Puffs of Jenna’s breath clouded her vision as sherushed down the road. It was a frosty winter day in Mridaria, and the bustling streets werecrowded with multicolored gowns. The cozy smell of nutmeg fit the winter mood perfectly. It was her best friend's birthday, and Jenna neededto get there quickly, although the crowd wasn’t letting her through so easily. Winter in Mridaria was usually not that cold, consideringthat it was near the coast, but today delicate snowflakes were drifting down fromthe sky. The dark, paved roads were covered in a blanket ofsnow. Citizens had tried to clear them in vain; the snow was overpowering.Jenna weavedthrough the barrier of people, careful not to be noticed. Jenna worked at a part-time job that required a lotof stealth, so she was a master at being furtive. She stopped to check the time, but the impatient Mridarianskept moving. A lady in a silky red gown knocked Jenna over, in an attempt toget to Charlotte’s Jewels, a very popular jewelry shop.Unfortunately,they were havinga Black Friday sale today. “Ouch!” Jenna cried out in pain, picking herself offthe snow. Her calf had hit a sharp stone on the ground and wasnow sporting a large gash. Ugh! Now I’ll be late! She looked up to see people staring at her. The Mridarians were awful gossipers. Sure enough,she could see many of them whispering to each other. Ignoring all this she turned around to yell at thewoman who had bumped into her, but her silky red gown was no longer in sight. “This is the worst day ever!” Jenna grumbled, whilelooking around for her watch, which had fallen off when she was shoved onto the ground. Ah! There it is! She picked up the watchpythat was now cold and wet,and stuck it into her coat pocket. Jenna looked up and began to move forward, but tallhorse legs blocked her path. “Hello Miss, you look like you need a ride,” an amusedvoice chuckled. What now?! Jenna looked up, and to her surprise, a boy sat highon top of a white horse waved to her. She recognized that voice, and the crest on thehorse’s saddle gave it away. Jenna was standing in front of the heir of Mridaria,the king’s son, and also Mariel’s older brother. * * * Before she could figure out what she was doing, Jennafound herself inside the warm palace, sitting on an oversized chair that smelledlike her grandmother. What am I doing here?! How did I get exactly where I needed to be? She racked her brain and thought back to the lastthirty minutes with the heir. Being with the heir added many risks to Jenna’s situation, but he would be more suspicious if she fled away from him. 30 minutes ago…. “Ouch, that looks painful!” Dev Solon, had wincedbut his hazel eyes twinkled with amusement. Jenna had rolled her own blue eyes, butgrimaced as she climbed onto the leathery saddle. The soft skin of the palace horsecomforted her aching legs. She hadn’t realized how long she was walking. “Mariel’s been expecting you.” Dev had proclaimedwhile guiding the horse through the crowded street. “Oh…” Jenna had replied lamely. She really wantedto avoid talking about Mariel. Jenna had been hired to become friends with Mariel, whowas very sweet and forgiving, especially in comparison to Jenna’s hot temper andshrewdness. They were complete opposites, so no one could have predicted that a princesswould be best friends with a common merchant’s daughter. Strangely enough, Mariel had found Jenna excitingand fun to be with, while to Jenna, Mariel was just a step in her mission. However, afterspending more and more time with Mariel, Jenna enjoyed her company and saw her as afriend. But lately, Mariel had been acting peculiarly. There’s no way she suspects me, right? A sudden whoosh of wind brought Jenna back to thepresent, as she found herself staring at The Solon Palace. Of course she’d visitedthe Solons various times, but every time still gave her a feeling of uncomfortability. A feeling of guilt masked by fear clouded her mind. * * * Jenna tapped her foot impatiently on the pristinetiled floor. She was waiting for the maids to come with bandages, but knowing themtheywould take hours just walking over there. The maids here were exceptionally talkative,but she couldn’t afford to wait. Just being in the palace made her a vulnerable target. Just then, the large ebony door swung open. “Finally!” Jenna exclaimed, pushing herself off thecushiony chair, and stood on the floor. Instead of seeing the maids in front of her,Mariel stood in the doorway. * * * This shouldn’t have taken Jenna by surprise, consideringthat the two girls were best friends. But, Jenna was hiding something, something big, andMariel was the biggest threat to her secret. But why would she deliberately walk into the palacewhere she knew Mariel would be? Because Mariel had something she needed, the laststep in her plan, and today was the only day where Jenna could get it. After this it would all be over, andtheywould leaveher out of this. She took a shaky breath, “M-Mariel! Happy birthday.” Mariel looked at her oddly, and Jenna’s heart stoppedin fear. Everything is riding on me today, I have to do thisright. “Thanks!” Mariel’s face contorted into a grin, thenshe looked at Jenna’s wounded leg. “Oh my! I’ll go get the maids right away. Stay here.” Mariel’s golden gown swished into the hallway. Jenna waited until the princess had left, and boltedthe opposite way. She needed all the time she could get for this mission. * * * Jenna tiptoed across the hallway, careful not to makea sound. At this point, many would wonder why she was doing this behind her bestfriend’s back? Why would she be doing this at all? When Jenna was born, her family was struggling financially. They would take any job offer they could get. Onceshe got older, a group of assassins called the Haribos raised up as a threat to Mridaria.All the villagers were scared to death, so everyone stayed inside. It was a dark periodof fear in the town. One night, the Haribos approached Jenna’s family andasked them to give Jenna to them. They would pay the family 100 myros* per day.The offer was like a blessing for the family, so they quickly signed a contract. OnceJenna’s part in the mission was complete she may return to her normal life. All she needed to do was create a fake friendshipwith the princess of Mridaria, so she would trust Jenna. Then, murder the king and the heir behind her back.But, Jenna got herself in too deep. She got too attached to Mariel, until the fake friendshipwasn’t fake at all. If she could do this without Mariel realizing it washer, then they could still be friends. * * * Jenna had shut down the alarms, and her heart waspounding from the intensity. Her plan was to poison the food with rattlesnake venom. It was the safest way to make sure no one suspectedher. She peeked at the kitchen entrance from behind a wall,and saw that it was all clear. Then, Jenna rushed to the entrance, swung the metaldoors open, and saw multiple guards waiting. The guards’ backs were turned so theydidn’t see her, but she was still startled. Why are they here? It's almost as if they knew I wascoming!. Jenna backed away slowly, and ran back to the mainroom as fast as she could. Her head was spinning with questions, but she had to thinkof a plan B first. Another way to get to the kitchen? No…there isn’t one. Oh! I can offer to take the food from the maids anddeliver it myself! I’ll poison it on my way. This idea was much more inefficient than the previousone because Jenna would be the prime suspect. Unless, she framed the cook by putting the venom inthe kitchen. But the kitchen is guarded! Every idea Jenna had led back to the guards, and whythey were there. Jenna sighed and realized she had taken a wrong turn, she reversedher direction and began running again. Then it hit her. She knows. Mariel knows that I’m part of the Haribos. Dev knows, the King knows… This was all a setup. Dev was supposed to take me to the palace, because they suspected I would make a move. Maybe the lady who shoved me was part of it, too. They have guards everywhere because they expectedme to attempt murder. But what gave it away? Jenna had no time to think about the answer, becausein front of her was none other than the royal family: Dev, Alastar Solon, GertrudeSolon, andMariel. Dev’s usual grin was replaced with a steely glare,and Mariel’s eyes were filled with tears. Guards popped up behind Jenna and dragged her away. “I can no longer consider you a friend.” Mariel hadwhispered softly, but these were the words that echoed through Jenna’s skull every dayand every night. *Mridarian currency * * * It has been three weeks since Jenna was admitted tothe dungeons. Three weeks since anyone had come to visit her (besides guards). Yether only regret was not telling Mariel the whole story. So when Jenna heard a familiar voice,she was ecstatic. “Jenna? Jenna, it's me!” the voice hissed. Jenna openedher eyes and saw Mariel’s chestnut brown locks framing her heart-shaped face. “Mariel?” Jenna questioned weakly. “Yes it's me, I’m going to get straight to the point.Why did you…do what you did?” She asked in a commanding voice, the strongest Jenna hadever heard her speak. “I was put in a situation where this was the bestthing I could do…” Jenna said, and explained her situation. When she was done Mariel had tears in her eyes. “Why didn’t you ask us for help? If you needed themoney I could have done something.” Jenna shook her head, she hated feeling like a charityprogram. “So all of those moments we had together were fake?”Mariel asked, anxious to hear the answer. “No, I-I got too attached and it became a real friendship.”Jenna replied. “It was always a real friendship” * * *