A/N I'm back! Yes after a long vacation I am back and continuing writing! So thanks to all my loyal readers that didn't give up. I got rid of the Hiatus Chapter. So now on with the chapter…
Zach's POV
I sighed and tapped my hand against my leg nervously. I was nervous. No wait; scratch that, I was really nervous for my date with Mirabelle. It was like if I messed up the whole world would know, and they probably would know. She was a pretty, with brown curls and pale blue eyes; she also had pale skin that contrasted her brown hair. So a pretty girl=a nervous Zach.
Mirabelle walked to the stables at precisely 11:00. I smiled and waved her over. She was wearing tan riding pants, with a white shirt and a navy blue blazer. Her hair was in a side braid. Mirabelle had on brown riding boots and she was holding her helmet in one hand and an apple in another.
"Hello Lady Mirabelle," I said.
"Hello Prince Zachary," she replied.
"Call me Zach," I said.
"Then call me Belle," she countered.
"Ok Belle," I replied, "Who's the apple for?"
"My horse, whichever one it is," she replied casually.
"Cool," I said smiling.
We stood there in awkward silence for a while, until the stable boy came up and said that out horses where already.
"That horse is mine, Tom, and-" I started pointing to a chestnut horse with white socks on his back legs.
"Wait," Mirabelle interrupted, "You named your horse Tom? Not like Sparky or Lightning or Speedy or even Brownie?"
"Of course I named it Tom and for your information, Tom is a very scary name," I replied, then continued pointing to a Palomino horse next to mine, "Your horse is Ginger; she really gentle but really fast. My cousin Bridget, princess of England loves riding her. On Ginger she almost beat me."
Mirabelle smiled and said, "So… you have never been beaten before?"
"Nope never," I replied cockily, then instantly regretted it.
"Ok then," Mirabelle started casually, while feeding Ginger the apple she brought her, "I challenge you to a race!"
I laughed and accepted the challenge. The more time I spent with Mirabelle, the more she reminded me of Amber.
We mounted and set to the track.
"Ok, so we are going to do 2 laps of the track then we will see who is the winner," I explained.
"Ok," Mirabelle said getting in the zone.
I chuckled quietly at the sight of Mirabelle in the zone.
"What's so funny?" Mirabelle asked.
"Nothing," I replied, not wanting to explain.
"Well obviously it was something otherwise you wouldn't have laughed," She said, pointing out the obvious.
Right then, in the middle of our conversation the stable boy came over and said, "Are you ready to race?"
"Yes," Mirabelle said.
"On your mark. Get set. GO!" The stable boy yelled out.
We sped off laughing as we raced. After the second lap Mirabelle pulled ahead and I couldn't have that so I kicked Tom and he galloped faster as we pulled into the final stretch of the race Tom pulled ahead of Ginger and finished before her. I raised my hands in celebration, because I won yet again.
"Oh you beat me," Mirabelle looked a little upset, but happy all the same.
"Yah, now can you see why I'm undefeated now?" I asked.
"Have your sisters ever raced you?" Mirabelle asked teasingly.
"Well that experience should never be mentioned," I said grudgingly.
"So they beat you?" Mirabelle asked.
"Well that doesn't count."
"Yes it does and we will go ask them," Mirabelle said dismounting and handing her reigns to the stable boy.
"Mirabelle," I said whiningly.
"One last thing, call me Belle," she said grinning and walking off to find my sisters.
"Wait Belle," I called.
"Yes," She replied looking at me.
"Before you go and see my sisters, we have the rest of our date to finish."
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"On a trail ride," I called.
December's POV
"Hello Princess December."
Shoot I thought to myself, and then plastered a fake smile on my face.
"Hello," I said trying hard not to glare and turn away.
"Oh so sorry for my bad manners, my name is Estrella Starling, the future Queen of Illea."
I groaned internally, these girls all thought they where going to be the next Queen. It was quite nauseating.
"Hello Estrella, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said in tone that would even make Sylvia proud.
"Oh I know," she said cockily, "Anyway what are doing here December. Do you mind if I call you that, wait of course you don't mind. I mean you are talking to me, Estrella Starling, and since you are royalty you can call me Stella."
"I am um… getting a book. And if you excuse me then-" I started.
"Pish posh. Books are soooo boring, you should read magazines instead," Estrella said looping her arm through mine, "Now that we are friends we will share my interests. Clothing, makeup, reading material, even boys," she said not letting me having an input about this so-called friendship.
"Estrella-" I started.
"Its Stella not Estrella," she said, "Now continue."
"Never mind," I said.
"Ok then. Now that we are friends I need you to do me favor," she said.
"What's the favor?" I asked cautiously.
"I need you to put a good word in for me with Zachary, I mean we are friends," she asked while looking at her cuticles, trying to seem casual.
"I have to go um… see my mother about something important," I said trying to avoid the question she asked.
"Can I come because I love the Queen? She is so fab-tastic," Estrella said pleading with me.
"No," I yelled in frustration, "You cannot come. I don't even want to even be your friend."
"Well then. A truth bomb just exploded in my face," she scoffed, "I guess we aren't friends then."
Thank you I thanked in my head.
"Good bye Princess December," she said as she walked away.
I turned and walked into the library to finally read a book.
Zach's POV
"-Ok, so you've had 3 pigs and 2 horses in your life?" I asked, we where in the forest having a picnic and laying on the blanket looking up at the clouds. We had the picnic in a clearing a mile or two away from the palace and we could see the clouds making shapes above our heads.
"Yah," she explained, "I'm a 4 and a farmer, so I have a lot of animals. Ok next question, who are all the people in your family?"
"Well you know Amber and December, and my mom and dad, but I have a ton of other family that you will later in the Selection," I said explaining all of it.
"If I last that long," Mirabelle joked.
"Ha-ha very funny. Whom do you live with?" I asked.
"I live with my family," She said.
I rolled my eyes, "Who are your family members?"
She laughed and answered, "My dad, Edgar, my mom, Abigail, my older brother, Jeremiah, my younger brother, Daniel, and the little baby of the family, Sofia. They are really close to me and they where excited when I got submitted into the Selection."
"Cool," I said, and then mental face palm. Who says cool after a girl explains about her family and her life.
We stare at the clouds a little longer then head back to the palace.
"This was fun," Mirabelle says when we get to the doors of the Women's Room.
"Yah, I'm glad my first date was with a girl as cool as you. Thanks," I say.
She blushes and heads into the room.
"Bye Prince Zachary!"
I groan, but smile and head back up to my room. Getting ready to be bombarded with questions by my sisters.
December's POV
After getting "attacked" by Stella Starling I went into the Women's Room with Amber to read and watch the girls interact with each other. Amber and I were playing a game of 'Go Fish' and I was telling her about Stella.
"Wait so she just acted like you where friends? Even though you had just met her?" Amber asked confused.
"Yah," I replied, "I was kind of scared. I mean due introduces herself and then acts all cocky, then she's acting like we have been friends forever not been "friends" for 30 seconds and tells me how we have to share the same interests in stuff. It was annoying."
"Are you going to tell Zach," Amber asks, "By the way do you have any 3's?"
I groan with annoyance and continue telling Amber about how awful Stella had been when Mirabelle Williams walks into the room after her date, all the girls look up and started whispering with each other.
"Were where you, Mirabelle?" Camille Montpelier asks.
Mirabelle blushes and mutters something inaudible.
"Could you, like, speak up?" Natalia Whitney says accusingly.
"I was um… on a um… date with the Prince," Mirabelle replies getting a little more confident.
All the girls erupt into whispers. Some look at her with jealousy and envy, others with rage, and some just look genuinely happy for her. Quinn Daniels and April Carlson, who are currently painting each other's nails, wave her over to sit with them. She goes over in relief. They start talking and you can they are having a great time.
The other girls watch them as they talk. They all look between a mix of rage and envy as they think about Mirabelle or wonder what the date was about. Eventually they all go back to their activities.
I whisper to Amber, "I wonder how the date went?"
"Well she's still here, but there's only one way to find out," Amber replies evilly.
I giggle nervously and we exit the room. We make our way to Zach's room.
"Zachary Schreave OPEN UP!" Amber yells as she knocks on his door.
I laugh at her attempt to get him to open up. He doesn't open the door and I walk up and just turn the knob and push.
Amber blushes and storms into the room. Zach was sitting in an armchair reading a book, when she plops on the bed and lies down.
"Where you planning on letting us in?" I asked.
"No," he replied not moving his eyes away from his book.
"Where you planning on telling us about the date?" Amber asked annoyance clear in her voice.
"Well…"
A/N Well I hope you liked that chapter. If you where a little confused at the part with Estrella (Stella) Starling then I'm sorry about that! Anyway so I was going to end with just the date but I decided to add more. I hope you liked that and sorry about all the POV switching. REVIEW and add in criticism if necessary. I don't mind criticism it helps me become a better writer.
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