"Miss, wake up."
I blinked sleepily, and Lucy's gentle face came into view. I had slept through the rest of the night, with no tossing or bad dreams. I was still exhausted from my nightmare and being up so late, but I felt a lot better than I had the previous mornings.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked in concern as I rolled out of bed.
"I woke up once," I admitted, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Anne held out her hand, and I took it as I slid out of the bed.
"One of the guards mentioned you were in the garden last night with a certain young gentleman," Anne said as I stretched. She began making my bed with Lucy, both looking like they were waiting for answers.
"Maybe," I said with a small smile. "But you can't listen to palace gossip you know," I added with a wink. Lucy clapped her hands in delight, but once Anne shot her a look, she calmed down.
"Well, at lest you look like you got a little rest. Rumor has it that something decently big is going to happen today, so we are going to need extra time to get you prefect," Anne explained. They ushered me into the tub, and began the boring process of getting me ready for the day. They put me in a lovely mint green day dress, pinning my hair at the nape of my neck. I wore the bracelet Maxon gave me, and a simple set of pearl earrings. My make-up was flawless, and I loved that I still looked like me. It reminded me of how I looked when I started the selection. It made me feel more at ease.
"Go before your late," Mary whispered from behind me. I nodded my head, heading down the stairs. I saw Celeste on the way down, and she gave me a condescending look before flipping her hair and heading into the dining room. I had gotten a lot better the past few days at ignoring her antics, but they seemed half-hearted, like she knew I wasn't a threat anymore.
When I walked into the room, I saw that Maxon was in deep conversation with his mother. I wanted to catch his eye, but I saw that King Clarkson was watching me like a hawk. I put on my best smile, taking a seat besides Elise.
"You look radiant this morning, America. You look like you slept better," Kriss said in a kind tone. I smiled back at her. At least things between us were starting to thaw a little. The past few days all of the other elite avoided me like a bomb about to go off.
"I slept better last night, thank you."
I grabbed a pastry, nibbling at it. My appetite still wasn't back to where it had been, but the more that I ate the better I felt. The scrape of a chair made me look up, and Maxon stood, smiling at us. He caught my gaze for a moment, and he eyes softened at me.
"Ladies, this morning, you will all have the privilege of speaking with my mother. She wants the opportunity to get to know you better, and I would like that as well. She will explain the rest, as I have a very long meeting to attend to with the advisors," he finished. I detected a trace of annoyance in his voice, and I smiled even wider. His eyes met mine once again, his eyes sparkling in response. I gave him a nod of my head, as to tell him he would do great, and his eyes crinkled just a bit. Queen Amberly stood beside him, a warm smile on her face.
"We will just be having a little chat, so don't be nervous. Lady Kriss will be first, and then Ladies Celeste, Elise, and America will follow. Girls, please wait in the Women's room until you are summoned. Lady Kriss? Will you follow me?"
A twinge of hurt ran through my system as I saw Maxon's eyes follow Kriss out of the room. He looked at her with care and adoration. I wanted to tell myself that it wasn't the same way he looked at me, but maybe I was biased. I could be refusing to see what was so plain right in front of me. I looked down at my plate, sadness engulfing me. Was this how Aspen felt every time he saw me with Maxon?
"Lady America!"
I jumped in my seat, looking around me. The dining room was emptying, the others heading out of the doorway, save for me and King Clarkson. I stood quickly, giving him a quick curtsy.
"Are you deaf or simply choosing to ignore the King of Illea?"
"I apologize, your majesty," I countered firmly. I knew he was trying to ignite my temper, but he would have to try harder than that. "I was lost in thought. Is there something that you require of me?"
He looked at me like I was a bug, and only he could decide if I was insignificant enough to let go or if I needed to be squished.
"Follow me. I need to speak to you in private."
The King turned, and I followed him towards the stairs. We must have been going to his private office on the third floor. Before we got to the stairs, I saw Maxon waiting on his father outside of the large meeting room on the main floor, and he eyes widened when he saw I was with him. I tried not to look panicked, for Maxon's sake. Maxon always did a great job of covering up his emotions, but I was starting to be able to read him more easily. His eyes betrayed how he was really handling things, and right now, they were dilated in fear.
"Are you coming to the meeting, Father?" Maxon asked in a pointed tone.
"I will be in shortly, start without me. I must have a chat with Lady America first."
Maxon's face went rigid, and I could see the ghost of anger there.
"Perhaps I should tell the advisors we will be a little longer before the meeting will start so I can accompany you," he offered. There was an unspoken conversation in their words. The King's tone implied that he was in charge, and that we were going to play by his rules, not his son's. Maxon's was firm and insistent, standing up to his father on what he believed was right. They stared each other down, and I could feel the power radiating from both of them. I had never been so proud of Maxon than I was in that moment.
"I believe we have come to an understanding about your friend here, so there is no need to worry about that," he spat at his son. "You will start the meeting without me, or the terms will change. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Father," Maxon responded rigidly.
"Come on, Lady America. I haven't got all day," King Clarkson huffed as I followed him up the stairs. Maxon's eyes locked with mine, and he let the fear show through.
"I'll be fine," I mouthed to him. He nodded his head, the worry only increasing. He tugged his ear, and I gripped mine in response. I smiled, trying to assure him, and I turned to go up the stairs before I could lose my nerve.
Once I got to the top, the King was waiting for me, holding open the door to his officer with an impatient air. The guards quickly glanced down at me, their expressions devoid of emotion.
King Clarkson pointed at a chair, and I sat in it the way I was trained: Knees together, ankles crossed, back straight, and hands clasped in my lap. I wanted to seem regal and confident, even if I was falling apart on the inside.
"Shut the door, Officer Markson."
I heard the click of the knob, and the King began to pace in front of me.
"As you know, there will be a report tomorrow night, and you will have to respond to last week's egregious oversight on your part. Thankfully, we managed to cut off the stream just after you stated you wanted to get rid of the castes. It will be explained that it was rebel interference in the stream caused the interruption, and you will present a valid reason for coming up with that insane idea."
Thoughts were warring inside my head. The people may have seen the book, but did that mean that I was cut off before I mentioned it? The King hadn't mentioned it, and the tabloids that Celeste had shoved in my face were vague on the matter, which I'm sure had something to do with the King. If they hadn't seen that part, it would mean the rebels would not have confirmation of the books existence, if that was what they were really after. I looked up at King Clarkson, to see him standing in front of me. I wasn't exactly sure what he was asking of me. His stance was firm and domineering, and I gritted my teeth, determined to prove to him that I was not weak and that I could do this.
"A valid reason?"
He looked at me with an absolutely hostile expression. He leaned down placing his hands over my arms on the armrests. The pressure was uncomfortable, but I kept my face perfectly blank. His face was mere inches from mine, and I could smell the mix of his breath and cologne.
"Yes, Lady America. You better come up with a reason for saying what you did, explaining it in a way to please me. The monarchy will stay, and so will the castes. It's what keeps this country running smoothly. You will remind the people of this. If it doesn't please me, I will ensure that you are removed from the selection."
"The only person that can dismiss someone from the Selection is Prince Maxon," I stated fiercely. He chuckled darkly, leaning back away from him. He grabbed my chin with his hand, tilting my head up to look at him.
"You've learned to put on a brave face, girl. You are getting smarter, aren't you? My dear, Maxon will never choose you, as long as I can help it. I told you not to make an enemy of me, Lady America. Displease me, and you will reap the consequences. I have more power than you can ever imagine. You are nothing but a silly little girl, a five, chosen to come here on a whim. No, I cannot dismiss you from the selection, but then again, I never said anything about sending you home."
His threat struck me, and I fought to keep my emotions in check. I knew I was shaking but I tensed my body, trying to overcome them.
"Keep that in mind."
I left King Clarkson's office, and I darted into my room. The minute I saw that my maids were gone, I locked the door and slid down to the floor, wrapping my arms around myself. I needed a minute to collect myself, to make sure I could handle walking into the ladies' room.
What in the world was I going to do? Would Clarkson actually go that far? I hoped he was simply trying to frighten me into submission. Well, he succeeded on the frightening part.
I took a deep breath, looking at myself in the mirror. I checked my make-up and squared my shoulders up. I could do this, I know I can. Maxon told me help would come, and I was going to trust him on that.
After all, trust goes both ways, right?
I walked downstairs to the ladies room, and I saw that Kriss and Elise were chatting quietly with one another.
"America! Where have you been?" Elise asked. I could tell by her tone that she had thought that I was possibly getting sent home. I knew things would start to get ugly the further on the competition went, but I wasn't going to let it affect me.
"I had a meeting with the King."
I took my usual window seat, opening the book I had been skimming through over the past few days. It was a history of Illea, but it went a lot more in depth that any of our school books it still left out the most important parts, like the facts I had learned from Gregory Illea's diary.
"A meeting with the King?" Kriss asked with burning curiosity. I didn't feel entirely comfortable talking to her about my situation with Maxon anymore, but I would have to tread carefully. I wanted to keep her friendship, as I never got to see Marlee anymore. Something just felt off to me now, and I hoped it was just the tension the last report had caused. On the inside, I was panicking, but they didn't have to know that.
"Yes, to discuss the report tomorrow night. My transmission got cut-off, remember? So I have to address that." Good. I was pleased with my cool and indifferent tone.
"That sounds intimidating," she grimaced. She sounded sincere, and I offered her a small smile. "What are you going to say?"
"I'm not sure," I answered honestly.
Our conversation drifted into more pleasant topics, such as how we celebrated Christmas with our families since the holidays were fast approaching. My family still ate a grand dinner on thanksgiving, but I learned that it was more an east coast custom that anything else.
Celeste came down from her chat with the Queen not too long after that, and Elise left the room. The chatter died down now that Celeste was in here with us, but Kriss offered me a small smile and went back to reading her book.
That left me time to think about what exactly I was going to do.
A/N: Another Chapter! I think I may have the next one up tomorrow night. You guys are absolutely amazing, and I can't thank you enough for your amazing reviews. I know I'm taking it a little slow, but you got to build up to stuff. Trust me when I saw that the action is about to heat up!
Please forgive any typos because I am editing in class. I hate to keep you guys waiting!
If you guys have any theories or ideas you would like the share, I'd love to hear them. Also, check out my One Night With the Prince One-Shots. If you are a Maxerica fan, they will make you smile.
PSA: KIERA READ MY SMUT ON TUMBLR AND I MAY HAVE HAD AN ACTUAL HEART ATTACK OVER IT.
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