Thanks to my loyal bunch of reviewers! UltimateMaxmericaShipper, the5SOS-YAfangirl, delovlies, majestictales and 4Love4Love4! Love ya'll!
Also, I forgot to mention this last chapter, but the last thing Lissa said last chapter was actually written by the5SOS-YAfangirl not me!
Picks up right where last one picked up.
…
The party was by far, much different than the one at Trentworth. Instead of the Selected, there were throngs of people—young, old, it didn't make much difference. There was a radio instead of a musician, cranked up. Someone lit a fire in a grate, and they all were dancing in the street. Instead of fancy pink dyed champagne, there was beer. No fancy banquet meal, no fancy gowns and flower arrangements, just a bunch of people having fun.
Colin disappeared almost as soon as they arrived, leaving Adele alone. Still, she was content to observe this new way of living. It was so different. No etiquette, no reserve, no one caring what they looked like. It was quite refreshing. She felt a bit out of place in her nice skirt and blouse, and she was a little nervous about being discovered. She spotted a few familiar faces of other workers from Trentworth. They seemed so different. The maids weren't rigid and silent, but laughing and flirting with men, who did it right back.
"There you are! What are you doing, sulking?" Colin surprised her, his eyes bright and his grin actually not annoying for once.
"No, I just don't know anyone and-"
"Cut the excuses, princess. I didn't bring you here to sit around." He grabbed two cans of beer out of a nearby cooler and planted one in her hand. "Drink up." He popped the top of his, and guzzled it down. "Sorry we ain't got no champagne for you."
"I don't need champagne." She followed his actions. "And stop calling me princess." She took another drink. "It's so irritating."
"A bit like you?"
"Hey, I thought we were friends now. Do you have to insult me?" She finished off the can, seeing he had done the same.
"No, but you do have to dance." He grabbed her hand, and pulled her to her feet.
"Hey! I don't know anyone here, I-"
"If you want me to stop calling you princess you have to stop acting like one. C'mon." He pulled her into the throng of dancers, keeping a tight grip on her hand. He put one hand at her waist, and began steering her haphazardly around with the others. Adele had to laugh at his antics. He was so different from Ethan. Ethan was nice. He was polite and sweet and quiet. Colin was annoying, boisterous and passionate about others.
But here, for a moment, Adele let herself forget about Ethan. She wasn't in the Selection. She was just her. She lost count of the songs they danced, the beers she drank, and even half of the stuff she did. Colin was a lot easier to dance with than Ethan. He didn't try to make awkward conversation, and didn't apologize whenever he messed up. Sometimes he would hand her off to one his friends, and go dance with another girl. It wasn't long before she forgot she wasn't one of them and was in full party mood.
"You call this dancing? This is just stuff we did at Trentworth!" She exclaimed as she and Colin whirled around and around. "Let me show you how it's done." She stopped, stepped up on a chair, and executed a quick tap routine from her days of show business.
Colin looked at her like she had two heads. "How did ya even do that?" He most certainly drunk now.
"I was a Five, you remember? I'm not just a 'princess' in training."
"Show me what you got, then."
Adele giggled, and then couldn't stop. She was most certainly drunk too. "I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, sir."
"It means do that thing again."
Without waiting for more urging, Adele kicked her leg into the air, and began a time step on the chair, when she lost her balance, and ended up falling on Colin, with a shriek.
"Maybe not right now." She laughed as they got to their feet. "I don't know what my feet are doing up on that chair."
"I know what they're doing now. Or at least what they need to be doing. Let's dance!" Colin was about to pull her back over to the rest of the dancers when someone grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. He was tall, with dark curly hair, looking vaguely familiar.
"Are you responsible for bringing Lady Adele here?" He asked in a hushed, worried tone."
"Yeah. What's wrong?" His cheerfulness forgotten, he was now all serious.
"You need to get her back. Trust me. Something might happen."
"Now?"
"Now."
Colin turned to her. "Alright. Let's go. Thanks." He said to the man, before heading back to where they came in to the town. Adele had to hurry to keep up.
"Who was that?"
"I dunno. I've seen him around town only recently."
"He's not a guard or anything, is he?"
"No…I don't know. But I think he knew what he was doing."
Gradually, they left the city behind, and soon it was just the two of them on the same footpath. Adele found herself telling him about growing up and touring in the cast around Illea. She was so drunk, she didn't know half of what she was saying. She told him about Ethan, and their kiss, and all about the other girls.
"So what about you? What's your story?" She finally said.
"Aw, you know. The usual."
"Hey, I just practically told you my freaking biography, and that's all I get?"
"I took you to my house. Didn't you learn enough?"
"You're getting all touchy again."
"Okay, okay, whatever." They walked in silence for a while. "Well, we've always been poor. It was me and my older brother and Eleanor and Jack. He was born with polio. He can't walk by himself because of it. My dad was drafted for the army when I was young, and he never came back. My brother married Viola, and then the same thing happened to him. Only reason I haven't been called is 'cause I work at Trentworth."
"So you're not, like, dating any one?"
"Me? Nah."
"So no one's going to get mad over you and me walking in the moonlight in the middle of the night?"
"I got no use for moonlight. And I'm just escorting you home."
"And that's all you're going to do, you hear me? I'm in the Selection." She didn't elaborate. Eventually, the lights of Trentworth came into view.
"Well, we're back."
"Now you have to walk all the way home, I guess." Adele realized. "But it was worth it. I had no idea it was like that. I wish I could do something to help."
"Just don't get caught going back inside."
"I'll try." She said dramatically. "Uh, goodnight, I guess." She suddenly was so tired, she was about to sleep where she stood. It was almost three in the morning. She darted across the gardens, and climbed back up the terrace onto the balcony, pausing outside her room to wave to Colin. She stepped inside, and switched on the lights long enough to wash her face, brush her teeth and change before she fell into bed and slept like she was dead.
…
While the rest of Trentworth was sleeping off last night's party, Nicole had work to do. She had been up semi-early, whereas all the other girls slept until noon. They had lounged around their rooms, alone or with friends, but she had been dancing all day.
She had been working on her training for almost three weeks now, often with Christine. While the blonde princess seemed sweet and like she could never raise her voice, she was a pretty fierce teacher. She wasn't mean by any stretch, just firm. Nicole had never had a real teacher, and it showed. Her technique was poor, at best. While she possessed the knowledge, the flexibility, and the physical strength required, she hadn't been taught correctly.
Christine had ruled the first week that Nicole needed to go completely back to basics, and had only just now let her go back on pointe. She had been re-mastering the art of fouettes on pointe all day, and she still couldn't seem to get the simple move correctly. Hearing a knock on her door, she groaned, and stalked to the door, all but throwing it open.
Mistake. Ethan stood at her door.
"Sorry." She said quickly, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. She was wearing a thin day dress, but at least she had decided against wearing one of the nightgowns, more practical for dancing.
"Am I interrupting something?" He seemed slightly confused.
"Yes. Actually, I'm right in the middle of something. Can it wait?" She realized she was addressing the prince of Illea, but she didn't want to give him or herself any ideas.
"What's so important? I didn't think anyone did anything today."
"Um, it's…fouettes. On pointe."
"What now?" He looked slightly terrified, then realized she still had her slippers on. "Oh. Dance stuff. Christine told us she had been working with you."
"Yes and I'm very busy. Please excuse me." Nicole tried to be polite in tone, because her words were anything but.
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to…have dinner with me? Unless you're too busy. But I have to go back to the palace for a week and then fly to Allens to make a speech, and I just thought…maybe…."
Nicole sighed. He had started to be less shy during their stay at Trentworth, but he still reverted back into it at times.
"Okay, fine. What time?"
"In say…an hour? Meet me on the terrace, off the dining room?"
"Sure." Nicole gave in with a non-comitial shrug.
"Great." They stood their awkwardly for a moment.
"Well, I've got to change and stuff…"
"Right. Bye."
Nicole shut the door softly, hoping she hadn't been too rude. She didn't like feelings. She didn't like hurting her friend's feelings and making them jealous. She didn't like this at all.
After a few more attempts, she realized anymore of this futile. She couldn't concentrate. She sat on her bed to remove her pointe shoes. She only had to beat out six girls to make it to the Elite, and then she could be a Two and hopefully every ballet company would want her and she could be a principal and I can't even do fouettes." She flopped backwards on her bed and sighed in frustration. The door leading onto the balcony opened and Nat barged in.
"Hey sis, watcha doing?" Nat asked brightly, pouncing beside her.
"I was trying to practice and then he had to come ask me to dinner." Nicole complained.
Nat giggled. "I think more than half of the girls here would be thrilled to trade places with you."
"Even you?"
"Nah. Ethan and I are friends. I work for him-"
"You what?"
"No! None of that." Nat's tone was reassuring and sarcastic at the same time. "I'm kinda like his spy. I give him advice, since I know all the girls better than him, and I help him not be so incredibly awkward and set up dates and-"
"Wait. So you set this up? Why?" Nicole wailed. "I need to get these fouettes down, Nat!"
"This is the Selection, Nicole. You're using ballet as a defense mechanism. You won't even hang out with your friends. You just shut yourself up in here. It's time for a break. And speaking of which, you need to get ready!"
Nicole rolled over on her stomach, burying her face in the comforter and made an annoyed shriek into the fabric.
"Love you too. Now into the shower!"
Forty five minutes later, Nicole was showered, made up, and dressed in a strapless ice blue satin gown with gold filigree on the bodice with a gold belt, her hair swept up. Nat waved cheekily at her as she stepped back into her own room off the balcony, while Nicole continued to the stairs, nerves tightening in her stomach with each step.
Ethan was waiting on the terrace below, in a blue button down with the sleeves rolled up and dark gray dress pants.
"We match." She said stupidly.
"How go the pirouettes?" He actually joked.
Nicole didn't bother correcting him. "Badly." She took his offered arm, and allowed him to lead her out into the gardens, where a table for two had been sat up with their dinner.
"Hopefully it won't rain like the first time." Another joke. He was in rare form.
"Yeah, that was embarrassing. I threw a vase at you."
"You were embarrassed?" He asked incredulously, pulling out her chair for her. "I took a girl on a date outside, and it rained!"
"And the cameras saw everything."
"And I told them not to put any of it on the Report."
"True." Nicole sat down, and reached for her glass to take a sip of water. "So you let Nat convince you to do all this?"
"Did she tell you?"
"The minute you left."
"Oh. Well, she's a good friend. And I needed someone like that to help me out here. I'm way out of my depth."
"At least the cameras aren't here to publically embarrass you." Nicole reminded him, starting on the salad.
"True. But only for security reasons. Everyone thinks we're still at the palace."
"What did you say about that earlier?"
"Oh yeah. Well, my parents decided we're all going to different provinces to make speeches and appearances to sort of calm everyone down and reassure them. The attack at the palace really shattered the people's confidence."
"And hopefully by everything you don't mean us?"
"No, just the official royal family."
Nicole sighed with relief. That conversation died, so she tried a new one. "So what have the rebels been up to lately? They've been isolating us from everything. We just now get those gossip magazines again."
"My father thinks it's for your own safety. But the rebel's haven't been doing much. A couple of protests in the big cities. They attacked a couple of the service offices, too. But they lost a lot of man power when the army came to the palace."
"So, like is it safe at the palace?"
"We lost a lot of guards too. But my father has some of the best soldiers guarding things there. They haven't been doing much since the conflict with Russia ended. Which never should have happened in the first place, but Father…" he trailed off with a sigh. "He thinks I should be prepared to be king in case the same thing happens to him. But he never cares to hear my thoughts."
"I can't imagine how hard it must be for you."
"Yeah. Usually, if there are any sons after the first, they go to the military. But he's paranoid. He wants us to be the best. And ready for anything. And he's so blind to the suffering of the people. He won't do anything about it. He still hasn't recovered from me eliminating Elly. I'm not sure what he would have done if one of the Twos had decided to leave after the attack."
"If you could, what would you do to stop the suffering?"
"I don't know. But if we did something, the rebels would maybe calm down. But he doesn't even care." Ethan looked up from his dinner. "You know, you're really easy to talk to about this stuff."
"I must be, because I've never heard you talk so much before." Nicole teased. Ethan smiled.
"It's heavy on my mind. I've got to make a bunch of speeches, but he's got to approve them, so I won't get to say what I want to."
"Why don't you just change it halfway through, when it's too late to stop you?" Nicole suggested.
"Because I'll definitely hear about it later. Probably in front of an audience too. He and my mom are so caught up in appearances, they don't do their job. It's all about Selections and parties and events and Reports…it's so stifling."
"What about Andrew? He'll be the king when they retire."
"My dad will die before he retires. Andrew's better. But he'd rather go to a party or something than make legislation. He doesn't apply himself." Ethan finished off his dinner, and then looked regretfully at Nicole. "Sorry, I've spent this whole time talking about myself."
"No, you've been talking about the country. Sometimes people need to talk to someone to get their ideas out. I'm willing to listen. I think you'd make a great king."
Ethan studied her for a long moment, and Nicole grew uncomfortable and looked down at her plate.
"Thanks." He said softly. "I don't think anyone's ever told me that."
…
A lot of Adele's part was taken with inspiration from "Titanic" and "Newsies" because I can't come up with good ideas myself….
-Shades