Chapter Thirty-Five
Saturday, November Twenty-Third
There is a knock at the door. It's delicate, but firm; it's quite similar to a ballerina. Though, Louis knows it isn't a ballerina; it's his mother. He doesn't want to open it, last time they talked was for her to tell him that she's preparing for his sister's funeral. Look how that turned out.
Despite his reservations, he opens the door, letting her in. Louis can smell the liquor surrounding her. She's a walking bar. Louis grimaces at the smell. He doesn't need another substance taking up the space in his substanceless room.
"What do you want?" Louis continues to pace, fiddling with a small pencil.
"There is no nicotine smell." Most would be slurring at drinking all night, like Louis assumes his mother has. Though, most aren't his mother. She could have been on the Report drunk out of her mind. She's done it before.
"I haven't smoked since Charlie was on that screen in the Halloween Ball." Louis tells her. He's unnaturally calm. Last night calmed Louis down. Learning his sister was alive, but being held by the rebels had the unexpected effect of bringing peace to the situation. The war declared and the gun to Charlie's head gave him hope that his family could be better. He asks her again, "What do you want?"
"You're down to three selected."
"What do you mean?" Louis pauses his pacing once again, "I have four: Madison, Maria, Briar, and Mare."
"Three," she corrects, "Mare left quietly post-Report. She was going to tell you, but then decided to leave you be. She didn't want to cause you any distress. Though I see now that it was useless. You're not freaking out."
"Well damn." Louis has nothing else to say, but Queen Rosalind does, "As tradition dictates, you must announce your winner on the Report live now that you have three selected left."
"Mom," Louis admits, "I don't know who to pick."
"You can still do the remaining two family visits." She offers, "but we should wrap up the selection soon. Close ranks so we can all put our heads together and figure out how to proceed with the rebels and the war they've declared."
"Alright." Louis concedes, "I'll head out tonight with Lady Briar. By sunrise, I'll be in Carolina."
"I'll contact Governor Netting. He'll be thrilled to hear the good news." His mother asks, "but, before I go, are you okay?"
"Are you?" He asks back, "I can smell the alcohol for years."
"Louis, this is about you."
"Mom, stop drinking. Please."
"It's not that simple Louis一"
"I stopped smoking." Louis interrupts her, "If I can stop, you can too."
"I've been drinking longer than the three months you smoked."
"Fine!" Louis concedes, "but this is why the rebels are declaring war."
"They're doing this because of your father's rule."
"Do you think I wanted to be Queen, Louis?" His mother looks him in the eye. Her neck cranes, he's a foot taller than her, "I never wanted this."
"Well fix it." Louis sighs, "Just leave. We'll fix this when I get back."
His mother heads out of Louis' room, letting him collect his thoughts and belongings. Louis doesn't know how the conversation took a left turn so quickly, but the feeling in his gut tells him that the fight wasn't good for either of them.
He grabs a duffle bag and piles clothing in there. He has no time to worry about what's happening with his mother. He's trying to wrap up the selection and focus on saving Charlie.
Louis Schreave has Briar meet him in the foyer. Unlike Madi, he doesn't pick her up from her room nor drives her. He's a bit too distracted to do that.
"Hey Louis!" Briar calls out, causing him to look up from the news articles all across the internet about his sister's fake death. She's wearing a black and white striped outfit with a big, black bow. She's smiling as she comes over there, "Are you ready to get this show on the road?"
Louis manages a cheap laugh, "Yeah, I am."
"You don't sound like it." Rosie notes, "Well Louis, let's get this family visit over with."
"Do you want to go on it?"
"Yeah, totally." Briar answers, "I just don't know if I want to return."
She's honest. It's Louis' favorite thing about her. Though, he wasn't expecting that.
"Oh." It's all Louis has to say.
"Well, I'll tell you tonight!" Briar's smile is unwavering as she heads towards the door. She asks, "Are you coming?"
Louis picks up the duffle bag he brought and follows her towards the limo. It's a deceivingly sunny day outside. He squints at the cloudless sky as he opens the door for Briar. This is not how he wanted his day to go.
In the limo and up to the plane, neither Louis nor Briar speak to each other. Both have earbuds in. Briar dances along to a song she's playing. Louis watches yesterday's Report airing over and over and over again. Even though it will permanently be in his subconscious, Louis can't stop thinking about the video. It's the last time he's seen Charlie and it's what will motivate him to get her back.
"How is Governor Netting doing?" Louis heads back from the plane's restroom and into the seat across from Rosie.
She laughs, "We'll see him soon, you can ask him yourself."
"I just thought you'd spoken to him."
"No," Briar answers, "You said that Her Majesty called him personally. All I know is that he's treating us to breakfast tomorrow."
"Oh." Louis leans back in the chair. He asks, "Do you talk to your family much?"
"Not my father." Rosie answers, "I do speak to my mami and sisters."
"You have sisters?"
"Yeah," Rose smiles, "Iris and Ivy. They're twins."
"Tell me about them."
Rose goes into great details of the adventures the troublemaking duo gets into messes. From evading their nannies to painting the inside walls of the capitol building neon pink. Her sisters sound fun.
"They remind me of Charlie and I." Louis comments when Rosie's done telling the epic tale of them climbing the tallest tree in Singer Park, dedicated to the family who raised one of Louis' ancestors, America Schreave.
Rosie stops the conversation, her glossy lips perfectly still. After a moment, she apologizes, "I'm sorry for that, I know it must be hard without her."
"No, no, no." Louis tells her, "You did nothing wrong."
"Oh well, I still should've been more considerate." Briar replies, "Knowing what I know."
"What do you want to be?" Louis asks her, "If you decide to leave the selection."
"Well, I want to be a teacher but my father wants me to study environmental law."
"Did the selection cause you to put your studies on pause?"
"I wasn't in school yet." Rosie replies, "I was taking a gap year."
"I think you'd be a great teacher."
"Thank you." Rosie replies, "My father has planned out my whole career, ending with me becoming the Governor of Carolina."
"He must be happy to see you're still in the selection."
"Am I though?"
"You aren't gone until you say you want to leave."
"I think I want to ride this out." Rosie says, "See how it goes."
"But do you want to win?"
"No Louis," Briar replies, "No I don't."
