As Grandmother entered the room I felt my heart drop. This could [i]not[/i] be real. I swiftly sat on the bed to prevent myself from growing dizzy. The ghost - or whatever it was - patiently waited for me to collect myself. I had put my trust in the strange phenomena that had been happening around me up until now, so I might as well continue to do so. Besides, Grandmother was right. I did have questions.

Not sure where to begin, I suddenly blurted out, "I am going crazy?" It was a rather rude question, of course, but I felt certain Grandmother would understand. "Sorry," I said, but I was unable to restrain myself. The questions flowed freely, in rapid succession, leaving no time for a response between them, "Why is it so bad that I inherited the necklace? What are my guards planning to do to me? How can I keep myself safe? You were fine for the longest time! Why... why do such awful things keep happening to me?" To my surprise, tears were rolling down my cheeks. My face reddened in shame; I was behaving like a pathetic little girl, yet I could not help myself. In fact, I was certain there were questions I had forgotten to ask. 

I brushed away my tears, making no effort to stifle the ones that followed in their wake, then folded my hands on my lap, attempting to look as composed as I could. I was certain Grandmother would not fall for my masquerade, but I hadn't the faintest clue how to conduct myself around her. The two of us had not spoken at length since I was just a child!