Too late

Frienemies

Tristan's point of view

"Knock, knock." I tried to joke as I entered her room. She was looking at the wall like it was the best piece of art she had ever seen but she looked up as I entered. She gave me a weak smile.

"I don't know why but for some reason I didn't expect you to still be around," she commented dryly.

I tried to smile through her comment hurt a bit. "Why wouldn't I be, Princess?" I saw her lips twist at her old nickname but she wouldn't let me have the satisfaction of making her smile. She shrugged and one corner of her mouth turned up.

"Because it has been what – 10 years or something?"

No one had bothered to tell how long she was gone? "Close, it has been 3 years. But you know, I would have traveled to the end of the earth for you."

She grimaced. "Really? Only 3? Jack looked like it might have been 20."

I felt myself frown. I didn't like her mentioning him. He had not only broken her heart, but he had also robbed her of her life. Her future. Our future. "You've talked to him?"

She rolled her eyes. "Only to kick him out. I don't ever want to see his betraying face again."

"I get that you are angry, trust me I was too, but after some time I came to realize he didn't have a choice."

She looked at me, annoyed that I was taking his side. "And how long did that take?"

I turned my head slightly to the side, like I was actually thinking about it. "Only 2 years."

She let out a quiet laugh. "Well then making up should be just around the corner, huh? Are you going to tell me you guys are braiding each other's hair on Saturdays?" I let out a small laugh.

"Nah, considering what I did to his nose I don't think he wants me near his hair." She looked at me curiously.

"What did you do to his nose?" I looked away awkwardly.

"I, uhm, kind of broke it… I think. And some other stuff."

She laughed out loud. "Oh my god! Tristan! I would have never thought you had it in you!"

I smiled at her and she smiled back. For a moment we were lost in a tiny little bubble then an angry-looking nurse cleared her throat.

"I think I overstayed." I grinned at her and gave her hand a squeeze on my way out. "Get well okay?"

She smiled reassuringly. And I left feeling better than I had in a while.

When I returned however it was an entirely different scenario that met me. Alishia was crying hysterically, Kian was awkwardly trying to comfort her, Jack was stoic and emotionless as ever, Brandi was sitting staring off into space and Fred was stalking back and forward like a lion in a cage.

"What happened!?" I was already panicking, thinking maybe the worst had happened...

"Sh-sh-she she doesn't want to see u-u-u-usssss!" Alishia sobbed.

"She has requested for the nurse not to let anyone in," Kian explained more accurately and patiently comforting her the best he could.

"What?!" She couldn't have. She wouldn't have... Not after our talk earlier and-

"Who is dead?" Dana Hendrickson stood at the door, in all her blonde glory.

Kian patiently explained again, appreciating that his girlfriend was too upset to do so.

"I bet she didn't think of me," was Dana's only response. She and Haley had never been close, they were barely even friends, but had fallen in with the same crowd and reached a point of acceptance with each other. She stalked to the front desk and sure enough, she was let through.

"So I guess now we wait…" Kian said as Alishia tried to dry her eyes. Apperently the surprise had stopped the waterfall. I slumbed into a chair. Now we wait.

Dana's pov

Haley was sitting by the window. Her bed was perfectly made, very unusual. I knew the nurse didn't make the bed when the patients were still in the room, so she must have made it herself.

"Care to tell me why you are cutting everyone out?" I wanted to surprise her, but I guess she was still Haley Wright after all, because she didn't even flinch. She simply shrugged not even glancing at me.

I sighed and sat in the chair beside the bed. "Haley… talk to me?"

She ignored me so I decided to push her. "If I ask questions will you answer?" I was hoping to do the therapy trick on her-

"It hasn't been working so far, so why do you think it will now?" Guess she was tired of games already.

"Because I ask nicely?"

She just shook her head. "Well if only that is how the world worked, right?" looked around the room to find something to talk about but noticed how sterile it was. There was only a single bouquet of flowers by her bed, the card read Tristan.

"They could have peeped up the room some more huh?"

She shrugged. "What does it matter? I won't be here for long anyway."

"Sure, but it would have been nice to have something personal while you're here." I didn't realize my fail till it was too late.

"I don't have anything personal for them to put in here. The few things I had have been thrown out, and they weren't many, after all, all I ever was were Princess Alishia's charity project." She sounded bitter but I wasn't sure if it was of Alishia or herself.

"Haley, you know that isn't true-"

"Yes it is, stop pretending it is not."

"Well, those vampires surely didn't think so!" Ups… how the f**k was I going to fix that?

She turned, her eyes burning but her body language wasn't threatening. "You want to know why they traded me over." It was a statement, not a question. She was over the entire question-face, it seemed, and just wanted to call us out on our bullshit. "Do you want to know why they traded me over!?" She all but roared at me.

I finally found my voice. "Yes. Yes Haley I want to know why they traded the princess of the fairy court for a guard-to-be."

She let out a small humorless laugh. "I bet, don't you all? Well I tell you and then you can tell the others, I already handed in a statement to the guardians earlier today, so it will be all over the court in a few hours anyway. You see, as it turns out, they don't WANT Alishia! They don't freaking want her! Why would they honestly? If they kill her then there won't be produced anymore from her bloodline! The line will die out and they will never taste the powerful dragon blood again! The Darays have been off the hunting list for years! But the Wrights? Oh, that is a line they want to endanger! Having one in your custody? There is big prestige in that! So when they got the chance to trade nonfood for a trophy? Well, you guess how hard that choice was?"

I would have never thought vampires were actually that speculative, but now that she said it, it made sense – How none of the Darays had died by vampire attacks in decades.

"Haley, I had no ide-"

"No, you didn't. Now if you would please leave, I would like to be alone."

I left hastily and met the others' expecting eyes in the waiting room. "So? How did it go?" Kian asked as soon as I got close enough.

I just shook my head. "I Uhm, I think she just needs some time alone to think. The guards were here this morning to get a statement, it must have been hard on her." They looked disappointed but relieved. "There is one more thing." Heads flew up again.

"She uhm, she told me… She told me the reason she was traded." They exchanged a few looks before looking back at me. "They never wanted Alishia, they want her to stay among fairies so she can reproduce and raise the numbers of Darays."

"But why Haley?" Tristan asked exasperated.

I avoided their stares. "Because she is Haley Wright." And then I left. I would be back for Haley if she would let me in. I just hoped it wasn't too late.