Page 7 of Snows Sinful Seven

Maybe I’m not alone after all; maybe I can find some kind of light in this dark pit I’ve found myself sinking into.

THE NEXT MORNING, I’Ma mess. And I have no idea why. I go downstairs, needing something to do, and have the chef make me something to eat. It’s bland and healthy. I hate every bite but eat it anyway.

When I finally get the nerve to go to Snow’s room and knock on the door, she isn’t there. Disappointment fills me, and I start to feel depressed again.

It’s still early in the day, what am I to do with my time? Getting through the past week of living here has been hard. There are only so many books I can read and so much TV I can watch. I want to talk to someone, another human.

I want to talk to Snow.

Back home, I might have had a short list of things I could and couldn’t do, but at least I had my friends. They put up with the lunches, or came over to hang out in our backyard because they just wanted to see me, to spend time with me.

And now I’m alone. No one here tries to talk to me; they do their job without making eye contact and move on. It’s fucking depressing and lonely.

With the garbage tucked into my coat pocket, I head outside to the garden, unable to spend any more time inside.

There’s something about being outside that makes everything better. The garden is truly stunning, flowing with greenery and flowers.

I notice a maze and decide I have time to get lost for a while.

Stepping inside, I smile as I run my hands along the deep green maze walls. With a laugh that bubbles up within me, I take off running.

My heart pounds with every step; the feeling is exhilarating.

I don’t let dead ends stop me; I turn around and run the other way. I go and go for what feels like hours, but time passes in the blink of an eye before I reach the middle of the garden.

I stumble to a stop, allowing myself to catch my breath when I notice someone.

There’s a tree, a massive apple tree, towering over most of the available space. Under it, there are stone benches. And sitting on top of one of those benches is Snow.

Taking a moment, I watch her as she laughs. A laugh that makes my belly twist unfamiliarly. Squinting my eyes, I see why, and my brows jump.

A squirrel runs up her arm, along her shoulders, and down the other, snatching something from her hand before running over to the tree.

The smile on Snow’s face makes my already-pounding heart speed up.

“There’s enough for everyone. No need to grab it from me so rudely.” She laughs, her voice soft and sweet.

I watch as she takes a knife and cuts a slice of apple before holding it out again. Another squirrel rushes over, climbing up onto the bench. But unlike his little friend, he seems to take it a lot more gently.

“That's better.” She smiles, then turns to look at me. I freeze like a deer caught in the headlights. “You know, you're more than welcome to come join me.”

I can’t help but laugh as I nod my head, straightening up from where I was bent over, catching my breath.

“Thanks,” I tell her when she slides over a bit to give me room.

She’s dressed in a white coat that makes her raven hair pop and her blue eyes shine. Under that is a blood-red dress, much like the color of the apple in her hand.

“Want one?” she asks me, grabbing a whole one from her coat. “There may be a million in that tree, but I’m too short to reach them. Had to climb the tree to get these few. It wasn’t easy.”

“You climbed a tree?” I ask, sounding more surprised than I should have been.

Her lip twitches. “Yes. Why do you look so surprised?”Busted.

“I mean, you're a Princess; I didn’t think you would be willing to... get your hands dirty,” I say carefully. “Or that coat.”

“I could care less about my hands or any other body part of mine. But you would be correct about the coat. I took it off before climbing. The dress can be easily replaced, the coat can not.”

“How come?”

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