Chapter 5
Jolene was working on paperwork when the knock on her office caught her attention. "Come in," she called, turning back to her work, signing something, and setting it aside as her father and Ian walked in. She looked back up to them. Ian was hanging around quite often for someone who was only supposed to be concerned with Selection matters. "Yes?" she asked, raising a brow.
Her father sighed, "Jolene, we found a problem with a Selected."
Jolene's nose crinkled, "If you mean Elias, we already-"
"No, it's not Elias."
Jolene blinked, "Then who?" And what could be discovered so closely to the Selected arriving? They were arriving in a mere two days. She wanted to cringe at the thought, but she held herself together in Ian's presence.
"The Selected from Allens. It was recently discovered that he was involved with the illegal distribution of weapons. He was arrested, so we had to replace him." Ray replied, running a hand through his raggedy ex-curls.
Jolene was shocked, shouldn't they have known about this before he was Selected? Hadn't more security been their priority? "Who did you pick?"
"We offered the spot to the journaling company, and one of their young eligibles was chosen. He'll be the Allens Selected now, his name is Samson Nongkhrapat, he's 23."
"Do you have his form?" Jolene asked.
Ian spoke this time, "No, we're trying to locate it, but in all the Selected files we seemed to have misplaced it."
Jolene rolled her eyes, "Well then find it, Mr. Miller." She turned her attention to her father, "Dad, are you sure everyone else is safe?"
Ray shrugged, "We can't be sure what they're hiding, but we've given them all a once-over, looking for anything that may suggest they're involved with anything that may be dangerous or illegal. I've also informed the hidden guard to keep an even more watchful eye on everything."
Jolene nodded, humming, she supposed that was the best they could do until she met them. Met them….. How could she be sure they'd even be sincere when she met them? How did she know they wouldn't put on some fake personality they thought would impress her so they get to stay? How did she know they wouldn't lie to get closer to the throne? She dismissed herself, locking up her paperwork, and left her office, Ian and Ray following not far behind. They went one way, talking about lessons for the Selected, and Jolene went to her room.
She rang for Willa, and she texted Marcus. 'Get to my room ASAP. Need your help for something x J'
Willa arrived first, and Jolene quickly ushered her in, then waited for Marcus. The knock on the door couldn't finish before Jolene pulled Marcus into her room, she leaned out the door, looking down each side of the hall, before closing the door, and turning to the two people before her.
"May I be of service?" Willa asked, confusion spreading across her look.
"What's up?" Marcus asked, "Are we causing trouble? Pulling a prank?"
Willa looked disgusted at the idea, but Marcus was grinning. Jolene sighed, shaking her head, "Yes, well, kind of. I need your help getting a costume put together."
"Why?" Willa asked.
"What kind of costume?" Marcus replied, already searching through his phone.
Jolene turned to Willa, "I need a wig, colored contacts that aren't green, and a costume like a salon worker would wear."
"Your Highness, why do you want to look like a salon worker?" Willa asked, shaking her head.
"I can get you a wig by tomorrow." Marcus replied, "Blonde or brown?"
"Blonde, probably." Jolene replied, then turned to Willa, "Willa, look, I need that costume because I don't want to meet my Selected as Princess."
Both Marcus and Willa looked bewildered at this. Marcus stopped scrolling through wigs, and shook his head.
"Jo, what are you planning?" He asked, crossing his arms. "I'm down to help, but why do you want to be a salon worker?"
Jolene sighed, running a hand through her hair, and biting her lip. "Look, we've already had to replace one Selected for being shady, I don't need any others lying about who they are. If I go undercover and meet the Selected as a salon worker, I can see what they're really like. Not the person they want to show the Crown Princess, or the person they want to win the crown or my heart. I can't fall for lies, and seeing how they treat someone doing their hair or makeover will show me if they have a good heart or not, or if they're just here to wine and dine me and take my crown."
"Jo, listen, I love that idea, but don't you think it's a little paranoid to think someone can take your crown?" Marcus asked, a sympathetic smile on his face. He didn't know about Endra's threats, so he didn't know she actually should be worried about it, but she shook her head.
"Marcus, I want my crown, I'm ready to be an amazing queen, but if I marry someone who is a total lie, and changes after marriage, then how could I possibly trust anything else I'm doing or anyone I'm talking to? I lose all credibility and so does anyone around me." Jolene replied, taking his hands. "Please, find me those contacts and wig."
Marcus loosed a breath, "You're an absolute madwoman, Jo, but yes, I can. I'll have them here by tomorrow."
Willa cleared her throat, "How can I help?"
Jolene smiled, grateful she was willing to assist, "I'm going to need that uniform. And please notify the salon people that I'll be a part of it. But inform them it's mandatory they don't inform any Selected about my presence."
Willa nodded, "I can certainly send them a message. I'm sure they'll send a uniform for the day for the Crown Princess." Jolene smiled, nodding.
This was going to be one crazy ride.
Jolene looked at her reflection, she didn't recognize herself, she had a blonde wig, and brown contacts in. Willa had also used makeup to make her nose look a bit wider - Jolene hadn't thought makeup could even do that!- and made her look like she had cheekbones to match the old celebrity Angelina Jolie. The salon worker uniform was pretty basic, black wrap around with a pair of black pants and flats, and an apron around the waist. Jolene's wig was tied up in a bun, a few pieces framing her fake cheekbones. She turned to Willa, "How do I look?"
"Unlike anything Princess Jolene could look similar to." Willa replied, smiling contentedly, nodding to herself.
Jolene smiled, the boys were arriving soon, and she needed to get downstairs to avoid drawing attention. "Thanks again, Willa, it means a lot."
Willa curtsied, "Of course. Go get 'em, Your Highness."
Jolene laughed, and left her room, heading down to the great hall which had been turned into a temporary salon. She quickly found a place among other salon workers, and despite a small grimace of disapproval, they didn't show any sign they would tell anyone her secret.
Jolene was suddenly hit with the irony of her own thought process. Was she just as bad as some of the lying Selected if she was also lying during their first meeting? No, she couldn't be right? She wasn't trying to lie about her personality, simply her status...she suddenly felt a twinge of guilt, and considered going back upstairs and getting rid of the ridiculous costume, but the first group of guys walked in.
They were chatting, and there were 4 of them. She watched them talk with Ian, who was going to instruct them where to go first and introduce himself, and the group started coming their way. Oh god. Was her station the first one? Sure enough 4 chairs were occupied in moments, and Jolene was left to pick the eyebrows of one of her Selected, ugh.
But...she remembered this Selected! It was Chad Brrington! A two, and he certainly was as good looking as she thought. He had red hair, and a well kept beard to match. He seemed to be made of pure muscle, not a flabby part of him anywhere. He was currently wearing a polo shirt, and she couldn't help but notice the seemingly large bite mark scar on his wrist.
"It was an alligator."
She jumped, accidentally pulling too hard on his eyebrow. He yelped, and Jolene winced, "Sorry about that…. what did you say?"
Chad laughed, "An alligator. College was a wild time."
What. The. F- "Ohh, I bet." She chuckled nervously, but she couldn't deny she was a little fascinated, and wanted to know more in a twisted "tell me all the wild, dangerous stories" way. She continued to pluck at his eyebrows. "May I just say you're quite well groomed, I'm surprised."
Chad laughed, a bright, perfect smile spreading across his face, "Thanks. I take pride in it. Gotta look good for the ladies." He tried to wriggle his eyebrows, but Jolene kept it hostage. Jolene hummed in amusement, a flirtatious one here.
Afterwards Chad stood, and offered his fist to her, "Awesome job, fist bump before I go?" Jolene stared at his fist, there was no way he could be serious. He groaned, "Don't leave me hangin'."
Jolene slowly fist bumped him, and he made an explosion sound as he pulled away, opening his fist. Jolene couldn't help a small smile, shaking her head. As he thanked them and walked away, they barely had time to clean the station before the next guy was sitting down.
This boy had curly blonde hair, and a young face, he almost looked like he belonged in high school, then she remembered it was Daniel "Danny" Taylor of Backalley Boyfriend. She grimaced, but he sat down, and Jolene grabbed the tweezers, ready to pluck.
Danny was surprisingly quiet, not even flinching when she plucked each hair. "Pluck your eyebrows often?" Jolene asked, trying to break the quiet.
"Not really." That was all he said, then he went back to resting almost-frown. She sighed, and shifted, his shirt opening more, and she noticed a bruise just under his collarbone. She wanted to take a closer look, but of course she couldn't. A bruise? Well, she didn't want to assume, after all, she had her fair share of random bruises, especially from riding her motorcycle. But….she couldn't help but wonder if he was escaping from something bigger than himself.
He moved on, and Jolene cleaned the tweezers, mind still whirling as the next guy sat down. She turned, the boy had a silver stud earring in one ear, brown hair that was swept to the side, and a purple shirt buttoned up. He smiled and sat, "Hello ladies, how are you?"
Jolene was surprised, he seemed quite nice, a chorus of "good"s erupted, and Jolene quickly agreed. "How are you?" Jolene asked, then, curious, asked, "Excited to meet the Princess?"
"Oh yes! I think I have what it takes, and I think she's pretty great from what I've seen." The boy replied. If Jolene remembered correctly, this was Alexander Steinberg. Jolene stifled a laugh, at least he was confident, and nice, two good things.
"Well, then good luck, she's quite the fireball." Jolene replied, keeping her voice light and even.
"Thanks." The conversation ended there, but Jolene felt confident he'd make it past the first introductions. He left, and boy after boy sat in the chair. 2 boys were absolutely awful, complaining about everything each salon woman did, and saying they liked it better how they had it, and even insulted one woman with an awful name. Jolene made a mental note to eliminate them both before they even finished their first meetings. She'd have to inform security in case they didn't take it well, which judging here she doubted they would.
After about three hours, Jolene stretched, "Can I take a break?"
The other ladies nodded, "Let's shut down this station, we all need it. Take 20." Jolene nodded and went out into the gardens.
She walked slowly, taking in the fresh air, running the Selected she'd "met" through her mind, most seemed decent, she could keep them around, but some she didn't want to risk, or knew she wanted them gone. She was walking when she heard a trot, and panting. She looked around and saw a golden retriever with a vest on walking down the garden path towards her from around a corner.
Jolene froze, she stared wide eyed at the dog. She'd never owned one, and she wasn't sure if this was a friendly dog or not…
"It's okay, she's friendly, and not on duty." A voice said, a boy appeared from around the same corner, smiling easily as he walked. His hands were in his pockets, and he stopped next to the dog. "Her name is Luna, I promise she won't bite."
Jolene looked from the dog to the guy, "What are you doing out here?" She asked, but it sounded harsher, and she cursed inwardly.
The boy winced, "Sorry, I figured since my makeover was over I could wander a bit. Luna needed out as well, and I figured it would be good for the both of us."
Oh, this was a Selected. Of course, who else would it be? Jolene sighed, so much for first impressions. "No, sorry it's okay, I just wasn't expecting anybody out here."
The guy nodded, he was quite tall, and skinny, but she saw hints of used muscle in his arms and shoulders. His hair was neatly combed, but she guessed it was normally a bit curly, and he had dark eyes. "Ah, my name's Martin, what's yours?"
Oh. Martin Gamero, the medic. She was a bit confused, how could he not know her? But then she remembered her disguise, she realized she was taking too long, and ended up saying "Willow." Could she have gotten any closer to Willa? She scolded herself, but Martin nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Willow." Martin walked closer, and Luna followed, trotting happily. She sat by Jolene, and Jolene looked down at her.
"You- you said I could pet her?" Jolene asked, looking back to Martin.
He nodded once, "Yeah, I just have the vest on because we're somewhere new, but she's off duty for now."
Jolene reached down, stroking a hand down the dog's back, and Luna wiggled happily, tongue sticking out. Jolene smiled, and she looked to the Service Dog vest, it made sense to wear it around a new place, establish boundaries sooner rather than later. But a service dog….Martin didn't seem physically impaired...the realization hit her, and she looked to Martin. The damage must be mental or emotional. The realization must have been obvious on her face, because Martin's own expression flickered, and he whistled for Luna, who obediently went to his side.
Jolene cleared her throat, "Well, it was very nice to meet you, Martin, and you, Luna, but I must get back. I've got more Selected to attend to."
Martin nodded, "Goodbye."
Jolene wanted to hit her head into a door or something. God, could she have been any more insensitive? True she hadn't said anything, but they both knew what their looks meant, and she'd upset him by making him think she was disgusted or pitied him or something. She groaned, perhaps it was good Princess Jolene hadn't met him yet, only Willa. But...she'd be lying...ugh, this whole thing was going to be a mess.
She walked back inside, ready to meet more Selected, some seemed nice, but none really stuck out, she doubted if first impressions would change anything, but she'd have to wait and see in a few hours.
Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, hehe. We met a few Selected this chapter, Chad, Danny, Alex and Martin! The first meetings will be the next chapter, and since we "met" these four, they'll probably have less focus next chapter, but we'll see what I'm feeling haha. Anyways, let me know what you think of Jolene's idea, was it hypocritical? Was it a good idea? Should she come clean to Martin or the others to avoid awkward situations and mistrust? Should she keep going like nothing happened? Let me know what you thought!
See you in the next chapter~
