THE PUPPET MASTER

Chapter Two

"Everybody has gone through something that has changed them in a way that they could never go back to the person they once were."

~Jared~

Spots swarm before my eyes as my vision blurred. My eyes stung with wet, sticky paint as cringed at the pain.

"Ack!" Wiping blue glop from my face, I glared at Tyler, who shot me an apologetic look and mouthed 'I was aiming for Jaxon.'

Still blinded by the pain of splotchy paint covering my face, I grabbed a soiled towel, already soaked in the other paint I had spilled, and used it to wipe my face.

To say that I wasn't an artist was an understatement.

Tyler laughed at me from behind the bucket of paint he was holding up to Aspynn, who added a fresh coat of paint to the wall she was facing. She didn't have a spot of paint on her white frock, demonstrating her expertise.

Rolling my eyes, I dipped my paintbrush in the bucket of paint labeled Purple Haze that did not look purple or hazy. Stroking the wall, I shot an envious glare at Jaxon, who had already successfully painted his whole section of the wall and was moving on to study new swatches of paint.

Lillian Demure, the palace coordinator and newly elected head of the Event Planning board, had "suggested" that Jaxon and I spend some quality time together while preparing for the selected to arrive.

Her idea of spending quality time was a girls day out where we had girl talk about fabrics for dresses, shades for walls, and a variety of new furniture that needed to be imported.

We've spent the last two hours comparing shades of paint and inspecting colors of nail polish and debating the merits of silk verses velvet. And then, as if we didn't already have enough alone time for our girls day, Lillian came up with the brilliant idea of giving us some "hands on experience" by suggesting we paint and decorate the model bedroom for the selected.

And the top it all off, Jaxon had experience in painting. He had an 'artistic eye' or something, and he was getting all the praise for selecting such wonderful colors for the girls rooms and for so cleanly painting his section of the room.

The little prick thought he was good at everything. I was just shipped back to the palace yesterday morning, and he insisted on formally greeting me and welcoming me, as if I hadn't lived here my entire life.

But what aggravated me the most was how modest he appeared to be. It was probably all a ruse, a façade to woo us all, but it grated on my nerves nonstop. I wanted to hate him, but he just seemed to innocent and humble, which enraged me because it gave me absolutely no grounds to despise him

My intent dislike for him took another blow when Aspynn reasoned to me that he had no say of this either and that it wasn't his idea to steal my life.

However, even though my parents seemed intent on pretending I had never existed, Tyler was doing everything in his power to prove that I was his real brother. He was determined to make sure Jaxon was aware of who he prioritized.

I had to admit, Tyler's devotion and loyalty to me built up my confidence. It was nice knowing that my little brother looked up to me.

I had probably talked to Tyler the most after arriving yesterday, and he explained in detail why I was thrust back into my former life only to share the spotlight with Jaxon, the rightful prince.

I had avoided talking about my biological family, and he had sensed my apprehension and wisely avoided asking me about it. I had stayed with them for not even 2 days, but I wasn't willing to relive those memories yet. That was a part of my life I was going to push under the rug for now.

Throwing a careless splash of paint on the wall, I threw a grateful glance toward Aspynn, whose presence was easing the tension. She and Tyler had decided to join us in our painting job, much to Lillian's dismay. However, Aspynn was polite, if not friendly, to Jaxon, and though it felt a little like betrayal, she balanced out Tyler's obvious hatred toward him.

Jaxon was an expert when it came to painting, which drove me up the wall. He obviously loved to paint, and he took pride in it. I lacked any artistic genes whatsoever, but Jaxon seemed to be particularly gifted in that area.

His white sleeves were speckled with paint as he rolled them up to his elbows, his tan, muscular arms straining through the shirt's thin material as he stroked the wall with gray paint. I felt like an insecure teenage girl as I compared myself to him, but I couldn't repress the sting of jealousy. Did I look that good right now?

Scowling, I turned back to the wall, completely oblivious to the handful of paint that Tyler had just lobbed into the air.

Everything else seemed to happen in slow motion: Tyler's extended arm released the ball of gray paint that was slowly dissipating in the air, I ducked out the way just in time to see the paint soar past my face and land on Jaxon's behind with a splat.

Tyler and I stared at him in horror for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction before it was obvious that he thought Aspynn had initiated the blow. Playfully spraying her with paint, Jaxon retaliated with an innocent grin.

Aspynn shrieked and gasped before hurtling a lob of paint back at him and missing, hitting me instead.

Faking anger, I darted toward her, painting a streak of gray on her white pants, and before I knew it, a paint war had incited.

Globs of paint were flung into air, the immaculate walls were now specked with heavy, wet paint, everyone had paint in their hair, in their eyes, on the their clothes, and playful cries echoed on through the room.

Despite the tension previously filling the air, we were having fun. And I had to admit, Jaxon was proving to be a little easier to get along with then I initially thought.

"Aspynn, can I pleaseeeee have Angeles? I'll let you have Carolina," Livvy begged, holding out a fresh envelope to Aspynn, whose blonde hair was now matted with dried paint.

All the members of the royal family who wished to were allowed to pick one girl of the selection, and in spite of my father's protests, Jaxon and I had been permitted to watch.

Tyler had refused, insisting he had other, more important matters to attend to, and both of my parents were too busy, leaving the task to the 4 princesses of Illea.

"All right! But then let Kayleigh have Kent," Aspynn prodded Olyvia, who reluctantly handed the crisp form to her twin.

It was mayhem. We were still in the room that was in the process of being painted, but Lillian had been so horrified at our antics that she insisted we quit immediately. However, she couldn't prevent Kayleigh, Livvy, and Sophie from barging in to include Aspynn in selecting a form.

"I want Tammins," Sophie announced, looking at me from under her long eyelashes.

I winked at her, causing her to giggle. Even though I had only been away from the palace for two days, I had missed my sweet little Sophie.

"Ooooh, this one's pretty!" Kayleigh waved a form in the air. "It says she's deaf, too, so she deserves to be selected. Emory-"

"Kayleigh, the boys aren't allowed to see the forms!" Livvy scolded her sister, throwing herself in front of Emory's photo before Jaxon and I could get a good look at her. Jaxon chuckled and I repressed a smiled, but Kayleigh carefully folded the form back inside the crisp envelope and set in neatly in the basket.

"That's the one I pick," she announced to us all before sitting back and rocking on her heels.

"I found a really pretty one from Tammins," Sophie proclaimed proudly, showing her form discreetly to the other girls, eliciting nods of appreciation.

"Lennox O- Obray-" Sophie stuttered over the name on her form, her eyebrows scrunched in concentration, before Kayleigh came to her aid, reading the name over her shoulder.

"Lennox O'Bradaín. That's a hard one Soph."

"But she's really pretty," Sophie insisted, and we all nodded along absentmindedly.

Proudly placing her form in the basket next to Kayleigh's, Sophie looked expectantly at Aspynn and Livvy.

The process was fun, but I wished we had more of a say in the girls, or at least got to see who they chose. I didn't get a good look at Lennox or Emory, and despite my sister's assurances that they were pretty, I was curious to see them myself.

Aspynn had a mischievous look on her face as she drew a form, flashing a pretty blonde before us for just a moment before placing the form in the basket. I didn't see much of the girl, but Jaxon's face went slack at her appearance.

I was about to question him when Livvy announced her choice with a flourish.

"Kalina Everheart! She's gorgeous and she's a socialite, so I'm sure we'll be best friends," Livvy announced dramatically, and I rolled my eyes at her.

Out of everyone in my family, my relationship with Livvy was the most unstable. In spite of her undeniable ability to make anyone laugh, I was vocal about my disapproval of her party going attitude. I loved her to death, but I didn't know if I wanted a socialite to participate in the selection, especially if she might be a bad influence on my sister.

However, I figured that Kalina deserved a chance, so I shrugged as Livvy dramatically threw the envelope into the basket.

"That's the last one! At least you boys have an idea of what to expect now, oui?" I rolled by eyes at Livvy's use of French. She only spoke French because she thought it sounded pretty, but she was sure to use it whenever she could just to show off her perfected accent.

"Aspynn, you remember all the provinces we chose, right?" Kayleigh questioned her older sister as she girls began to filter out of the room, the click of their heels on the marble floor overpowering their fading voices.

"Tammins, Carolina, Kent…" I looked at Jaxon as we were left alone in the room.

"Well…" I prompted, hoping to get his attention.

He looked up abruptly, as if being shaken out of a daydream.

"We sure made a mess, didn't we," he chuckled weakly, offering me a feeble smile.

"Yep," I sighed, my voice much less energetic than I had intended it to be. Though I still wasn't sure how I felt about him yet, I didn't have the energy to hate Jaxon.

Offering him a small smile, I stood and left the room, my farewell echoing off the freshly painted walls.


~Third Person POV~

A carefree young girl skipped along the streets of Angeles, blissfully unaware of the masked man who slunk behind her, concealed by the shadows.

With a spring in her step, the girl giddily raced for a dull house at the end of the lane, oblivious of the masked man who slipped into the dark alley behind her home, confronting a miserable looking woman who lay in the shadows.

The masked man dismissed the dark shadow lurking by the woman, waiting until he was alone with the woman to observe her.

The woman trembled, her lip quivering as her sobs echoed off the dark walls of the alley.

Her blood stained the gravel as her body twisted gruesomely, her once beautiful face twisted into a mask of terror and pain.

"Please! I don't know anything, I swear," she sobbed, her wretched voice prompting a sneer from the masked man.

"Don't lie to me, woman," the masked man spoke, his voice an octave lower that the woman's shrieks.

He lost his temper as her eyes pleaded with him silently, begging for mercy that she didn't deserve.

A gunshot rang out as the woman crumpled to the ground, the bullet ripping into her side. However, she did not make a sound.

A cold slap across her face provoked a pathetic whimper from the woman.

"Tell me what you know about the prophecy." The man's demand was calm and quiet, his deadly fury a fierce contrast to the desperate, high pitched cries of terror that escaped the woman's mouth.

Despite her fear, defiance shone brightly from her eyes as she twisted to face the man, who face a fierce mask of hatred.

"Very well then," the man sighed, firing the last of the bullets into the woman's heart and discarding the gun to the side of the gravel road.

The masked man looked down his nose at the bloodied woman, scoffing at her lack of strength. He nudged her with the toe of his black boot, walking away only after deeming her dead.

His sharp boots clicked along the pavement as the masked man slunk along the brick walls, blending in seamlessly with the black shadows.

As the dark alley slowly melted into a cheerful street brimming with flowers and glowing smiles, the man's gait became more confident.

His scowl melted into a charming grin and his mask was thrown off to reveal a pair of stunning blue eyes.

The man eased into the church sitting in the center of the town, greeted by a chorus of friendly hellos.

A youthful blonde skipped up to him, unfazed by his dark attire, and planted a kiss on one of his well shaven cheeks.

The man had transformed from a cruel, heartless monster to a well respected gentlemen within moments.

Linking arms with the beautiful blonde, he walked down the aisle of the church, taking his seat in one of the pews and bowing his head in prayer.

The blonde observed him with stars in her eyes, reverently whispering sweet nothings in his ear in hopes of receiving a smile.

Unbeknownst to him, the little girl watched from the shadows, her giddy laugh transformed into the whisper of a tear.

The girl was too afraid to cry for her dead mother down the street, too afraid to stand up to the man who had killed her, to afraid to confront the man she knew as her brother.

So she let her tears fall silently as she hid from behind the curtains, her delicate features hardening as she vowed revenge against the monster who had killed her mother and stolen her innocence.


heyyy! here's chapter 3! its a little more intense(especially the last part) and probably kinda confusing, buttt everything will make sense later.

first, I'd like to thank all my lovely reviewers! shoutout to shadesslayerprincess111(x2), ReneFurterar0(x2), chocolatebunnyhills, livlaughlove, and XOStarbrightXO. yall are great and you inspire me to write more!

also, thanks to everyone who's submitted so far! I love all of your characters already:)

I love reading yalls reviews so much and they inspire me, so keep in mind that more reviews means faster updatesXD

and just a heads up: as far as the povs go, I'm generally going alternate between Jared and Jaxon, but some of the main characters and other members of the royal family will occasionally get povs as well. I don't want to overwhelm yall with a ton of povs, so i'll try to keep it simple, but there's some stuff that you need to find out through different characters.

also - I'm hosting a cover contest, so if you're on the group pinterest board, feel free to create a cover and pin it there! the winner will get to pick the character who gets the first date and which prince they have it with.

one more thing, then I promise I'm done: most of the characters I have so far are 20 yrs, and that's fine, but for the rest of the characters, other ages would be great so there's more diversity. and I have no Fours so far, most of the castes are Twos and Fives, so again, diversity!

the selected will be announced in the next chapter! this one was kind of a filler, but now I think that enough girls have been submitted that I can move to the selection part. whoo! but if you're planning on submitting a girl, please let me know soon, if just so i can mention them in the next chapter. there's no rush to get the rest of the forms in, but I will be setting a due date in the next chapter just so I can move on with the story.

sorry for the incredibly long authors note! love yall!

~lexi