Sorry the last chapter was a little boring, but I hope this one spikes your adrenaline. A little. Maybe.

Also, very sorry that this took forever to get uploaded. Well, I guess it depends on how you feel about my story. Oh! I got a review that was like "Full of mistakes as always! U are terrible at writing!" And I'm like, "Well, why was this review on chapter 12? You must've read the whole thing." Yeah, my friend dared me to say that so it's up here. Blame him.

Love ya!- AcademicGirl

Tess's POV

I'm hosting the bachelorette party for Eva tonight. We're not doing anything raunchy or extreme because Eva isn't like that, and as far as I know I'm not like that. The bridesmaids arrived a few days ago, and we've gotten really close. Eva has six bridesmaids—Perris Conner, Annabel Paisley, Sierra Ridley, Alexandra and Rilane Schreave, and me. The maid of honor is Eva's older sister, Veronica. She just got out of the hospital from a coma, so tonight will be a really good time to unwind. Michael's sisters are also coming, as well as Maria since she's at the palace anyway. Astra, Michael's cousin, and May Singer are here too. Astra's mother, Kenna, couldn't make it because she said she was feeling a little sick. Queen America is also with us since Eva suggested it. Plus, the queen needs time to relax.

Apparently there's a spa not too far from the palace. So right after lunch, we get in the limousine and drive. When we get to the spa, oohs and sounds of eagerness fill the vehicle.

"I am so ready for a manicure," says Perris. She's the diva of us all, being a born Two. "It's been, like, five days."

Annabel rolls her eyes, but there's a gleam in her eye that makes us know she's just happy to be here. "Oh please, Perry. I've never even heard of a manicure." Annabel's the born Five. She and Perris are like the North and the South Pole, but they couldn't get along any better.

We start out with the massages, and dang it feels amazing. I never knew how tense I was. The kind lady kneads my back muscles, and the rebels, the world, the problems all go away. The masseuse takes care when she gets to my lower back. Her hands evade the patch of burned skin and actually finds a substance that makes it hurt less. I'm loving this thing.

When we're all done, we gather in a room and get manicures and pedicures. Ugh, that sounded really girly. Let me rephrase; the people come in to take care of our hands and feet. Yeah, that'll do for now. I get a neutral shade of taupe on my nails. I'm not one to go all out. After we're done with that, we get into white robes and have some tea while we're in the steam room.

"Everyone, thank you for being here for me," Evelyn says with a smile.

Everyone murmurs a response that goes along the lines of "Happy to be here" and "Anything for you". There's something about Eva that makes everyone smile when she's in their presence.

"Isn't it funny how the four of us"—Annabel points to the Selection girls—"were competing for Evelyn's soon-to-be husband?"

We all laugh, and they remember how ruthless the competition must have been. "It's a shame I don't remember any of it," I mumble.

"Oh Tess," Sierra starts, "you were Michael's favorite for a long time in the beginning."

"What happened?"

The girls shrug. "I don't know exactly," Perris says. "But I remember you got the news that Maria went missing, and you just shut everyone out, including Michael."

"And then I think he just had more time for Eva over here," Veronica says.

"The Selection really can be cruel," the queen says. "I remember when I was in it. There was this one girl who was just so mean to everybody, but with Maxon she was just this perfect little cupcake." She rolls her eyes at the memory. "It was so pathetic how she would act so awful and be a whole different person when the royal family was around."

"But it doesn't matter now, Mom," Alexandra says.

"Yeah," Rilane supports, "you got married to Daddy anyway."

"That's true, girls."

There is a pause that ensues as we all take a sip of our drinks. "Let's play a game," Perris says. "Okay, so we're one of us is going to say a word and then we go around saying what the first thought or memory pops in our head."

"Oh! I want to go first," Alexandra squeals. "First kiss."

Suddenly, an image pops into my brain of Matthew's bright blue eyes. We are in the dark room again, and he kisses me with so much passion. Alexa's voice breaks me out of my daydream. "Okay, so my first kiss was with a duke from France. I was fifteen and he pulled me aside after that ball we had and he just kissed me."

"How old was this guy?" Eva inquires.

"He was eighteen."

"Okay, enough about Alexa. It's my turn," Riley interjects. "I had my first kiss from Prince Jerome of Swendway." Her eyes almost glaze over from thinking about it.

"But Riley, aren't you getting married to Prince Alexander Rousseau from France?" Annabel asks.

"Yeah, how I wish we weren't." Riley's mother looks shocked, and her eyebrows are raised.

We all go around in a circle, and I am barely paying attention until the queen goes. She describes her first kiss as sweet. This guy was a Six, and she ended up dating him for two whole years behind her parents' backs, even after curfew. We all sigh at how romantic and badass the queen was when the steam in the room gets thicker.

I jump up and try to open the door but it's jammed. I bang on it. "Help! Help!" The other ladies start banging on the door, and I try to find the button the lady told us to push for emergencies like this. We all start choking and coughing, and soon the whole room is filled with steam so thick I can't see a thing. I finally find something, but it's not a button. It's a slip of paper that says: All the princesses and the queen in one fell swoop.- G

"I found the button!" Evelyn yells. She pushes it and the steam stops. We're all sticky and gasping for air, but we're all very much alive. Someone finally opens the door from the outside, and we rush out like untamed animals. The person who opened the door has red hair in a high ponytail with a horribly shocked expression.

"Your highnesses!" the girl says. "What happened?"

"We were locked in!" Perris screams. "I mean, what kind of spa keeps people in the steam room even after minutes of banging on the door?!"

"I'm so sorry, miss! When I arrived here for my shift, everyone was knocked out." The girl looks terrified.

"Thank you so much for finding us," Queen America says.

The girl curtsies. "Of course, your highness."

"And what's your name?"

"Juliet, your highness."

"Juliet, thank you for saving us." The queen says it in a way as if Juliet found the cure for cancer. I actually think it's very sweet.

The redhead girl blushes. "You're welcome, your highness."

Well, that ruined our relaxing day. We all get dressed and return to the palace. When we come back, the boys who went to the bachelor party are bruised.

"Oh my God," Annabel whispers.

"What happened?" May yells.

"Aunt May, it was awful," Michael says. Matt runs to me and wraps me in a tight embrace. He's hurting me a little, but my selfish thoughts subside when I feel him shaking.

"Matthew, what happened?" I whisper.

And the response I get doesn't surprise me at all. "Rebels."