Massie,

As I grabbed a glass of Champaign, I looked around to the bustling party.

Standing there, in the middle of the party with a poised look about me and a serious face, I looked like a queen. I was wearing an expensive and ravishing red Ralph Lauren dress, and I was decked out in my favorite ruby set. I looked elusive in my three inch red heels, and I looked dignified but still fun in my half-down hair-do.

I had often been told I looked like a queen, one Royal (the nickname I had given to the certain people in my school who loved to brag how many people would have to die for them to become monoarch, though it was more likely I would get there before they did) had even asked if I was a queen from another small country when I first moved here.

Queen I understood. Queen was alpha. Queen was Massie Block.

And, for the first time since I left for London, I felt Queen again.

I had a lavish, beautiful party full of beautiful music, delicious food, amazing drinks, and the perfect setting. I had my members of my royal court at my side, and everyone had shown up for me, pledging their loyalty to me as their queen.

But being Queen wasn't the same without my King.

As I stood there, I knew that his arm should have been wrapped around my waist, whispering "My little Queen," in my ear as he always did at the success of a party. I knew that we should be sneaking in the kitchen to keep from people snapping pictures right about now, and I knew that we should be making plans for coffee to talk about our summer while I gently laughed that he was ruining my lip gloss, though I really didn't want him to stop.

But I had no clue where he was right now.

It was a feeling I was used to by now. The last I had heard of him, he was in Monte Carlo, and that was in June. The Gossip Girl post announcing he was back was big news to me, and I hated that.

We weren't just dating. James had been my best friend…

I should know this on my own, he should be calling me to tell me! Gossip Girl should be finding out after me, I shouldn't have to fake a knowing smile about knowing. And I shouldn't have been blindsided by this.

"So, you sure you're okay?"

I looked back to Dylan, who grabbed a glass of Champaign off a waiter.

It almost felt weird to hear her voice after so long of phone calls and video chatting. Her New York accent had been dulled thanks to the Marvil voice training coach that wanted them to be relatable to the rest of the country. But her voice was so distinctly American that it made me smile.

My voice was a combination of different cultures. I had a French twinge from the last year of my mom mixing the two languages in conversation. My years in Britain gave me a small accent, and my American was still hidden under there.

I still remembered how much I cried when I first found I was starting to sound British, though I wouldn't let anyone know how much it bothered me. I felt like I betrayed the Pretty Committee by becoming British.

Only James had known that I cried because of it, and he had helped me by taking on part of my American accent.

"Well, we dated a long time. And he was there for all of high school and my transition to Britain. It has to hurt. But I can move past it," I shrugged, taking a drink from my Champaign flute, and I prayed she wouldn't ask so many questions.

Dylan shrugged.

I began to wonder if I really would or if it would be a lie I told everyone until I believed it myself.

"What about you and that Tom guy?" I asked, not wanting to talk about my love life.

"We split. I was moving to England for a year and leaving behind the fame world he loved so much. So he started dating some actress, Andrea. We weren't going to last anyway. He was in LA, I was in New York. And he wants to be famous, I got it forced on me."

"Please, Dylan, you know you adore it," I smirked, nudging her.

"But it's hard to grow up and find yourself when you have to play a character on a show and pretend it is you. Let's face it, I haven't had a real boyfriend since Middle School and I have no clue what I want to do with my life."

"You're sixteen. You have time, Dylan."

"Says the girl who has known she wanted to go into PR since she was nine."

"Shut up," I smiled, and Dylan turned to look at me.

"Come on, since when were we wall flowers?" Dylan smiled, and she wrapped her hand around mine. I barely even had time to put down my glass before Dylan was pulling me off to the dance floor where everyone was having fun, and Dylan and I began to dance.

I was never a good dancer, though Dylan was.

It was my one fault, and I usually avoided dancing unless it was a slow dance or the waltz.

But tonight I didn't care.

I began to dance, and Dylan and I even began to sing along to the sign, laughing and falling all over each other like we were drunk or insane or both.

I hadn't had this much fun in so long that it felt alien. My British buds were great, but they could never be the PC. They didn't know me like the PC did.

The PC had seen me as everything. A lowly beta trying her hardest to work her way up in the world. A dictator alpha. A cruel girl desperate to keep her status as alpha. A girl who secretly had a soft side and couldn't live without her friends. A girl sobbing as she broke the news that her life was being uprooted and there was nothing she could do about it.

My British friends only saw me as the now-me. A lowly new girl who worked her way up in the world. A girl who kept control on her kingdom but wasn't too strict that everyone hated me. A girl who was able to adapt to anything and everything.

I was about to kick off my expensive heels to embarrass myself more with my dancing, but then a certain sparkly blonde appeared at our side.

"Claire!"

Claire's blonde hair was in a braided up-do. Her make-up was delicate, and she was wearing her favorite gold star earrings. On her short frame, her gold dress went just above her knees, and it shone like a disco ball in the room. She wanted to be a star, so I made sure she looked like one.

"Where's Cam?" Dylan yelled over the music.

"Talking about school with some guy on the soccer team. If I hear one more thing about class, I am going to kill someone!" Claire complained, and I laughed as she fell into my hug, and Dylan grabbed another glass of Champaign from a waiter.

"You need this," Dylan handed Claire the drink, and she happily took a long sip.

I began to laugh.

"Go, Claire!"

Claire,

My eyes began to flutter open, and I smiled wide.

The Block Castle could make anyone feel like they had just been transported back in time. Everything here was designed to be that way, and everything was lavish and beautiful, especially for guests. When I was here, I felt like a lady coming to visit the Princess Massie.

But that was when I was just staying in another guest room.

Now I was in my own room, and I felt like the long lost princess that had just claimed her title.

I suddenly forgot my own room back in Westchester with the light green walls, posters for boy bands, and my overflowing closet.

Everything was perfect.

My canopy bed was so soft I didn't want to get out, and the blue on the drapes matched my eyes. The walls were a light calming blue, and there were cute sayings on the wall. The floor was hardwood, but, beside my bed, there was a light blue shag rug. My TV was state of the art, and the couch looked unbelievably beautiful and comfortable. At my desk, there was a new video camera and a note saying I should use it to record my next performance.

Everything was perfect…

I rolled over in my bed to see Cam, and I gasped.

He wasn't there…

I sat up in bed, and I began to panic as I looked for him.

I was about to call out to Cam when I saw him standing by the desk.

I smiled, pulling my knees to my chest.

"You're up."

He turned back to smile at me, and my face fell at the sight of his duffle.

"And packed."

"Yeah, I was going to go ahead in when you woke up.

He spent the night with me in the Block Castle because it was too late for him to go on to his dorm in KISS, and he was planning on driving in with our friend, Layne, later today. But I had expected he would at least stay for breakfast.

Honestly, I was expecting that we would wake up and have some of the amazing breakfast Massie bragged about and get Massie's driver to take us into town and get to see London for the rest of the day. Maybe then we would get some lunch and drive in about one or two and that I would help him unpack.

"I just thought we might hang out today before you went in."

"I know," Cam sat on the bed beside me, "But the soccer tryouts are today."

"Right," I looked down.

"Come on, Gummi Claire," he smiled at me, "We have a year here. We can hang out any other time."

I nodded.

"How about we get some sushi on Friday?"

"I can't. The big KISS party for the beginning of the year is on Friday, and I promised Massie and Dylan I would go."

"Right."

"How about Saturday?"

"I can't. Some of the guys last night and I made plans to play soccer."

"Oh," I looked down.

Someone banged on the door.

"Camera, you said you wanted to make that orientation thing. Get your butt out here or we'll be late."

Layne.

I knew I had to understand that this was supposed to be a busy time for Cam. He didn't have friends here yet, and he had just moved to England and left his home. He had to unpack, to make friends, and start his life here. And I knew I was a part of it.

I smiled, feeling better about it, and he leaned in to kiss the top of my head.

"Love you, Claire."

"Love you, too."

He shouldered his duffle.

"I'll call you tonight," he smiled as he opened the door.

"Bye, Claire," Layne waved like a crazy five year old.

"Bye, Layne," I laughed, and they were just gone like that.

I looked around my empty room for a while, and I stood up to draw back the curtains to the small balcony.

The warm sun falling on me, I pulled on the light blue silk robe with Claire written in dark blue cursive that Massie had given me, and I stepped into my plush blue slippers. I brushed through my hair quickly, and my mouth was beginning to water as I smelled the breakfast downstairs.

As I was stepping out, I ran into Dylan, who was just leaving her room.

Dylan was pulling her red curls into a ponytail when she saw me.

Like me, she was wearing a red silk robe with her name monogramed on the breast. She was wearing a pair of black flats, and she was holding her cell phone.

"Hey, Claire."

"You sleep okay?"

Dylan shrugged as we both started walking.

"Jet lag. Barely slept a wink. I ended up watching TV last night. Thank God Massie has American programs, too. British stuff mainly sucks."

I smiled as we walked down the stairs, and we worked our way through the castle to get to the kitchen.

In a house like this, we should have been getting lost, but the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls and bacon served as our guide. And my stomach was growling by the time we made it to the expensive kitchen made for cooking for parties.

"You're up. I thought you would want to sleep late."

I stared at Massie.

Even when she had just woken up, she looked perfect.

Her skin was tan from her time in Monte Carlo. Her wavy brown hair was in a ponytail, and her eyes were sweet amber. Her lilac silk robe was open to her black tank top and shorts, and her body was perfect. With proactive-clear skin and naturally rosy lips, she didn't even really need make-up.

You had to have good self-confidence to be friends with a girl who looked like Massie, and, while I wasn't sure I looked nearly as good as she did, I was still perfectly fine with being her friend.

"Couldn't sleep," Dylan moaned, sitting on the stool to one side of her, and I sat on the other.

"Esmeralda, can you please give Dylan a cup of coffee and some breakfast for the two of them, please?"

"Of course, Miss Massie," an aging British woman smiled at her as she went to get everything for us.

Esmeralda had been hired as soon as they got to England, and she and Massie had been close. Esmeralda became the new Inez, and they had gotten even closer after Massie's parents divorced. I always adored seeing Esmeralda when I came her, she always spoiled us rotten.

"Cam got up early morning. Some orientation, he just left."

As Esmeralda handed Dylan her coffee and went back to making us each a plate, Massie put her hand on my shoulder.

"I know you wanted to go into the city with him and everything."

"It's fine," I shrugged, and I smiled when Esmeralda put a plate in front of me full of bacon, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and a cinnamon bun covered with icing.

"Thank you," I smiled wide, and happily took a bite of the scrambled eggs.

"Do you want to come into the city with me? We can still have that fun day you planned."

I shook my head and took a drink from my glass of orange juice.

"I have a lot of unpacking to do."

Massie looked to Dylan.

"I need to get some sleep."

"Well, I better unpack, too. Do you guys mind going shopping for Uniforms tomorrow?" Massie asked, taking a bite of her cinnamon bun.

"Sure," I shrugged.

Dylan,

As I hung up the last dress, I looked around my walk-in closet. It was basically another room, and I didn't have nearly enough clothes to fill it up.

It reminded me of my mother's closet that I used to play in. Running around there as a little kid was like going on a shopping adventure, only mom wasn't on her cell phone the entire time. Her closet was one of my favorite places as a child.

I still remembered hiding in the many ball gowns and watching my father pack up his side of the closet as he began his move to his modern mansion on the other side of town, where he now lived with his new wife, Kaitlyn, and their twins, Finnegan and Maggie.

As I thought back to the four year olds, I remembered the episode where I pretended to make nice with Kaitlyn so that we could be a united family for Finn and Maggie. In honesty, I hated Kaitlyn and often brought up the fact that she was only fifteen years older than me. Maggie was adorable but just like her mother, and I adored Finnegan.

It had killed me to pack up and leave Finn with Kaitlyn, Maggie, and my two older sisters to raise him for a year. But I was convinced it was right.

And, other than being with Massie, I could barely remember why I came now that the plane had landed and the dust was settled.

It was especially killing me to look at the Twitter posts of my sister.

JamieMarvil:

Just unpacked my bags for a few months with the fam. Too bad Dyl isn't here to complete the family feeling #LoveYouSis

I didn't even need to think about it to see the dig by my sister. No one had been happy by my choice to leave the show for the season, and Jamie was mad that I was giving up what she wanted. As soon as I broke the news, she made plans to move into her old room from her NYC penthouse for a few months while I was gone to get more airing time.

They started shooting today, and I was expecting to see rough footage from the tears they shot yesterday any minute to torture me.

I threw my cell phone to the bed, and I started towards the rest of the boxes I had to unpack. I was just about to tear open another box when the double doors to my room opened dramatically with Claire and Massie in the doorway.

"Hey, guys."

"Your first story is on Gossip Girl."

"What?"

"Come here," Massie motioned for me to follow her as she hurried to my laptop and logged on to the website.

Claire and I followed after her quickly.

On the front page of the website, there was a picture of three girls. One had brown hair and a red outfit complete with the matching ruby set. One was covered in gold glitter and had long blonde hair, and there was a girl with carnation red hair and a loose green dress.

Us.

M can't stand pity, and she was determined to not keep it long by throwing a big party. And she brought a few new guests along.

Everyone came out to support our queen, but even those subjects not so loyal wanted to see the new court. Now that B and K are using this year as their year abroad, we knew that M wouldn't stay friendless for long. But we were all shocked when M announced that she was flying her new friends across the pond!

Now here they are, and they definitely fit up to the big bill that we expected after all those stories.

Rumor is that Claire was once in a big Hollywood flop, Dial L for Loser, stealing the part from M who auditioned with her even though Massie claims she was "too confident to play the role of a loser". And anyone with a fetish for American Reality TV knows America's little angel Dylan Marvil.

Everyone says that, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. But will these girls be able to survive KISS in the dark?

I guess we'll get our first glimpse this Friday.

XO XO

Gossip Girl

"What does she mean KISS in the dark?"

"That's what happens at the party this Friday. At midnight, the lights turn off for a few seconds. It was started as a tradition to end the summer or something, but now it really stands for a new year of scandal. It's a metaphor for what is to come," Massie explained.

"What's to come?" Claire asked timidly, and I stared at Massie.

"We're surrounded by British elite. Sure, they have titles and cute accents. But things here can be just as dirty as in New York. Some people here, though they think their name should one day get them to the crown, think that people in power should work for it. But I can handle them," Massie shrugged.

"What do they do?"

"Nothing if you stick with me. I promise. I can lead these people, they are my kingdom. You'll be fine."

I nodded, though I couldn't stop thinking about it.

"So, what usually happens in this darkness thing?" Claire asked nervously.

"It isn't what happens in the dark. It is what is found out when the lights turn back on," Massie smiled like there was a story to this.

"I'm guessing we have a story?"

"Things always happen. Last year, Lady Leslie Maybell found out her boyfriend was cheating on her when the lights came on and he was kissing Anna Williams. Two years ago, Rebecca had guards waiting on either side of her to take her away because she was officially expelled and not allowed on school grounds in the school year. Every year, it's a new scandal."

"And she thinks it will involve us this year."

"Probably just hoping. We'll be fine."

I hesitated, looking at Massie as I began to wonder if she had ever been involved in a KISS in the Dark Scandal.

Finally, I forced myself to ask.

"Mass, has that ever… happened… to you?"

Massie's eyes turned to determination.

"Never, not once. I have done everything to make sure it was that way, though people have tried. Those few seconds in the dark are like do-or-die. For the last two years, I have had to fight off guys trying to kiss me to break me and James up..." Massie's face fell, "It was a tradition."

A tradition not occurring this year.

Or maybe even ever.

Massie's face showed that she thought about that, and she looked away.

James had not been just a boyfriend. He was the boyfriend, the one we all compared ours to. He had taken Cam's place as #1 boyfriend easily. James was the ultimate example of what Massie needed and what she wanted at the same time.

He was funny but not immature. He could be serious, but he wasn't dull. He was a genius but not a know-it-all. He was quiet and mysterious, but he opened to Massie. He was handsome but not self-absorbed. And he held school-rank while not obsessing over keeping it.

Sir James Winthrop was the boy you dream about when you think of perfect British Hawtie.

And Massie had him, he was hers. Only hers. He wanted only her when he could have anyone.

But then he was gone, flew off into the sunset in a private jet for the summer.

We had all hoped he wouldn't return, that he would stay wherever the hell he went. Despite this, we all knew he would come back. We just didn't know when. We were starting to think it wouldn't be this year, no one had heard from him. No one said a thing. Then his private jet landed on British soil….

"I'll let you girls unpack. Don't worry about KISS in the Dark. It all works out as long as you stay on your guard."

Massie smiled goodbye to us, and she started back to her bedroom at the end of the hall, leaving me and Claire together.

"Kiss in the Dark…." I said with a weak smile, "Would have caused World War III in Westchester."

Claire laughed, but she was still thinking about it.

Someone always got in trouble.

Who would it be this year?

I worried that this would be the one year that Massie didn't have this under control, and I also worried that the same was true for the rest of the year. It wasn't exactly that she needed James but that she had gotten so used to him by her side that she wouldn't know how to do it. And everyone was already watching her carefully, and I knew someone out there was plotting a downfall for her.

But this was the million dollar question.

Will it work?


I am so sorry this chapter took so long to get up, my laptop broke and there were some problems with the repair because, everytime it got sent off, the guy screwed up the paperwork. And I was using another computer, but I had this chapter half-done on my broken laptop. So I had to wait until I got it back to finish it.