Hey, guys!
I can't believe how close to the end we are... I can't believe that The One is revealed in the next chapter. How wild is that?
But I still have to post this chapter before I can post that one, so I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Twenty Seven
It was a cold, gray spring day. And to Adrian, it seemed like even the sky was mourning Everleigh's death. The clouds were dark and threatened to pour rain on him at any minute.
The wind picked up and Adrian wrapped his suit jacket around him a little tighter. He didn't care that the wind was blowing his curls everywhere. He wanted to be here. He needed to be here.
He walked up to the casket and inhaled deeply. The lid was shut, but he knew what was inside. He gently placed his hand on top of it. He would never see her again. Ever.
He thought back to their date on the roof. When she had come to him after the rebel break-in and asked if he had eaten. They had gotten ice cream.
He remembered their first kiss. When he had been walking her back to her room and had kissed her at the last moment. They had hardly even known each other, but it had felt right.
He remembered her smiles. The way she would light up the room with just a single grin. The way she would light up his life with just a single smile.
All of that life, all of that happiness. It was just… Gone. It would never come back.
Everleigh's family had asked for the body to be returned to them. They didn't want her buried in some cemetery in a place she hardly knew. They wanted her to be back with them.
At first, Adrian hadn't completely understood their wishes, but then he remembered his visit to Queen Aurora and Ana's graves and it clicked. He remembered the peace he felt afterwards, the way he had left feeling a little less empty. He wondered if that was what they wanted. If that was why they wanted her so close.
He would have joined them for the funeral. He would have offered his condolences in person and they could have honored and celebrated her memory together, but King Abernathy had banned him from leaving the palace. It just wasn't safe at the moment.
Adrian had agreed with him. Maybe the rebels he knew personally wouldn't hurt him, but from the information Sebastian had given Adrian during his date with Melody… Vivienne was from a different rebel organization. Maybe even the one who had bombed the palace during the One Ceremony.
He shook his head. He could think about Vivienne and her ties with the rebels later. For now, he wanted to focus on Everleigh.
Everleigh. She deserved justice. She deserved something more than what she got. She deserved more than being in a casket. She didn't deserve to die.
He cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump that was choking him. Why had he lost so much? He lost his mother, his baby sister, and now one of his best friends.
It wasn't fair. Nothing about this was fair.
He had to finish it. He needed to finish the selection. There were only three girls left, and at this point, it would probably anger King Abernathy more if Adrian didn't finish it.
Adrian watched as they loaded the closed casket onto the private jet. His Everleigh. His hero.
He would never forget what all she had done for him.
The cold gray day only seemed to get grayer as the day went on. In the midst of all of this coldness, Adrian couldn't help but think that he needed some warmth.
He walked towards the parlor where he had first met all of the selected. It felt like it had been years since that moment, but it hadn't been more than a few months.
When he got closer, he heard the quiet chattering of the final three girls. Every once in awhile one of them would sniffle, or one would let out a tiny laugh.
He didn't knock on the door, he just walked in and sat beside them.
"Hey," Melody greeted as Davina handed him a blanket. "How are you doing?"
Adrian shrugged, then wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. "I dunno…" He said. He could feel the lump coming back into his throat. "I miss her."
Davina nodded. "We all do," she said, Jellybean curled happily in her lap. "She was such a fun and loving girl…"
Jehan nodded, then handed Adrian a mug. A mug filled with steaming hot chocolate. "Do you remember after her first date with Adrian?" She asked the girls.
Melody chuckled. "She didn't want the girls who hadn't had a date yet to feel all sad and left out, so she tried to keep her cool, but it didn't work," she said. "She was almost giddy with excitement when she pulled the three of us aside to tell us about it. It was adorable to see how excited she was and how happy you had made her."
Davina nodded. "Yeah, she was so sweet," she said, then looked down. "I really miss her…"
"Do you remember right after the Report announcing the continuation of the selection? When she came running into my room cause we were all together and," Jehan began, but Melody cut her off.
"And she just shouted Adrian kissed me," Melody finished. "Then we all squealed with her because a kiss from Prince Adrian is hot."
Adrian chuckled softly as he felt his cheeks turn pink, but he didn't say anything. Had Everleigh known how much she had affected the other selected? How she had affected his life?
"The night after the rebels broke in, we went up to the palace roof and saw the stars," he said. "We had just talked. She was so easy to talk to, you know?"
Melody nodded. "She was such a good listener and such a good talker," she said. "And she gave a lot of good advice."
"Unlike you," Jehan teased playfully as she bumped her shoulder into Melody's. "Your advice for a headache is, and I quote, get rid of it."
"Well, it's true," she said.
Adrian watched as the girls continued their playful banter. He couldn't help but think that this is how Everleigh would want to be remembered. She wouldn't want people to cry over her, but she would want them to remember the good times. She would want them to laugh. And for her, he would try his hardest.
Soooo, we got to see a little bit of pre-attack Everleigh through the other selected. I hope you enjoyed. Please follow, fave, and review! I would love to know what you thought!
Thanks for reading! Love y'all!