Chapter Thirty Three - Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

Screams at the front of the palace made me blood run cold as glass shattered down the hallway. The ground rumbled slightly.

Immediately, Veronikka and I turned and sprinted towards the throne room.

My heart pounded in my ears as adrenaline rushed through my bodies. I expected to hear screams and more destruction, but there was eerie quiet that made me more scared than anything. We arrived at the throne room unharmed, and I was relieved to see Chelsey and Valleree safely helping people onto cots and benches.

One of the few guards remaining rushed up to Veronikka.

Oddly, there was still no more sounds of glass shattering or explosions or anything. There was no chaos outside, but it was tense. People were huddled in corners and I saw a young maid crying.

"Lady Veronikka," the guard named Alix greeted frantically. "A message was delivered to the front steps of the Palace before the explosions," he explained hurriedly. Veronikka's brow furrowed. "The note said that this was just a preview of what they would do if we didn't surrender and give up the throne."

"So it wasn't an attack?" She asked breathlessly. I, too, was both surprised and hopeful that this wasn't the attack. We still had a lot of time to prepare.

For what, I didn't know.

"Silence on the radios,"Alix confirmed. "And due to the silence," he looked around anxiously. "We can only hope that they are done… for now. Some people are doing patrols around to see if anyone got hurt, but I think most people are heading here now." We all glanced around the Throne Room, which was slowly getting more crowded.

"Where is King Maxon's advisors?" Veronikka asked. "What do they have to say about it?"

"Everyone is looking to you, ma'am," the guard sighed gravely. "With this new information, everything is on the line." Alix paused. "It's your call, my lady." My friend took a deep breath.

"We can't surrender," she said seriously. "There's nothing to surrender, anyhow." She sighed. "Maxon is gone, and hopefully with Chase, so hopefully they will be safe until the Royal Guard arrive." Veronikka's expression turned even more worried as Valleree and Chelsey walked up.

"We have to evacuate," Veronikka concluded. "What remaining guards will stay, as will any advisors or those with higher placement." The guard nodded but paled. "Inform the advisors that the secret tunnel out of the Palace must be opened."

"My lady-" the guarded started nervously.

"For those who want to stay, they can, but maids and butlers will be evacuated," Veronikka interrupted. The guard nodded with finality and hurried away, and then Valleree and Chelsey turned to us.

"We're staying," they said in unison, making Veronikka smile wearily.

"Me too," I chimed in, but they all three shook their heads, making me frown.

"You're helping with the evacuation," Chelsey said.

"But-"

"No excuses," Veronikka said, a stern but worried look on her face.

Valleree added, "I hate to use this card, but we are your superiors. And your friends. We want you to be safe, America."

I scowled, my fists clenching. "You know how much I want to help!" I cried out. I stared at my friends helplessly. It felt like they were all turning against me.

"Evacuation will keep people safe," Chelsey told me gently, her voice much softer than mine. That just made me angrier. "America, we don't have families," she said passionately. "You do. You have a daughter and a mother and a home in Carolina." Her voice broke. "We can't expect you to stay with us when you have a family who needs you."

"This is our home," Veronikka added. She and Valleree both had broken but determined looks on their faces. With a start, I realized they were right. None of them had any real connections out of the Palace. But still, I also realized that with how long I'd been here and how much we'd gone through this was as much my home as it was theirs.

"But you guys are my family too," I insisted, my eyes watering. "You can't just… make me leave."

"Your mother and your daughter wouldn't be able to live without you," Valleree pointed out. She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if any of you died," I cried out.

"America, this is for your own good," Veronikka finally snapped. "You think we haven't noticed how desperate you've been? How depressed?" She shook her head. "In a rebel attack, that will cost you your life." She closed her eyes and then opened them slowly, looking heartbroken. "You must evacuate, for your own good. For your daughter."

My fists were clenched by my side. I couldn't speak. "I can't believe… but you said we would do this together. I can't leave you." My voice wavered.

Veronikka stared at me, while Chelsey and Valleree avoided eye contact. "Nothing is going to happen, America," the advisor told me. "The Royal Guard and Maxon are on their way as soon as possible. In fact, they're expected to be arriving in just a few hours."

They all seemed convinced, though looked at me with slightly pitying faces, and I knew that there was no use arguing. If I tried to stay, they would have to forcefully remove me. My throat tightened as hot, angry tears sprung into my eyes as I turned and rushed away from my friends, the three people who I thought would never betray me like this.

I was useless.

(ooo)

It was time to say good-bye, and for once, none of us had any words.

"I don't want to go," I choked out. My friends seemed to be holding back tears, but I let them fall freely.

A tunnel that led to the horses' stable near the edge of Palace grounds was being opened. It opened up at the edge of the forest, where guards and volunteers were taking supply trucks and loading them with any people evacuating. And although most of the Royal Guard was gone, there were still a lot of people being sent out of the Palace area.

I was one of them.

"Once it's safe again, you can come back," Chelsey told me confidently, but all four of us knew there was a possibility that would never happen. "Maxon and the Royal Guard are on their way-"

"Shut up, please," I begged. "I just wanted to have a happy good-bye."

"Kinda hard at this time," Valleree muttered, but her eyes were watery.

"What goodbyes are every happy?" Veronikka gave a small little laugh as she clenched her hands together.

"Hurry up!" Someone called to me, recognizing my maid's dress. I turned back to my friends with tears.

"I'm not leaving Angeles," I promised. "I'm coming back as soon as I'm able, I-"

"We know," Chelsey said, and then smiled. "Don't worry, it's better this way," she assured. But I wondered, why did the 'better way' hurt so much?

"See you soon," said Valleree, her voice strained.

Veronikka stepped forward and hugged me, and then Chelsey and Valleree joined in.

I squeezed my eyes shut and let a couple more tears fall before pulling away. I promised myself I would see them again. No matter what happened, I would be with my friends again. I had to be.

Then I turned and walked towards the line of maids leaving the Palace.

(ooo)

"America, are you alright?"

Mallory startled me out of my thoughts, and I hurriedly dried my watery eyes. I cleared my throat.

"I'm fine," I said stiffly.

She leaned closer. "This is probably rude but… do you know where Carson is?" I blinked at her. "The gardener," she explained. "My husband." Her face, I noticed, looked strained. It was an expression I was not used to seeing on my friend.

"I think they evacuated with the butlers," I guessed. She nodded, looking slightly more relieved.

We were waiting in the horses' stables, very near the gardens. We, along with other maids, had taken an underground tunnel here, in order to - hopefully - not be detected by rebels or raiders. Everyone else seemed on edge, but I was just angry and sad. Why couldn't I do anything right?

"I didn't expect you to be evacuating," she told me with wide eyes. She was pale but had a cheerful smile on her face, a bright light amongst an otherwise dreary setting.

"Neither did I," I responded stiffly.

"Why didn't you stay?" She asked, leaning against the wooden walls. I stared at her, trying to lessen my instinctual glare.

"They told me I couldn't," I said numbly.

Mallory just smiled at me, which made me surprised. "And you listened?" she said teasingly, but also looked serious.

My first thought was to be angry, but then I paused. "What do you mean?"

"You're America Singer," my friend insisted, her eyes bright. "Since when do you listen to what anyone says?"

I sighed. "Mallory-"

"No, I'm serious," she interrupted. "I know this isn't my place to tell you this, but clearly your friends are too busy and worried for your safety to remind you that you are America Singer." She smiled slightly at me. "If I remember correctly, you came here without a penny and have now climbed up to a high rank as the prince's nanny."

My heart clenched. "I don't have that job anymore-" I said softly, but she cut me off again.

"America, listen to me. You've survived two rebel attacks, both of which killed two people close to you," Mallory said softly. "You snuck into a ball and may or may not be in love with the prince-"

"Mallory," I warned under my breath, glancing around.

"-And you snuck into a top secret government mission by yourself."

I paused. "How do you know that I-?"

Mallory smirked. "Oh, please, everyone's heard of that by now." She smiled at me.

"Everyone line up!" A voice called out into the dimly lit horses' stable. Maids all around me hushed and hurried over to the back entrance, eager to get on the large supply trucks that would take us out of the Palace grounds and into the city.

I stayed in the back corner, with Mallory. I couldn't go back to the Palace, but how could I ever board that truck? I'd be abandoning my friends, and my country.

And Maxon, wherever he was.

"What you say is true, of course I know that," I said softly, my eyes squeezing shut as I turned back to Mallory. "But that was the old me," I insisted. "You're forgetting how I failed to save my… my sister and Raychell," my voice caught. "How I almost committed treason and failed to save Chase and Queen Amberly…" I took a deep breath.

"I can't handle anymore of this Mallory," I said, my eyes tearing up. "...and clearly my friends don't believe I can either."

"You know they're only telling you to go so you're safe," Mallory told me soothingly. "But don't act as if you're useless," she reprimanded. "You can do anything you want to, and have proved you can. You were a favorite of Queen Amberly and survived getting shot in the leg. God, America," her voice raised. "How could you ever think you're useless?"

I shook my head. "I don't want to mess this up again," I whispered. A tear slipped down my cheek and onto my lips. Bittersweet. Mallory grabbed my hands in hers and squeezed them.

"Then don't."

I took a deep breath and reached up to brush my tears away.

Suddenly, the ground shook, almost making Mallory and I fall to our knees. A couple maids screamed before we were hushed again. Distant yells and gunshots sounded nearby, but not close enough for me to feel threatened.

Still, my heart stopped.

"Relax, please," the man guiding us at the entrance asked, though his voice was shaky. "We just received message from the Royal Guard that they have arrived at the Palace. Right now, we need to evacuate you all before anyone gets hurt."

"But what about people who were still at the Palace?" a shrill voice in the crowd asked. "What's going to happen to them?"

The man didn't respond to her question, and instead turned away. My breathing quickened. "We are evacuating as quickly as possible. Please remain silent," the man said.

My heart pounded in my ears as I watched many maids turn to each other with terrified whispers and faces. Distant gunshots and occasional screams from in the direction of the Palace made my blood run cold. I almost didn't notice Mallory was talking to me until she grabbed shoulders and stared me in the eye.

I could feel my eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"My friends," I choked out, panic seizing me. They were all still there. Maxon had just joined them, and maybe even Chase. There would be guards, but who knew how many rebels there were.

I held back a sob. It would be a massacre.

And I had left them by themselves.

"America," Mallory told me sternly, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I'm not going to tell you to go back and risk your life," she said softly. "But do what you think is right," she reminded. "You may be a maid, but you're America Singer. You can do anything you put your mind to." She gave me a quick hug.

I nodded at her. "...You're right," I agreed, my face crumpling in resolve. A renewed strength was blossoming in my chest as I stood up straighter and returned my friend's hopeful gaze. Brushing off my dress, I looked around. The line for the trucks was getting shorter, and a man was eyeing Mallory and me as if to say 'hurry up'.

"But how?" I questioned under my breath. I wiped a tear away and clenched my jaw, forcing myself not to cry.

Mallory gave me one last hand squeeze. "Follow your heart, America," she whispered. She let go of my hand and hurried away, leaving me alone in the corner, next to the platform that would allow me to return to the Palace.

I stared at the royal emblem on the trapdoor, and with one last glance at the maids loading the trucks to evacuate the Palace grounds, I ducked back into the tunnel with one last thought. I would follow my heart, as Mallory said. And I knew where it would take me…

Back to the Palace.

Back to Maxon.

END OF CHAPTER THIRTY THREE