Chapter 8
Jolene groaned as she rolled over in bed. She really didn't want to get up. Maybe she could send for breakfast- and lunch- in bed. A knock on the door and WIlla walked in. She spotted the princess still cuddled up on the bed, and chuckled. She pulled open the curtains and turned to face Jolene. She stood beside the bed, and cleared her throat gently.
"Your Highness, there's a surprise outside your door for you."
Jolene squinted up at Willa, "What?"
"A surprise, for you."
Jolene sighed, staring at the ceiling for a moment before crawling out of bed, taking the blanket with her and wrapping it around her. She was engulfed in the fluffy white faux fur, and slowly made her way to the door, opening it a bit to peak, then wider as she gasped.
She stared down at a giant vase filled with red roses. She picked them up gently, the blanket falling to the ground forgotten.
"They're beautiful." She checked the tag, but it only read: For Her Highness.
"And expensive, by the looks of it." Willa commented, now standing right beside Jolene. Willa gathered the blanket up as Jolene stepped back into the room, closing the door softly. She walked to a small table beside her vanity and placed the vase there.
She gently touched the petals, they were so vibrant, soft, and they smelled like dew still. They were most likely freshly picked today. Jolene couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face.
"Who are they from?"
"I'm not sure, but someone went through the effort, I'm guessing a 'thank you' is in order?" Willa replied, chuckling.
Jolene blushed and swatted gently at Willa, "Yes, a thank you. And only a thank you."
Jolene sat at the vanity and Willa giggled as she gathered Jolene's hair in her hands. She began twisting and pinning, thinking of a style for the day. She eventually decided on a simple french twist, and applied a neutral coloring of makeup to Jolene's face.
"There, would you like me to select an outfit?" Willa asked, stepping back from the seat. Jolene shook her head.
"No, you may go, thank you." Willa curtsied and left, and Jolene glanced longingly at her bed. One thing was for sure, when she was queen she would be spending lazy Sundays in bed often. She stood from the chair, her back cracking as she stretched. She walked to the closet and stepped inside.
She spent several minutes deciding, but eventually decided on a navy, knee length dress that hugged her body. It had a high collar, and the skirt had lace along the hem. She chose shiny, black ankle boots with a considerable heel.
She made her way out of her room and came to the large staircase in the main hall. There were actually a few Selected milling about. Danny was the first to spot her, and his expression was hard to read as he analyzed her. She raised a brow and he looked back to the person he was talking to. Taylor, but Taylor seemed nervous.
"Oh wow" dragged her away from her thoughts and she turned to look at who spoke. Karim, one of the photographers.
Jolene tilted her head, "Wow, sir Karim?"
Karim smiled nervously, "I just- well, you look amazing."
Jolene's brow furrowed, but she nodded, "Thank you…"
What was happening? She'd just eliminated 10 guys yesterday and now she was receiving flowers, getting compliments, what next? Someone will ask her on a date?
Just then Martin walked in. Jolene scowled, "You!" Martin stopped walking, looking around himself. Jolene marched down the stairs, her heels clicking as she walked over to him. "What did you say to them?"
"I- I didn't say anything, believe me." Martin replied, glancing at the others. He seemed confused, and Jolene sighed.
"I-"
"We were only speaking with Prince Marcus." A Selected spoke. Jolene felt her blood begin to boil.
"Martin." Jolene spoke shortly, nodding, "I apologize, but I have a cousin to scold. Excuse me."
Jolene stormed into the dining hall and spotted Marcus. When Marcus glanced up at her he paled.
"Jolene, I-"
"You. It was you."
"Listen Jo, just-"
Jolene began to run towards him and he jumped from his seat, running around the other side of the table. Her heels felt as though they were hammering into her bones, but she kept running after him.
"What did you say to them? We don't need your help!" Jolene shouted, gaining on him. He gasped and crawled under the table to escape her. Jolene huffed and placed her hands on the table, glaring across it at him.
Their parents only focused on their food, shaking their heads. Marcus shrugged, offering a smile, "I only mentioned that you'd been on a date and the others needed to take the lead when it came to romance." Ray groaned in disbelief, and Jolene tried to lunge across the table. Glasses shook and she instead started to crawl under.
Marcus took off running out the doors, past the Selected. Jolene ran after him, shouting, "Leave me and my Selected alone you little rat!"
Jolene heard chuckles as she ran by, but she was focusing only on her cousin. She could kill him for giving the Selected ideas. She didn't need them to be forward. She would get to know them eventually, but she was also busy! How was she supposed to deal with all of them suddenly coming at her like an ambush?
Marcus ran out into the gardens and Jolene stopped momentarily to take off her shoes. Now she was ready. She ran faster and with more ease as she caught up to him. Marcus stumbled, and that was her edge. She latched onto his arm, and fell onto him, taking him down with her. They rolled to a stop, and her hair was no longer in a beautiful twist. It was knotted and wild around her face. They both had grass stains on their clothes, and she scowled at Marcus.
"You-little-weasel." She spat out between gasps for breath.
"I-" Marcus shoved her off but stayed on the ground. "Only-wanted-to-help!"
Jolene laughed mercilessly, "Help?! You've sent the horde after me! Just this morning I've gotten flowers, stares, and compliments!"
Marcus scoffed, "Jo, you are quite possibly the only person in the world who doesn't want those things."
Jolene rolled her eyes, "I do! Just not yet."
Marcus raised himself up onto his elbows and stared at her as though she had 4 eyes. "Jo, this is a Selection. Romance, drama, love, steamy love making, the whole shebang. How are you not ready?"
"I-" Jolene sighed, "I don't know, I need to know them first."
Marcus stood, plucking grass out of his sweater vest. "Come on. I'm sure they loved seeing that show of you."
Jolene groaned and stood, blowing stray hair out of her face. She didn't bother taking it down, but tried to brush off what she could on her dress.
The pair walked back to the palace, and Marcus sighed, "Look, I shouldn't have said anything, but please don't waste this opportunity Jo." Jolene only looked away.
Jolene's feet hit the cold marble, and she realized she left her shoes outside. Oh well, she'd have someone collect them later. The cousins walked into the dining hall, and the first course of breakfast was already served.
The Selected laughed and cheered upon seeing the two. Someone shouted, "Did ya get him?!"
Jolene raised her fist in the air, and they cheered louder as she took her seat at the head table. Her fathers only grimaced, but she noticed a small smile on Brendan's face as he focused on his food. Ivy immediately began to quietly scold her son.
Damon leaned over to talk to Jolene, "The boys were taking bets. Most actually bet on you winning the fight."
"It was only a chase, I didn't have energy to actually fight him." Jolene replied, smirking.
Damon shrugged, "I mean, you don't hurt." Jolene punched him in the arm, but he only chuckled, "See?"
Jolene rolled her eyes and noticed most of the Selected watching her. She flushed, "Ahem, breakfast is served I believe, as you were."
The Selected whispered among themselves and slowly returned to eating. Damon smiled at her, "I think they like seeing this side of you. It's more approachable."
Jolene looked to him and hummed, "Well, maybe I'm not trying to be."
Damon sighed, shaking his head, "This will be good for you, Jo."
Jolene scoffed, "Everyone keeps saying that. But I'm here to say you're wrong. I don't think this will end well. There are things beyond our control, Damon, including this."
Damon frowned but didn't say anything else. He turned to his breakfast and Jolene leaned back in her chair. She shoveled a forkful of hashbrowns in her mouth as she got lost in thought.
Everyone was so ready to see her falling head over heels for someone. But she didn't understand how they thought she would. Since when had she ever done anything without a plan? Without all the knowledge she could get about something? She was going to get to know these guys as friends first, then if something happened something happened. She wanted to know their interests, their dreams. She wondered if any others were as set on their future as Martin. She needed to take everything into account before she would choose her romantic interest.
"Your Highness."
Jolene looked up from her files, she'd taken them outside since the weather was getting warmer and warmer.
Chad stood in front of her, "Uh, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go for a walk? Work can get so boring."
Jolene wanted to laugh and brush him off. She was busy after all, but something stopped her. Maybe she should give this thing a try. Besides, she could ask some questions to get to know him….starting with that alligator bite scar.
"Okay."
"Wait, really?"
Jolene raised a brow, "Sir Barrington, was the offer not serious?"
"No! I mean, it was! No, it was serious…"
Jolene stifled a laugh and stood, tucking the file under her arm. She wrapped her arm around his, and it was almost comical how her tiny arm looked around his muscles. It was clear he worked out regularly, and she had to admit she was impressed. Her brother worked out, but not religiously or anything, and Marcus….well, he didn't do much for "exercise". Jolene knew it must've taken a lot of self-discipline to stay on top of workouts like this.
A side note: Follows through on goals.
Good to know. They walked and Chad began just talking about small things like the weather, how it's different from Clermont, how he'd been amused by her walking in barefoot and grass stained after tackling Marcus.
"I'm glad you boys got a kick out of it, but I was ready to fight him."
"That's so cute."
"Excuse me?" Jolene raised a brow and stopped walking.
Chad laughed, "Only that you're so...well, you're not large, so, seeing you fight someone would be amusing. I want to see if you could. I'm sure you're cute when you're angry."
Jolene scoffed, "I'm not cute, I have quite the temper." Chad gave her a look of disbelief, but she didn't feel like arguing much. "I do, you'll see one day I'm sure."
"So I'm sticking around?" Chad asked, winking at her.
Jolene tried to suppress the blush, and nodded to his scar. "Only if you tell me how you got that."
"Oh." Chad seemed uneasy, but nodded. "Well, it's kind of intense."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Jolene snorted and shook her head, "Come on!"
Chad smiled, "Okay, well, I had to wrestle an alligator. It was required to get accepted into my fraternity."
"Really? That's insane! And dangerous!"
Chad shrugged, "Welcome to Clermont, it's crazy down there. You'll have to visit one time."
Jolene grimaced, "No, no I don't think so."
Chad laughed loudly at this, "Fair, but it's a beautiful vacation province."
"Maybe if you make it to the Elite we could visit." Jolene mused, glancing up at him. Walking beside him was so awkward. Jolene knew the height differences would be a lot, but everyone was so tall. Elias was the shortest one, so it wasn't terrible, but these boys averaged about 6'0". She shook her head, and continued on the walk.
Chad continued to gush about Clermont, his college days, and how he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life. "Yeah, so right now I'm kind of just...goin' with the flow, you know?"
Jolene tilted her head, "Unfortunately no, all my life has been planned out for me. I've never been able to go with the flow, there's too much at risk."
Chad's brow furrowed, "You've never just, winged anything?"
Jolene shrugged, "Not really, not unless it's music or outfits."
"That's- that's like not even living!" Chad gawked, "How? Don't you want to make your own decisions?"
'Well, sure! But they need to be carefully thought out, everything has a consequence." Jolene replied, "Queens can't just make decisions willy-nilly."
Chad sighed, "You need to let loose a little, don't worry, I'll make it my mission to have fun during this Selection." Jolene chuckled, and Chad grinned. "A laugh! That's step one!'
Jolene rolled her eyes but walked on with him. They reached their starting point and Jolene set the file down to get back to work. Chad's hand moved to hers, and he held it gently as he brought it to his lips.
"And for the record, while you were stunning in your dress during introductions, I think you were equally beautiful in your grass stained dress and messy hair."
He smiled, bowed slightly and walked off, leaving Jolene blushing and unable to focus on her work. How dare he distract her with that comment. Compliment? Ugh, she wasn't sure. She gathered her things and went back inside.
Jolene walked down the hall, file under arm as she approached her office. She opened it and stepped in. After she put the file back she heard a crisp knock. She answered the door and was surprised to find Ian there.
"Mr. Miller! Come in, please, would you like to sit?" Jolene offered, indicating the seats by her desk.
"No, no I'm fine, thank you."
'So, I'm assuming this is about the boys?" Jolene asked, hands clasped in front of her. She still had to crane her neck a bit to look at him, but at least he was shorter than Chad and some of the others.
"Yes, kind of. They were quite chatty this morning. I heard you tackled Prince Marcus? And Martin mentioned the flowers you received."
"Ah, yes, to both of those." Jolene replied, laughing uneasily. "The flowers were quite the surprise. It's so sweet of the boys to send them, whoever it was-"
"I'm glad they arrived safely then, I was a bit worried they'd be trampled by your brother or cousin."
Jolene blinked, "I-" she shook her head, "You sent the flowers?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You seemed quite out of it last night, as though you were exhausted. I guessed you'd like a nice pick-me-up." Ian replied, his voice was soft, and his eyes were nothing but sincere. He truly cared. Jolene smiled.
'Well, thank you, but unfortunately don't you think that's against the rules? You know better than most, you're not a suitor, it could be scandalous if the staff found out and spread gossip." Jolene replied, tilting her head.
Ian hesitated, but nodded. "You're right, of course. Perhaps just a cup of tea if you're tired next time."
Jolene laughed, "Yes, a cup of tea sounds nice, and far less risky for romantic interpretation."
Ian nodded, "Then I shall keep that in mind, but, perhaps the boys will like the flower hint."
"Oh! No, please don't tell them."
Ian raised a brow, "Why not?"
Jolene bit her lip, "Well, it may seem silly, but I want them to figure things out on their own. I want it to be genuine."
"Genuine…"
"Yeah-" Jolene looked up to Ian, searching his gaze, "promise?"
Ian smiled back, taking another step closer. He gently took her hand, intertwining their pinkies, "Promise."
Jolene laughed, "Okay, now I have some work to do, you'd better go. I'm sure you have lessons to organize."
Ian dipped into a deep bow, and stood, his gaze lingering before he turned away and left the room. Jolene sighed and leaned against her desk. Goodness, flowers from a friend who was growing ever closer, a walk with a Selected. Could this day get any more surprisingly pleasant?
"Jolene, Jolene!" Jolene woke up in her office, her father was shaking her shoulder. Jolene rubbed her eyes. She felt sore against the hard wood of the desk, and groaned.
"I- what time is it?" Her vision was blurry, but Ray helped her stand and led her from the room.
"It's 3 am. But your Aunt has been saying disturbing things. I think it's only right you hear."
She was led to her father's office where his desktop displayed the cameras from about 2 hours ago on the screen. But not just any cameras. The cell cameras that Endra was in. Her father may call her their aunt, but to Jolene she was never more than a disowned criminal. Her Aunt Kara was the only Aunt she knew.
She was seemingly talking to herself, but she seemed to be discussing ideas. The Selection. Why was she talking about the Selection? Jolene rubbed her eyes and shook her head, rewinding the video to listen closely.
Selected. Throne. Jolene. Revolt. Revenge.
Jolene's head was spinning. She was getting ideas about sabotaging the Selection? Possibly violently? She pushed past her father and marched down several flights of stairs. He followed her, and while he spoke to her she could only hear her own heartbeat in her ears.
She burst into the prison, glaring around at the guards and her eyes landed on her aunt. She stormed over, and if she could drag Endra out by her hair and interrogate her herself she would've.
"What are you planning?" Jolene demanded, her voice more venomous than she'd ever heard it.
Endra cracked a smile, "My dear, you should use that tone more often. You'd have all the guys obeying your orders."
Jolene didn't even flinch, she only glared at this woman. "Answer the question."
"Well, I can't tell you, where's the fun in that?"
'Where's the fun in any of it?"
Endra released a breathy laugh, "Oh, fair point! It's fun because I get to watch everything your father holds dear slip away, and he can't do a thing about it." She laughed more wildly this time as Ray only stared coldly.
"But why?"
'Easy, I hate his guts. He locked me up for 25 years. I almost had the crown. I was this close!" She held up two fingers almost touching. "His little boy toy had to save him though."
"Husband." Ray spat, and Endra only rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, I almost had that power. Surely you feel it? The calling! The desire to rule everything. You- and only you- will have the entirety of Illea bending to your will! You were destined for this just as I was! We're similar, you and I, you just got luckier than I." Endra was speaking to Jolene, earnestly and eagerly. She spoke as though she made perfect sense, and in a way she did.
Because Jolene did know that feeling. But she also knew the responsibility. "I'm not like you." She replied, but her voice wavered.
Ray set a hand on Jolene's shoulder, offering strength but Endra tore it down. "Oh please, keep telling yourself that, sweetheart. One day it'll be me, and you'll have a choice. Choose wrong and it will only be me."
Jolene gasped, and turned away, but raised her chin, trying to keep her composure. Endra had just threatened her. Her power. Her life. Who knew what she was actually capable of? Could she actually break free? Destroy everything? Including her? What if she fell in love and Endra took that away too?
Another reason not to get involved with the Selected too deeply….
Hey everyone! Another HSC chapter down! We're getting into some good stuff already hehe. Endra's up to no good, and the Selected are surely confused about how they should be approaching this fireball of a princess. Feel bad for them, but then I'm writing them, so I won't stop loll. And Ian sending flowers, what a great friend~ maybe a romance isn't the only thing Jolene will find this Selection
Reminder! If you have a BLaST form it's due Oct 1st 11:59 pm MY TIME. Any forms that are late, or lack real substance (aka was done in a hurry Oct 1st) will be rejected and others can swoop the spot away.
Thanks for reading! See you in the next chapter~!
