Quarter two goes just as fast as Quarter one.

We're flying through exams, practice lectures, observations in schools, and the similar. We're invited to visit schools from each Court during Quarter 3, and Alice signs us up to go together. We just have to get through this Quarter first.

"What grade do you think you'll be chosen to teach?" Alice asks one day at lunch.

Some have already received their letters assigning them to grades, subjects, even Courts upon Quarter four graduation.

"Hopefully, not math," I say honestly.

"Royals, that would be the worst. I think science might be fun. No kids, though!" Alice says with a laugh.

I shrug. "I think I'd like the little kids."

Alice lifts her lip in disgust before switching topics. "Hey, I think I want to set you up with someone."

"Uhm, no thanks?" I tell her as we walk side by side to the library to study for finals.

"It'll be fun," she assures.

"For who?" I argue.

Alice turns to me and stares deliberately. "Are you just going to sit in our room and read books all day, or are you going to get out and live, Belle?"

It's a serious question I wasn't prepared to answer. Instead, I open the door to the library, follow her to a private study cubicle, and lose myself in the material.

The warmth around my ankle heats softly. It's not really enough to notice willfully, but enough to notice within. I cross my legs and sit back, staring at Alice, who taps the end of a pencil against her pert lips.

There's a draw, communication, something I can't quite name that provokes me to answer her. The more I swallow down the idea, the more my ankle burns.

"Okay," I whisper to Alice.

"Okay?"

"Okay. I'll go out with you guys."

Alice smiles gleefully before whispering everything about him.

"I heard he's a really good kisser."

"Why would I kiss him?" I ask.

"Why wouldn't you? Maybe he's your—"

"Maybe Jasper's yours," I say, not even finishing the thought because she knows exactly what I mean.

Alice nods, thinking, accepting. "Don't you want to be Bonded?" she questions.

I choose my words very, very carefully. "It's not that I don't want to," I explain, "it's just that I want to finish my studies first."

Alice eyes me skeptically, and I beg her with a look not to ask anything more. The Royals could be listening, and I don't want to upset them. Do I want to be Bonded? Yes, of course. That's the natural order of things in our world. Do I want that right now? No. No, I don't think I do.

Guilt plagues me. It's a deep, intense shame that devours my insides but is swiftly put to a stop by the roar of my ankle.

Instead of warmth where Edward touched me, placed the salve, saved my foot, I can feel it rip through my leg like a torch. White heat with none of the pain. What an odd sensation. And then it cools as if dunked in a vat of ice water.

This has happened quite a few times in the last couple of months, but I chalked it up to my imagination. But here and now, with the heat as intense as the sun's rays, there's no way this is in my head.

"You okay?" Alice asks softly, her fingers softly grasping my forearm.

There's an electrical charge as the tips of her diamond-encrusted fingers touch my bare skin. We both stare at each other, and then she closes her eyes. Alice hasn't been able to summon her magic again since that night nearly six months ago, but she tries. Royals, does she try. She hasn't been able to will anything with the snap of her fingers, the tiny gems gleaming from within her fingers have remained.

Sometimes I catch her running them along her lip, together against the pad of her thumb, or up and down Jasper's arm during lunch. One day I asked her if they hurt, and she laughed, shaking her head slightly. Alice explains it is the most intensely intimate feeling that's ever existed. She compares it to when a boy places his tongue between your legs. When I ask her if Jasper does that, she winks and asks if Jake ever did. I lie and say yes, but the truth is written all over my face. Jake used his fingers every now and then, but that's the extent. I never even thought about the tongue being an option. Do girls do that for boys?

I can't spend too much time on the thought because she's looking meaningfully at me now inside the safety of our private cubicle. Her chocolate eyes so intense it's like I'm melting under her watch. It's too much, so I close my eyes. Alice's mind moves heavily, and I can almost feel her thoughts as she snaps her fingers. When I open my eyes, Alice stares back wide.

"What?" I ask, looking around at our stuff.

Books, pencils, a jug of water; nothing out of the ordinary. Alice points to my midsection, and when I look down, I can't help but laugh.

Bright blue cotton, so soft it turns to silk in my fingers, replaces the brown blouse I had on just seconds ago.

"Alice, what…" I trail off, my fingers getting lost in the buttery richness. "How?"

She shakes her head. "I just—I wanted to change your shirt. I never thought it would work again."

"Why me?" I ask suddenly. "Why is it that your magic only works on me."

She lifts her head in question. "I never even realized."

~!~

We don't speak about it again. Not the next day during breakfast, or the day after during lunch, or that weekend as we ready ourselves for the date.

Alice helps me pick clothes I find comfortable, and she also deems fashionable. Together, we settle on a pair of denim jeans and a soft pink tunic. I'm not used to the confines of denim, so it takes a few minutes for my body to adjust to the rigid material. Luckily, Alice compromises heels for lower wedges, and a bold lipstick for a sheer gloss.

The boys pick us up together, and it's awkward when Jasper hands Alice a bouquet of beautiful wildflowers and Royce just stares at me.

He's cute, I guess. A little taller than me with slicked back, dark hair, and a mustache that makes me wonder just how old he is. He smells like cotton and deodorant.

Jasper and Alice talk quietly a few steps ahead while Royce, with his hands deep in his pockets, asks me nothing. Maybe he's nervous, so I give in a little.

"What are you studying?" I ask kindly.

"History," he responds.

"Oh, that's interesting. Are you learning a lot?"

He shrugs. "Not really."

"Oh."

And that's about all he says until we arrive at a small diner owned by a local family. There aren't many restaurants in the many Courts, but some chefs choose to open their own in partnership with businessmen after getting prior approval from the Royals.

Alice tries to talk to Royce, but he gives her even less than he gives me. Alice whispers to Jasper, and the two boys disappear for a while.

"This is weird, Alice. I think I'm going to head home," I tell her.

"No!" Alice whines. "Jasper's talking to him right now. Maybe he's just… maybe he's just nervous."

I search her face for honesty as I ask, "did he even want to go on a date with me?"

She shrugs slowly. "He didn't not want to go on a date with you."

Turns out, in fact, Royce is not nervous. He comes back from his chat with Jasper and doesn't shut up. Ever. About himself.

Of all the things he talks about, Royce doesn't ask me one question about myself.

"I was a star athlete in high school," he admits. "I was born and raised in Court 5. It's so beautiful, don't you think? I bet it's a lot better than Court 6," he teases.

"Court 6 has it's—"

Royce laughs, cutting me off. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. It's a dust bowl. I don't even know how you can see."

"It's really not—" I try to say, but Royce talks over me again.

"In the woods where 5 meets 6, there's a line of demarcation made from the dust of your childhood. I bet you pray to the Royals every night before bed, thanking them you were chosen to move out of that—"

"The only thing I pray to them is a wish that I'm not Bonded with someone like you," I tell him, standing from my seat.

I've never stood up for myself in such a way, and it makes my head swim. Pride and surprise cover Alice and Jasper's face. I don't even give Royce another glance.

Leave. Leave. Leave. Sounds in my head over and over like a chant. And that's exactly what I do.

No one will ever talk badly of the place that raised me. I am who I am because of Court 6, and I'm lucky enough not to be born a prissy little brat like him.

I think about that as I walk home alone. I think about all the things I should have said. I think about whether the Royals were watching and if they were disappointed in my behavior.

I think so long and hard about the fact that when I turn twenty-one and haven't met my Soul Bond, I could very well be paired with someone like him for the rest of my existence.

I think about what that might be like, to kiss him for the first time, feel the pull and anchor to a man as nasty and egotistical as Royce. What it would be like to lay with him on our wedding night, completing the Bond in its entirety.

Shivers wrack my body as I unlock the door. When I'm finally behind the safety of our bedroom, I allow myself to sit back on the bed and do the one thing I've caught myself doing so often without truly noticing— I touch my fingertips against the shimmering, gold band of warmth.

~!~

The next day, when Alice comes back from Jasper's, she practically falls to her knees and bows down.

"Alice, stop," I giggle, pulling her up.

She hugs me and pulls down onto her bed playfully.

"That. Was. Awesome," she reveals. "Royce couldn't stop talking about you after you left. I mean, none of it was good, but you really pissed him off."

Her words scare me. "That's probably not a good thing considering the kind of man he is," I tell Alice.

"No, he'll be fine. You hurt his pride. He needs to lick his wounds."

"Was Jasper mad?" I ask hesitantly. "I know they're roommates, and I don't want to make it awkward."

She shrugs. "I don't think so. He said it was pretty righteous the way you stood up to him. I guess no one's ever done that before."

I laugh nervously. "That's just great."

Alice then bombards me with retellings of last night. It's like they balled up all my anger and passion and used it on each other. Japer's fingers on her, in her, gripping her hair. The force of his thrusts, the call of his body to hers.

I listen to her naughty stories and think back to Jake, the only boy I've laid with. Some of the things she tells me about Jasper make me think Jake had absolutely no idea what he was doing, and maybe that's why I don't know if I've ever felt a climax before.

I briefly think back to the few times I was with Jake. His fingers rough and dry between my legs. At the time, I liked it; any sensation felt good, and I just figured that's what it was supposed to feel like. The moment he entered me, the short strokes, the pleasure he sang about, and how it never matched my own.

The band around my ankle heats to a boiling temperature, so I press the toes of my other foot against the shimmer in hopes of cooling it down. The heat comes from within, though, so it doesn't work. Hot, white heat wraps around my leg until I stop thinking of Jake; until Alice stops talking about Jasper. It completely disappears when I leave the room, book in hand, and sit on my favorite bench under partly cloudy skies.

After a few chapters, I set my book down and close my eyes. Reflecting back, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've last been home, last seen my parents. Quarter 1 and 2 went so fast with the escalated learning, and I barely had time to think straight. High school and University are two totally different entities, and now I think I know why they pick certain people for University and certain people for Court jobs.

Sometimes I feel like I'm barely cutting it, and I was an honor roll student in high school. Jake, who barely passed his classes, would have had to work incredibly hard to pass in University.

For a moment, however brief, the pieces click into place, and I can see the connected puzzle put together. The Royals choose purposefully. There's a firm and decisive manner to their rules, and it's taken me this long to understand.

So many hate the Royals for keeping them in their Court, not allowing them to see the lands, forcing them into Court jobs. But the Royals are focused on creating workable Courts—someone has to work Water, or Garbage, or Environment in each Court, or the Court couldn't sustain its citizens.

I understand the Royals' side just as much as I understand the citizens' side, and it's an epiphany I feel like I've been waiting on forever.

When I return to the room that night, Alice is dug deep into her studies for finals, and I join her. Between learning educational laws for each Court and lesson planning for each subject, my brain begins to fry. We sit in such comfortable silence that my internal thoughts make me jump.

Don't let them fool you.

Where had that come from? Maybe it's time to take a break. Maybe I've been at it so long I'm hearing things. Maybe I—

Be cleverer than them.

Okay, now I know I'm going crazy. I shut my books and turn off my light.

"I'm turning in," I tell Alice with a yawn, shaking these weird thoughts from my head. They don't sound like me, and it sort of freaks me out.

"Me too," Alice says, slowly standing from her chair and stretching. I notice how red her hair looks under the dim light of the room. Not fiery or unnatural, more soft, subtle, like hints of intensity and strength that glow within.

Alice falls asleep quickly, but I toss and turn, thinking of the same two things for hours.

Don't let them fool you. Be cleverer than them. Don't let them fool you. Be cleverer than them. Don't let them fool you. Be cleverer than them. Don't let them fool you. Be cleverer than them. Don't let them fool you. Be cleverer than them. Don't let them fool you. Be cleverer than them.

The replay won't stop, but this time, it's my voice I hear saying these words. The two thoughts scream over and over and over until I shut my eyes so tightly it hurts. Inside I'm screaming. My heart quickens with anger. My throat burns to growl.

And suddenly, there's nothing.

Just like that, my internal assault dissolves, and I'm left with tranquil silence.

A/N: What in the Royals could be happening?! I love to hear your guesses! Thank you to Fran, the best beta!

Please leave a review :)

*Also!

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