!HI GUYS PLEASE READ THIS AND HELP A BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT WITH A DREAM OUT!: I've entered this story (Mad World, Part 1) into a fanfiction writing competition on ! If I win I get my story (THIS story!) published, but right now I'm in 5th place by like 30 votes! If anyone is still following this story, or if anyone has just stumbled upon it and likes what they see so far, please go over and give it a vote! It would literally mean the world to me. This story has always been something that I can say I'm proud of, in a way, because it's something that I've really stuck to. In the writing contest, I've changed the main character's name and I've edited A LOT (spelling errors, plot holes, etc. nothing big, though!) but it's still this story that so many of you have told me you love. As a reward, I'll leave you with this little bit of a chapter, and if I get a substantial amount of votes soon I'll post AT LEAST two more chapters in one day AND try and wrap up the entire second installment (there are going to be three installments of this story, I've decided) and start on the third by the end of November! I believe in you guys, and I hope that you guys believe in me too! Love to you all! PM me if you want to let me know that you gave my story on (it's in the fandom section, titled "Mad World" by bagel princess- that's me!) a little "heart" and I'll make you a character or something fun like that.(: For now, enjoy!

I wake among layers of sheets feeling elated. I close my eyes and stretch, replaying moments of the night before in my head: hot breath on the back of my neck, Cas' hands in my hair, his name in my ear, voice full of longing. I smile to myself and stretch my hand across the sheets, searching, but when I find nothing but the cold other side of the mattress, I open my eyes. Cas is no longer there, and if I didn't know any better, if I couldn't still feel his body pressed against mine like two puzzle pieces sliding into place, I would have never known he was there to begin with.

I turn to the table beside my bed, expecting to see a note or, I don't know, a single red rose, but again, nothing.

Deciding now is a better time than any to begin my day, I begin to sit up, but freeze completely when I see that I'm not the only one in the room.

"He left before sunrise," Alice says. Her face is carefully blank, more neutral than I've seen Alice look in a very long time.

I notice that she's cleaned all of the discarded clothes off of the floor and laid a pink silk robe on the end of the bed for me to slip into. I do quickly, wondering if she's upset at the poor care I showed the dress she must have toiled over before the Choosing Ceremony. Without another word she meets me at the vanity and begins to run a brush through my matted hair.

A shock goes through me when I notice a bruise on my neck: a hickey. Alice sees it too. We lock eyes for a moment before she goes back to brushing my hair.

"Alice," I say, "I didn't mean to wrinkle the dress."

"It's quite alright," she replies.

"I hope you don't think any less of me for sleeping with a married man," I say quickly, "it was just a one-time thing and I don't even think-"

She yanks my hair so that my neck is exposed, vulnerable. I meet her eyes through the vanity mirror, my expression shocked.

"Don't," she says, slowly, deliberately, "ever speak of what happened between the two of you last night. To anyone. Do you understand?"

I am speechless for a moment. Alice has never acted like this with me before, never been this callous. "I don't understand," is all I can think to say.

"If Peter finds out, not only are you put to death, but Cassius has to be the one to end your life. Do not breathe a word of this to anyone. Tell me you understand, Sophia."

I nod, and Alice loosens her grip on my hair.

I haven't seen anyone at all today, not even Jules, who loves to make it as abundantly clear as possible that he is staying inside the House.

I also haven't seen Maxim. I wonder where he is, what he's doing, what exactly that agreement was for back at the Tavern. The way Julius said, We agreed to overthrow the House. To take down the Royals. Twists uncomfortably through my thoughts. How? When?

I am back in my torn and dirtied dress, the Woman in White once more. I wander until I find myself in the map room, staring at large screen adorning the wall. I scan through each box that belonged to it's assigned camera, looking for someone, anyone, but they all come up empty.

When I look down at the buttons, a shock goes through me when I notice that there is still one designated for me. I wonder if Peter has been keeping an eye one me as a Lost Boy, or if Cassius simply wants to make sure I'm not getting myself killed while I'm away. Daphne has a button as well, and part of me wants to press it, to see what she and Cassius have been up to while I've been cast out, but I know I wont like what I see.

Annoyed and left out, I swing open the hidden door, deciding to go back to my room until someone comes around-

and barrel right into someone.

"Oh, sorry," I immediately say, before looking up and seeing who it was that I ran into.

"Ah," Maxim said, "just the one I was looking for."

I am shoved into Peter's office hidden inside of the library, where Julius and Cassius are already, pacing around until they see Maxim and I.

"Bringing her into this again is really unnecessary," Julius says, "we've already agreed to cooperate." He has dark circles under his eyes. I wonder if he slept last night.

But I am looking at Cassius. The last time I saw him was the most intimate I had ever been with anyone before.

And he wouldn't even return my look.

"Cooperate?" Maxim says. "Is that why my men came across troops of Peter's? In our land?" his voice is booming, scaring me stiff.

"You think we had anything to do with that?" Julius asks, incredulous.

"That is exactly what I intend to find out," Maxim says, pulling a knife and shoving it under my jaw. "How much do I have to mess her pretty face up until we find out how loyal you two are?"

"It wasn't us, Maxim," Cassius says, "and you don't have to goad us with live bait to get us to tell you that."

The metal of the knife is cold against my skin, but it is how Cassius refers to me as "live bait" that sends chills down my spine.

Maxim considers for a moment. "I suppose it's not worth wasting a pretty face. Plus, if I did any real damage, you both would resent me and we wouldn't want that, now, would we?"

He lets me go-

and immediately pounces upon Julius, driving the dagger down into his abdomen.

Cassius yells in surprise and then lunges at Maxim, who takes it in stride, crashing off to the side with Cassius swinging at him.

I am at Julius' side in an instant, pressing my hands against the wound to try and slow the bleeding. "Jules," I say, though I don't know what I expect in response to him.

He winces, places a shaky hand over mine where they are pressing into the wound. His head falls back.

Maxim throws Cassius off of him and stands. "Enough of this," he snaps. "Know that the next time I doubt your loyalty to me, I will make sure you are dead." With that, he storms from the room.

"Cas," I say, sharply. "He needs help. Now."

Cassius looks as though he doesn't know what to do for a moment, staring at his brother's paling body for a moment.

Then, as if a switch is flipped, he snaps into motion, going over to his father's desk, sitting down, and pressing a big red button. I hear a crackling sound and realize that they are speakers that must be all over the house. "I need emergency medical help in the annex, NOW," he commands.

He then moves down to where I am kneeling and shoves me out of the way. "Go make sure someone is coming," he barks at me.

I stare at him a moment, shocked. I've never heard him or seen him like this before.

"Now, Soph!"

I jerk into motion.

Before I leave the room, I hear Cassius say, "Hang in there, Julie."

"Cassie," Jules says softly, "next time you're getting stabbed."

AN: That's it for now! Read and Review and VOTE for my story on inkitt if you want to make me the happiest little unicorn. Till next time lovelies!