Chapter One
Love is blind
Love can tell a million stories
Love is unkind
Spiteful in a million ways
Paris, France
Friday, September 28; 8:30 pm
Dear Nepal,
Eventually they're all going to realize that I'm not actually writing to a penpal in Nepal. However, I don't think that I'm quite ready to expose our relationship as that of a grown-ass 20 year old man and his diary just yet. I'm sure you understand. You are, after all, me.
I thought that I'd quickly jot down a couple of ideas I had for another story today before they leave me and I'm once again left to reality. Not a lot, but a couple of quickies that I had sitting in class today:
Divorcee birds who falls in love with each other after one's nest is beat out of a tree
A spirit who lives in the woods and inspires authors to write stories about the woods
Woman imprisoned and forced to write beautiful love letters for the King to give to women - love letters so inspirational, make everyone fall in love with king - imprisoned woman writes letter to King that inspires him to set her free and then kill himself
The last one's pretty morbid, but I'm kind of proud of it. Thought of it while reading a hallmark card in in the grocery store. I swear, if I ever meet the person who writes those, I might just fall in love with them myself.
The one that I got for Brennan is perfect. It's huge, too, so I could write a lot in it. I'll definitely beat her this year for best birthday card-
"Maddox! Finish up with your diary so that we can finally leave!" The boy's face reddened.
"It's a penpal, Eden, not a diary!" Maddox's voice hardened as he shouted down to his friend, hoping that it sounded more convincing to her than it did to him.
"I don't care if you're pals with your pen! Just get your ass down here so that we can leave! I promise Nepal," she shouted that last word sarcastically, "will be there when we get back!"
Maddox groaned and threw down his pen, reluctantly tucking the silk bookmark of his journal into the pages. Slipping on his sports jacket, he jogged down the marble stairs of the penthouse to meet Eden, his roommate. She was dressed skimpily in a low-cut, red silk slip with strappy red stilettos to match. Her golden blonde hair tumbled down her shoulder in waves, and her painted red lips defaulted into a pout as she gazed blankly down at her phone.
When she looked up, her eyes brightened and she smiled. "Thank God. Took you long enough." Maddox rolled his eyes as he sat down on the couch to slip on his shoes.
"Please. This is just your pay back for all the times I had to scream bloody murder just to get you to class on time."
"And I'm thoroughly enjoying it."
"Of course you are."
As Maddox finished tying his shoes, he looked up and realized that one member of their party was still not there.
"Where's Vivien? Is she not coming with us?"
Vivien was their other roommate, and also Maddox's cousin. She was usually the first person in their penthouse to be ready, and they all hated her for it. Well, not really hated. It was hard to hate Vivien, being the golden girl that she was.
Eden shook her head. "No, she's just gonna meet us there. Allegra asked for her help setting up, and being Viv, she just couldn't say no."
"Makes sense." Allegra was Eden's older sister, and they were supposed to be heading to the launch party for her new cosmetics line tonight. It was being held in a little hole-in-the-wall art museum that Vivien loved, so naturally she was all over going.
Maddox, Eden, and Vivien had all moved to Paris to go to school two years ago. It was hard for Vivien, who had never lived anywhere but Illea, but Maddox and Eden had taken to it like fish to water. Maddox had always dreamed of moving away from his family and going off to college in a completely different part of the world, and Eden had always wanted to go with him. Her mother was the Illean Ambassador to France, and her other mother was a fashion designer, so it was only natural that she should feel at home in the city. At first, when Maddox moved there, he thought that the initial thrill couldn't possibly last. It was too good to be true.
But it did. It had lasted for two years, and he couldn't get enough of it. Sure, he had left his sister back at home, and Sebastian, but he had also left all his problems. And anyway, they would still be there when he got back. In the meantime, he was going to enjoy the city of love and lights, and milk it for all it was worth.
"Did Apollo go with her? Or is he not going at all," Maddox asked, checking his watch. Right about now, Eden's 19 year old brother, Apollo, should be getting stoned outside in the seat of his Porsche 550 Spyder, waiting for someone to "force him" to go to Allegra's party, when he probably would have gone anyway. For a boy who tried his damndest to be rebellious and unpredictable, he sure was pretty easy to predict.
"I already got him. He's waiting in the car outside," she held her finger up when Maddox tried to interrupt her, "and don't worry - a made sure the windows are down, so we shouldn't smell like pot the entire night."
Just as they were about to head out, Maddox felt a buzzing in his pocket. Eden checked her watch, but made a gesture like "go ahead" anyway, and stuck out her hip while he answered his phone.
"Bash, hey."
"Maddy!" The voice of Sebastian Donovan, Maddox's best friend, rang through the speakerphone. "Jesus, I was scared I wouldn't catch you."
"How you been buddy? I'm about to head out, so is there something you need?" He looked at Eden and gave her the thumbs up like, "look at how responsible I'm being." She rolled her eyes and gave him a soft applause.
"Um, yeah, actually. Well, not something that I need, but something that I need to tell you. It's about your parents and… you know..." Sebastian cleared his throat on the other end, and Maddox could tell that something was wrong. But he couldn't deal with this right now. He had somewhere to be, and some time to kill before he had to go back and face them.
"Sebastian I can't deal with this right now. I'll be home tomorrow and you can tell me then. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing that hasn't already happened." Maddox closed his eyes as he said the last part. This is the last thing he wanted to think about tonight. That was for tomorrow. He could deal with it tomorrow. Tonight was his last night of freedom, and he intended to enjoy it.
"Maddox, trust me, you want to hear what I have to say-"
"If it has to do with my family, then no. No I do not. That is tomorrow's problem, and I can deal with it then. I'll see you tomorrow, man."
"No, wait-"
But Maddox had already hung up before he could finish. Letting out a deep sigh, he stuffed his phone into his back pocket and turned back around to face Eden, who was looking at him with concerned eyes.
"Is everything ok? Maybe you should call him back," she said softly, walking over to touch his shoulder. Maddox smiled back at her gratefully, but shrugged her off. "No," he said, "I meant it. I don't want to think about them tonight. I just want to enjoy spending time with you," he nudged her and she smiled, "and Viv. And I want to enjoy Paris for one last night before I have to go back and face the music." He offered his arm to her.
"Shall we?" Eden blushed profusely, but took the arm that Maddox offered her.
"We shall," she replied, and they headed off, minds free of tomorrow's worries.
Angeles, Illea
Saturday, September 29; 10:47 am
When the plane's wheels touched down on the runway, Maddox felt an enormous weight that he had lived without for two years crash back down onto his shoulders with a vengeance. Eden seemed to sense it too, because she nestled closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"It'll be ok," she whispered. But he wasn't sure.
"It's your sister's birthday. At least least you have that to distract you," Vivien's voice came from across the cabin. She was looking at him sympathetically with those big brown eyes that always had a way of making him feel better. Her long legs were crossed elegantly at the heel, and while one slender hand lay daintily acorss her lap, the other toyed with her thick chestnut hair. She looked just like her mother and his own, but the light dusting of freckles across her nose was something that he too shared. And yet, even in her jean shorts, sandals, and blousy button down, she still looked more like royalty than he had ever felt.
"Yeah, or I have something to distract him, Viv," Apollo's voice carried from the next cabin over as he appeared in the doorway. It was amazing how much one person could change so much in just two years. Apollo, the little kid who used to ask Maddox for his help on homework; Apollo, the kid who used to hold Vivien's place as the first person to everything; Apollo, who was the golden boy for 17 years until he decided to come with them to Paris. It's not like they themselves had corrupted him - or the city. Maddox never wanted to blame the city. Apollo had made his own choices, and if they made him into an asshole, so be it. Maddox just didn't have to help him with his homework anymore.
"You better not let mom see you with any of that shit. Or mama for that matter. They're both going to be here tonight, you know." Eden gave her brother a patronizing look, but he simply flicked his eyes and sat down in the seat next to Vivien, who always seemed to feel comfortable in his presence, even when no one else was. Maddox sighed, not caring anymore for Apollo's presence.
"I can't believe I haven't seen Brennan in a year… and even then it was just two days for Christmas. I missed her birthday last year, you know."
"Yeah… I remember… you got drunk and started crying in the middle of the club about how bad of a brother you were. And then you thought the girl you were making out with was Brennan and started shouting 'INCEST' in the streets." Eden gave him a wry smile, which he returned.
"I remember that," Vivien piped in, laughing, "it was in the papers for weeks!"
"Yeah, I got quite an earful from mom about that… at least Brennan knew I didn't forget about her on her birthday." Maddox looked out the window to see the private runway that they were heading down. If there was one thing that he did miss about this place, it was his little sister, Brennan. She was turning 17 today, and he wanted to do everything in his power to make it as special for her as humanly possible.
As the plane came to a stop and they began gathering their things, Maddox began to freeze up. They were right out there. All of them. Well, maybe not all of them, but certainly not people that he wanted to see. The only comfort that he had was Brennan.
Brennan's going to be out there. You're doing this for Brennan. Brennan. Brennan. Brennan.
"MADDOX!"
"BRENNAN!"
The sight of his little sister stuned Maddox for a minute, because tube top and oversized sunglasses were not what he was expecting from his baby sister, but it was still her, and he dropped all of his bags to hug her like he never wanted to let go. Because he didn't.
"I missed you so much," she whispered in his ear. She was still shorter than him - about 5'3 to his 6'2 - so he just picked her up off the ground, making her kick around in the Chanel heels she was wearing. "Ditto."
When he set her down, it was like looking at a new person. Her blonde hair was cut to her chin and her pouty lips were painted red, just like Eden's always were. Her heart shaped face and high cheekbones, which used to make her look more like a porcelain doll, now made her look like a high fashion model. She was as skinny and tiny as ever, but she made up for it with the high heels she was wearing - and yet she still didn't reach his chin.
"When the hell did you grow up? I didn't give you permission to do that," he ruffled her hair like he used to do with the were young and she squirmed to fix it.
"Yeah, well, two years is a long time. When you left, I still had little lumps. Now, I have proper boobs!" She smirked mischievously and he cringed. "I was not ready to hear that," he complained. She laughed wildly and gave him another hug.
Looking back up at him, her chin on his chest, she gave him that twinkly eyed smile that he loved so much, and when she took off her sunglasses, her doe eyes made him do a double take.
"You're a woman. You're a goddamn woman," Maddox sighed and brought her in for another hug. When he did, he looked over her shoulder and saw two people that he was hoping would just forget about him like he had them: his parents.
His mother, Queen Donatella, look teary eyed just standing there. She got teary eyed at everything really. The poor woman stood there looking helpless, and he wanted desperately to make it all better for her, but knew he couldn't. His father, and namesake, King Maddox, stood awkwardly next to her, not sure whether he should step in and say hello or not. The sight of him made Maddox's toes curl, and his heart bounce up to his throat.
But there was one person missing. The one person who Maddox had prayed, to every deity and fate out there, wouldn't show. The one person who had made this day a fear of Maddox's for the months that he had known he would visit. The prince breathed a sigh of relief, and considered going over to say hi, just to ask if that one person was gone for good, or just for the afternoon. Before he could decide, Sebastian's car pulled up alongside the party, and his best friend stepped out. Eager to distract himself, Maddox pulled Brennan into his side with one arm and waved to Sebatian with the other.
"Sebastian!" His friend ran over from the car, platinum blonde hair waving in the wind from beneath his trademark fedora. He looked like the absolute paragon of leisure, with his sleeves rolled up beyond his toned biceps, and linen joggers rolled up to match. Somehow, he always managed to look positively urban, even when that meant he looked like a hobo. Sebastian removed his shades as he came in for a hug.
"So are you officially French now," he asked, grinning, "Have we lost you forever?"
"Nah my accent is still intact. Although I now have an odd preference for very small cups of coffee."
"No! You're officially a French man!" Sebastian's grin faded ever so slightly when he saw who was looking at him intently.
"Hey Birthday Girl," he said with a more forced smile, leaning in to kiss Brennan's cheek, "You look so much older."
"You saw me yesterday, Bash," the princess said, her voice a bit tight.
"Well it feels like years."
"It actually has been years for me," Maddox joked, sensing a dimming of the mood,"So hey, Sebastian, what was it you needed to tell me yesterday?" Sebastian looked back to his friend, his eyes previously on Brennan. His face went limp for a second before his smile returned, and he stuttered for a second. "Um, well, actually I can't-"
"Sebastian!" Vivien's voice pierced the tension and Sebastian's eyes lit up at the sight of the chestnut haired beauty. He rushed forward and enveloped her in a hug almost as tight as the one Maddox had just given Brennan. Beneath his arm, he could feel his sister shiver faintly.
"It's been ages," Vivien breathed into Sebastian's shoulder, "I can't believe it's been two years!"
"Don't ever leave me for that long again, woman," Sebastian growled, and hugged her tighter. The two had been close friends for as long as time had plagued the earth. It had been strange for Maddox to speak to them separately for the two years that they were in Paris. Sebastian asked about her almost every time he called.
"God, you look great," Sebastian breathed, stepping back to look at her, "And you're taller! How could you get taller? You're like a tree now!"
"I'm still not as tall as you!"
"And thank the lord for that," Sebastian chuckled, bringing her in for another hug. His urgent news forgotten, Sebastian became completely enveloped in Vivien's presence alone.
"It's good to see them together again," Maddox said, looking back down at his sister. But she wasn't looking at him. "Yeah… yeah it is," she whispered, tearing her eyes away from the two, and forcing a smile as she looked back up at her big brother. "Come on," she tugged at his shirt, "you have to at least acknowledge them." Maddox heaved a deep breath.
"I did acknowledge them. I looked at them over your shoulder."
"With your voice. With eye contact. Don't tell me you forgot your etiquette when you were galavanting all across the City of Pastries."
"Lights. It's the City of Lights. Or love, if you're really feeling sentimental."
"Same difference - now come on," Brennan dragged him across the runway to the unfortunate couple that awaited them.
"Mom," Maddox smiled tightly as he went to kiss the crying woman on the cheek. She surged forward in a wave of emotion and clutched him tightly.
"Ma-ma-maddox, love," she cried, trying to get her breathing under control, "You ca-came."
"Yeah mom, I came. It's good to see you."
"Maddox," she scolded, her voice sobering, "I thought I taught you not to lie." Maddox gave a reluctant chuckle as he released her. His father was staring intently at the pair. His gaze was expectant, and his extended arms a bit too obvious for Maddox's taste, but he hugged his father irregardless. It was awkward, but it had to be done.
"I'm glad you're here, son," the King said tentatively after releasing the prince. Maddox nodded. "Me too."
The King's eyes crinkled at the edges- evidence of his ever-advancing age. Oddly enough, they seemed to be smile lines, which was strange to Maddox considering he had barley ever seen his father smile. If he did smile, it was either forced or tentative, just like the look he was giving his son now. It used to be real- back when Maddox would return the smile. Nowadays he just avoided the King's gaze altogether.
"Come on," his father said, jerking his head back towards the awaiting limousine, "It's time we get home. We still have a birthday ball to set up for." He gave Brennan a doting smile, which to Maddox's surprise, she returned. As the King walked off, clearly expecting everyone else to follow, Maddox gave his sister a questioning look
"What," she said defensively. Maddox shook his head, but didn't say anything. It was going to be a long trip if he got on bad terms with his sister, so if she wanted to be buddy-buddy with their father, he wasn't going to question it. Heaving an enormous breath that he didn't know he had been holding, he cautiously looked back at his hiccuping mother, who seemed to know what he was about to ask.
"Is… is he…?" Maddox allowed a hint of hope into his voice as he spoke. But his mother sighed.
"Gone?" Maddox nodded.
"No, darling. He's not." And with that, she laced her own arm through his, and let him lead her back towards the car, where the King was waiting for the rest of the party to file in. Suddenly, Maddox remembered something.
"EDEN," he called, looking back, "Are you coming?" The blonde who had been standing there patiently with her little brother, watching everything unfold, smiled gratefully at Maddox, and jogged up to catch him. The Queen watched the two with sad eyes, but when Eden jogged up alongside them and took Maddox's other arm, she smiled again, and walked with the two to the car in silence.
The party was in full swing by the time Maddox got there, and it looked like Kinky Boots had invaded Downton Abbey. It was a strange world to see: The King and Queen's friends mingling with Brennan's. Brennan had always been interested in fashion, and it had only gotten more intense as she had gotten older, but this was madness. He recognized most of the guests from his time at
Paris Fashion Week, but there were some people that he barely recognized. They were probably new designers or models that Brennan had met at one of the freelance shows she attended. She had this dream of discovering the next Coco Chanel - her favorite designer.
"It's like they just walked out of Rocky Horror Picture Show… except they're beautiful," Eden said, gawking at the people strutting around her. Eden was a model, so if this crowd surprised her, then it had to be special.
"No one ever accused Brennan of being predictable." A woman with a metal cage for a skirt walked past them, and Maddox realized that there was a bird sitting on one of the bars.
"Or boring," came a voice behind him. Maddox turned to see his baby sister, standing there in a stunning, rose colored gown, looking more grown up than he'd ever imagined possible. Her platinum blonde bob was straightened, and her full lips were painted nude. The bodice of her dress was a sheer fabric that seemed to be dripping jewels onto the full tulle skirt. It was classy, stunning, and more beautiful than anything Maddox had ever seen his sister in. For a split second too long, he was rendered speechless. Brennan blushed. "Thank you."
Maddox sputtered. "Wha-um, I'm sorry, I didn't say anything…"
"You didn't have to. Your gawking was all I needed," she said, giving him a teasing grin, "Come on. Walk me around the room - let everyone admire me." Maddox chuckled, but offered her his arm and gave a silent "see you" to Eden, who responded with a tiny wave and disappeared into the crowd.
"So, tell me, what trouble have you gotten yourself into while I've been gone," Maddox said, grabbing two drinks off a tray and handing one to Brennan, "any guys?" Brennan rolled her eyes.
"I am definitely not answering THAT. It's my birthday - I don't want to be judged."
"I'm not gonna judge you!"
"Oh, yeah, ok," Brennan mocked sarcastically, "What if I told you there was a guy." Maddox shrugged.
"I'd say that's good for you," he replied, taking a sip of his drink.
"And that he's my 35 year old married tutor."
It took every ounce of self control that Maddox possessed to not spew his drink all over Brennan's birthday gown. "He's what?"
"See, I knew you would be judgmental!"
"So you are dating your tutor?"
"No dumbass! I made that up!" Maddox had to stop himself before he gave a sigh of relief.
"Well, um if you were," he started in a less than convincing tone, "I would be completely supportive." Brennan looked at him dryly, as if daring him to say it again. He broke quickly.
"Ok, no, I wouldn't, but that's my job as your big brother! To question every questionable decision you make and then say 'I told you so' after you've already done it." He gave her a quirky smile and she rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink.
Over in the corner, Sebastian and Vivien caught his eye. The two were in deep conversation, giggling like a couple of 12 year olds. But something was different… or maybe it wasn't. Maybe it had always been like that; maybe they were always like that. But to Maddox, the way Sebastian was looking at Vivien was completely new territory.
"Hey," he nudged Brennan, "check out those two." When he nodded his head towards the pair, Brennan glanced for a split second, but quickly looked away.
"Yeah," she said, gazing into her champagne glass as if she had just seen something remarkably interesting floating in the bubbly, "Maybe now he'll stop whining about her all the time."
Maddox eyed at his sister skeptically. He was suddenly reminded of that moment on the runway between Sebastian and his sister: the strained interaction- her refusal to look at Vivien. It was almost as if…
"Is something going on between you and Sebastian?"
Now it was Brennan's turn to hold her drink in. Blushing profusely, she turned to a waiter and practically snatched a napkin from his tray to wipe her face. Keeping her face hidden behind said napkin, she replied with a high pitched laugh, "Me and Sebastian? God, no!"
That confirmed it. Maddox wanted desperately to question her further, but considering the conversation they had just had regarding her personal life and his tendency towards judgment, he figured it wasn't the right time. But holy shit.
Sebastian and his sister… it clearly wasn't mutual, considering the way that Sebastian was acting towards Vivien, but Maddox was sure that he knew. Sebastian wasn't stupid- and it explained his behavior around Brennan when he saw her on the runway. It all made sense… but why? What was going on between them? Had so much really changed in the two years that he had been gone?
Well, not that much has changed, said a voice in his head. Right. Of course. He was still lurking about.
"Ok," Maddox said, trying to calm his sister, and on some level, himself, "Whatever. I just thought I saw something." Brennan's blush deepened to the rose shade of her dress, and she knew that he was just trying to console her, but she also knew better than to push it.
"Yeah… it's ok…. That would be weird."
"Yeah, it would be." And with that, they both took a long swig of their drinks.
The strolled around the party for somewhere around an hour, talking to old friends, and being introduced to new ones. They danced and chatted and got caught up on the two years that they had missed together. Maddox hadn't realized how much he had missed his sister until she was sitting right in front of him. At times, he would find himself thinking, "I can't leave her; I can't leave this." But then he would catch himself, and look across the room to where his father was talking to some politician or other and remember why he wanted to leave in the first place.
"He isn't here yet," his sister interrupted his thoughts suddenly while they were dancing. Maddox didn't think it was worth refuting. He was looking for… him, but it was hard to admit now that he knew that he was still there. Maddox also didn't want to comment on the fact that Brennan had said "yet".
"How do you know," Maddox questioned dryly, looking back down at his sister. She looked him dead in the eye and said, "Because he would have come to say Happy Birthday to me."
Maddox snorted. "I didn't know the two of you were on suh friendly terms."
"We've been on friendly terms for a long time now." Maddox's eyebrows off his forehead. He looked back at his sister, utterly stunned. That was meant to be a joke.
"What?" His sister didn't reply, instead looking to the doors. "See," she said suddenly, "There he is now - coming to congratulate me."
Maddox's head swiveled furiously in the direction that Brennan had nodded and his breath hitched. There he was.
Sullivan "Sully" Marlowe was walking towards them at a leisurely pace, practically strutting through the room to where they stood, as if it was his home instead of Maddox's. He was dressed impeccably in a burgundy tux, with a matching polka dotted bow tie and handkerchief poking out of his coat pocket. His downturned eyes crinkled at the edges with smile lines that looked strikingly similar to Maddox's own father's, and his dark hair was gelled back so that he looked more stylish than the prince himself. He was fixing his cufflinks casually as he strolled towards them, and the air he exuded was so genuinely suave and confident that it only made Maddox loathe him more. But, before the prince could even register what was going on, Sully had halted right in front of them and was smiling so broadly and brilliantly in front of his sister that you would think he was her father. "Happy Birthday, kid."
It was like a silent movie. Maddox watched everything unfold in slow motion right before his eyes.
She smiled.
She laughed.
She hugged him.
He kissed her cheek.
They stood there together laughing and talking as if they were old friends; as if he wasn't an intruder; as if this wasn't the man who had torn apart their family and ruined his mother's life; as if this wasn't the man that Maddox had run off to Paris to be away from.
"Hello, Maddox. It's good to see you again."
Maddox blinked, but didn't say anything. What could he?
"Um, how was Paris? I've been a couple times and I always thought you'd li-"
"What are you doing here?" Sully looked caught off guard, but not offended. He had probably expected something like this, but Maddox didn't care. It didn't matter to him if he was predictable, or if he made Sully uncomfortable. It didn't matter to him. His sister, however, did.
Brennan hit him hard in the arm, seething. "Apologize. Now," she growled through clenched teeth. Maddox's eyes widened at his sister's behavior.
"Why?" She hit him again. "Because you were rude," she said, her voice still dangerous, "And it's my Birthday, so what I say goes." Maddox was dumbfounded, but before he could say more, another voice entered the conversation.
"Sully! For a minute there I thought that you wouldn't show up," his father's voice entred jovially into the conversation, but sobered when he realized who Sully was with.
"Maddox… you were uh- did I, erm," he stuttered and looked to Brennan for help, which she supplied.
"Sully was just wishing me Happy Birthday, and telling Maddox about the time he spent in Paris," she said smoothly, not giving her brother a single glance. Maddox could hardly comprehend what was happening. Sully looked at him for just a second while all of this was happening, and that was it. He couldn't handle anymore.
"I'm gonna go find Eden," he said out of the blue, and left. Brennan tried to protest, but he just kept walking. This was worse than what he had imagined- which was saying something. The prospect of seeing his father's lover again had been his major fear for the past few months, but that had always been dimmed by the fact that he was going to see his sister as well. But he had never, ever even considered the possibility that his sister might not actually be on his side in this war- that she might actually like Sully. It was too much for him to handle, and it only got worse when he found his mother: hiding in the hallway outside, pitifully nursing a silver flask as she leaned against the bannister like a child clutching her mother's skirts.
"Mom," Maddox breathed, rushing to her side, "What happened?"
"Maddy," his mother rejoiced in a high pitched voice, "Oh my beautiful bootiful boy! How I've missed you so-sooooo much." She fell over and clutched his shoulders to stand. She had been crying, he observed, for her face was painted with tear stains and smeared mascara. Her lipstick was faded from the amount of times that she had kissed the bottle to her lips, and the sleeves of her silver gown were falling from her shoulders. In short, she was a mess.
Maddox snatched the flask out of her hands, despite her protests, and sniffed the contents. "Whiskey mom? Really? The depression drink?" The Queen pouted as she made a poor attempt to snatch the flask back, consequently making herself fall to the ground as Maddox kept it out of her reach. "Ow!" Maddox sighed and picked her up. This is what his mother had been reduced to- sucking whiskey out of a glass and sobbing her soul out in the hallway outside of her own daughter's birthday party. It enraged him.
"Don't worry, mom. I'll get you out of here," he whispered. Suddenly, he heard the click of heels echo down the hallway, and before he knew it, Eden had appeared from behind the stairs.
"Maddox, I saw you leave. What's going o- shit, Your Majesty? Maddox what the he-"
"Shhhh," Maddox whispered, gesturing for her to come closer, "Get her other arm. We need to get her out of here." Eden nodded, a little stunned, but acted quickly. Together, they practically dragged the queen to the private royal elevator and did their best to keep her quiet the whole way there.
"You're so pretty," the Queen mused, playing with Eden's hair when they were safely inside the elevator, "Almost as pretty as I was." She snorted in a not-so-pretty fashion, and Eden smiled sympathetically. "I could never be as pretty as you, Your Majesty," she replied sweetly, playing to the whims of a poor, sad woman.
"That's why I said almost. All - mOOOst." His mother swayed, but caught herself on Maddox's shoulder. She seemed to find it comfortable there, because she leaned her head on it. Maddox could feel her start to drift off, but before she could, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened.
"Oh no you don't," he whispered, hauling her arm around his shoulder as Eden did the same with the other arm. Together, they led her to the Queen's suite and got the guard to open the door for them, making sure he knew not to mention this to anyone. Thankfully (and unfortunately), he was quite accustomed to the situation and knew to keep his mouth shut.
"You get her into pajamas while I go and find some makeup wipes," Maddox whispered to Eden, who nodded.
Maddox tip-toed over to the bathroom and dug through the drawers until he found a small package labeled JASON MABECK: CLEANSING TOWELETTES and thought that it would do. Since he had no desire to see his mother naked, he decided to wait for a couple more minutes before reentering the room.
The bathroom was pristine and just as stunning as he remembered. When he and Brennan were little, she thought that it would be funny to put makeup on him, and he on her. They would get it all over the counters and floors, and they got on multiple peoples bad sides for it- the makeup artists, the maids, his mother. But after every single scolding, his mother would tell him that he did a very good job on Brennan's makeup, and she on his. Looking back, he knew that she was just being nice because they both looked utterly like clowns, but he supposed that's what made her a good mother- after every scolding, she'd comfort them and make them laugh. It was a strange system, but somehow, it worked. They grew to learn from their own mistakes without fearing their mother.
Which is why it hurt him so much to see her suffering.
Deciding that enough time had passed, Maddox walked back out to see his mother, still smothered in tear stains and makeup, but in her silky pajamas. She was awake and stroking Eden's hair like she would a horse's. When she saw Maddox, her eyes lit up. "Maddy!"
Maddox shushed her squeals quickly, not wanting to excite her. It was like quieting a child.
"You're such a bea-boo-beautiful Maddy," his mother mused, stroking his face as he wiped hers, "and you," she said suddenly, looking back at Eden, "You're such a pretty girl." Eden and Maddox looked at each other and shared an amused grin.
"Thanks mom," Maddox whispered, smiling down at his mother.
"You two would be such a pretty, boo-bEAUtiful couple." Eden had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing, but Maddox kept shushing her, smiling himself.
"Thanks mom."
"I don't know why your father insists on throwing you a Selection."
And that made the room go silent.
Maddox could practically the emergency sirens blaring in his head as his mother began talking again, wanting to make her stop- wanting to make it all stop. But she just kept going.
"All to keep his stupid affair out of the light," she said thickly, her eyes tearing again, "and I told him- I told him not to being you into this but he just wouldn't listen. Just kept going on abou-bout bad publicity and how it'll be so good for you. And I mean I have to admit I was glad that it would bring you back home but ohhh," she began stroking their faces again, "I'd much prefer if you two got married. Such a- such a pretty…"
And with that, she was out cold.
You could have heard the moon in space with how quiet the room was.
Maddox didn't want to look up, but he could tell that Eden was looking at him with those sad, sympathetic eyes of hers. He didn't want to see them. He didn't want the confirmation that what he just heard hadn't, in fact, been a mad, twisted figment of his imagination. He didn't want it to be real. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt Eden's fingers weave through his fingers and lead him out of his mother's door. The hallway was long and twisty- much longer and twistier than he remembered. When the stepped into the elevator, he thought that he must have grown at least 2 years older.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Not even Eden's voice could coax him out of his stupor.
"Ok… I'll take you to your room." Maddox shot his hand out to grasp hers so that now they were facing each other, clutching both hands.
"No," he growled, almost dangerously, "We need to go back to the party." This seemed to take Eden by surprise.
"Back? But why-"
"Just," he stopped her, breathing heavily, "We just… we just do." Eden didn't seem to want to argue, so she hit the button for the first floor and spent the rest of the ride in complete silence.
When they arrived in the ballroom, they were ambushed by a very worried looking Sebastian Donovan, who looked beyond relieved to see them. "Maddox!" He rushed over to greet them.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I was talking to Vivien all evening and I forgot that I have to tell you something really important and because I don't want you to be caught off guard when they tell you-"
"That my parents are throwing me a Selection?" Maddox's voice was so utterly dry and humorless that he felt Eden cringe beside him. Sebastian just looked at him with wide, terrified eyes, as if he was afraid that the news would cause his friend to internally combust or something.
"Who told yo- nevermind. Are you ok?" Sebastian's question, though not at all funny, made Maddox laugh so hard it caused a few of the Rocky-Horror-Guests to look up.
"N-NO I-I'M NOT," Maddox practically cried, "Why the he-HELL would I be-be OK?!"
Eden tried to quiet Maddox like she had just done for the Queen, but Maddox shooed her off.
"Where's Brennan," he asked, his laughter dying, "Did she know about this?"
"Well-" Sebastian started, but he was cut off by a woman that Maddox recognised as the Palace Party Coordinator, Chloe Park.
"Your Highness! There you are- we've been looking all over for you!" Chloe looked Maddox up and down with a scrutinizing gaze. "It doesn't matter. You need to be on the stage right now. They're about to sing Happy Birthday to your sister, and your father's going to make a very important announcement."
So this was when they were doing it. It all made sense: the out of the blue invitation, the immediate need to Sebastian to speak with him, the sad look that his mother kept giving him everytime he was with Eden. They had been planning this for months- and all because dad couldn't FUCKING keep it in his pants.
In Maddox's mind, it all came down to Sully. Sully, the secret that his father had been keeping for the six fucking years; Sully, the man that had broken his mother so bad that the public had noticed and questioned her marriage; Sully, the man that his father was so adamant to keep around that he was forcing his son to come home form college to get married, just so that the public would stop questioning his marriage for a few short months. It all came down to him.
Maddox didn't know that he had reached the stage until he was on it. He didn't know that he was singing Happy Birthday to his sister until she had blown off the candles. He didn't know that his father was giving a speech until his name was mentioned in it.
"-And Maddox, on this special occasion, as his sister begins her journey into womanhood, has decided that he himself wants to set forth on his own journey- to finding true love."
This was it.
"As so-"
There was no going back.
"It is my pleasure to announce-"
Though he so wanted to go back.
"The beginning of Prince Maddox's Selection!"
"Once upon a time," he thought to himself, "There was a sad young prince, who wanted nothing more than to run away…."
Hello!
So, my name is blue, and I'm very very VERY new to the whole syoc thing, though I've loved reading some other people's in the past. I've had this idea for a while now after listening to the Falsettos soundtrack (if any of you know the show, you'd know why it inspired this), and I'm finally ready to put it into motion!
I'm really excited about this, so please pleaaaase any comments or questions or SUBMISSIONS are so welcome. I have the second chapter ready, but I just want to see people's reactions to this before I put it out.
I will only be accepting 20 (I know. I'm sorry) because that's all I can really handle, but if I feel the need, I might add a couple more. The rules and form are on my bio, but I also have a pinterest account (username: blue roses) with all sorts of aesthetic and inspiration boards where I'll be putting all the outfits and pictures of the Selected. If you want, I'd love if you could share your character boards with me so that I can put inspo pins on them as well.
Soooo yeah! I think that's all I have to say now. Please leave a review! I know that was long, but they will NOT all be that long. I just wanted to give a full introduction to all the characters and the circumstances because they're all very important.
Thank you so much for reading!AHHHH I'm so excited this is finally out! I hope you'll stick around!
XOXOXO