Wow, Chapter 10 already! I never thought I'd get this far. I'm so excited! This may be my favorite chapter out of all the ones I've written so far for IINKY. Once again, I felt compelled to put it in the first person from Hazel's POV. I think all the girls reading will really relate to what she's feeling in this chapter.

Chapter10

The next few months were fairly uneventful. Mother had reached her fourth month of pregnancy, and besides morning sickness and a few mood swings, she was doing fine. Things became very stable for me, then, though when I thought about it, I lived a double life. There was my life at home, and my life with Hakim. For now, I preferred that they remain separate. Neither of us were sure how Dad would react, and we weren't really 'official,' anyway. We still had to get to know each other as a couple before people found out about us.

Things picked up, however, when Hakim's 17th birthday began to approach. As usual, his father took what was supposed to be a birthday party and used it as an excuse to forward his own interests, only inviting people he needed to impress. The only person at the party who actually knew him most of the time was me. I always tried to make the day special and be there for moral support, even though no one else bothered.

Normally, I didn't really make a fuss about going. I didn't dress a certain way, do my hair, or do anything else that so many of my superficial predecessors did. This year was entirely different. In fact, whenever I was around Hakim I was different. Now I always made that extra effort to keep my hair looking decent, or wore a nice outfit when I knew I was going to see him. I had become the very thing that not so long ago I made fun of.

Mom had given me one of her old dresses to wear. It was jade green, off the shoulder with long sleeves. A ribbon was tied around the waist line with a emerald jewel in the middle. She hadn't worn it in years, and thought I might like it, and with a baby coming in five months, she had to abandon most of her normal outfits, anyway.

The thing I was most worried about was a hairstyle. Mother had always said there was so much more I could do with my hair, and I never listened. Now I wished I had. I wore my hair in virtually the same style every day – parted on the right, with my bangs hanging down, untamed and unable to get rid of. I never did up-do's, and only did ponytails when it was really hot. So what to do with it now? After a long period of trail and error, I finally settled on a large braided bun that Mother helped me fix, with a few jewels sewn in to match my dress.

As I looked in the mirror, I realized that I actually looked pretty. Vanity was never high on my priority list, and looks meant little to me. But now, as I applied the last layer of lipstick and finished that last brush of eyeliner, I noticed that how much I looked like my mother. Our eyes were the same, and we had the same oval face, the same smile. The bangs were what set us apart physically. For once I fought the urge to brush them away from my face and let them hang down, allowing the ebony color to bring out my eyes.

"Ready to go down?" Mom asked and she finished doing my hair. Even though she wasn't coming with me, I felt like it was a girl's night out. I had so much fun with her the two hours or so we had spent in my room I almost didn't want to leave.

"I guess," I replied, still nervous about how different I looked – pretty, but different.

"Aw, don't look so scared!" Mom said, trying to give some encouragement. "I'm sure you two will have a great time."

"I still wish you'd come with me, though." I had been begging her to come with me all night, for moral support more than anything else. I always felt so isolated at these parties, and every once in a while, I felt like I was...looked down upon for being so different from everyone else there, even Hakim. It built a tension between me and everyone else there and played at my hidden insecurities.

"Tonight isn't about me, it's about you two. Besides, you need to get used to going to parties alone."

I rolled my eyes. Not this speech again. How much more independent did she want me to be? There was only so much freedom one girl could possess, and I crossed that line years ago. I sighed.

"I guess I'd better go then," I said, leaving the seat at my vanity and heading for the door. Mom followed behind me and we descended down the marble stairs to the throne room, where the gang was eagerly waiting to see me. I felt like some snooty debutante as I went down those stairs. For tonight, the old Hazel had gone and this new girl who I didn't even know had taken her place.

When we got to the throne room, all I got was blank stares from everyone, like they were shocked more than anything else. This was side of me none of them had ever seen before. Dad had a sad look in his eyes, the look so many parents get that says, 'She's not a little girl anymore, is she?' and they start to get sentimental. But I could tell he was happy for me, even if he didn't say much.

Iago was never one to throw around compliments, words didn't seem to come to him. Genie, of course lightened the mood the best way he knew how – comedy. He threw in a joke or two and some shape changes as Mom ushered me out, telling me to have a good time.

The palace wasn't far away, which I was grateful for, since I had worn heels and didn't want my feet to ache before I even got there.

When I reached the palace gates, there was already a crowd of people outside, most of them royals, mingling and talking. I searched for Hakim, but he was impossible to spot in such a large crowd. He didn't like to be around people that much, anyway.

After finally managing to get into the throne room, I ran into an even larger crowd of people. I made my way to the back of the room, where there were a few refreshments, and not many people. Just as I suspected, there was Hakim, leaning against the wall, the perfect definition of a wallflower. His face showed boredom, maybe even a little depression.

When I first went over to him, I don't think he even recognized me, but when he did he gave me a double-take. He looked me over for a minute.

"Wow..." was all he managed to say. My cheeks turned the deepest shade of red, but I covered it up by greeting him with a hug and wishing him a Happy Birthday.

After that, things finally returned, at least partially, to normal. Conversation flowed easily between us, as it always had. The only difference was that now, from time to time, I would catch him staring. The new look obviously got a positive reaction from him.

And then I saw her.

She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her hair was chestnut brown, her eyes ocean blue, a rarity for those of Arabian descent, who usually inherited brown or hazel eyes from their ancestors. Her tanned skin told me she was at least partially Arabian, but the hair and eyes told me she may have originated somewhere in the Mediterranean. An exotic beauty if ever I saw one.

Apparently I was not the only one who noticed this mystery girl. Every man in the room was staring. But she was looking at the only person there who payed no attention to her – Hakim. There was a longing in her eyes, though what exactly she was longing for, I couldn't be sure of.

I could tell from the look on her face that she was the flirty, spoiled type. A girl used to getting her way. She also seemed the mysterious type. No one at the party seemed to know her, and as far as I could see, she had yet to say a word to anyone. The flirting with Hakim wasn't verbal – it was all in the eyes. Something about those eyes hinted that there was more to this girl – more lying just beneath the surface. They looked at him, with a shy, flirtatious gaze, innocent and sinister at the same time.

I prayed Hakim's eyes would not meet hers, but they locked in a quick glance at one another. She held him there in that moment, until finally his head went down bashfully. Before he turned away, I could've sworn a coy smile crossed his lips – not one of mutual feelings, but of interest. He took pleasure in the fact that someone he barely knew appeared to be attracted to him.

And for some reason, it drove me crazy. I had never been envious of anyone, but I was envious of this girl. Wasn't it enough that I cared? That I liked him? Did he need anything else?

Finally I mustered the courage to say something. "Do you know her?" I asked, not even bothering to say who I was talking about. I knew he knew exactly who I meant.

"No. I think Dad invited her."

"Why would he invite her?"

"I don't know, but I saw them talking when she first came in."

Now I knew something was up. What was this girl doing here? Where did she come from?

"Well, she obviously has the hots for you," I said, trying to sound playful, but knowing that for me, this was no laughing matter.

"So?" he replied nonchalantly.

"And you're okay with that?" I asked, beginning to get frustrated.

"I don't really care. It's not like I'm interested."

"You sure about that?"

He took my hand in his, a gesture that could raise a few eyebrows, but neither of us cared. "I'm positive," he replied. Flattered as I was, all I could think to do was find that mystery girl. Had she seen what he just did? Did she take the hint?

But she hadn't seen it. Of course, by now she'd finally started to mingle, flirting with a few of the boys who had been staring earlier, with her back to us. That's when I realized what this girl was trying to do. For her, Hakim was another conquest, another notch in her belt. She was the type who could flirt with anyone and have no emotional attachment to the person at all. But even as she flirted with those boys, her eyes kept drifting back to Hakim. Loose as she was, she obviously had her sights set on him.

I was grateful, however, that after our slightly heated discussion, the conversation turned back to general things, and Hakim seemed to pay no attention to the girl. I let myself loosen up and enjoy myself, enjoy being with him, as I always had.

I noticed the gardens at the back of the palace, adjacent to where we were standing, had finally cleared out. The party was starting to die down, and I suggested we go there, so we could be alone at last. He took me hand, and as he led me out, there was that girl again, but this time she wasn't staring at Hakim – she was looking at me. Not looking, glaring. There was pure malice in her gaze. That's when I understood that she knew about Hakim and me – and she didn't care. She was in it for sport and sport alone. She wanted him, and she saw me as competition. I never thought I could get so mad so fast. I didn't let it show as Hakim led me to the gardens, as we kissed under the moonlight. But I wasn't letting this girl overpower me, not when I was so happy with him.

Tonight this girl had waged war – and I was more than ready to fight.

This chapter is one of the big turning points in the story. It affects a lot of the things that happen in later chapters, and I think I had more fun writing this than I did writing all my other chapters. My only problem was that it was crammed with so much info already, I didn't feel the need to put in a song, though I had a few in mind. Sorry about that!

As usual, BIG thank you to all the reviewers, and don't forget to review this chapter!