Author's Notes: With the arrival of The Selected...Let the games begin!

All credit goes to the author.

Minor Warning: For adult language and content. If this sort of material offends you, please go read something else. You have been WARNED! All other readers please continue on and...

Enjoy!

~Sweetwaterspice

Chapter updated: 08/14/2020

A Gilded Cage Just For Me

Chapter 8

~Anne

"THEY'RE HERE!" cried Virginia.

She'd swung open the door with the force of a mighty wind, leaping into the room where Mary and Lucy and I waited, finally ready to welcome our Selected lady, America Singer.

"Oh my heavens!" I scolded. "You near scared the living daylights out of me, Virginia!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Anne! But…THEY'RE HERE!" Virginia's pure glee filled the room and frayed my already bared nerves. Her face beamed as if she were actually one of the 35 lucky participants. Lucy was just as easily swept away in Virginia's excitement. She quickly found herself wrapped in an impulsive embrace both jumping as if they'd hit the jackpot.

Mary stood by laughing and shaking her head at the two. Lucy and Virginia were about the same height and although Virginia was much more vivacious, it was nice she had such an effect on Lucy's usual timid manner.

"Quiet down, you two!" I cried, shaking my head as I moved with my sewing basket to a corner. I would busy myself with some lace work until her lady arrived. "I certainly hope you'll quit acting like the two untrained wild things you're being at this very moment in the presence of our ladies."

"But how can you stand it Anne!" Virginia neared with a bounce in her step. I was taller and looked down into the wild excitement radiant in her eyes. "It's really happening! This is the day of all days!"

I smiled, reservedly. I was excited just as much as my younger companions but at least I had better sense to keep a lid on that excitement. Apparently, my less than enthusiastic response was no deterrent to either Virginia or to Lucy which was fine by me.

"You should see what they've done to the Women's Room!" she continued on, her gestures adding to her excited cry. "There's racks and racks of gowns and different stations for make-up and hair and mani-pedis." And not taking a breath in between sentences added with a guttural tone, "Oh, my, gosh! And the most beautiful jewelry! There's photographers and cameras that are going to be filming everything for the Report!

For her part, Lucy stood, the widest grin etched on her face as she soaked in all the bits of information gushing like an unstoppable geyser from Virginia's lips.

"And may I ask," Mary interrupted, "How do you know about all of this, Virginia?" All maids were supposed to be in their assigned rooms waiting for the arrival of their Selected.

"Uhmm… I just snuck downstairs for a teeny weeny minute," she gestured with her thumb and forefinger, "…to take a peek," she admitted, guiltily. The guilt vanished in the next breath as she added, "But aren't you so happy I did? I'm sure none of the other maids know what's really going on downstairs." And there it was. The unquestioning gleam of satisfaction that flashed on her face as if she'd gotten away with eating the canary.

Mary tapped her forefinger to her lips, her eyes narrowed in thought and shook that very finger in approval at the girl. "Very well done."

"Mary!" I cried, "Will you please not encourage her?!"

Mary glared at me. "Oh, Anne! Lighten up! She has a point. Most of the maids are holed up in their rooms so why not have an advantage, hmm? Any information we can get our hands on could only help."

"Information is good," Lucy agreed.

"Valuable, Lucy," Mary underscored.

Virginia's smile beamed triumphantly. "Well, I'd better be getting back to my room. I'm sure Skyler's probably sending the blood hounds out for me." And as was her manner, she excused herself in the same jolly way in which she'd entered.

"Where does that girl get that sort of energy?" I wondered out loud, joining Mary and Lucy as they stood in the middle of the room.

But it soon became apparent to me that Virginia's infectious excitement, like a virus, did not exit with her. It now permeated every corner of our room. I found myself squished between Mary and Lucy, their loud cries of excitement piercing my ears. I laughed and prayed that our first impression on lady America wouldn't leave her in utter shock.

~Ashton

"Soooo… how are things with Markson?" Skyler grinned at me, now that we actually had time to talk without Virginia around. We had smoothed things over since our spat. Skyler was contrite in her own way. I understood it was difficult for her to offer words of apology but I didn't need to hear her say it. It would hurt her pride to ever say the words, "You were right." or, "I'm sorry." Instead that evening she had curled up under the sheets in my small bed with me and given me a hug. And all was forgiven.

Skyler wasn't a bad person. She was just damaged goods, like the rest of the human population.

But, I wished she hadn't had asked me about Jeremy because now I couldn't contain my smile, turning from the closet where I'd hung the last gown.

"That good, huh?" she smiled.

"He's utterly delicious, Skyler." I hadn't meant to sound so gushy and I felt my cheeks warm.

"Oh... nooo!"

"What?"

Skyler examined me, her piercing eyes slicing through me like a surgeon's scalpel. She set her hands on her hips, her accusatory gaze peering beneath my thin shell of reservation. "Did he fuck his way into your heart?"

My face flared with embarrassment. "Skyler! Someone might hear you!" I frowned, turning away to hide any traces of guilt by closing the closet door.

"Who's going to hear? The damn door is closed!" She gestured wildly to the door. "And you're not answering my question."

"Which was what exactly?" I coyly asked as I moved to the nearby vanity, rearranging the brushes and combs which didn't need re-arranging, discreetly attempting to scrutinize myself in the mirror. Did I look… different?

"Oh don't you play games with me, Missy. I know that look."

"What look?"

Skyler raised a brow and pointed a straight finger at me. "He's got you!" The accusation hit me square in the chest. Damn. It couldn't have been that obvious... could it?

"What're you implying?" I frowned, playing her accusation down. I couldn't give myself away. "Just because I have sex with one person doesn't mean anything."

"I didn't just fall off the turnip truck, Ashton. Pleeease! Give me a little more credit! I've known you for years. First off, you gave him your virginity which speaks volumes if you ask me."

"Well, I'm not asking you."

"Aaaand…" she adds with emphasis, "you've always said you wanted to wait for marriage before you did the deed."

"So what? I changed my mind. I have a right. And besides, we just… happen to enjoy one another."

Skyler rolled her eye then shook her head at me. "I warned you."

I rolled my eyes in a childish retort. I had no defense. Yes, I admit it. I was in love! But I also knew better and I couldn't let Skyler believe any different. Although I had conveniently never mentioned Jeremy's proposal either. That would've sent her through the roof. "And it has been heeded. I don't see why you feel otherwise."

"Because, unless you're only hooking up with this guy and not developed feelings, no one girl holds up her skirts for one man. He's been gone a month and you hadn't seen anyone else. And now as soon as he breathes on you, you're jumping into his bed?"

"And… what is so wrong with that?" I didn't want to point out the obvious. While Skyler was quite comfortable having several boyfriends, that wasn't what I chose to do.

"I'm baaack!" Virginia burst into the room. I was elated to see her. I felt like a fish that had wriggled off a fisherman's hook.

"For God's sake, Virginia!" Skyler growled. "You have the worst timing!" A huff accompanied her tone which was now drenched in irritation.

"Well, you told me to come right back, didn't you?"

At least for now Skyler would be forced to move on to other subjects not related to my love life. But the glare she cast my way warned me this conversation wasn't over.

"Well… what did you find out?" she demanded of Virginia.

Virginia having been sent off on her re-con mission by Skyler, was all too happy to report of the goings on in the Women's Room going into every detail that came to mind.

Skyler frowned after Virginia was finished. "Is that all?! That's absolute rubbish! Not exactly the inside news I was hoping to get."

I wasn't exactly sure what sort of information Skyler thought she would be privy to. But one never knew when you'd stumble on little golden nuggets per chance just by being at the right place, at the right time. I suppose in that regard, I understood.

Virginia shrugged. "The last group had just arrived when I was headed back. They should be coming up after they're finished with the make-overs." Without any encouragement, Virginia began rattling off more details of what she'd seen. Skyler, rubbing her temples in circles and having had enough of Virginia's rainbow and sunshine monologue, took to the other side of the large bedroom to tend to other less important things.

I for one was praying she'd never stop.

~Anne

Our first meeting with Lady America didn't go as fabulously as we'd hoped.

Her personal things had been delivered to the room by one of the young butlers but trying to get any information out of him like a simple ETA was near to impossible.

"Look, they tell me to come get the bags, I get the bags. They tell me where to take, 'em… Well, here you go," he said, dropping the sole bag on the floor by the bed. "I'm a glorified porter right now, alright? Not the event coordinator," he replied smartly and with a shrug left without so much as a goodbye.

"Well, he was no help at all!" Mary quipped.

Her things were here and as I stared at the backpack sitting on the floor the reality of it all hit me. She was actually here. In the palace.

I took a deep breath, trying to still the butterflies in my stomach. "Well, hopefully we won't have to wait much longer."

I reclaimed my seat in that corner, sewing basket perched on my lap trying to keep my nerves steady while Mary and Lucy kept occupied with cleaning and rearranging things that had already been arranged an hour ago. I said nothing, letting them go about things. Every one had a different way in dealing with nerves.

"Do you think she plays the piano beautifully?" Lucy asked, running her fingers over the ivory keys.

"Her profile said she plays the violin," Mary noted with her chin propped on the back of a hand as if she were contemplating Lucy's question further. She gave a shrug. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

It was at that very moment that the door swung open and there she was. In living color! Collectively, Mary, Lucy and I gasped. Embarrassed, I bolted to my feet, setting the sewing project on the chair. I should've been better prepared! We moved in unison, standing before our lady as she stepped inside.

"Welcome, my lady," I took the lead and curtsied, Mary and Lucy followed. There was a beat of silence that felt an hour long. "My name is Anne." I introduced myself trying not to sound foolish and breathless. I hated awkward moments. And this was definitely turning into one of those.

"I'm Mary." I was relieved to hear behind me.

"Lucy, my lady."

Her greeting was simple. "Nice to meet you all. I'm America." It lacked any of the arrogance or air of superiority we were so accustomed to hearing. She greeted us as if we were... friends. But that was ridiculous, right? Still, her kind tone did wonders to calm my nerves a bit.

She was lovely more so in person than on the Report. Her red hair was stunning; a mane of shiny, fire red and her eyes, big and bright blue. Her skin seemed like flawless velvet and she had the cutest nose I'd ever seen on a young woman. There's no way Prince Maxon wouldn't take notice of her.

"We're very excited to have you, my lady." Mary said.

"Thank you." Her eyes flitted about the room as she stepped further inside. We— that is Mary, Lucy and I moved collectively is some sort of line dance to allow her passage. I watched her as she took in her new surroundings and swallowed the knot in my throat, wondering if she didn't approve.

"Did you have a good journey, lady America?" I asked, trying to break the ice.

A polite smile breached her lips. "Yes, thank you."

After another uncomfortable moment of silence, "Would you like some tea or something to eat?" I offered, seeing we were all standing like four living statues unsure of what to do next.

Lady America shook her head. "No, no, thank you."

"Are you certain? It would be no trouble at all."

"I'm not hungry, thank you."

Okay. Fumbling for something to ease the atmosphere a bit, "Your personal things were delivered earlier." I gestured to the backpack by the foot of her bed. "Would you like one of us to help you unpack or maybe show you about the room?"

She moved towards the bag, picking it up as she said, "That's quite alright. I can manage. I didn't bring much."

Her tone sounded a little sad, as if she weren't happy to be here. I supposed the experience must've had her in a bit of shock.

"Are you sure you don't want us to fetch you some tea, my lady?"

She had laid her backpack on the bed and turned to face us again. "It's alright. I think I just need some time... alone."

"But... I don't mean to sound pushy, my lady, but at least one of us is to stay with you. In case you need anything," I said.

"I just need a little nap. I'm sure you've had a long day, too, getting ready and all. The best thing you could do is let me rest, get some rest yourselves, and please come wake me up when it's time to go downstairs."

Though trying to convince her otherwise, she'd sent us away. Now I was left to deal with the repercussions.

"I can't understand it!" Mary cried, falling back unto her mattress. We were back in our quarters with no other soul around. "Why would she just send us away? Really! It's humiliating!"

"It will be okay," I tried to comfort, sitting next to a teary eyed Lucy. I felt horrible for Lucy who was absolutely crushed. She'd been waiting for this day and it hadn't been anything close to her expectations. "Maybe she feels uncomfortable. She is a Five. They aren't used to being pampered and waited on."

Mary shot up, anger in her words. "She's not the only Five! So how come we're the only idiots back here?!"

"I don't know! I can't answer that!" I cried out in my own bewilderment. Instantly regretting my lack of control, I sighed. This is not the way Mrs. LaFontaine would handle matters. I was head maid of this group for goodness sakes and I needed to preserve a cooler head. I took a steadying breath, wrangling for calm as I began to speak again, "We have to trust what our Lady said. It's been a long day and she needed rest."

Rubbing Lucy's back, I smiled, "Look on the bright side," as a set of moist eyes looked back at me. "She'll be needing our help very soon to get her ready for dinner tonight, right?" I hoped my encouraging tone would lift their spirits. "She said so herself. Maybe we can break the ice further then. Perhaps she'll be more... relaxed."

Mary scowled. "Well I sure hope you're right, Anne. This is not the way I thought we would start out of the gate."

Neither did I honestly. "I know. But that's neither here nor there. We still have work to do. No need need to sit around like a bunch of ninny's, sulking and blubbering. Let's busy ourselves," I smiled, opting to switch our sullen moods. "What do you think her color should be tonight?" I asked trying to direct our focus. This is what a good lead maid would do. Gather up her bootstraps and continue on.

"Prince Maxon favors blue," said Mary.

"Only problem is, she won't be meeting the Prince tonight. Regardless, we still need to make her stand out. Let the other Selected know she is a prime candidate."

"What about the green dress?" Lucy offered, her eyes brighter.

"Brilliant, Lucy. I think it will be beautiful against her red hair!" I piped up.

Lucy beamed, the tears drying from her eyes.

I clapped my hands. "That settles it! We'll get the finishing touches on the green dress all done, choose the accent pieces and think about how we want hair and make-up to look for tonight. Let me grab my sketchbook too and we'll go down to the work room so we can look at other fabrics and start thinking about something fabulously special. We'll have the entire room to ourselves without peering eyeballs!" I exclaimed, bulging my eyes in exaggerated fashion.

Lucy fairly jumped off my bed, followed by Mary. I smiled seeing the spark of excitement breathed back into them. I'm sure Mrs. LaFontaine would've been proud of me.

I told Lucy and Mary I would meet them in the work room shortly. First, I wanted to pay Susan and John a visit.

As I left the maid's quarters with sketchbook in hand and the baby comforter I had sewn for John and Susan's little one, I rounded the corner, finding a guard waiting about. I recognized him as Officer Hector. While the servant's hall was mainly for the palace household staff, the guards at times frequented to join us for a meal. It was better than the kitchen. It was there, where on several occasions, Officer Hector and I had crossed paths.

"Good afternoon, Miss Anne," he inclined his head respectfully.

"Good afternoon, Officer Hector. Can I help you with something?" It was unusual for the guards to be found in this part of the servant's wing on days that didn't require some sort of drill or God forbid an actual rebel attack. He seemed unsure as if he should answer my question, looking over my shoulder.

I tried to ease his discomfort with a small smile. "Are you looking for someone?" He was. His face flushed, red.

"Uhhmm… Is Miss Skyler about?"

Another one? Asking for her?! Ugh! I tried not to show my irritation. How could one girl have so many suitors? His bandaged hand caught my attention. "Oh my! Your hand! It isn't too badly injured I hope." I probed, hoping to hide my gnawing irritation.

He turned it from side to side. "Just a minor injury. Looks worse than it is," he chuckled slightly. "It will heal soon enough, Dr. Ashlar said."

"Oh. Well... I'm glad to hear it's nothing too serious."

"Thank you, Miss Anne." He bit his lip as his eyes looked past me.

I sighed inwardly. "I'm sorry for my rudeness. All the maids are with the Selected ladies right now. They've arrived today."

He mumbled something under his breath I couldn't make out. "Pardon me?"

"Would you happen to know when she'll be available?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I don't. With the Selected here, who knows what our schedules will be like," I informed. He seemed anxious to speak with her so against my better judgment I offered, "Would you like me to tell her you were here to see her?"

"It would be kind of you, if you don't mind."

"Certainly."

With another nod he bid me to have a "Good day," and was off.

I made my way to see Susan, John and the baby thinking, how on earth did some women have all the luck? Officer Hector was a good-natured, handsome fellow. A palace guard; a Two. Why was he attracted to someone like Skyler and not me? What did she have that I didn't? It wasn't a hard question to answer really. I was certain that frequenting a place like The Hole would widen one's pool of options. And though the rumor mongers had given me more than I wished to ever know about Skyler and her conquests, I was sure the well didn't run dry there. But such gossip was much more that I cared to know or concern myself about.

I shook my head. Her ways weren't the ways I would ever consider to catching a man. I would never be caught dead in a place like The Hole or entice myself lusting over a man. Not that I had met any to stir such carnal desires in me. I almost felt dirty thinking about it. I shouldn't chide myself. These feelings were normal; yearning for intimacy with a man. I just wasn't sure how I was ever going to experience any sort of romance if I didn't put myself out there. Maybe I should reconsider. Whatever I was doing was obviously not working!

We returned in plenty of time before dinner to get Lady America ready. I welcomed the distraction. I kept wondering if I should deliver Officer Hector's message to Skyler. Yet, I had given him my word. Still, I couldn't help but seethe with a bit of envy at Skyler. How could someone so... so mean, self-centered and with such a bristly temperament have so many men groveling for her attention? I couldn't understand it. It was maddening!

But I cast my thoughts aside when Lady America opened the door and greeted us with a gracious smile. I was thankful that she was much more cooperative than she had been earlier as Mary, Lucy and I set about getting her ready for tonight's dinner and the viewing of The Report to follow.

"Are you excited for the Report, my lady?" I asked trying to make conversation. There hadn't been much we had learned since she'd arrived. Maybe she was just a very private person.

"You don't need to call me that," she said, not in a mean way but more with an air of discomfort as if the title didn't fit her. "America will do just fine."

I wasn't sure how to respond. I hid my surprise at her request and offered a smile instead.

Noting I hadn't addressed her request she smiled, "And yes, I am excited."

I wondered if she'd said that for our benefit more than hers but nevertheless I was relieved. I wasn't certain what we could do to make her feel more at ease. There was this invisible wall of resistance around her and perhaps it was her own self-defense mechanism. Everything must be so different for her. I pondered how I would feel if my world had been turned upside down overnight?

"Will you be watching?" Lady America asked, scattering my thoughts. She was looking at me as I unfolded the black velvet pouch that housed the jeweled hair pins on the vanity.

"Of course, my lady," I said, then winced to myself. Some habits would be very hard to break.

"In the servants hall, of course," Mary added as she took a hair pin, setting it in place in the soft curls of our lady's red hair . We all knew the Report was mandatory. Unless you were deathly ill or incapacitated, you couldn't miss it or there'd hell to pay. "It's where we'll be."

"Oh..." she stated simply.

She still looked a bit somber but once we were all done with hair and makeup and she slipped on that stunning green dress, we stood back in awe. She looked every bit a princess.

"Thank you all so very much," she gave a hint of a smile. "I've never worn anything this beautiful." Her hand ran down the material of her dress as if it were too precious to be on a person like her. Which of course, it wasn't.

"It's our pleasure, my lady."

She didn't correct me. Just smiled and turned to leave when Sylvia knocked on the door. Then she was gone. My heart bloomed with pride.

"She looks beautiful!" Lucy gushed.

"Every bit a princess," said Mary, echoing my earlier thought.

I nodded. "Every bit a princess."

PLEASE READERS...DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! The last chapter only had 1 review and it's VERY discouraging to say the least :(

If you are enjoying this story, please POST A REVIEW! This story might be going away if I don't hear from you guys!

So if you don't want this story to go BYE-BYE I'm BEGGING YOU GUYS TO PLEASE...REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!