Chapter Five
Wills looked at the large orange prescription bottle in his hand. He looked at the front door of the motel room. Erin had gone to the front desk to check out. The pain had returned. He took two of the pills out and swallowed them dry. He grimaced at the bitter taste. When he saw the doorknob turn he quickly shoved the bottle back into his coat pocket.
"That's done," Erin concluded. "Next stop K-mart."
Wills nodded feeling the medicine do its work. He felt better already.

"Jeans," Erin told him as they scanned the clothes racks. "I want to see you in a pair of tight blue jeans."
"I want to see you in a bikini." Wills equaled her tone, "but I bet you won't wear one."
"I'm not the one who got kidnapped" (wink) "without any spare clothes." She handed him several shirts and pants and directed him to the dressing room. "Here try these on. And don't bug me that they're not designer labels."
Wills tried outfit after outfit. Erin couldn't understand how she managed to stay sane. Definitely, if he wasn't a prince, with his looks he would've been a famous British male model. He had the walk, the stance, and when he playfully threw her sexy looks she had to fight all her hormones not to throw herself over him.
All the other female customers who were catching glimpses of him on the sly were casting envious glances in her direction. The salesladies were giggling girlishly behind their cash registers. They didn't know who he was though. As far as they were concerned Prince Wills was still in bed eating marshmallow cereal from the box. The attraction was: this guy is a hunk!
"We'll take these," Erin said. She handed the pile of shirts and pants to the lady. There was also the necessary deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste.
Wills came and added a package of male underwear to the pile.
The girl turned red as she rang them up with the rest of the purchases. When Wills left to put the stuff in the car she turned to Erin. "You are so lucky to have a boyfriend that fine!"
"He's not my boyfriend," Erin corrected as she took the change.
"Girl, what are you waiting for!" the saleslady exclaimed. "Snag him. He likes you I can tell."
Erin's ego got a boost. Prince Wills like her? Nah, he probably acting nice to her because he didn't want her squealing on his whereabouts but as in like like her? She shook her head.
"Why are you smiling?" Wills asked when he met her at the car. The wind was blowing through his hair. Given the country background and the clothes he just bought he looked like a magazine ad for the outdoor type.
"Wills do you like me?" Erin asked.
"Like a brother to his sister," Wills teased.
Erin's spirits fell. So he looked at her the way Prince Charles looked at Princess Anne? Wonderful! she thought sourly. She craned her neck to take a closer look at the movement behind him. Who was that man looking at them?

"Your Highness we've found your son," came the voice of the private detective over the phone. "He's at a clothing store in the outskirts towns of England. There's a girl with him."
Charles clasped Harry's hand tightly. They had done nothing all day except wait for this call. He closed his eyes as relief coursed through him.
"Well, get him home," Charles commanded.
"As you wish," the man on the other end said.

Wills followed Erin's gaze. His face fell as he recognized the man moving towards them. Several other men who he also recognized got out of the black car. "Get in," he ordered Erin, shoving her inside. No time to explain. He got into the driver's seat. "Put on your seatbelt."
"Who are those guys?" Erin asked. Her head snapped back when the car hit a ditch.
"Jailers," was Wills's response as he pulled out of the parkinglot nearly missing an entering car.
"You do know how to drive?" she asked, concerned, as the car shot down the street. How many stoplights did they pass? She glanced back at the men who were now hot in pursuit. "Do you?!"
He shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Call this a learning experience," he made a turn between two buildings.
"Wills," she tugged his shirt, noticing a sign.
"What?" he shouted. Couldn't she see he was trying to drive?
"This is a one way street. And guess what? It's not the way we're going!" She gasped when she saw the on coming truck. The car horn was piercing.
Wills hit the reverse with impeccable timing and their car sped backwards out of the alley.
"We're still alive?" Erin asked, when she reopened her eyes. The car was still in one piece.
"You doubt my driving?" Wills looked in the rearview mirror. Those guys were still there. They hadn't lost them. He looked around. Public area, plenty of people, C'mon, he prayed....The place shone like Shangri-La. An amusement park. He parked and rushed Erin to the ticket booths.
"Where are we going?" Erin asked when they were inside. Wills pushed her to the nearest crowd of people.
Wills looked back and saw the security team of the park scold the men in suits for cutting in line.
"Wills," Erin said as she followed the people in front of her. "We seem to be in a line of some sort."
"Nhm," Wills mumbled not really caring. They had succeeded in escaping from those men and that's all that mattered.
Erin got into the cart of the ride and Wills got in the seat next to hers. They heard instructions about keeping their heads back and to make sure the safety harnesses were securely fastened.
Erin's heart froze as the train of carts made an incline. There was the ominous rumbling. "Darn you.'" she cursed, she slapped him on the shoulder and immediately clutched the vest again. "You just got us on a rollercoaster!"
"Then there's only one thing we can do," Wills said.
"What?" Erin cried, panicked. She could see the drop.
"SCREAM!"

Chapter Six
Erin got off the ride, the ground wobbling beneath her. She had almost died of fright and let out a shriek everytime a new turn or drop came. And Wills saying, "Here comes another one!" when the cart was about to make another dive, hadn't help. She felt strong hands come on her shoulders. She held on to Wills tightly. The only steady thing in an unsteady world.
"Are you okay?" he asked half-laughing.
She nodded. '"Mmm." Wills released her and she fell back into his arms.
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asked. "Get you a drink or..."
Kiss me, Erin thought. She looked at his face. It was the only thing she could stay focused on. Everything behind him was a chaos of color. But not him. His blue eyes, his lips...
"Erin?" he called her attention.
"I think if we can just walk it off I'll be fine," Erin managed to say weakly.

"Your tongue is blue," Erin said.
"What?"
Erin felt silly for saying it. "Your tongue is blue. From the cotton candy." She put a bit of the sugary confection in her mouth. They were riding a carousel.
"So is yours," he observed, doing likewise. "It's not like a big surprise. That always happens."
"I know but its something you say. Like I shouldn't be eating this before you wolf down a chocolate sundae or I have to get out of line when your about to go on a rollercoaster."
Wills laughed, helping her off her horse. They had gone on several thrill rides before this and she had said those words every single time they got on a ride. His face fell when he saw the men in suits.
Erin knew that look.
"Hide," he told Erin pushing her in the nearest tent.
"Where are we?" Erin asked. There were beaded curtains, the room smelled funny and a table with a fringed cloth was in the middle of the room.
An elderly woman looked up from the table. She had a kerchief over her black curly hair and a mole on her chin. "You have come to have your fortunes told, no?" she asked, in a dark mysterious voice.
Wills peeked outside the tent. The men were still there but they hadn't seen him. He shrugged. "Yeah, whatever," he said handing her the fee.
"Who of you will it be?" she asked looking at them intently.
"You go," Erin pushed Wills into a chair. She didn't believe in the stuff but she was curious at what this woman had to say about him.
"Extend your hand. Palm upward," the woman instructed. "Hmm, special." the woman muttered almost to herself. "Very special life, different from others." She traced the creases on his palm.
Erin traced his palm too and gave him a smile. This is silly, was her expression.
"Secrets," the woman said the word with finality. "Your past is full of secrets. Your present too. And your future still holds many of them."
Wills thought about this. She could've said that about anyone, right?
"You may ask yourself one yes or no question and I will answer," the woman said.
Wills's hand found its way to his coat pocket and held the bottle there. He closed his eyes and with great clarity thought. Will I live through this?
"The answer is uncertain," the woman said dropping her accent.
Wills got out of the chair, "Thanks but no thanks I already knew that." he left the tent.
Erin went after him.
The woman stopped her gripping her upper arm. "I don't usually do this but I'm going to give you some free advice. Listen carefully: There'll be a time when you're going to have to decide for both you and him. You will choose correctly but be very careful. The road will be difficult."
Erin looked at the woman. She said it so seriously Erin believed it to be true. And it scared her.

Chapter Seven
"So what was the question you were thinking?" Erin asked.
"Nothing," Wills brushed it off as he fired the gun at the shooting gallery. "The whole thing was a gyp."
Erin thought about what the woman said to her privately. She had a feeling Wills believed the woman's words too. Otherwise he wouldn't look so unsettled.
"Pick your prize," Wills offered as he won. Thanks Dad, he thought of the person who had taught him his hunting skills. It brought him a rush of homesickness.
"I'll take the pink teddy bear," Erin said. The man handed her the huge stuffed animal. She and Wills walked down the boardwalk in silence. "Oh, a photo booth," She exclaimed, spotting it. "C'mon," she yanked Wills in.
They posed differently four times. Shifting their positions hurriedly which isn't an easy task in a tight cramped box. When it developed it showed: Erin yanking him by the shirt collar and Wills groaning (she was still trying to convince him of the idea). Erin slapping him on the head. Giving each other bunny ears. And the last just them smiling. They got another copy. This time with them sticking their tongues out at the camera, looking at each other, one with their eyes closed since they were laughing so hard, and again with them smiling. After much debate they divided the pics happily among themselves.
"Where to now?" Wills asked.
"The Ferris wheel," Erin said.
They fell in line, squished the two of them (actually three including the bear) and were off. Just their luck the wheel stopped with them at the top.
Below them were people that seemed no bigger than ants. And the colorful tents littered the amusement park.
"I bet we can see all the way to London from up here," Erin fantasized. "I think that's Big Ben!" she pointed to a speck in the distance. When Wills didn't comment she asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine," he said. He looked down. Why was he seeing double?
"You just survived a car chase, went on all those rides and you're getting sick from a Ferris Wheel?" Erin teased.
"Oh man," Wills swore as the familiar pain shot through him.
He was turning a funny green color. "Wills, hold it in. I don't think the people below us would appreciate being splattered by royal puke."
I'm fine. I'm fine. Wills tried to convince himself. He got the bottle from his coat pocket. When it slipped from his fingers he lunged at it as if his life depended on it. He clutched it tightly, opened it and swallowed two pills.
"What are those?" Erin wondered, eyeing the bottle warily.
"Just something I take when I have a headache."
"Like Tylenol?" Erin asked.
"Yeah." His voice was dry. "Like Tylenol."
Erin signaled to the operator that they had to get down. The operator gave her an apologetic look, pointed at the lever and lifted his shoulders.
"I'm better now," Wills assured her, smiling.
But Erin didn't fall for it. She graduated from the belief that if Wills was smiling everything was all right. She remembered the gypsy's words. Secrets. His past present and future were full of them. What secrets did he hide from her? Was it really her right to know? She just met him yesterday. Would she like to know?
"You sure you're okay?" Erin asked as they finally got off the ride.
Wills nodded. "I am. Not." he added the word when he saw who was in the crowd.
"Hide," Erin said at the same time Wills did. They ran the opposite direction. They handed the bear to a kid they passed by.
"Over there!" they heard someone say.
Running time, Erin thought as she tried to keep up with Wills.
"In here," Wills said, taking her hand.
"A funhouse," Erin observed as they stepped into the building. He sure knew where to go in an amusement park. "Ah!" she screamed as something flew by her. She ran into the next room. It was full of mirrors. "Wills where are you?" she called out. She ran into a mirror.
"Over here," he called.
Erin looked up. There were several images of Wills surrounding her (imagine that!). "Where?" she asked exasperated. "Wills look out!" she screamed.
Several Wills ducked as several men in black moved to grab him. She heard a familiar thud. He crashed into a mirror she thought.
"Don't scream," a voice said as someone grabbed her.
"Let go of me," Erin told the man, struggling.
"Charles sent me to return Wills," the man informed. "How long are you going to deprive him the presence of his son?"
"As long as Wills wants to stay away," Erin replied.
"Wills doesn't know what's good for him. His life is at stake. The best thing would be for him to return home."
His life is at stake? What was he talking about? Erin wondered. She didn't know what to think. All she knew was that this guy was holding a gun to her side. That made him one of the bad guys. She elbowed him in the chin then ran away.
She made her way around the maze. When she reached the end strong arms held her tight. Not again, she thought. She started struggling.
"It's me. It's me," a familiar voice whispered in her ear.
Erin stopped struggling. "Wills," she sighed with relief, collapsing against him.
"Listen," he instructed. "Get the car and meet me in front."
"What about you?"
"I'll be all right," he insisted. "Just do it."

Chapter Eight
Wills waited till Erin was a safe distance away to make his move. He saw the three men get out of the maze. He waved his arms up and down. "Over here," he called. When they noticed him he broke off into a run.

Erin went into the parking lot. Shoot! There were two men watching over the car. She hid behind a nearby automobile. Had they seen her? Would they ever leave? She couldn't stay like this forever. She looked at the two man again. What do I do now, Wills? she wondered.

Wills glanced behind him. As intended the men were chasing him through the carnival. "Excuse me. Coming through," he announced as he raced trough the crowds. He had to be careful. He had to keep distance between them but he couldn't make them lose him. Not yet. He looked back again. Three. There were five he knew. That meant two were watching the car.
C'mon. C'mon. Call them. he thought.
Detective McGee watched as the boy raced through the grounds of the amusement park. the girl was no longer with him but that was none of his concern. He decided he needed back up. He took out his radio.

Erin listened as the men talked among themselves. "Boss needs backup," the one with the radio informed.
"But what about the car," the other one asked.
"Leave it. It's not going anywhere." his partner responded. "Charles is paying us to get Wills. Not baby-sit a car."
"You're right," the other one agreed as they ran to the entrance.
Even though they were already out of sight Erin counted to ten before proceeding behind the wheel. "Okay, drive around the parking lot for fifteen minutes then meet him in front," Erin recounted Wills's instructions. She took a deep breath and started the engine.

William looked behind him. Three men. Wills stopped as he almost crashed into the other two. He made a quick turn. Three plus two made five! That meant Erin made it to the car! Now was the time to lose them. He looked around. He had been in this situation before. Of course then he was running away from royal fanatics. In this case he was running away from his own security team.
He spotted a crowd of kids next to a prize counter. "How much for the beanie babies?" Wills asked the girl working there.
"Um, you have to win them by playing this game," the girl explained. The game was pitching a ball to knock three milkcans down.
Charm, don't fail me now, Wills thought. "What if I pay for two games for one beanie baby?" He flashed her a smile.
The girl gave him a sad smile. "If I did that to every cut guy who asked me I'd get fired. Sorry."
Charm, you suck! Wills cursed. He rounded up the nearby kids. "Hey, you see those five guys over there?"
The group nodded enthusiastically.
"If you keep them from getting to me you each get a free beanie baby," Wills bargained.
The kids were all for it.
"On one condition," the eldest of the group said. He was eight.
"What?" Wills asked afraid of the answer.
"Beanie babies first."
That's what he was afraid of. He couldn't pitch. And even if he was any good he wouldn't be able to do it twenty times in a row. "What if I just give you the money?" Wills asked.
At the sound of cash the kids went ballistic. This was even better than beanie babies! Future entrepreneurs here.
Wills handed a wad of bills to the eight year old and the kids went to work, running and clamoring on the men creating a barricade between them and the prince. Wills was really getting his money's worth. They pulled on the men's hair and bit their hands.
Wills waved at the guards. One rule other than save the prince was don't hurt the civilians. He ducked into the nearest tent. He had walked into the backstage of the circus performance. Wills looked over the costumes. He heard foot steps and checked his watch. He didn't have much time.

"A kid bit my hand," one of the men complained.
"One still has my toupee!"
"Should've just shot them," came a suggestion.
Detective McGee stormed into the tent. They had underestimated Wills. Charles wasn't going to like this. "You," he called to the nearest clown. He had a big tangerine afro wig and his face was covered in white make up. Complete with red ball nose. "Have you seen a blonde prince-type guy go in here?"
The clown shrugged his shoulders.
"Let me try boss. Have you seen Prince Wills go by?" h asked in a loud voice.
"Ah," the clown spoke as if he had a cold. "Prince Wills. Handsome boy. I see him on telly."
Detective McGee cursed. Suddenly he realized that Wills had made himself a diversion. "Son of a gun," he muttered in no disrespect to Charles. "He's headed for the parking lot."
William sighed as they left. He took off his red nose. He had to get to Erin.

Secret: Chapters 8-11