Responses to Reviews:

srsmheartonmysleeve: Aww, thank you so much! Hehe, I can definitely imagine that happening in a maths class. ;)

Luna: Here you go, thank you! And sorry for the delay!

Mundane: I will continue it, I promise. Thank you!

Moonlight and Ashes: I'm really glad that you liked how I wrote Cecily's point of view. It was a lot of fun capturing her strong willed/fiery personality. And thanks for the virtual cookie. ;)

Pooch2010: Thank you so much! I will definitely continue it. :)

"Oh, Jem," Clara laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I really don't care what people think of me. My reputation is already bad enough, why not blemish it some more?"

Jem's eyes widened, and he struggled to think of a smart reply to this. Since he hadn't met anyone like her before, he had no idea how to reason with her. He considered getting up and trying to get her to leave, but he was too late, as she suddenly made the first move.

Boldly, Clara grabbed Jem's tunic and pulled him towards her, planting a passionate kiss right onto his lips.

Gasping, Jem immediately pulled back, pushing her by the shoulders away from him. His breathing quickened, until he couldn't seem to draw in enough air, because it was all too shallow. He opened his mouth to speak, but his mind was too jumbled from the shock.

Clara chuckled, watching him with an amused glint in her eyes. "There's no need for so much drama. What? Don't tell me that was your first kiss. Or did you already share that with your dear Tessa?"

Forcing his ragged breaths to stop, Jem moved further away from her, running a hand through his hair nervously. Not wanting Clara to have something else to use against him, he was silent, watching her to see what she'd do next.

"I could force you to kiss me," Clara said with a drawn out sigh, as if she was suddenly disinterested. "But that would be boring, wouldn't you agree? I'd prefer to toy with your emotions enough that you want me. So that I'll be the only girl you think of."

Jem shook his head, making sure his voice was even. "It doesn't work like that. You'll never force someone to like you."

Standing up, Clara walked over to him. He held his breath, but she only ruffled his hair with her hand. "Oh, I'm not worried. You'll come to like me in time."

As she turned away, he stood up as well, not wanting to be the only one sitting. All he could do, however, was stand there awkwardly, his eyes darting between her and the door, as if hoping that would somehow make her leave.

She glanced back at him with a sly grin. "And we'll have a lot of time," she added, confidently.

Sighing, Jem averted his eyes, making it to the door before her, and holding it open. He knew it would do him no good to be horrible back to her.

Sending him a dazzling smile, she walked outside, saying, "What a gentleman," under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jem."

"Yes, tomorrow," he agreed reluctantly, as he closed the door. Leaning his back against it, he let out a relieved sigh. If this was only the first day, how would he make it through weeks, or possibly even years, with her? He had no idea how to handle her, and she made him feel so uncomfortable and flustered at the same time. Not to mention how inappropriate it all was.

And he couldn't help but feel guilt prick his conscience when he thought of what Tessa must be going through. Here he was, taking enjoyment out of learning things, and complaining about a mere girl, when she could be experiencing unspeakable horrors.

Straightening, he told himself Clara would get bored and move on. He didn't think he was that interesting. After all, he was nothing like Will, and Will was the one the girls usually found attractive. Walking over to his closet slowly, he felt the exhaustion from the day slowly creep over him, and he focused on getting ready to go to bed.

Every morning was the same routine – it was like a ritual, almost. Clara would come to his door to collect him, and he'd ask the simple - but very important - question of how Tessa was going. Most of the time she'd roll her eyes, or say something sarcastic, but occasionally, like this morning, she'd just say that Tessa was fine. Although he knew she could be lying, it still gave him some comfort, on the off chance that Tessa was actually alright.

However, as they approached the infirmary, Jem looked at Clara quizzically when she turned away, leaving him at the door. Normally she would sit and watch him work, occasionally helping out when Walter ordered her to. But today, she moved without a word, and he couldn't help but ask.

"Clara?" He asked, in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"I have business to attend to," she said, airily. Her casual tone frustrated him, and he waited to see if she would expand on her answer.

When she continued on, he sighed, and called out, loud enough for her to hear, "What kind of business?" He hated playing along with her games, but he didn't know how else he would get an answer.

"You're not my only concern, honey," she said, in a sickly sweet voice, almost as if she were speaking to a child. "Don't worry, I won't leave you for too long."

Shaking his head in exasperation, he didn't bother to reply, and walked into the infirmary. He was immediately hit by the curious smell of herbs, salves, dirt, and rotting flesh. Making his way around the room, he stopped to chat with the patients, checking to see how their recovery was going.

After applying some salve, reapplying a bandage, and helping someone walk a few laps around the room, Jem stopped by Walter's side. He had a question to ask, but it was of a delicate subject, and he didn't know quite how to word it.

"Walter, has Clara ever used her 'gift' on you?" He asked, carefully. He knew Walter and Clara got along quite well.

Walter laughed out loud, seemingly amused at the question. "Oh no, of course not. I'm like a father to her. I certainly don't find her attractive in that way, so her persuasion charms don't work on me."

As perceptive as always, Walter examined Jem from the side. "Is she giving you any trouble?"

"No, I mean, a little bit. I just don't know how to handle her," Jem admitted, feeling embarrassed.

"She's paying you so much attention, because she likes you," Walter said, with a twinkle in his eyes. "I think she looks up to you, in a way. You have to understand, she doesn't have a lot of friends in the castle."

Being unable to stop a feeling of guilt, Jem sighed, looking down at his shoes. It was true, that she didn't seem to have any friends besides Walter. Maybe she wasn't even sure how to make friends properly anymore.

"I suppose you're right," Jem replied, after a pause. "She probably doesn't mean any harm."

Walter nodded in agreement. "No, she doesn't. Imagine growing up trying to please the King. It's no easy feat."

Thinking over Walter's words as he cleaned a wound, Jem decided he should try and be understanding towards Clara. Maybe if he showed her some kindness, she would respond in kind.

As he finally cleared his thoughts surrounding Clara, his thoughts turned to Cecily. He had been so shocked to see her, that he had been sure that Clara would work it out. However, she hadn't said anything about it.

As much as Jem wanted to be able to talk to Cecily, to see why she was here, he knew it was too dangerous. Not only was Clara normally at his side, but anyone could overhear their conversation, and he didn't want to put Cecily's life in danger. He hadn't had the opportunity either, because he hadn't seen her since. Judging by her clothes, she must have been working in a lowly position, perhaps in the kitchen, or as a serving girl. He knew she must have been helping the Clave out, for it was the only reason she would be here. Thinking of what Will's reaction would have been at her being here, he almost laughed, before it turned to pain at the thought of his friend.

Focusing on his job, he ignored the pain, knowing he should be content at the fact that Will would be safe. However, he was so intent on his job that he jumped when he heard Clara's voice at his ear.

"Did you miss me?" she whispered, flirtatiously.

Before he could even think up a reply, she pressed a scroll into his hands. It smelled like the ink had just dried, and he broke the wax seal and unwrapped it carefully. His eyes ran over the words a couple of times, as he tried to comprehend the meaning of the letter.

"That's right," Clara, declared, her eyes delighted. "You have been invited to dine with the King and Queen."

A/N: Sorry for the delay between chapters. I had exams again, and I've been really busy, but I'm on holidays now, so hopefully I'll be able to update a lot more often. As always, please let me know what you think. :)

~ SilverJem5