Hey, guys! Happy Easter!
I hope you all have a great day, and get some jelly beans or something!
Anyways, this is Brinley's first date, guys! I'm so proud of her for making it this far because... Well, you guys know how she feels about the whole selection thing. xD
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter eighteen.
Princess Brinley walked into the Library, and then inhaled deeply. The dusty smell of old books mixed with the almond-like smell of new books entered her nostrils and she breathed a sigh of happiness. She loved the smell of books, both old and new, and the Library was where the two smells mixed and created the best smell ever.
In the corner of the room, lounging on the plush sofas and chairs, were a handful of selected. Sitting on the coffee table beside them were at least five thick textbooks, there were also two pairs of glasses, and six cups of steaming coffee.
As she got closer she could hear a quiet conversation of whispers that they were sharing. When the words became clear, Brinley found herself grinning. They were studying together, and talking through the harder, more opinion based questions.
"Mind if I join you?" She asked as she sat down beside Levy.
They all looked up from their books, and the conversation stopped. Brinley's heart thumped a nervous beat when she realized that all of their eyes were on her. All of her life she had been used to everyone staring at her, but for some reason, this felt much different to her.
"Of course, your highness," Ari said as he took the end of his pen out of his mouth. The pen had slight bite marks, but it looked more like they had been created by the constant pressure of his teeth resting on the pen, not like he was forcefully biting it.
"We were just discussing the caste system," Peter said as he sat up from his slouched position and then smiled at her. "We would love to know your opinion on it."
Brinley looked around the room, and at the other selected. She had received such a caste diverce cast, and she found that when they were all spending time together, the numbers didn't matter. In the room alone there was a One, a Two, a Threes, and an Eight. Sebastian seemed to be everywhere these days, and he had looked up from his own history book to see what her answer would be.
"Well," she said, and then scratched the back of her neck. The room seemed to heat up in those few seconds, like someone had put her in the oven. How did she feel about the caste system? It was a question that she was rarely asked. "I think that the people of the lower castes still deserve to be treated like people. I don't personally think that a number is what makes a person who they are, and just because you're low caste doesn't give other people, the people of higher caste, the right to bully and abuse them."
She flicked her eyes over to Sebastian. He was immersed in his textbook. Or at least pretended to be. She wasn't sure.
Peter cleared his throat, and then leaned forward. "But Princess, the people of lower castes normally did something to end up there," he said. "I mean, Eights are known for… Well, to put it bluntly, they are known for being whores and drug users."
Before Brinley could comment, the loud thunk of a book being slammed filled the room. Everyone looked over at Sebastian, who until that moment, had been reading calmly and ignoring the conversation.
"Not every Eight is a whore," he stated, and Brinley's stomach churned with unease as he spoke in an eerily calm voice. "And not every Eight uses their body as a way to get somewhere in life. There are plenty of Eights who are only Eights because they were demoted after they had some sort of accident and could no longer work. There are also plenty of Eights who are only Eights because they were born into it. Once you become an Eight, it isn't easy to get out of it. I was born an Eight, I wasn't demoted."
Peter looked over at Sebastian, his eyebrows raised. Brinley could feel the tension between them. A One and an Eight. They were so different in every way, and their castes were only the beginning of the differences. Peter was bold, always wanting to be seen and heard while in a crowd, while Sebastian tended to prefer to stay in the corners and watch.
"Your mother was a Two. A well known socialite, I believe," Peter said as he leaned back, and Brinley watched as Sebastian visibly shrunk in his seat. His navy sweater seemed to bury him in that moment. "She had sex and got demoted. For some reason that I don't know or understand, she was brought back up. Only to do the same thing again. Seems to me like she was a whore."
"Dude, that's so not cool!" Ari said before Sebastian could get the words out of his mouth. Brinley couldn't help but notice how Sebastian's normally very pale skin was red with what she could only imagine was anger. "You can't say shit like that about people's parents!"
Brinley stood up, and held out her arms. This conversation had gotten out of hand quickly, and she could tell that if she didn't stop it that it would get very physical very quickly. "Everyone stop!" She shouted. "This is not discussing the caste system, this is fighting."
She looked over at Sebastian and they made eye contact for just a second he picked back up his history book. Brinley felt her heart ache for him as he opened the book and began to read again, or at least pretend to. No wonder he had been so immersed in his book earlier, if the earlier conversation about the caste system had been anything like the one she had just heard, it was filled with prejedies and caste shaming.
"My mother is not a whore," he said, but didn't look up from his book. His voice was quiet, but each word had been so firm and punctuated that it seemed to echo in the Library. "And if you must know, most Twos have sex before they're married, but it only matters if you get pregnant or contract a sexually transmitted infection, because you can only hide a baby for so long, and you should really get medical help for an STI."
"Oh yeah? And how would you know that?" Peter asked with a smirk. "Are you a whore too, Sebby?"
Sebastian swallowed, and then started to read again. If he was bothered by the statement, he didn't show it at all. Well, at least not that Brinley could tell.
Brinley had no idea what to do in this situation. She knew that the rules stated that if there was any physical violence the selected would be ejected immediately, but this wasn't a physical fight. So nobody said anything, for fear that a fight would be reignited. The tension in the room was so thick that Brinley was convinced that she could cut it with a knife. It was suffocating at the very least.
She tried to ignore the way that Levy had his marker in his mouth and was anxiously looking back and forth between Ari, Sebastian, and Peter. She tried to ignore the way that Peter had seemingly shrugged off both Ari and Sebastian's words. She tried to ignore the way that Ari was glaring at Peter while also trying to calm his breathing. But most of all, she tried to ignore Sebastian. Her special little Eight who was so much more than that number that meant so much. Her Sebastian, who was trying to read his book, but she could tell he was just faking. She could see that his eyes had misted over, and he was biting his lip. It was subtle, but it was there.
She cleared her throat, and then looked over at Levy. "Excuse me, Levy, do you have a moment?" She asked. "I need to speak with you."
Levy's eyes seemed to widen with a sudden bout of nerves, and Brinley shook her head. "It isn't anything bad," she reassured. "I promise."
He nodded, and then put down his books. Before they left he grabbed his whiteboard and marker.
Brinley glanced at Sebastian, but he didn't seem to notice her gaze as he continued to fake read his book.
She sighed, and then walked out of the room, hoping they wouldn't kill each other, or at least Peter, while she was gone.
After they left the room, she closed the door behind them, and then turned to Levy. "Hey," she said. "I um… Would you like to go on a date with me?"
Levy's eyes widened, and then he pointed to himself. His eyes said it all. His beautiful hazel eyes, that reminded Brinley of forests and of the sticky filling of pecan pie, were filled with shock and what she guessed was excitement.
"Yes, you!" She said with a bit of a laugh. "I want to go on a date with you!"
Levy grinned, and then nodded before pulling the cap off of his marker.
I would be honored to go on a date with you, your highness.
She smiled, and then hummed. "What should we do?" She asked. It wasn't that she had expected him to say no, but that she wanted the men to help come up with the idea so that they could do something that they both could enjoy.
What about a flower arrangement? Or a picnic?
Brinley nodded. Both of those sounded like they could be fun, and she knew where a book of flower meanings was in the Library. Plus, she was always down for a picnic. "It sounds perfect, Levy," she said. "Maybe we can meet up in a couple hours for the date? That way there's time to get food and flowers prepared."
Levy grinned, and then nodded before wiping the whiteboard clean with his sleeve. Brinley couldn't help but wonder about how many shirts he had destroyed wiping his board clean like that.
Sounds perfect.
A few hours later, Brinley found herself sitting outside on a soft, red and white checkered blanket. Beside her was a basket of sandwiches and cheesecake, and on the other side was Levy and an absolute ton of flowers. It was too late in the year for the gardens to have flowers that weren't wildflowers or the more beautiful kind of weed that could be mistaken for a flower, so they had gotten a florist to supply the flowers, and they would all be going to different nursing homes across Angeles.
"So, have you done this before?" Brinley asked as she scooted closer to him so she could see the whiteboard better.
Every once in awhile. I enjoy spending time with our gardener, so we do this together every other month. It's fun. I promise. What about you? Have you done this before?
She shrugged. "Not very many times. Normally someone else does the flower arrangements when I have to throw a get-together or party," she said. "But I do it every once in awhile. I also normally make little bouquets in the spring and summer for my bedroom."
Levy smiled, and his grin reminded Brinley of the few times she and her family had made a campfire and she had watched it as it had faded out into the night. It had been perfectly beautiful.
What's your favorite flower, Princess?
Brinley hummed, and then picked up a sunflower. She touched the soft, yellow petals, and then handed it to him. "This one," she said. "Sunflowers, as normal and mundane as they might be, are probably my favorite."
Levy took the flower in his hands and inspected it, and then began to write something on his board. Brinley couldn't help but notice that his marker was starting to dry by the way that it was starting to take multiple strokes to get the letters to show.
What does it symbolize?
Brinley tilted his head, and he smiled at her. "I don't know off the top of my head," she said, and then grinned as she pulled out the large, leather-bound book filled with flowers and their meanings. "Which is why I brought this."
Levy's eyes widened as did his smile. In less than three seconds, he was wiping off his previous words and writing again. Brinley couldn't imagine writing as much as he did. The whole thought of having to write everything she would want to say made her shudder. She wondered how much she wouldn't say because of that. She wondered how much he didn't say because of that.
Read it!
Brinley smiled at the usage of multiple exclamation points, and then opened the book and began looking for the passage about sunflowers.
"Hey, why don't you choose your favorite flower while I find this?" She suggested as she flipped another page over. She hoped the book wasn't missing any pages. It was definitely old enough.
Brinley watched out of the top of her vision as Levy stood and began inspecting the different flowers as he looked for his favorite. Every once in awhile he would pick one up and then put it back down as he shook his head.
Finally, he walked back over with a flower in his hand. He sat down, and then set the flower on the blanket beside them as he began to write something on his whiteboard. He scowled as his marker once again began to fade out. Brinley couldn't help but wonder if he would swear at the marker if he had the voice to do so.
"I found it," she said. "Do you want me to read it aloud?"
Levy looked up from what he was writing, and then nodded. His eyes excited and eager to hear what the sunflower symbolized.
She cleared her throat. "They signify pure thoughts. It symbolizes adoration and dedication, and is symbolic of dedicated love," she said. From years of training, her voice rose above the sounds of the birds and bugs and floated on the breeze.
Levy smiled, and then erased whatever it was that he had written. He put the marker to the whiteboard again.
You have a beautiful voice, your highness.
Brinley blushed as she read his message. She had never really been told that she had a beautiful voice before, and she didn't think that it was anything special, and she absolutely hated hearing her voice when it was recorded.
"Thank you, Levy," she said as she brushed a stray curl out of her face and behind her ear.
He nodded, and Brinley assumed that it was just easier to nod than to write out a reply to her thanks. Which was fine by her, after all, the marker he was using was almost dead.
"So, which flower did you choose?" She asked as she leaned back onto her hands. It was unladylike at best, but more comfortable than her stiff position before.
Levy reached down and picked up the flower, and Brinley smiled. A sweet pea. It grew in the gardens during the spring and summer. The pink flower made her smile, and it had often ended up in a vase in her gray colored room.
"Oh, it's so beautiful," she said as she looked at its delicate blush pink petals.
Levy nodded, and then pointed to the book.
Brinley looked down at the book, and then began to flip the pages. She knew that she had already seen the sweet pea, she just had to find it again.
"The sweet pea indicates delicate pleasure and bliss," she said. "It is symbolic of departure after a good time."
Levy smiled, and then began to write again.
Like this date. It's a great time!
Brinley grinned at the writing, and then nodded. "Yeah, but don't leave yet! I brought cheesecake!" She said, and she watched as Levy's eyes lit up like the first rays of the sun lit the earth. "That's right, I know that it's your favorite."
Levy placed the flowers to the side and then grabbed the picnic basket that they had brought out. "Cheesecake." He mouthed, and Brinley couldn't hold back her laughter.
"I brought cherries too," she said as she began to unpack the contents of the basket onto the blanket.
Levy shook his head, and then grabbed one of the pieces of cheesecake and began to eat it.
"So, have you enjoyed being at the palace so far?" Brinley asked as she piled cherries onto her slice of cheesecake.
He nodded, but didn't elaborate further. Brinley guessed that it was because he was too immersed in his cheesecake to set it down and have to deal with his dying marker.
"I've really enjoyed having you all here," she said. "How are you doing after the rebel attack? I know that it can be scary when you aren't used to it."
Levy sighed, and then set down his half-eaten cheesecake. He began to write, and Brinley began to eat her own cheesecake as she waited for him to finish writing.
It was scary, but I'm doing fine. I got to the safe room safely and all of the selected made it out alive. What else could I ask for?
Brinley smiled. "Good. I'm glad," she said, and then cleared her throat. "I was scared that some of you guys would want to go home after the attack, but you all stayed."
He nodded, and then picked back up his cheesecake. Brinley watched as the wind blew his hair in the wind. It was hard to pinpoint the color of it, most people would say that it was brown, but to her it was barely brown. It was the color of the sand on the beach, but not the dry stuff that most people would imagine by that comparison, but the wet sand that was constantly pushed around by the waves.
Over the next hour, Brinley noted down everything that Levy did while they arranged the flowers to make either the most romantic or the most passive-aggressive arrangements possible. She didn't do it to be judgy or to nit-pick him, but because she didn't want to miss anything about him. She wanted to know his mannerisms and quirks.
She looked over as the sun began to set behind the palace. It was getting late, and she had a meeting with her father after dinner.
"Hey, this was great, but I think we need to be getting packed up and back inside," she said. "Dinner will be soon and I'm sure you still have some school work to do."
He sighed, and then nodded.
I guess that's true. I had fun though. More fun than I've had in a long time.
Brinley smiled as she began to pack up the dirty dishes into the picnic basket, and then folded up the blanket. "I'm glad," she said.
After a few minutes of cleaning, they both began to walk back to the palace. Brinley wasn't sure if there was any romantic attraction to Levy yet, but she was willing to continue trying until she was certain. After all, she adored him, at least on a platonic level. He was an angel of a man, and she wasn't ready to get rid of him so quickly. He would stay. At least for awhile.
There's the first date! Also, I think of you probably lost some respect for Peter. xD I hope y'all enjoyed! Please follow, fave, and review! I would love to know what you thought!
Thanks for reading! Love y'all!
