilot.” My heart burned with the tears that were trapped in my eyes and strangling my throat.
“He could,” Janna said to my surprise and shock, “but he won’t.”
“He won’t?” The fact that she thought he wouldn’t do it was even more surprising than the fact that she knew he could do it in the first place but somehow wouldn’t do it.
“No, Marie.” Her voice dropped to the saddest tone you could ever hear, and her gaze went somewhere I couldn’t point at.