Noah froze for a second when she realized what Aurora was trying to tell her.
It was only when Aurora mouthed the word "Run" again that Noah came out of her shock.
Many questions filled her mind. What was Aurora doing? Why did she want Noah to run all of a sudden?
Was this just one of her fun tricks?
Before Noah could think more about it, the ancestor's voice spoke in her head:
"Listen to her, Noah. Run."
The ancestor's voice had a strange hurry in it, and even some excitement.
This time, Noah did not wait. She trusted her ancestor more than her wild sister, so she turned and ran away fast.
Aurora saw her big sister run off. She felt better and let out a big breath. Her happy face came back as she leaned against her parents in a cozy way.
"Everything is okay now~" she said.
"Are you sure you feel fine, Aurora?" Leon asked. He still looked worried.
"Yes, Dad. I am good now."
Leon put her down on the ground with care. "That is good. Do not eat any weird things for the next few days, okay?"
"Okay, Dad," Aurora said in a bright voice.
Now that he was not worried about Aurora anymore, Leon thought about what he was doing before.
But when he looked around to keep looking, the "thing" he wanted was gone.
His heart felt heavy, and he looked at Rossweise right away.
The two parents looked at each other and knew what to do. They left fast to find Noah.
Aurora watched her parents go away in a hurry. She pushed her hair back from her face and let out a sigh.
"What do they even want with Noah:?"
At the same time, Noah ran into the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
The backyard was too wide and open. No matter where she went, someone could see her easy.
But the main building of the sanctuary had so many rooms. She could hide in one, and it would take a long time for her parents to check them all.
Noah still did not know why her parents were after her. But both Aurora and the ancestor told her to run, so she had to do it.
She found a room for storing things. She opened the door and went inside quick.
She closed the door soft, without making noise. She did not turn on the lights. Only a small light came in from a tiny window.
Noah sat down in a corner, behind some big boxes. She tried to breathe slow and quiet.
"Are you sure this place is safe?" the ancestor asked.
"Yes," Noah said. "No one comes here much. Even the maids clean it only one time each week."
"Your Silver Dragon maids are very lazy," the ancestor said in a joking way.
"If you are so good at work, why not come and clean it yourself?"
The ancestor made a sound like clearing her throat. Then she said: "Why did Aurora tell you to hide? Did she feel something bad?"
"I wanted to ask you that too," Noah said. "Why did you tell me to run?"
Before the ancestor could answer, the door to the storage room opened fast.
Bright light came in, and a voice Noah knew said, "Princess? What are you doing here? It is dirty. Please come out!"
"Milan:"
Noah looked into the light and saw her maid at the door.
She was going to make up a story to explain, but then Leon's voice came from far away:
"Milan! Have you seen Noah?"
Milan stopped moving. She looked at the corner where Noah was hiding.
Noah made herself small, like a ball, with her arms around her knees. She put a finger on her lips to beg Milan not to tell.
Milan's face became soft. She gave a small nod that was hard to see. Then she turned to the door.
"No, Her Highness," she said in a calm voice.
"Alright, thank you."
Noah heard her father's voice go away. She let out a big breath, feeling safe.
But when Milan looked back at the corner, Noah was not there.
Only an open window was left, with wind coming in.
"Of all the bad luck:" the ancestor said, as Noah climbed out the window.
"You have been with me long enough. You know I always get bad luck," Noah said. She thought about her past troubles, feeling a bit sad and tired from it all.
She remembered how kids at school were mean to her. How she found old ruins by accident during a simple check. How she got hurt in her big test for promotion. And now, hiding in a room but found by a maid so quick.
"Maybe hide in a place no one would guess," the ancestor said in a dry voice.
Noah ran down a hall and went into another room.
She locked the door after her. She tried to breathe normal again.
But soon, she heard steps coming close.
"She must be near," Leon's voice said from the hall.
Noah's eyes got big. "How do they find me every time?!"
"I have an idea," the ancestor said. "Your father is not bad at hide-and-seek like he pretends. He has been easy on your brothers and sisters all these years!"
Noah did not have time to talk back. She went out another window and ran to a new room.
This happened again and again. Each hiding place looked good at first. But her parents came soon after.
"Noah, where will you hide next?"
"The safest place is the one that seems most dangerous," Noah said with strong words.
"Huh?"
Noah did not stop. She ran to her parents' bedroom. She went in quiet and closed the door soft.
Inside the room, she looked around. At last, she opened the big closet for clothes.
The smell of Rossweise's perfume was light in the air. It made Noah feel a little calm as she hid among the clothes.
She saw many kinds of clothes. There were nice robes, like she thought. But some things were different.
"What is this:?" Noah said soft, holding up some cloth with lace. "Mom wears this? With: lace on the sides?"
"And these red ropes: Do they not look like the ones Aurora used to tie me once?"
"And: bunny ears? When did Mom start liking rabbits?"
The ancestor's voice sounded tired.
"Stop that, Noah. You will know about these when you are bigger."
Noah put the bunny ears down. She made a face. "You still did not tell me why you wanted me to hide."
The ancestor waited a bit before she said:
"Because—" she made the word long, like for fun, "hide-and-seek is so exciting!"
":" Noah looked at nothing, not happy at all.
The ancestor felt Noah's anger. She gave in.
"Okay. I felt signs of the Primordial Force on your father. That is why I said to hide."
Noah's face showed confusion. "The Primordial Force? But only Mom studies it. Dad never talked about it."
"Yes. It is strange. And with how Aurora acted, I thought it was best to hide until we learn more."
Noah wanted to say something, but the ancestor stopped her:
"Wait! Your parents are coming!"
Noah stopped moving. She looked through a small opening in the closet.
Leon and Rossweise came into the room. They looked in every place.
"She is here somewhere:"
"She is smart. She will not make it simple for us."
"Should we look in another place?"
"Yes, let us go."
Their steps went away. Noah let out her breath, feeling safe. She pushed the closet door open slow.
But when she stepped out, she could not go far.
Leon and Rossweise were right there, with arms crossed. They smiled like they won.
"Noah," Leon said, "why are you running from us?"
Noah was surprised. She grabbed the bunny ears fast, put them on her head, and said in a very flat voice:
"I do not know what is happening. I am just a little white rabbit."