Chapter 36

The next morning, Alec woke up with a mighty headache. He grumbled when the sun rays blinded him, and he pulled the covers over his head. How he and the two other boys got back on their bikes after all those beers and pizzas was a miracle. He had no recollection of the trip back, and it was a good thing.

Joel Li, his personal valet, was already getting his stuff ready for the day, laying his outfit on the chair. Alec pressed on the Intercom button next to his bed.

"Good morning, Your Highness." Dr. Marshall said. "The usual?"

"Yeah, thanks," Alec replied, his tongue like sand on his palate.

"Right away," Dr. Marshall said. A couple minutes later, a bottle and a pill in a little plastic cup appeared in the Vacuum Box. Alex took the pill and downed it with water.

"The shower is ready, Your Highness," Li said.

"Thanks," the Prince mumbled. He kicked away his covers and dragged his feet to the bathroom. But when he saw the shower had been adjusted to hot, he sighed. "17 degrees," he ordered. When he had a hangover, he knew a cold shower was one of the things that helped. Especially since he had to meet all the families of his Selected.

He thought back on his conversation with Chris and Grayson, and he had told them only a half truth. He did have a girl in mind. But not only one. It was like three or four. He knew that meeting the families would help him make his choice. How? He didn't know, yet.

After ten minutes under the cold water pouring down on his head, he cleaned up and finished the shower. Once out, he took his plushy bathrobe and walked out into his room, where Li was patiently waiting for him. He had already made the bed. He helped the Prince get dressed in an elegant all gray modern suit, without any tie or bowtie. He didn't want to be too formal, nor too casual, but a perfect in between.

"My mom chose the outfit?" Alec asked when he saw it.

"I'm afraid, yes," Li said. "You know she likes to control a lot of things."

Alec let out a dry chuckled. "I'm afraid you're right about that," he said, thinking of his conversation about a possible brain quant with Chris and Grayson. He dried himself and put on the suit. Then, he sat as his own vanity table – though he didn't like to call it this way: it was his grooming table– and put his hands on the armrests of the chair. "Hair Dry," he ordered, and a pulse of electricity coursed through his fingers to his hair, drying them instantly and taking out the knots and combing them out without effort. He then took a small elastic band and tied them in a messy bun at the back of his head.

"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "Wish me luck, Li."

Li smiled. "Good luck, Alec."

Both men nodded and Alec walked out of his room, where he met Austin.

"Hey, bro," Alec said. "I practically haven't seen you since we came back from the cruise. Where were you?"

Austin grinned. "I went with Cheska to visit her family in Carolina for a few days," he said. "I wanted to do things by the book."

"Oh shit," Alec said, raising his eyebrows to his hair line. "You asked her father her hand?"

"Yep," Austin said proudly. "But we're keeping it secret until you finish the Selection. We don't want to take the spotlight from you."

Alec chuckled. "You're serious? You're gonna marry her?"

"Yeah," his little brother said. "Who knew I would be the first one to find love, right?"

Both brothers laughed.

"So where is she, now?" Alec asked.

"Home, with her parents. She wanted to spend some time with them before we officialized everything. And like this, it's just you and your Elite, and there's nothing coming in between."

"Except the families," Alec said bitterly. "How the hell do you deal with eight girlfriends and their families?"

Austin laughed. "I have no idea, I dealt with only one, recently."

The royal brothers walked to the Vacuum that would lead them to the roof, where the brunch buffet had been set. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and tried to loosen his collar.

"Relax, man," Austin said. "I bet they're all even more nervous than you to meet you."

"Maybe," Alec conceded. "But still."

Austin squeezed Alec's shoulder in sympathy and they both stepped out of the Vacuum.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Avonlea said in her elegant and sexy mauve dress with a top of black see-through lace. "Prince Alec and prince Austin." Everyone turned around to see them coming out. They were the last to arrive.

"Good morning," Alec said as Austin stepped aside to join Alistair and Chris. "I'm sorry I couldn't be with you yesterday when you arrived, but here I am, more than ever ready to meet you all," he lied. You're never ready for this kind of thing,he thought. He took a glass of Champagne from a tray an Android was handing him and toasted to everyone. "May we find love and happiness wherever we're meant to be," he said, and the others repeated the same words and drank. After that, the people were free to fill plates of food and wander around the roof to talk to different people. There were some tables with chairs, but no seating plan, and they could change seats if so they desired.

Alec's stomach was a bundle of knots and he couldn't eat anything. So he went from group to group to meet with the parents and brothers and sisters of his Elite.

First, he headed towards Addison's family.

"Mr. and Mrs. Porter?" Alec said, coming in their little circle.

"Your Highness," Addison's mother said, curtsying. "Actually it's Bradley, since I remarried."

"Oh," Alec said, mentally kicking himself for the mistake. "I'm sorry."

"No problem, Your Highness," Charles Bradley said, offering his hand to the Prince, who shook it without hesitation. "Addison, Daniel, and Amelia kept their father's name after I married Olivia," he explained. "You couldn't have known."

"Thank you, sir," Alec said. "I hope your reunion with Addison went well yesterday."

"Oh, yeah," Daniel, her twin brother, said. "I see you didn't destroy her," he added, half seriously, half joking.

"Danny, don't," Addison said, reprimanding her brother.

"It's okay, Addie," Alec said with a smile. "I know how to defend myself." He turned to Daniel. "Addison told me a lot about you and how you were protective over her. I admire that. I wish I could have done more for my sister in the past."

Addison smiled at Alec. "She's a big girl, Alec, and she knows how to defend herself, now."

"Yeah, I know. But still. Anyway," he said to the Porter-Bradley family. "Addison, didn't you have a little sister, too?"

"Oh, yes," the Elite said. "She's over there, trying the macarons."

"She looks just like you, but blonde," Alec said. "If you'll excuse me, I have other people to meet." He took Addison's hand and kissed it, winked at her and walked away.

The next Elite he encountered on his way was Jessica's. She was talking excitedly with a young lady who seemed to be her sister, along with her parents.

"Jessica?" Alec said, coming over.

"Oh, hey," she said. "Alec, this is my little sister Melissa, or Mel, and my parents Jack and Amira Harris."

"Mr. and Mrs. Harris," Alec said, shaking their hands, "it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I hope you've found everything to your liking?"

"Oh, my God," Mrs. Harris said. "Everything is so perfect! I can't believe you live like this all the time!"

Alec chuckled nervously, suddenly remembering that Jessica was the last Five of the Selection. Of course, her family would be easily impressed by the Palace and the food. "Yeah, but trust me, it's not always this fun," he said, showing the stand-up brunch. "Most of the time it's just meetings, and Council Members reminding you your responsibilities."

Jack Harris chuckled. "I can imagine that."

"I don't remember seeing anything on Jessica's form on what you did for a living?" Alec asked Mr. Harris.

"I'm an artist," he said. "I design eyes and hair for people."

"Eyes and hair?"

"Yes. Some people want to change their eye color into something more exotic, say purple or orange, and they want their hair to match. We change people's hair DNA thank to bio-tech, so they have the perfect color. So once the hair grows, it always grows this color."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "And then once you choose pink hair, you have to deal with that until the end of your life?"

"Oh no," Amira Harris said. "Once the bio-tech has been used once, it's easy to change the color as many times as you want!" she continued excitedly.

"You're also an eye and hair artist?" Alec asked.

"Inktat Artist, actually," she replied. "You've heard of those, right?"

Alec chuckled. "Yes," he said and looked around him. "I even have one of my own," he whispered slyly.

"Ooh," Amira said. "What is it?"

"A flying eagle," Jessica said. "When you touch it, it moves."

Amira grinned. "The best kind," she replied.

Alec chuckled. "It was a pleasure meeting you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more people to see."

"Of course," Jack and Amira said at the same time, bowing and curtsying.

Alec continued his way and found Danielle talking with her parents, Lana and Ethan Haynes.

"Danielle," he said, coming over, and the girl turned around, blushing.

"Alec," she said. "These are my parents."

"A pleasure to meet you," Alec said, offering his hand to Ethan Haynes.How many time will I be saying that, today?

"Oh, Prince Alec," Lana said. "It's such a pleasure to meet you!"

"Thank you," Alec said. "By the way, Danielle looks just like you."

"Oh no," Lana said. "She looks more like her father." Lana smiled, looking at her daughter and her husband in turn. But Danielle did look a lot like her mother, except Lana had smaller eyes and somewhat a longer face. Taking a quick look at her father, Alec found that Danielle looked a lot like him, too, with the same eyes and mouth.

"So," Ethan said. "How's Danielle been doing here? Is she behaving?"

Danielle rolled her eyes, clearly embarrassed by her father's comment.

Alec noticed and chuckled. "Of course, she is. Danielle has great potential."

"I am very glad to hear that," Lana said. "Danielle, we're so proud of you!"

Just then, Quinn arrived with her own parents.

"Hey Danielle," Quinn said, looping her arm in Danielle's. "You want to go get a drink or something?"

"Yeah," Danielle said, following her friend, and leaving their parents to talk. Alec took it as his cue to leave and go see Katia who wasn't far.

"Katia, you're in the Elite," he mother said as Alec approached from behind. "For God's sake, stand up straight!"

"Mrs. Mercer," Alec said, coming around. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He offered his hand for her to shake.

"Prince Alec!" Katia's mother exclaimed. "It's such an honor to meet you. I'm Hazel Mercer, and this is her father, Lawrence Mercer," she continued. "This is Kalib, her twin brother, and her older sister should be around here somewhere," she said, looking around.

Alec nodded to everyone in turn, shaking hands.

"Thank you so much for keeping our Katia happy and safe," Hazel said.

"Yes, thank you for all you've done," her father added.

Alec chuckled. "It's a pleasure to have Katia with us." He turned to Kalib. "Your sister must have missed you, I suppose."

"Yeah," Kalib said. He had the same brown eyes and big blue eyes as Katia, but his face was obviously masculine. "I trust that you are looking out for my sister."

"I am," Alec said. "And she also looks out for me." He looked at Katia with a smile.

"Oh, Kayleigh's over there," Hazel said. "It's Katia's older sister," she explained to the Prince. She waved her daughter over, and Kayleigh arrived with a tall man that looked familiar to Alec, but he couldn't place him at all.

"Liam Paxton," the young man said. "Kayleigh's husband. Nice to meet you."

Alec shook his hand. "Have we met before?" Alec said. Both young men were the same age.

"I don't think so," Liam said. "Unless you played in your College Basketball team."

The Prince chuckled. "No, I didn't, but I remember when Angeles beat Columbia, and you must have been there," he said. "I'm not a very people person, but I have a good face memory."

Liam chuckled. "I didn't know we played in front of the Prince and lost. My wife, Kayleigh," he said, presenting her.

Alec took her hand in his and kissed the back.

"Y-your Highness," she stammered emotionally. "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's mine, Mrs. Paxton," he said. He also noticed she had a slight bump on her belly, but deemed it unpolite to ask her about it. He would ask Katia later if her sister was pregnant.

"We are so proud of our daughter," Lawrence said, earning a huge smile from Katia, since they never told her in her life that they were proud of her. "This is huge for us." With that, Katia's smile disappeared. Of course, she wouldn't be in the center of their conversation. Only theywere the center of themselves.

Kayleigh knew how she felt, and quickly squeezed her little sister's hand. She pulled her to the side. "Look at you, Kade! Do you remember when we would play dress up, as little girls Look at you now. You're so beautiful!"

Katia offered her older sister a smile and hugged her. "Thanks."

"So," Kayleigh said. "Anything between you and the Prince?"

Katia chuckled. "I don't know. We're really great friends and we've spent some awesome moments together. But I'm not sure they're anything."

"Oh," Kayleigh said, a little disappointed. "Maybe he's just not the one for you, right?"

"Maybe," Katia conceded. "But there are other guys," she said slyly.

"Oh my God, Kade. Who are you talking about?"

"I don't want to tell you anything, yet," Katia said, "in case nothing happens. I don't want you to be disappointed or anything..."

"Wait, wait, wait," her sister said, holding Katia by the shoulders and looking in her blue eyes. "Austin is already taken. From what I gathered, Christopher found Callisto." She paused, frowning. "Who else is there."

Katia looked around, making sure no one was listening. "Grayson O'Hayre," she whispered.

Kayleigh's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious," she said with a grin.

Katia nodded quickly. "But please don't say a word. I don't know if anything's going to happen between us."

"Does he know you like him?"

She shrugged. "Not sure. Ever since he came here, he's spent some time with several of us… it's like a tiny Selection within The Selection."

Kayleigh laughed. "Oh, my God. This is too much. Don't tell anything to mom."

"Not a chance," Katia replied just as Liam joined them with drinks.

-x-

Later that day, Addison met with her step-father for their traditional father-daughter tea-time. They had some catching up to do. She walked with Avonlea to the room set aside for them, since she didn't know where it was. Charles Bradley was waiting for her in front of a lounge room door.

Avonlea winked at her friend and quickly walked away to leave Addison alone with her father.

"Who's your friend?" Charles asked when Addison had joined him.

"That's Princess Avonlea, Charles. Didn't you recognize her?"

Charles chuckled. "I can recognize her standing next to her family on the Report. But not out of context."

Addison laughed as they sat down at the delicate table the maids had set up for them. There were three different kinds of teas, and a tray with various kinds of pastries. Both eyed them with much interest. Charles served some tea to Addison, and then to himself, too.

"So, how has been life at the Palace, without me?" he asked, a sparkle in his brown eyes.

"Well, it's sad that you're not always here," she said, feigning a sad, puppy face. "However, it's amazing. You know, Alec took us all on a boat, and we went stargazing!" She was grinning as she remembered her time with the Prince. "I wanted to sleep under the stars, so he organized it for just the two of us. The night sky was so beautiful!"

Charles smiled but raised an inquiring eyebrow. "I hope he treats you right. Your brother's usually here to ward off boys…" he trailed off.

Addison nodded and laughed when Charles fake sword placed with the air. "He's aware of my boundaries, Charles. And Danny won't leave my side unless I'm with you, mom, Amy or Avonlea."

Both chuckled and continued to talk and exchange stories about their time apart. When they were done, a maid came to clean up the plates and teacups, and Charles and Addison walked back to the Women's Room, who had now been temporarily converted to the Families' Room.

When they came in, Addison joined her friends and their protective brothers and curious sisters for those who had siblings.

Alec, Austin, Chris, Alistair, and Grayson were far away in a VR game, spending the afternoon together, so that the families could get to know each other without the Royals always looking at them in everything they did. Alec knew this was the last afternoon like this he would have, because after that, he would continue to date the girls… with their parents behind his back! And he wasn't really looking forward to that…

Heyyy! so here's another chapter for you, and I hope you enjoyed it! ;)

Quick request/question: if you have any idea for a "first" date as an Elite with the families around (with or without the families!), please send in your ideas via PM! :) that would be great! otherwise i'll just make up something^^ but if you have something you really want to see, just ask! any ideas/suggestions are welcome ;)

thanks for all your reviews and for sending in your family information, they were and will be very useful! :)

see you soon for chapter 37!