Chapter 18 – Nevaeh de Montignac
As soon as Nevaeh woke up – quite early – on Saturday morning, she knew exactly what she needed to do. She called Timothy Parker even before she got dressed, still in bed.
"Yeah?" he said through the phone.
"Parker, were you sleeping?" she asked.
"Uh, no? I just arrived on the Royal floor. Why?"
"Oh. You just sounded sleepy. Anyways," she said, running a hand through her tangled blonde hair. "I need you and your team of security guys to go secure the beach."
"Which one?"
"The usual one," she replied as if it were obvious. "The Royal one?"
"Oh, yeah, sure."
"Good. We'll be arriving with 2 limos around 9 a.m., right after breakfast."
"9?!" he huffed. "Have you ever heard about sleeping in on a Saturday morning?"
"Don't question me, Parker," she said, annoyed. "Please do your job and let me do mine. Understood?"
"Yes Ma'am," he replied and Nevaeh could practically see him salute her through the phone. "On it, Ma'am."
With that, she hung up the phone and fell back down on her pillows. Nevaeh took a deep breath and sighed, happy that the sun was already shining through the curtains. She decided to text Hanna to tell her she was giving her the day off unless she wanted to come to the beach with them. Hanna replied right away that she'd be happy to chill around the Palace for the day, but that she'd be ready when they came back.
With that, Nevaeh got up and put her bathing suit on, then a sundress on top and some light makeup. She rounded up the Selected's maids – as well as the boys' valets – to go wake up the sleeping people with a tray of breakfast and tell them to be ready by 9 o'clock in the limos with everything to spend the day at the beach. The next stop was the kitchen, where she ordered sandwiches and other picnic things to be delivered around noon at the beach for them.
And by 9 a.m., she was ready, scrolling through Instagram in a limo, waiting for the girls.
"You wouldn't have bothered to tell me you were all going to the beach…" Jesse said, climbing into the seat next to Nevaeh.
"Oops."
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Nevaeh shook her head. "No, honestly, I completely forgot. You have no idea how many things I did and how many people I've talked to since 7:30 this morning." She turned off her phone. "Who told you?"
"I bumped into Val in his Hawaiian swim trunks and he asked me why I was wearing a suit and not a bathing suit." He chuckled. "Needless to say, I ran back to my room to change and tell Otis and Sydney the good news."
A couple of minutes later, the girls filed out of the Palace's main entrance and piled into the two limos waiting for them. They were all dressed in flip flops, shorts, sundresses, sunglasses, hats, and carrying bags full of magazines, sunscreen, and other things girls needed for the beach. Ivy even had a volleyball under her arm, and the chatter among the girls betrayed their eagerness to go to the beach. The boys followed suit, and while Nate and Val were dressed for the beach, Silas was wearing a linen trouser with a linen shirt and some espadrilles. No swimsuit on the horizon for him. At least none that Nevaeh could see. Doug was walking down the steps with him, tongue out and tail wagging furiously.
She counted the girls, but one was missing. Everyone looked around but couldn't figure out who it was. She was counting the girls for the third time – "Please stop moving, I'm trying to count you!" – when Jenissa came out running.
"I'm so sorry," she said, climbing in one of the limos. "I couldn't find my second flip flop!"
Nevaeh shook her head and sighed, but climbed in after her and the engines roared to life. It was a ten-minute drive to the private Royal beach that was very seldom used; but there were sometimes squatters sunbathing there, that's why she had sent Parker and his team ahead.
As soon as the cars stopped, almost all of the girls jumped out and ran towards the beach. Valerian and Nathan did the same but Silas stood next to his cousin who was shaking her head in dismay.
"Are the girls behaving to your liking?" he asked, teasing her.
"Don't start me on that," she said. "They look like five-year-old kids on a school trip."
"Well, I'm sure some of them never saw the ocean, before today," he said softly, and Neveah looked at him, surprised. Since when did he care about what others did or went through? "That's… true," she admitted. "So, where's your bathing suit?"
Silas shouldered a backpack. "In there."
She eyed the bag. "Did you put rocks in there? It looks heavy."
"Two bottles of water, a couple of books, and some other things."
She huffed and started walking towards the beach with her own bag. "I still don't understand why you don't show off your abs in a pair of swim trunks," she said. "I'm sure the girls would be glad for some eye candy."
"They have Val and Nate for that," he said. "I'm not a piece of meat or a fancy horse being auctioned off." He paused. "Mom wants me to look for a wife. Not someone who only likes me for my appearance."
Nevaeh nodded, approvingly. "You know, for one who has never dated or fallen in love before, you seem to know a great deal about love and marriage." She eyed him from the corner of her eyes, making sure he understood she was teasing him. "I'm kidding," she said when there was no reaction from him.
"I know.
"Oh."
By the time Nevaeh and Silas had arrived at the spot where all the girls had dropped bags and clothes and flip flops, almost all of the Selected were splashing around in the water or standing at the water's edge. Not all of them seemed keen to go into the water, but the more reluctant at least had their toes in the water.
Nathan was already carrying some of the girls in the waves despite their laughing cries but Nevaeh saw a couple of girls retreat from the water at the sight: Yuna and Odessa seemed to be a bit fearful of the water and they walked back towards the bags and towels. They spread their towels and Timothy Parker helped them put up a parasol. He and one of his security guys put up more parasols around the area and when they were done, Silas plonked a folding chair in the sand and sat down under his own parasol, away from the two girls already there.
Nevaeh wanted to shake him out of his shell and carry him herself into the water, but she knew his feet would touch the ground if she tried and it would be useless. Oh well. She'd just have to be patient with her stubborn cousin.
She took off her sundress and walked in her flip-flops to the group of savages playing around the water with Doug and the two younger princes.
"This is so cool!" Dyani said, standing next to Nevaeh. "You know this is my first time seeing the ocean?"
Nevaeh looked at the girl with the two long braids next to her. So Silas had been right: some had never seen the ocean before. "And? How does it feel?"
Dyani's smile couldn't have been wider, and her cheeks pinker. "This is amazing. And it's everything I've ever dreamed of." She looked at the horizon and put a hand over her eyes to protect them from the sun. "The color of the water is so beautiful!"
"It changes with the weather, actually," Nevaeh said. "And it even matches the sky most of the time." She paused. "Can you swim?"
"Yes." Dyani looked at the waves crashing against the people in the water. "But I've never swum in these kinds of waters."
Neveah nodded. "Keep to the edge of the water, then," she said. "And stay close to Malia. She's a lifeguard." With that, she walked into the water to cool her hot skin from the time she spent standing in the sun. Someone splashed her – she didn't know who – and then before she could do anything, she found herself in the melee of bodies and waves. And Doug.
After some time being savages in the water – yes, Neveah was counting herself in that group, for once– some went back to the towels or just to get the volleyball and start a game on the sand. From the corner of her eye, she saw Anastasia talking with Parker, walking in the distance. If only she could hear what they were saying. Also, did Silas or the others give Parker permission to flirt, or talk, or whatever he was doing with the Selected?
Oh, and there were Jesse, and Sydney, and Otis in the melee of people in the water. She hadn't seen them until they walked out of the water and took out their cameras and drones.
Nevaeh went back to her towel and checked her phone, letting the warm summer breeze dry her off. There were still a couple of hours before the food arrived, so she lay down on her belly and took out a book.
Some of the girls followed her example and joined her on towels with magazines or books, while Ivy started a volleyball game with those who wanted. There were two teams of three players playing against each other: Ivy, Dyani, and Jacinta, against Jenissa, Pallas, and Phoebe. After playing in the water for a while, Nathan and Valerian and some other girls stood on the side of their makeshift terrain and encouraged them, taking sides.
The morning went by without any incident or remarkable event, and by the time the food arrived, everyone was famished and happy to have foot-long fancy sandwiches with lots of little vegetables to nibble on the side. Chips were passed around as well as a fruit salad and cookies.
"I'm full!" Valerian said, patting his belly. "You're all gonna have to roll me around, now…" He burped. "Oops, sorry." Nathan burst out laughing and he suggested a new game of catch in the water and some of the girls followed suit. Malia took out her mermaid tails and some of the girls took mermaiding lessons from her.
Nevaeh noticed that Anastasia had gone again with Parker for yet another walk and she approached Silas about it.
"Are you going to say anything about them?" she asked, motioning with her chin to the couple in the distance.
Silas raised his eyes from his book and followed his cousin's gaze. "No, why?"
"Ana's in your selection. And Parker's not your brother."
"So?" he shrugged. "Not all of them are going to find love. I'm glad if she and Parker can find each other." He paused. "Besides, she's not on my list. You'd have to talk about that with Nate." That said, he went back to his book and shut out everyone around him.
Nevaeh then asked Yuna if she wanted to go for a walk so they could talk and catch up a bit since there was nothing too pressing for her to do right now. Yuna accepted and they went for a walk along the beach, just like old times.
-o-0-o-
When Silas looked up from his book – he was starting to mix up the lines and words, by now – all the towels around him were empty, and most of the girls were standing near the water's edge playing with Doug or his brothers in the water. He stretched his legs and took off his espadrilles, wiggling his toes in the warm sand.
"Do you mind if I sit here?"
Silas was surprised – but delighted – to see Ximena standing next to him with her towel in one hand and a large notebook and pencils in the other. She was dressed in a sexy black one-piece bathing suit with a criss-cross over her chest, and a pair of short black shorts.
"Of course not," he replied, smiling.
"Thanks." She spread her towel and sat down right next to him. Without a second glance at the prince, she opened her notebook and took out her pencil. She drew a few lines and started humming as if she was completely alone and no one was watching her. Perhaps she had forgotten that the Prince was watching her page just over her shoulder.
Silas rested his elbow on the armrest of his chair and rested his chin on his hand, watching as the dark lines took life on the white page. At first, he didn't understand what she was drawing, but as the lines started to make sense, he realized she was drawing a woman. A naked woman.
His cheeks heated up a little, but he couldn't look away. The woman she was drawing was curvy and round and very much like her, which made him feel a little bit uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop watching. And as he watched, the woman in the drawing started getting clothes on. Silas continued to watch in silence and once the dress was done, she added color. From what he could understand, it was a shimmering blue dress without sleeves and he couldn't resist the smile that spread on his lips.
"What's that dress for?" he asked, breaking the silence between them.
Ximena stopped humming and looked over at the Crown Prince who was looking at her with a small smirk.
"Uhm, to be honest, I completely forgot you were watching." She giggled nervously and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from her messy bun on the top of her head. "I'm hoping to have it done for the next ball, actually, whenever that is…"
Silas thought for a moment. "Probably National Day, in September."
"Good, I'll have time, then." She looked back at her drawing and then at Silas. "Do you like it?"
Yes, Silas had imagined Ximena wearing that shimmering gown, and the image was very pleasant. "Yes, I do."
Ximena smirked. "Good."
"Can I ask you something?" he said, shifting in his beach chair and pushing up his glasses.
"Sure."
"You haven't been swimming today," he said, "and you're usually the first one in the pool."
"Oh, that's just because I'm on my period. No big deal." She offered him a smile but Silas turned beet red. Having no sisters, he had never really gotten familiar with… that.
"I'm so sorry," he mumbled, looking away and back at his book. That had been the most awkward situation he had been in, and there had been many in the past.
"Don't worry about it," she replied. "It's totally normal." But she noticed that Silas was shutting out. So instead of letting him do that, she stood. "Hey, you wanna go for a walk along the beach?" She flashed him her best smile. She was in a Selection, and she knew she was fighting against 8 others on his list – no she didn't care if she was on the other lists – and she would go down fighting if need be.
The Crown Prince nodded and closed his book, putting it down on his chair. "Sure." They walked towards the water and walked side by side for a while without talking. The waves lapped gently at their feet and Silas stopped to roll his pant legs higher up his calf so they wouldn't get wet.
Next to him, Ximena was looking at the ground, turning over small rocks and seashells with her toes and crouching down some times to pick one up. Most of the time she would put them back, but some other times she pocketed them.
"What exactly are you looking for?" he asked, curious.
"I like to collect pretty rocks, seashells, and sand from every beach I go to," she replied still looking at the ground. "I haven't gone to many over the years, but I thought it would be a good way to keep memories, you know?"
Silas nodded but he had no idea what she was talking about. It had never occurred to him to collect rocks. Or seashells. He collected other things, yes, but not that.
"Oh, look at this one!" she said, picking a pink rock up. "It's so shiny and smooth!" she placed it in his hand and then put it in her pocket.
Silas wanted to laugh at the simplicity and complexity of this woman. On one hand, she could be happy with little pink rocks, and on the other hand, she seemed to be mysterious and deep, and Silas wanted to know more about her.
"You never told me about your family," he suddenly blurted out. But he wanted to know everything about her.
Ximena shrugged. "There isn't much to tell, really. It's only just me and my mom."
"And your father?"
"He doesn't exist." Ximena looked ahead of her, not wanting to elaborate any further. "Can I ask you something, too?"
Silas nodded, bracing himself for the question, which he had no idea in what direction it would go.
"Is there anything you do for fun?" She chuckled lightly. "I mean, please don't get me wrong. It's just… I've only seen you with books and you rarely smile or laugh…" she trailed off, not sure if she had offended him.
"I do have fun. Sometimes," he added. "There isn't much time for it with my work and all the conferences I go to with my mother, but I do find the time for lighter things."
"Like what?"
Silas slipped his hands in his pockets. "I play the piano, and I read books."
"Ooh! I didn't know you were into music! Could I listen to you play one day?"
The stars in her eyes made it impossible for him to say no, though he had never played for anyone but himself, Doug, and Amy, but they had done duets so it didn't count. He also almost told her about his collection of something silly, but he decided against it. Maybe some other time.
They continued to chat and walk along the beach, and Silas was really glad not to have anyone following them, not Jesse, not Otis, not a drone, and not even Parker who was busy being sweet with Anastasia.
"Hey, look at this rock!" Ximena said, picking one up for the billionth time. She held it up to his face, right next to his eyes. "It's the exact same color as your eyes!"
"Really?" he said, taking the rock in his hand. "Huh."
Ximena took it back and slipped it in her pocket. "I'll definitely be keeping this one." She smirked and continued walking ahead of the prince who had stopped to contemplate this woman who was making him feel all kinds of feels.
"Come on! What are you waiting fo– Ow!" she stopped abruptly and sat down on the sand. "Shit."
"Everything okay? What's wrong?" he asked, coming over and crouching next to her. Her foot was bleeding and there was a shard of glass protruding from the sole of her foot. "Shit," he echoed as well.
She pulled out the piece of glass but the blood flowed more heavily.
"Put your foot in the water," he said calmly, though he had no idea where this calmness came from. "The salt will disinfect the cut."
Ximena obeyed without question and put her foot in the waves. She hissed as the salt stung in the wound. The blood kept flowing and she was trying to wipe the blood away. Silas knew he had to do something but since he didn't have any first-aid kit – not that he would have known what to do with one, anyway – he decided to use what he had underhand. He tore off one of his sleeves – thank goodness the linen was easily rip-able – and made two thinner strips.
"Your shirt!" Ximena said, horrified.
"It's the only thing I have," he explained, tying the two pieces together. Once that was done, he took her foot and placed it on his lap – making bloodstains all over his beige pants – and wrapped the makeshift bandage around her foot. Neither one of them looked at the other. Silas was too focus on what he was doing and never in his life he had done something like that before, and Ximena was suddenly very self-conscious about herself.
"There, this should hold until we get back home." He paused. "Can you walk?"
Ximena nodded and the prince helped her to her feet. She couldn't put pressure on her wounded foot, though, so she limped next to him for a couple of steps before he wrapped his arm around her and helped her walk. It was tedious, and neither one of them spoke. Ximena winced at each step and the linen bandage was getting redder and redder by the minute.
"Okay, that's it, I'm carrying you," he said.
"No!" Ximena quickly disentangled herself from the helping prince. "No, please don't carry me."
"Why not?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"I'm– it's just–" Damnit. Ximena was always so sure of herself and so proud of her body but she couldn't let the Prince carry her. "I'm heavier than you think," she finally blurted out.
Silas just shrugged. "At least my workouts would be useful for something," he said, which made Ximena want to cry.
She held in her tears. "It's really a long way back to the others," she added in a last attempt to persuade him not to carry her around like a big potato sack.
Silas didn't want to push her so he continued walking by her side, his arm around her, and securing her every step. Make that only five steps. Because when she let out a small whimper of pain, he took off his arm from her. "You're clearly in pain, Ximena," he said. "I'm carrying you." And with that, he picked her up bridal style and started the way back towards the others who were totally oblivious to what was happening.
Ximena avoided his gaze and tried to make herself as little and light as possible but after a few minutes of silence, she noticed his breathing was getting a bit labored, and when she looked up, there were beads of sweat on his forehead.
Ximena wanted to hide in a mousehole and never come out. How humiliating this was! Yes, she loved her body and she encouraged other women to love theirs. But this was without counting the gorgeous prince who was carrying her and panting in the process. There was no way she was fighting for his hand after that. She didn't deserve him.
For Silas, it was his first time carrying a woman in his arms like that. He didn't care if she was heavy or not. All he wanted was for her to have as little pain as possible. And having her against him like that didn't help in the speed of his heartbeat.
It took him less time than he thought to arrive were the towels and parasols were and Nevaeh and some of the others came running towards them, asking them if Ximena was okay.
"What on earth did you do to your sleeve?" Nev asked, looking at Silas's torn shirt. "And your pants! They're covered in blood!"
"He used the sleeve on her foot," Nate replied, pointing. "Look."
"Oh crap, that's bloody," Valerian said, becoming a bit pale at the sight of blood. He walked away as Timothy Parker arrived with a first-aid kit and started working on Ximena's foot.
-o-0-o-
While everyone was fussing around Ximena, Valerian walked away. The sight of blood had never sat well with him and he needed some fresh air. He went to the water, where the waves soothed him a little.
"Are you okay?" someone asked, standing next to him.
Val recognized Malia's soft voice. He smiled. "Yeah." He sighed. "I'm just not really comfortable around blood, that's all…"
"Yeah, I can understand that." She tucked a long strand of wet hair behind her ear. "Hey, uhm, I just wanted to thank you, actually."
Valerian looked at the soft girl next to him. "Thank me? Why?"
She shrugged. "When I signed up for the Selection, I didn't think I'd get far, you know? like I'm from Hawaii, one of the latest provinces to be added to Illéa."
"So? What does that have to do with you getting far in the Selection?" Valerian asked. He rubbed his arm which was salty and dry from the ocean.
"It's just– I just never really expected to be liked by any of you guys, and I end up on all three 'lists'!" She giggled and looked at the horizon. The ocean was a beautiful blue-green, just like back home, but this was the first time that she wasn't homesick.
"Of course!" Val said. "Why wouldn't you be? I mean you're pretty amazing. I'm surprised you're surprised."
Malia and Valerian exchanged a smile and laughed.
"You know, I'm always very impressed with your mermaid thing," he said. Malia had taken both her tails – the silicon and the fabric one – to the beach and the girls had tried on the fabric one while she showed them how to swim in her heavy silicon one. "I mean, it would almost make me believe in magic and mermaids," he continued. "You make it look so easy."
Malia's cheeks burned a little, but she laughed. "Trust me, it's not that easy! It took me months to master. And even now, I could improve my technique."
Valerian chuckled and shook his head. He dug his toes in the sand, letting the waves lap at his ankles. "Well, to my amateur eyes, you're a real mermaid."
Malia was over the moon with that compliment. "Thanks," she said with a grin she couldn't wipe off of her face.
"How often do you 'mermaid'? I don't even know if that's a verb…" Val asked. "Also, do you want to go for a walk?" He gestured toward the other side of the beach.
"Sure!" Malia tried to match her steps with Val's long legs, and he eventually shortened his. "I 'mermaid' quite a lot," she said. "Mainly for birthdays, or shows in aquariums all over the summer. Well, usually," she added, giggling.
"That's so cool!"
"And I've been working with the Make A Wish foundation for a couple of years, too, so I also work with children."
Val nodded appreciatively. "What exactly do you do with them? Like, what's their wish?"
"Some just want to meet or see a mermaid," she explained, picking up a seashell and holding it in her hand since her swimsuit didn't have any pockets. "Others want to be taught how to swim by a mermaid, or they just want to learn how to swim."
"Huh, neat."
"What about you?" she asked. "Ever worked with that organization? I'm pretty sure lots of children would want to meet a Prince."
Valerian chuckled. "I never really thought about it, to be honest. With my Bachelor's degree and volunteering here and there, I didn't have much free time."
Malia nodded and they continued to walk down the beach in the water. She continued to pick up seashells and held them in her hands.
"I have pockets if you want," he suggested with a smirk. "Unless you want to carry your seashells all the way."
Malia's cheeks burned a deep hibiscus red and she tucked a strand of hair behind her hair, something she seemed to do a lot. "Thanks," she finally said, handing over the handful of seashells to the Prince, who slipped them in his pockets. "You know what kids would want to see, in Make A Wish?" she asked with an impish smile.
"No? What?"
"A Merman Prince!"
Valerian burst out laughing. "To be fair, I wouldn't even fit into your tail."
"You'd be surprised how elastic the fabric one is!" she replied. "Come on, let's go back and you can try it on!"
"And then what?"
"Then I take a picture of you and post it on my Instagram and all my followers will see!" She paused. "The Make A Wish foundation follows me anyway, but I'd tag them."
Valerian considered the idea for a moment. It could be fun, and he'd help lots of kids in the process! "You know what? Why not. Plus, I'm sure Jesse would get some laughs out of it." He laughed some more. "Pretty sure I'll never live it down, though."
Without thinking, Malia turned around to walk back towards where everyone was and she grabbed his hand. "Come on!" She ran and pulled him towards the fabric tail drying on one of the parasols and the seashells rattled in his pocket as he ran alongside her.
"Is everything okay?" Nevaeh asked as the two came back running.
"Yes!" Malia said, almost out of breath. "We're going to make a Merman Prince!" she giggled and took the fabric mermaid tail and gave it to Valerian. "Here, put it on," she said, the excitement building up. People started to gather around them and Valerian took out the seashells from his pocket before walking towards the water to put on the tail. He had watched all afternoon the other girls putting on the tail, so he knew more or less how to do it.
Nevaeh followed the group, too, and she noticed Jesse was watching with rapt attention as Otis filmed and Sydney took pictures.
"Didn't you already film Nathan in the pool with that tail?" Nevaeh asked him.
"Yes. In the pool." Jesse grinned at her. "This is even better because it's the ocean!"
"And we can add some editing to the picture to make him look like a real merman," Sydney added.
Neveah shook her head. If even the princes and the reporters were being idiots, there was nothing she could do. But a morbid curiosity kept her by the edge of the water with the others: a small part of her was still a little girl looking for magic anywhere. She just wished she could grow out of it quickly because it was a bit embarrassing, to say the least...
Hi! I hope you enjoyed this little Beach chapter ;)
Keep an eye on the IG page this week, there will be some beach aesthetics ;)
also, I wanted to thank the few of who are faithful reviewers and who've been reviewing practically every single chapter since the beginning of the story (Namely Rowe, Sloth, mnbvcxz-xx, Sylëa, Miri, and Milly!) thanks so much for your support ;) Thanks to those who drop reviews, too, from time to time! :D It's nice to get your thoughts!
and I hate to beg for reviews, but some of you haven't been reviewing much, and it was in one of the rules when you submitted an OC... And I'd rather you reviewed regularly with a short review than drop 10 giant reviews at once... ^^' it's more useful for me to have the reviews after each chapter than weeks after the chapters were posted because I don't really remember the details of them... LOL (Also, I don't know if it's due to summer vacation or not, but I've been getting less and less reviews in the past chapters...)
anyway... thanks for reading and for your support! and for being active on the Discord Channel for those who are on Discord ;) I'll see you next week with 3 new dates!