Chapter 20

There were four days left before the Gala. Four days and seven more girls to date. To accelerate the process, he decided on a group date with four of them on the first day of the remaining days. They went for a VR RPG game in the gaming room, and they did two games, four hours of gaming. It was always a bit unnerving to get back to the reality of life after such an experience, but he was used to it. The girls weren't, though.

After the Gala, I'm thinning the Selected. Four will be going, and only 20 will remain, he thought, going back to his quarters. When he opened the door, Chris was there, looking outside, at the white city beyond.

"Chris?" Alec said. "What are you doing in here? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," he said curtly.

"Chris," Alec said, rolling his eyes and taking the chair from his desk, turning it around and sitting with the back rest in front of him. "You can't fool me. What's wrong."

"Nothing." The younger man kept on looking out the window.

"Man," Alec said. "We grew up together. We're practically brothers, and I know when something's wrong."

There were a few moments of silence. "What if you had grown up with my twin sister, instead, Alec?"

"What are you talking about?"

Chris turned around and met Alec's ice blue eyes. "You know I'm adopted, right?"

"Yeah, who doesn't?"

"Well, turns out my biological twin sister is in your Selection," he blurted out.

"What?! You're kidding," Alec said, incredulous.

Chris shook his head. "No. See for yourself." He handed him a tablet with the girl's file on it. Alec raised an eyebrow. "She does look like you," he conceded. "But does that make her your sister? Let alone your twin?"

"It does. All I knew of my biological family, was the Province they were from, and that I had a twin sister. She's from there, as you can see, and her birthdate is the same as mine." He paused, and before Alec could reply, he added, "And I ask my dad about it, and he confirmed it."

"Holy shit," Alec said. "Are you going to tell her?"

Chris shook his head. "No. I don't want to. If she figures it out, then good for her. But I'm not telling her."

"Why not? Aren't you happy to find out who your sister is?"

"Of course, I am, Alec. It's just… I don't want to get her unfocused from your Selection."

"Oh for Christ sake, Chris. Just go tell her. Or I will."

"No, please don't." He sighed. "I asked my dad to tell her if she doesn't figure it out on her own."

"How would she?" Alec said. "She doesn't have access to your data, or any data at all." He chuckled. "She maybe doesn't even know she has a twin."

Chris shrugged. "So what? She already has four brothers and sisters."

"Holy shit, Man," Alec said standing up and taking Chris by the shoulders. "Youhave fivebrothers and sisters! You're not an only child anymore!"

"Blood doesn't necessarily make family, Alec. Clearly they had enough kids and decided to dump me in an orphanage," he said bitterly.

"Bro," Alec said, rolling his eyes. "Look where you ended up! You're a Two, almost head of the Security department – after your father – for the Royal Family!"

Chris chuckled. "Maybe you're right," he said. "But I'm still not talking to her. Not yet."

-x-

The three days just before the Gala, the girls were overly busy taking care of the last adjustments, decorating the four Ball rooms, choosing the food, and most important of all, choosing their outfits. Each and every one of them wanted to stand out in their gowns, making sure Alec would notice them in the sea of black, gold, and white, and in the middle of all the important guests and Royals that would be attending.

Until only two days were left with three girls to date. Alec invited Eryn to go taste the food prepared for the Gala in the Kitchens. The Chef had prepared for them platters with two of each appetizer and petit-four, and other amazing food, and they had fun putting notes on them, deciding which was the best.

"So," Alec said, once they were full, and digesting. "You live on the Floating City, right?"

"Yep," she said. "Best place in the world," she grinned.

"I bet. I've never been there, before," he added. "How do you get from the city to the mainland?" he asked. "Boats? Submarines?"

"People usually take the Sub'," Eryn said. "But that's highly uninteresting. I mean, it's fun for a while. But once you get the idea of the ride, it's boring. And really slow." She rolled her eyes. "I always choose speed over the comfort of the Sub."

"Speed? As in race boats?"

She shook her head and grinned. "Nope. I'm more of a jetski person," she said. "And I heard you're a speed person too."

"I definitely am. Though I do have to admit that I prefer the hard ground to the icy waters."

Eryn laughed. "It's not that cold. And I always wear a Nano-tech suit that keeps me warm."

Alec grinned. "You know, I could use a little digestive stroll, don't you think?"

She patted her belly full of the Gala delicacies. "Definitely." They both stood and headed for the door. "Where are we going?"

"You wanna see my choice of speed?"

Eryn nodded enthusiastically. He took her hand. "Come on," he said, walking to the Vaccum, and ordering Level one. "By the way," he said, looking on her hair. "I noticed you're always wearing that headpiece," he says. "Did you bring it here?"

She nodded. "It's not just a random piece of jewelry," she replied mysteriously, smirking.

"No?" Alec said with the same playful tone. "Is it a weapon?" They stepped out of the Vaccum and into the Hangar.

"Even better," she said. She took the hair comb out of her hair, letting her hair fall around her shoulders. "Have you ever heard of Swiss army knives?" Alec nodded. "Well it's more or less the same thing. But instead of blades and other sharp devices," she said picking out a part of the comb, "it's a tiny medical case. This one, for example, is an anti-allergic." She takes another part out. "This one is anti-anaphylactic, and these are anti-venom and anti-drugs."

"Huh," Alec said. "That would have been useful in Waverly." He paused in front of one of his bikes, but instead of changing the subject, he continues on with Eryn. "What is it you do again?"

"I work on Nano-bots application in medicine. For example, my eyes."

Alec came closer to see. "I don't see any difference."

"Nope, because it's biotech. But behind the bio exterior, nano-bots are working their magic. I was diagnosed at seven years old of an illness that attack the eyes' cells and causes blindness. My father would have none of that and looked for a specialist. He gave me new eyes, and now I work for him."

"That's so awesome," Alec said. "What else have you invented?"

"Bees," she said. "BeeBots. The earth would have died without bees, and they have been extinct for several decades. But Scientists created BeeBots to help cultivate flowers and other plants. Lots of people bought Beebots to help their cultures." She paused, walking around the hangars slaloming around Alec's bikes. "But mine are different," she said. "They are normal bees helping me in my garden with my medicinal herbs, but some of them have tiny cameras and microphones on them."

"You created NanoSpies?" Alec asked, surprised.

"No, no, no," she said. "It's so I can see what they're doing in my garden. You know, the life of bees is super interesting. How they communicate is amazing."

"But they're robots," he said. "They communicate via Tech, right?"

"No. They're programmed to live and communicate and work like real bees used to. And seeing how they organize themselves in the hive is fascinating, really." She paused. "So, which bike is your favorite? Or the fastest?" she asked, patted the seat of the one she was standing next to.

"Now, we're talking," he said jokingly. "Not that your bees aren't interesting."

Eryn laughed. "What are you talking about?" she said. "We came down here to talk about your bikes, not my bees." She rolled her eyes and waved the matter away. "So, which one?"

Alec wiggled his eyebrows and walked to a black and gold bike. "This one. It's not the fastest, but it's the most beautiful one." He gently ran his fingers on the shiny handlebars. "And it doesn't look like it, but it's the one I drove the most on."

Eryn joined him next to the bike, and she also ran her fingers on the seat. "Wow, it's beautiful…" she trailed off. "Where do you go with it? I mean, I don't think your mother lets you get out of this place without your security detail, right?"

Alec chuckled. "If only she knew…" he trailed off. "Every opportunity I get, I get the hell out of here."

"But you must be monitored. How do you get away without her knowing?"

"I have my secrets," he said mysteriously.

Eryn chuckled. She asked him other questions about his bikes and his outings, but Alec was rather vague on those…

-x-

The next day, Alec could feel the tension in the palace. Everyone was running to and fro, getting last minutes details ready for the next day. The remaining guest rooms – the ones on the 14thfloor – were getting prepared by the staff, and the Selected were taking care of the Ballrooms, and all that would happen during the Gala. Thank goodness Avonlea and Cass Raylee were good at Event planning. The Princess was the Captain of the ship, and everyone obeyed and took her advice.

Alec stole Addison during the afternoon and took her out of the Palace for a small hike out of the 'Dome to see the Ocean from afar. The two of them talked and joked a bit; but she was clearly a little bit wary of him. Her talk with Avonlea a few days ago came back to mind, though, and she decided to believe the Princess: Alec wouldn't hurt her or try anything on her. And of course, he didn't. He had learned his lesson with Xandra, thank you very much.

Then they had to come back an hour before dinner, so they could both change and get ready for it.

After dinner, Avonlea found Addison alone on a Terrace, looking out at the city.

"Hey," Avonlea said. "How was your date with Alec?"

Addison shrugged. "I don't really know. He seemed to have other things in mind. But you were right on one thing. He wouldn't harm a fly."

Avonlea chuckled. "See, I told you. There was nothing to be afraid of." She paused. "As for the fact that he may have had something else in mind, I can pretty much guess what it was."

"What?"

"Alec's not a social person. He's much happier alone, in his room or somewhere else. And having to interact with so many people in so little time is a bit overwhelming for him."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So don't take it personally. Especially with the Gala coming tomorrow, he knows he'll have to socialize even more, and show off to the other Royals. And he hates it. Trust me. When we were kids, he would disappear in the middle of events, and mom would find him huddled either in his room, or in the Hangar. He only had the one bike, at the time."

Addison raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I would never have thought," she said. "He seems so genuine and easygoing."

"That's all an act," Avonlea said. "But please don't tell him – or anyone else – I told you that."

She zipped her mouth, and the two girls laughed together.

"Hey, I've seen the outfits of everyone already, but not yours. What are you wearing tomorrow evening?"

Addison looked at her feet. "I have no idea. My maids keep coming up with these crazy gowns, but I don't feel comfortable in them. They're not me, you know?"

Avonlea nodded slowly. "I know the feeling. Come with me," she said. "I have an idea."

They walked to the Vacuum and Avonlea ordered the 15thfloor. None of the Selected – Calliope excepted – had been there. Addison didn't say anything, looking all around her at the luxury of this floor. Then, Avonlea pushed open a door, and they walked onto the Princess' Bedroom.

"Oh. My. God," Addison said. "This is your room?"

Avonlea nodded. "Yeah. Come on, I want to show you something."

Addison followed Avonlea in front of a giant touch screen. "This is my Screen Wardrobe," she explained. "Stand right there," she directed Addison on a not-so-random spot on the floor, and a laser green light ran over Addison's body three times, until it beeped. "Do a quarter turn," she ordered, and Addison obeyed. And they repeated the process until she had her whole body scanned.

A few seconds later, Addison's HoloCopy showed up in her place, and Addison stepped away. "What the-" she said, looking at herself. "What is that?"

Avonlea chuckled. "This is a HoloCopy of yourself. We will be able to try on dresses on you, without actually doing it. And once you chose one, we're simply going to press on that button and it'll be 3D printed and sent here when it's done."

"You can do that?" Addie said in awe.

"Yep," the Princess said. "So, let me see. An extravagant dress won't do on you. Your maid doesn't have one ounce of fashion style." She rolled her eyes. "No, you need something close to your body, something that will show your curves. And you'll want that, if you want Alec noticing you."

She gestured over the screen, and a dress appeared on Addie's HoloCopy. "No," Avonlea said. "Not strapless. You need something covering your shoulders. Let's see…" She gave some more commands to the screen and the top of the dress changed with tiny sleeves. "Do you like it?"

"Maybe not sleeve," Addison said. "Just straps? And a high neckline… I'm not comfortable with showing my cleavage…"

Avonlea nodded and gestured a bit more on the screen. "Now?" she asked, and Addison grinned. She didn't have to say anything. The dress was perfect. "Now for the color," Avonlea said. The basic color was white, but she changed it to black, and then gold, but Addison preferred it white. "Very well," the Fashionista said, pressing the button. "Let's print it."

Then she showed Addison her shoe collection – all 3D printable and already programmed – and Addison chose a black pair of stiletto sandals. They spent the rest of the evening designing the jewelry and mask, and Avonlea was really happy to have a girl's night, for once.

-x-

Meanwhile, Alec was spending some time with Korina, getting to know this petite girl from Midston. She told her all about her job as a revivalist but made sure not to mention what Austin already knew. If she didn't have to tell Alec who she really was, she wouldn't tell him. The problem was that Alec seemed to enjoy this date. Maybe she would have to tell him at some point. They had a second dessert on a terrace, alone, and it was really romantic. But Alec also knew that this was the last "first date" he was having. He would soon need to start making choices… But now was not the time, and he tried to stay focused on Korina.

-x-

Everyone was very busy that evening. And one of them was Austin. He went to the roof, his rendezvous point with the brunette, as they had done for the past week, with a pink peony to give her. He knew it was her favorite flower, so he had gotten to many lengths to find one. But she was not there yet, and he was alone. And instead of finding her, he found an army name tag.

"Daniel K. Ventura," he read out loud. "Seriously?" he said bitterly to the wind. He stuffed it in his pocket and sat on their bench, waiting. She came a couple minutes later, a wide smile on her face.

"Hey, you," she said, sitting down next to him and planting a kiss on his cheek. But Austin was as rigid as a tree, not showing any affection towards her. "What's wrong?" Cheska asked. "Austin, what is it?"

"Why didn't you tell me you already had a boyfriend?" he blurted out, more hurt than he would like to admit.

Cheska's shoulders slumped. "I thought I'd lost it," she said. "Where did you find it?"

"Right here," he said giving her back the army name tag. "Why didn't you tell me anything?" he asked angrily.

Cheska was silent for a moment. "It's been about three years," she said, "since he died."

"Oh," Austin said, taken aback. "I'm sorry."

"Daniel and I were married for a month when he signed up for the Draft and into the army. I never saw him again." Tears were threatening to stream down her cheeks.

"Cheska, I'm so sorry," Austin said, taking her hand in his. "I shouldn't have said anything. You would have told me anyway, I-"

"Stop babbling," she said. "Do you want to know my story or not?"

Austin shut his mouth and nodded.

"We were high school sweethearts and married young. We just knewwe were meant for each other, you know? And then when we married, he had this stupid but sweet idea to give me a better life. He knew that if he was drafted in the Army, we would be in a better Caste when he came back. Only he didn't. We wrote each other for a year, and then it stopped. That's when I received a note from his Lieutenant that he had died honorably in service," She quoted sarcastically, and she was crying now. "Seriously, Austin. What's honorablein death, right? Nothing! And I was left alone, miserable, and heartbroken. He was the only man I had ever loved." She paused, looking at her fingers intertwined with the Prince's. "Until now, maybe," she said, drying her tears.

Austin didn't know what to say. He simply pulled her close to him and held her like that. "It must be awful to lose the person you thought you'd spend your life with," he said softly.

"Yeah," she said. "It felt a lot like dying, or being empty. And it's that void you can't exactly fill with alcohol or people. And trust me when I say that I kissed more bottles then men," she added, half crying, half chuckling. "And honestly? The hangover hurts more than the heartbreak."

Austin chuckled. "I can't say if I've kissed more women or bottles…"

They stayed like that a moment, not talking, just listening to each other's heartbeats.

"Austin?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Is it even possible? Us, I mean."

He was silent a moment. "I wish it were," he finally said. "But I don't know. In the meantime, we're going to enjoy every little moment we have. Hey," he said, turning her so she was meeting his gaze. "Can I reserve a spot for your first dance, tomorrow night?" he asked slyly.

"You may," she said, smiling back. "And all the other dances, too, if you like."

Austin grinned, took her chin in his fingers and leaned in, placing his lips on hers. This was a totally new feeling for him. He had hordes of butterflies fighting their way out of his stomach, and his heart was beating fast. Is this what love really feels like? He thought, kissing her tenderly and then more passionately. She kissed him back and all was perfect. There was no Selection, no Alec, and no Gala the next day. It was just the two of them…

-x-

On the other side of the roof, Calliope was retrieving the 'bot that was sent for her, exactly as Dax had said: the day before, you'll get the 'bot. She saw Cheska and Austin kissing, but ignored them, quickly going back to her room to get everything ready and go over the plan again.

Heeyyy... OMG sorry for the delay... I really wanted to post the chapter yesterday, but there was a setback... There was a huge storm, and water infiltrated in the classroom roof and soaked all our miniature exam models... (I posted a picture to show you on Pinterest, not in a section, but at the bottom) and it was completely destroyed and I had to rebuild it... anyways...

I hope you liked this chapter, and that you're ready for the Gala! OMG I can't wait to get onto it... *Laughs maniacally and rubs hands in anticipation* ^^

see ya soon!