Hello lovelies! I know how much I'm enjoying this story, and I would like to know how much you're enjoying it! I'll post the next chapter after we get five more reviews! We only have one as of now, so let's get it up to six okay? Thank you! I would really like to know your opinions and interpret your thoughts into the story as well! Thank you! xoxo
"Give me something that will haunt me, when you're not around." ~ Sparks Fly (Taylor Swift)
Clarke POV:
Before I knew it, morning was tapping on my window.
"Up! Up, up, up! Let's get it going ladies!" my mother said bursting into my room as soon as the first ray had shone. We all groaned and before we knew it I was getting pulled about in every which way. Maya and Harper had gone and I wish I knew where they went, they were my rock.
"Honey, are you okay?" my mother asked as Cynthia braided my hair upon my head.
"Yes mother." I stated quietly.
"You sure?" she asked, looking at the messages on her phone, not even looking me in the eye. I looked at her eyes, which were jerking back and forth as she read something on the screen.
Her brown eyes were not mine.
"Yes." I stated sharply.
"Okay well I have something to attend to." she said as she exited the room.
"Child, you and I both know that is not the truth." Cynthia said pursing her lips at me.
"I know Cynthia, but what am I to tell her?" I asked. "She wouldn't listen to me anyway." I said sighing.
Cynthia hesitated, then dropped the pins she was using. She pulled up a stool and took my hands in hers. She had small slender fingers that worked so diligently everyday. I looked her in the eyes and smiled, I knew she was always here to listen.
"Tell me Sunshine, what is this all about?" she asked me. I sighed. Here it all came. I knew I was going to tell her.
"You know those paintings that I have been doing like crazy lately?" I asked her.
"Of course."
"Well, they're real." I said.
"Of course they are, you think I'm stupid? Baby girl, I know that those vivid images definitely don't come from no dream." she said laughing. I bubbled with laughter. Soon, we were both just laughing and wiping tears from our eyes.
"You know the one of the brown eyes?" I asked. She nodded her head. "Well, they're from a man. One that I met over there." I said.
"Ah." she said with understanding.
"I can't understand it Cynthia. I can't get him to leave my mind." I said leaning back and looking down at my hands.
"Child. You and I both know what that means. We also know who you are. Which means we know why it can't happen." she said giving me a sad smile. After a long while I nodded my head and continued to fidget with my nails. Eventually she stood up and continued with my hair. Eventually the braid made it all the way around my head.
I had to move on to my makeup, and then the dress. I put the dress on and slipped on my heels. I looked at myself in the mirror, I raked my eyes over my whole appearance. Picking out all the little details that didn't look quite right.
I knew my body type wasn't that of a Princess. I had a little bit of a pudge, and my face didn't have high cheekbones. My eyes weren't those of steel, they were of happiness. I wasn't cut out to be a Princess. I began to huff when my mother came in once more.
This time in her ball wear. She was in a dark dress with her hair also pulled up. She wasn't meant for this life either. But she fell in love with my father.
I guess you can't pick and choose who you fall in love with. It's something that just happens.
"You're just missing one thing." she said as she placed my tiara on top of my head. Right in front of the braid that wrapped around my head. I was dressed as a Princess, but I didn't want to play this part anymore.
"Alright then, let's go. Everyone is here." Mother said gesturing to the clock. seven thirty? Already? It seemed to be five o'clock just a few minutes ago. I took a deep breath and followed her. A million thoughts raced through my mind. Everyone? Already here? Did that mean the Grounders were here too? Oh god the Grounders. I felt my breathing escalate, and soon my breaths became short and choppy.
"Mom I can't do this." I said as she pulled me along.
"Oh Clarke, don't be ridiculous, yes you can." "No-" I said but soon I had reached the top of the staircase and my mom whipped around behind me and gave me a little shove. I glanced back at her, but kept my eyes forward.
I gave a my dress a little smoothing over and my tiara a little adjusting on my head. I pulled my head up, and thought to myself. 'Shoulders down, long neck, one foot in front of the other, and smile, open smile, with just a bit of teeth.' and before I knew it I was walking down the steps with everyone clapping.
"May I introduce Princess Clarke of Arkia." our royal announcer Jonathan spoke over all the commotion. As I reached the bottom of the stairs I quickly scanned the room and found Harper's Hazel eyes. She waved me over and I quickly hustled over to her and the rest of our group. They all looked amazing, everyone did.
Almost the whole civilization was here, and every teen looked their best. Not only was this a chance for me to find a suitor, it was for everyone else as well. Everyone knew that too. I could already sense all the eyes on me, both boys and girls.
"Girl, you look gorgeous." Maya said smiling.
"Thank you, you all look great too. Everyone here does." I said, and the night began.
I met several suitors, even a few girls that had winked at me. Soon it was starting to get old. The boys started to blend. Then someone whispered in my ear that the Grounders had arrived.
My head whipped around to find my Mother was seated at her throne, whilst my Father had disappeared. I locked eyes with her and she raised her eyebrows at me as she nodded her head slowly.
Oh fuck.
I looked around to find Harper laughing at something one of the boys was whispering in her ear, Jasper and Maya had disappeared as well, and Monty was surrounded by a group of boys. Wells was sitting at a table, drinking some champagne and talking to some people he must have known. I was left to my own devices and soon enough I had heard Jonathan.
"May I introduce, the Grounder Prince and Heroes." I slowly turned around and saw The Grounder.
He had the same brown eyes, and tan complexion. He was standing tall, he was in a dark black tux. He had a black crown upon his dark unruly hair. He had a bored look in his eye, even though he was smirking.
"Please welcome, Prince Bellamy Blake." Bellamy. That was his name.
He began to descend the stairs when he stopped dead in his tracks.
His eyes were locked on me.
I felt my lungs close up. Oh no. His eyebrows raised a little, his eyes widened, and his lips parted just a bit. He blinked and quickly continued his walk as he landed at the bottom of the staircase, my feet were carrying me far away.
Oh no.
He was the Prince. The Grounder I had met was the bloody Prince. That arrogant bastard, and my parents wanted me to marry him.
Hell no.
I ran to the back of the ball, and I could see the top of his head as he swam through the crowd. He was coming for me.
Jonathan still had everyone's attention as he listed off Hero after Hero and everyone had their attention on them. Thank God.
I slunk out the back door without anyone noticing and knew that he would be hot on my trail. I quick ran down the hallway and I heard the door open and I knew he was behind me.
I heard him run. I knew he would be faster than me. He was definitely bigger.
"Hey!" he yelled. He was right behind me. I quickly opened a broom closet and began to shut the door when a foot got between the door and the wall.
I knew that I had lost.
I let go of the door handle and kept my eyes peeled on his foot. He was wearing the same black shoes he wore when I first met him. He and I caught our breath then he walked closer to me and my eyes shot up to meet his brown ones. The ones that had taken over my mind.
"Stay back." I warned. His eyebrows shot up.
"So. Blue Eyes." he said leaning against the doorframe.
"What do you want from me?" I asked.
"What every man wants that came tonight. You." he said looking at me, his black crown shimmering in the dark.
"You don't even know me." I said giving him a smirk.
"But I do. Princess." he said walking towards me. "Or do you not remember correctly?" he asked as he stood directly in front of me. I kept my eyes peeled on the floor, refusing to look him in the eye. He grabbed the bottom of my chin and yanked it up to look him in the eye. "Look at me when I'm talking to you." he said in a firm voice.
I yanked my head out of his grasp.
"Damn Grounder. You don't tell me what to do." I said glaring at him. He raised one eyebrow, along with a tug at one corner of his lips.
"Sorry Princess, I thought you knew all about us Grounders." he said pushing me up against a wall.
"Dammit let go of me." I hissed.
"Come on Princess, I know you want to know more. More about me, just like I know about you." he whispered.
"Please, you don't know anything about me." I said shoving myself away from him. I tried not to think about the way his warm hands felt on my hips. Or how his breath felt against my ear. "I have a ball to attend too." I said.
"Of course. I would never keep you away Blue Eyes." he said. His words rang loud and clear. I knew what he meant. He knew what he meant. I turned around and looked him in the eye. We stared at eachother for a long time.
"Tell me, when's the last time you've gotten out of this castle?" he asked.
"The beach." I whispered. He walked towards me, and I looked away. This time he cupped my cheek instead of my chin.
"Why haven't you been out?" he asked.
"I'm not supposed to leave." I say looking back up at him.
"But you're the Princess. You should be able to do what you want." he said cocking his head to the side.
"You guys must run things different on that side of the fence." I say backing up, only for him to keep walking towards me.
"Come on, let me show you the wild side of things. Come with me. Just for a month. You'll still have two more after that to decide on your suitor." he said reaching for me. I shrank away from his touch. He held his hand back.
"I won't touch you. Just friends." he said reaching out his hand. I looked from his eyes, to his hand, back to his eyes. He seemed earnest. Why the hell not. I reached in and gave his hand a firm shake.
"Deal." I said.
"Alright, well I guess we should get back, yeah?" he asked. I nodded my head. We made our way back to the ball and I met several more people. Including John Murphy, Finn Collins, and Lexa. Lexa didn't mention her last name, but she did lick her lips at me which had me a little on edge. Maybe women liking women and men liking men was a common occurrence on the Grounder side of the fence. I danced and laughed, the whole time Bellamy kept his eyes on me which for some reason, made me feel a little safer.
"Hey Clarkey!" Harper sang in my ear as she slung an arm around my shoulders. She had had a bit too much champagne. "There's gonna be a party after this, and all the Grounders will be there. No parents, and real dancing, none of this ball stuff." she whispered in my ear.
"Sure Harper, but I don't know what to wear to that." I said, trying to get her off me.
"Don't worry hun, we'll get ya." Harper said smiling. I smiled and nodded my head at her. Slowly everyone filtered out. All the parents had gone and most of the teens had as well. The Grounders had gone, and eventually I was left to my own devices.
"Well hun, what do you think?" my mother said smiling at me.
"They were all very nice." I said smiling.
"I have agreed to let you go to the Grounder Territory for one month to help you better decide." my father said. I nodded and they both retired to their rooms. I was left in the ball room by myself.
I slunk down into one of the chairs and grabbed a glass of Champagne. I swirled it around in my hand, I didn't drink. However, tonight, I needed it. I sighed and threw the whole glass down my throat.
I was going to that party.
I went up to my room and changed. I had a sparkly pink blouse on that was tight around my bust, I knew that it was revealing but I didn't mind. I slid on a pair of tight skinny jeans pants, and a pair of white converse. I took the pins out of my hair and shook it loose, but left the tiara on. I snuck out the window, and just like that, I was on my way to the party.
When I had arrived, I was in shock. So this is what a teenage party looked like.
Everyone was drinking beer out of bottles, and there were red plastic cups everywhere. There were also clothes all over the place as people stripped. There were people dancing, playing games, eating, outside, and kissing. Lot's of kissing. I had never been kissed. I wouldn't even know what to do, while all these people seemed to have it figured out as their tongues touched.
"Clarke!" Harper screamed and everyone stopped what they were doing as they looked at me.
"Uh. Hi?" I asked. They all smiled and cheered and then continued to do what they were doing. Monty and Jasper were at the bar dishing out alcohol and food, while Wells was on the dancefloor. Maya was playing a game with some other people and Harper pulled me over to her.
"Come on, I have a surprise for you." she said sloshing her drink about. She pulled me up a flight of stairs as I grabbed a cup full of who knows what. I quickly drank it to determine it was moonshine. It tasted like battery acid, but it was definitely moonshine.
"What is it Harper?" I asked as she opened a door filled with faces I barely knew, and one that I did. Bellamy. He was in a dark t-shirt, a faded pair of grey jeans, and had his black crown upon his head. He was sipping on a beer when he saw me. He looked surprised.
"Well, what a surprise." he said smirking.
"Clarke, this is John, Finn, Lexa, Octavia, and Bellamy." Harper slurred as she sat down and rested one of her hands on the shoulder of John. They all smiled at me and I smiled back at them as I sat between Harper and the one named Octavia.
"Hi, I'm Octavia, Bellamy's brother. Don't worry, he's the ass. I'm the nice one." she said with a bright smile. I grinned at her. She was beautiful.
"It's wonderful to meet you." I said.
"Oh my. This one's a virgin. I can just tell." Octavia said drinking more from her cup.
"Oh, well hun maybe this game isn't for you." Lexa said cocking her head to the side.
"What game?" I asked.
"Spin The Bottle. Mixed with Seven Minutes in Heaven." Finn said smirking. I was at a loss.
"Everyone spins the bottle until everyone has a partner, then they go in a room for seven minutes and do whatever they want. Then they come back and report to us. The record is a quickie." Harper said with her eyes wide open. I quickly took a big drink of my alcohol.
"But there is seven of us?" I asked.
"The seventh person has to stay behind. That's the game. You don't wanna be left behind." Octavia said.
"Oh. Okay." I nodded my head.
"Alright. I'll spin first." Octavia started. She got Finn. Then I spun, and I got Lexa which everyone made cheering noises at as she gave me a smirk. Harper then proceeded to get John. Which left Bellamy behind drinking his beer with his nose twitching as he kept his eyes on me.
"Sorry big brother, maybe next time." Octavia said pulling Finn out of the room, and then Lexa grabbed me and pulled me into a random room, I looked over my shoulder to find Bellamy watching me intently.
"Come on hottie, let's go." she said winking at me.
"Hottie?" I asked.
"Come on, your butt is so big, it's hot." she said as she shut the door behind us.
"What?" I was confused.
"Come here." she said as she took her shirt off. She had one of the most impressive racks I had ever seen.
"What?" I repeated. She rolled her eyes and pulled my shirt over my head. I felt my face burn as she grabbed my hips and grinded herself into me. She licked her lips and leant into my ear and whispered.
"We've got seven minutes, take off your pants." she said I slid off my pants and she pushed me down into the bed. She shrugged out of her pants and turned around and bent over for me. "Sit up." she said, her ass was right in my face.
"What?" I asked. She sat on me and began grinding against my body, then she turned around and faced me. She reached one hand down and felt up my boobs, then she trailed one hand down my stomach to the top of my panties.
"Lexa," I began but she hushed me.
"Look, I still have five more minutes." she said. I stayed quiet as she kept groping one of my boobs and rubbing my panties, all while grinding into me. This was the most uncomfortable situation I had ever been in. After the five minutes she kissed me on the cheek and we put our clothes on.
"You done good Princess." she said smiling and we linked arms. I rolled my eyes, maybe this was what friends did on the Grounder side.
We made our way back to the room first to find Bellamy had drank almost three more bottles of beer, and his crown was lopsided. He saw me and stood up.
"We. Will be leaving immediately." he said throwing me over his shoulder.
"Bellamy!" I yelled. My Tiara nearly falling off my head. He thundered down the stairs and passed several people who whooped and hollered at the sight. "Bellamy put me down!" I insisted.
"No! Dammit don't you get it? That bitch!" he yelled as he stumbled around outside. He was definitely a big boy. He had a grip on me and he wasn't going to let go anytime soon.
"I thought we agreed, just friends!" I said.
"So what? You have feelings for her?" He demanded.
"No! It was a stupid game Bellamy!" I yelled at him.
"You have her lipstick on your cheek!" he said stopping completely.
"That's the only place her lips went!" I pronounced, exasperated. He put me down and looked me in the eye, he seemed hurt. His black crown glittered in the moonlight.
"Really?" he asked me, unsure.
"That's the only place anyone's lips have ever been." I said looking down, face burning. I could tell he was taken aback.
"How?" he asked.
"I never, I mean… I've never had a boyfriend, or a crush or anything like that." I whispered, my face red with embarrassment and shame. He cupped my cheek and turned my face to look at him. His eyes were bloodshot but I could tell that he cared.
"Men must throw themselves at you." he said searching my face.
"I guess I haven't met the right one yet." I said shrugging, and turning to walk away.
"Where are you going?" he asked me.
"Back where I need to be." I said and I walked away. I hoped he would follow me, and he did. He stumbled behind me the whole way back to the Castle. I jumped up into my window and he followed.
He placed his Black Crown on my nightstand where I placed mine. He stripped down and fell into my bed in just his boxers.
I rolled my eyes as I undressed and changed into a pair of sleep clothes.
"You know Princess, you've got a nice backside." he said from his spot on the bed. I quickly turned around and covered myself.
"I thought you were asleep." I said mortified.
"Oh no, but the strip show was a nice surprise." he said with a smirk.
"See, this is why people think Grounders are jerks." I said turning around and putting my shirt on. I turned around and got into bed on the other side of the bed. I turned on my side, facing opposite of him and proceeded to go to bed. As I slowly fell asleep I felt myself flip over to find Bellamy staring intently at me.
Had he been staring like that at the back of my head as well?
"You know, I think you're extraordinary. Princess or not." he said.
"Why?" I asked, I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and for all I knew he wouldn't remember this conversation in the morning.
"You're different. You don't take anything from anyone, and yet you're the most innocent person I've met. They definitely are doing something right on this side of the fence. They grew the most beautiful flower out of all the garden." he said, with a small smile on his face. I felt my walls fall completely. He was in. I don't know how he did it. "For this past month, all I could think about were your blue eyes, and the sass in your tone as you walked away from me. I could only hope that we would meet again." he said, his smile falling.
"And would you look at this, we're the royal children of the two civilizations that hate each other most." I whispered. He came closer and brushed the hair out of my face.
"Maybe we could change their opinion though." he said softly. I closed my eyes and felt his hand move from my temple, to the back of my neck, down to my lower back where he began to rub lazy circles in a repetitive motion. For the first time in a long time I felt something. I didn't know what it was, and I wanted to figure out what it was.
"Don't leave." I whispered with my eyes still closed. He stopped rubbing my back. Both his hands grabbed my waist and pulled me against him, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Our legs intertwined and we stayed like that until we both fell asleep.
I woke up with my body feeling very stiff.
We had stayed in the same position all night. He was still sleeping, and I ran my eyes all over his face. Every curve, dip, bump on his face. He had several freckles, and I counted twenty six in total. He had a softer face when he was asleep, much like that of a child. Not his typical hard and demanding face that he always wore.
I felt intoxicated just by his touch, he was something that I didn't know about but completely understood. I knew this was either going to crash and burn, or it was going to soar. He stirred, and then his eyes. His warm brown eyes opened and poured into mine.
"Morning Princess." he said smiling.
"Morning." I said shyly. I didn't know how to act. I knew after last night there should be no turmoil but at the same time I held true to my word. I had never experienced anything like this.
"How are you feeling?" he asked rubbing his eyes. I stretched out and groaned.
"Meh. I don't wanna get up. But you know how it is." I said as I stretched out all my limbs as far as they would go, then retracting back into the fetal position.
"Yeah. I do." he said, and then silence. I don't think either of us knew what to say, and the air was filled with tension. "I should uh, I should go. We wouldn't want a scandal on our hands now would we?" he said with a small smile.
"Yeah. You're right." I said and with that he got up, collected his things, and was out the window.
Once he was gone, I rolled over to his side of the bed and breathed in his scent. His side of the bed was warmer, and seemed more broken in. I felt my whole body release all tension. It was like everything else that had happened didn't matter in this moment.
Suddenly I heard a knock on the door and I groaned. The door creaked open and I peeked one of my eyes open to discover it was Cynthia. She stood in the doorway and crossed her arms as she gave me a scolding look.
"What?" I asked.
"Mhmm." she hummed as she pursed her lips.
"What Cynthia?" I asked her again.
"You and I both know. I came in here earlier to wake you to see what you wanted packed. Only to discover not one royal child in this room, but two." she said, widening her eyes.
"What?" I repeated for the third time, only this time my voice cracked.
"Child who else would have a black crown? It sure wasn't Monty." Cynthia said. I groaned and covered my head with the blanket. "I don't want to know what happened last night, I just want to make sure you're okay." she said. It was getting hot under the blankets and I knew she wouldn't leave until I had answered her.
"I'm alright Cynthia." I said as I threw the blankets off my head.
"You care for him, don't you?" she asked leaning against the door frame.
"I don't know yet. He gives me feelings I haven't felt towards anyone before. They're so strong. I don't know which direction they're leading me yet." I said fidgeting with my nails.
"Well, you have a month to decipher whether or not they're good Sunshine. Let's get a move on, I already packed your bags and you will be leaving soon." Cynthia said as she walked out of the room. I groaned and threw the blankets over my head again. I knew this would end in love or war. And we all know everything is fair in each of those.
These games were dangerous.
Thats what they were. Games. I felt my senses come back to me again. I was a pawn. I was a strategic maneuver in political ground standing. I had to remind myself what my purpose was. I needed to remind myself that I was not a pawn, and I could not fall for Bellamy Blake.
At any cost.
Well, what do you guys think? Is she going to fall for him, or is our Clarke gonna play the game? I mean, I already know, but I want to know what you guys are thinking!