THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING PATIENT! I'm so sorry I haven't updated sooner, but it's been a crazy busy year. I know that's a lame excuse, so to make up for it, here's chapter 5! I think you'll like my note at the end ;)

PREVIOUSLY: I looked to my mother. "No, no," She pleaded. "I think the three of us have a lot to talk about."

My mother took a deep, shaky breath as America and I shared a look. I tried to tell her that everything was going to be ok with my eyes alone, but it didn't look like she was buying it. I subtly tugged my ear instead, and gave her a small smile. Some of the color visibly returned to her cheeks, which made me calm down as well.

"Why don't you try to tell me everything," my mother said hesitantly, "from the beginning?"

She was sitting on a bench by my bed, America was sitting at the foot of my bed, and I was standing in front of them. I ran my hand through my hair once and began pacing a little. I didn't think I could look my mother in the eye when I told her this. I'd never even really said it out loud to anyone.

"It started when I was thirteen...I had forgotten to turn in the tax report I had been working on to him. When I finally did give it to him, it was like he had been waiting for this moment for years. He told all of his guards," my voice cracked a little and I cleared my throat. "He told all of his guards to clear out of his office and not tell a soul about anything they were about to hear."

"You mean your father's guards know about this?" my mother whispered. "Maxon, honey, how could you ever forgive—"

I didn't let her finish. It would be too painful to have to keep starting and stopping the story, so I just kept pushing forward. "So he turned towards his desk and opened a drawer and pulled out a long whip and told me to take off my shirt and I was really scared and didn't know what to do so I listened and he hit me and I wanted to tell you Mom, I really did, but I was scared he would do it again but he did it again anyway and I couldn't tell you, if you knew you would hate him and he'd blame me so I never told you, please don't get mad I just couldn't—"

I had been talking so fast and pacing so much that when I registered someone's hand on my shoulder, my back was pressed up against the wall and I was extremely out of breath. To my surprise, however, the hand that was on my shoulder, comforting me, was America's. She reached up to my cheek and brushed away some tears that I didn't even know had begun to fall.

My heart rate began to slow at the feel of her touch alone, and when she whispered, "It's ok, Max. We're here, you're safe now. I promise."

A small sob escaped me as I put my arms around her and buried my head in the crook of her shoulder and her neck, and she held my head to her as her other arm hugged me around my waist. I'd never cried like this before—in front of people, anyway—but I was so grateful that out of everyone in the world, my mom and America were the ones to be here with me.

Once I'd calmed down a little, I looked up to see my mother, who was staring off very distantly. I pulled away from America and went to sit beside her.

She put her arm around me and let out a long sigh. "Maxon, I don't think there's any way you can forgive me for neglecting you in such a way, and I can't even begin to try now. This is a lot of information for me to hear at once and I think I need time to process all of this. I promise you," she paused to look me in the eyes. "I absolutely promise you that I will do everything in my power to get something done about this, I just need to figure out what. Maxon, honey, you are the bravest person I have ever met, and while all of this is horrific, I couldn't be more proud to be your mother. I hope you always know that I'll be here for you." She pulled me in for a hug and I whispered, "I love you mom."

"I love you too, honey, always" she responded. "I'm going to go and try to think through some of this."

She got up to leave, and with her hand on the doorknob, she added, "America, dear, would you walk me back to my room?"

America glanced at me with a confused look, which I returned to her. I gave her a slight nod, encouraging her to go walk with my mom. Before she walked out though, I grabbed her hand and pulled her in to hug me.

"Thank you for staying," I whispered in her ear. "I know you had a long night, so take it easy today, ok? And don't be scared of my mom; if she wants to talk to you, it can't be anything but good."

She nodded subtly, obviously scared, and squeezed my hand, then went out to walk with my mother.

When the two of them left, I took some time to go to the bathroom and wash my face and even brush my hair a little. My stomach growled, I realized we still hadn't eaten. I called my butler over from his room and asked him to bring up a plate of food for me, making an appearance at breakfast be damned. I went into my closet and put on some clothes for the day, then sat at my desk and tried to calm my mind.

There was a knock at my door, so I stood up and walked over to open it. Before I could even get it all the way open, America practically jumped on me, kissing me and wrapping her arms and legs around me. I took a few surprised steps backward, but reveled in her embrace and her touch. As I turned in a slow circle, I pulled away minutely and said, "What's bringing this about?"

America smiled softly and whispered, "I'm just really glad I got selected."

Woohoo thanks for reading! Curious to find out what Amberly said to America? This might be a lofty goal, but if I can get 15 more reviews on this story (and no spamming), I'll post a short *bonus* chapter with their conversation!