Chapter 2: Make a Memory

The sun rise poked through Gwen's window, and her eyes shuttered opened. She always did wake from the sun peeking in, but she didn't mind what so ever. She was actually up before the warden got everyone up, she always did. She loved watching the sun rise, to show all of its colors to the world…but maybe, just maybe it showed its colors to Gwen personally. She smiled at the sun's greeting and got up to look at everyone else. Sleeping like babies… The other girls always found a way to sleep longer; some even had pieces of cloths put over their eyes. How annoying, it's better than the warden coming in and yelling her head off…

She got out of her bed; usually the warden didn't wake up any of them for another hour. She, in the mean time, would take a shower, to steal the hot water, and be prepared for the day.

That was right! The king was coming into town today, oh how all of those screaming girls would run around every where. At least she would be out of the way and ready to go. She got out of her shower, brushed her long hair, and put it in a bonnet…just the way Rojo likes it. Rojo usually has all the girls that have long hair, wear them worn up in a bonnet. If not, she would personally cut it all off herself. She got dressed and laid back in her bed; the sun was higher in the sky, with the clouds still a little pink. She smiled when she saw the clouds; they reminded her of her powers.

About a minute later, a guard came in the room screaming her head off so that the girls would get up. Some of them jumped with the surprise of her voice, some of them pretended they didn't hear her, and some of them didn't even get up, only to have her get out her whip and start hitting them. All of them scrambled everywhere, trying to get into the showers first. Some of them started screaming frantically; none of them wanted to be late for Rojo's appearance in the kitchen. She gave them thirty minutes to get ready and prepared for work.

Gwen got up slowly and made her way to the kitchen. Some girls stared at her as she walked by them, astonished that she was already ready to go, which made them upset. It was like Gwen always knew what to do, and they disliked it, or jealous of the fact that she was so intelligent. She smirked at the looks on their faces, and went out of the room. The kitchen consisted of a few chairs and tables in a small room. The girls mostly sat on the floors and waited for Rojo to arrive. When she arrived, it was ok to leave and begin working.

"Hey Gwen," said the chef, making some eggs. He was in his sixties, an old man just trying to make some money. Gwen liked him a lot. He wasn't like any other guy that would feel up on a young woman. He was nice and sincere, but most of all very honest. She always wondered why he would work in a place like this.

"Hey Bart," she replied, as he scooped her some eggs.

"First in line, as usual," he smiled, as he got her some juice. "Fresh eggs and some fresh squeezed juice, just for you. Then again, you are always here at this time, way before any of the other girls."

"You know me too well Bart. These look delicious by the way," she said, looking down on them.

"At least you think so. Rojo hates my cooking…I think I am going to get the sack soon."

"Bart, I don't see why you don't just quit, or better yet retire. I am sure you've made enough money for the family," Gwen explained.

"I know it's hard to believe, but Rojo pays me well, Gwen. I need more money to pay for the house. If I quit now, I won't be able to pay for anything. I even have been taking some cooking lessons to help my progress. It all takes time, and I am fine working here, really."

"You get up every morning at four and go home at ten. How is that fun? You want my advice? Go out and find a job that you enjoy and quit this dump. Anything's better than working here."

"Oh Gwen, you always know what to say," he smiled. Both of them sat down at a table, waiting for the others to arrive. Gwen smiled too. "Did you hear the news going around here? All of the employees got the buzz… I heard your group of girls is going to town square so that the king himself is going to pick out a maid."

"Yeah, I heard Rojo talking when I was in her office yesterday," Gwen smiled.

"Nothing gets passed you, you know that?" he said, taking a sip of juice. "I have a feeling you'll get picked."

"Me? What makes you so sure that I will get picked? There are like thirty girls here that are my age. He probably wants someone…I don't know, someone that's going to respect him."

"Oh? And you don't respect him?"

"I don't respect anyone that gives King Hex a chance to rule everything; not even King Max gets my respect."

"You got some nerve Gwen, but King Hex isn't going to take all of the land for himself. He just wants to make sure his kingdom stays in place. He wants to be prosperous."

"That's where you're wrong Bart," she said quietly to herself, but he still heard it. He stood up.

"Well those girls are going to be here soon, better start to serve some plates."

She could tell he felt uncomfortable talking about royalty and Hex. She expressed herself and her feelings, and he always wondered why. He always wondered what happened to her when she was younger. He even asked her, but she said that he wouldn't understand. She finished her breakfast, and went to a far corner to lean against a wall, as she watched the girls push and shove each other for the breakfast. It made Gwen laugh when they started to pull each other's hair for seats. The guards had to come in and break up fights. It was literally like running a prison.

Everyone got settled and started eating. Then Rojo came in and asked all of the girls who were 18 to 25 had to stay an extra ten minutes, so that there weren't as many people in the room.

"Ladies settle down," Rojo's voice was louder than anything else. She honestly sounded bored while getting there attention, as if she didn't care. "I have some news for each and every one of you."

Whispers were going around at this point…Rojo sighed.

"All of you have been asked to go to town square at noon, so that the King Kevin, the king himself, will have the opportunity to choose a maid for his bidding," she explained. The girls stayed silent, if anyone of them spoke out while she continued, they would get whipped for sure. Rojo continued to explain the rules and guidelines when in front of the king's presence. Gwen rolled her eyes when Rojo started bragging and how the king chose her maid service. How pathetic was she anyway? "That is all ladies. All of you must behave, or other wise it will not be pretty when you return."

She left the room. When the girls waited a good ten seconds till she was gone, all of them screamed as loud as they could, which made Gwen cover her ears. Some of them had tears of joy streaming down their faces, and others were hugging each other. Even if it was only one that would get picked, at least they had some time off. They all started running to their rooms, putting on the makeup that they had, secretly, from under their beds.

Gwen heard horses from outside. She looked out the window and saw multiple carriages that were waiting for the girls, courtesy of Kevin Levin himself. More of them screamed as they pushed Gwen out of the way to get a better look. Shrieks of girls came from everywhere.

"No way, this is so exciting…"

"Can you believe this…"

"He's so going to choose me…"

"No way, he's going to pick me…"

"I heard that he's so handsome…"

Gwen wondered when they were allowed to leave; she wanted to get a good seat next to a window, to take a good look at the view of the kingdom. The girls were called in, and they went outside. All of the horses were white with black carriages and had Kevin's initials were on the sides of the carriages. Gwen was pretty impressed with everything in her sight. Everything was so fancy and beautiful to take in. She touched the shiny wood carriage in awe of it. Yeah, he's totally spoiled… More girls shrieked at the horses.

"Ladies, if you will please get into the carriages slowly," said one of the palace guards. Of course none of them went slowly as he said, but Gwen managed to slip in before any of them had a chance. She sat right next to the window, just like she wanted. Many saw her in the carriage and backed away from her. She smirked. I don't mind if I get the whole carriage to myself…

Some girls did come in her carriage though, because they were made too. It was the two girls that tried to escape a day ago. They didn't look at her, but stare at the opposite window. Whips were heard and the carriages were in motion. Gwen watched the busy streets and its people. She saw old people, street kids, and homes all around. It wasn't as poor as it used to be, in her opinion.

She noticed that the girls were looking at her, or taking glances at her when they had a chance. They wouldn't stop either. These were the girls that really did not like her at all…so why were they looking at her?

"Can I help you with something?" Gwen asked them, not rude at all, but still a little annoyed. Their eyes widened; she sensed them more than actually saw them.

"Oh sorry…" one of them said faintly. Gwen raised an eyebrow and then sighed. She would make small talk for a little while.

"So…is your friend still on the run? I mean, did she really get away?"

"Yeah, she totally got away. Usually after a day Rojo quits looking and let's them go. She's probably in the next kingdom by now," said the other.

"I still don't know how she got away, she was way too small to climb that window," the girl said. "I'm Mary by the way." Gwen couldn't believe that they were actually talking to her. Sure she knew who they were, but they were actually giving out their names to her. "And this is Jesse."

"Gwen," she replied.

"Oh we already know your name, trust me," said Jesse.

"Anyway, back to the subject. We were going to have just us escape, but she had a nail file, so we had to use her," explained Mary. That was why they pushed her away and had them try to escape first. "But in the end, it didn't work out so well." She started to rub her back.

The carriages stopped…which meant that they had finally arrived. The two girls got out anxiously. Gwen looked around. This part of town was a lot better in appearance than the others. There was a huge fountain, where people surrounded, and cute little shops around it. There was a huge platform by the fountain, where the girls would be standing on. The palace guards lined them up in rows on the platform, perfectly.

Gwen looked around and saw no king in sight.

If he makes us wait, I am seriously going to scream. How selfish can you get? Rulers are all the-

Her thoughts were cut off by royal music blasting through the air.

"Please rise for the king," a voice said in the crowd. "All hail King Kevin!"

A black stallion made its way through the crowd, as some guards pushed people away. Gwen looked to see a very handsome man riding on top of it. He had jet black hair and onyx earth toned eyes. His body was all muscle and seemed very tall. His crown on top of his head topped everything off. He had a very solemn face, but Gwen knew inside that he was some happy guy with no problems and had all of the luxuries in the world.

He walked up to the platform, as the crowd bowed and the girls bowed.

"Presenting King Kevin," yelled one of his servants. He stayed on his horse and looked at all of the girls.

"Your highness," bowed Rojo, obviously giving a lot of attention to him. Gwen rolled her eyes, while still standing up straight. "Sire, you may choose whom ever you desire. All of these girls are prepared for your appearance and wait anxiously for you to pick."

"Are you done talking?" Kevin said to shut her up. Her eyes widened with shock, while a lot of the girls snickered…including Gwen. She gave the girls a glare, while Kevin began walking on his horse again, as he continued searching, looking at each of their faces. All of a sudden, some bimbo decides that it is ok to totally throw herself to him

"Please pick me! I will never say no to anything you say! I hate it there! Please take me with you!" screamed the girl as she collapsed on his horse. His eyes widened as the guards tackled her and took her to Rojo. Rojo gave her the biggest glare ever; oh she was going to get it later.

Gwen looked at him again. He searched and searched, but didn't find anything that impressed him. If anything, he looked disappointed with the girls. He thought they would be more…presenting. He looked sort of sad too, like he lost what he was looking for. She then looked at the other girls.

Well no wonder he doesn't looked satisfied! All of us are wearing stupid bonnets that are hiding practically all of our faces…who we are. He can't see us for us! Wait…should I take mine off? He can barely see me with this stupid thing blocking everything.

She breathed very deeply. If she took hers off, he would see her for her. She would stand out. But would she feel that she was doing this only because she wanted to get out of here? Was it going everything she was against? If she took hers off, Rojo would definitely give it to her…but then again she was planning to escape that night anyway. She started to feel frustrated with herself.

Kevin sighed. None of the girls were people he was looking for. He was about to turn all of them down, and Gwen noticed. She gasped when he saw the dissatisfaction in his face.

So she did it. She took off the bonnet, revealing her radiant red hair blowing in the wind. The sun shined against her hair and her emerald eyes, making her brighter than anything else in the world. Some girls saw her do this, so they followed her good judgment. Rojo looked disgusted, especially at Gwen who started it.

"Girls, put those back on now!" Rojo complained.

"Actually, let them take them off," remarked Kevin, getting a better view of everyone. Rojo backed down for the second time that day. "Next time, prepare them better when I am present." More of the girls snickered.

Kevin got a better glance at all of them. Most of them seemed really pretty and very punctual ladies. But there was one that stood out the most. His eyes drifted on the girl with fiery hair and green eyes. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but there was just something about her that made him…need her presence. He pointed his finger right in Gwen's direction. She made a little gasp when she saw his finger at her. Rojo was in shock, as well as the other girls.

"Sire, this girl is someone you should not have. She is not fit for someone as grand as you." Gwen gave her a dirty look. Kevin face flicked a bit of annoyance.

"You said I could choose who ever I want," he replied.

Gwen was taken back by his coolness. Usually when Rojo annoyed someone, they would go off and start an unpleasant conversation, but his guy kept his mouth shut. Rojo began to sweat.

"Oh of course, you highness. You may have young Gwen if she is the one that is proper for you."

A palace guard took Gwen's hand and led her down to the king. Gwen respectfully bowed to him.

"Can we get this girl a horse?" Kevin pleaded, as they hurriedly brought out a young mare that was golden brown. The palace guards offered her help, but she easily went up herself, which made them pretty surprised. She had actually never rode a horse before, except for the time when she stole one and went on a riding spree with it; she returned it though. So she knew some stuff on riding. But a guard held Gwen's reins anyway, so she wasn't exactly controlling it. "Let's go."

He rode off, with Gwen behind him. The palace guards were right beside him and her. She liked the protection, but seriously if anything did happen, they wouldn't stand a chance. She looked back, and saw Rojo doing her thing as usual; making sure the girls were punished for no reason. She was no longer part of Rojo and Gwen wasn't part of her life anymore.

She didn't know is she was allowed to speak to him. But to her surprise, he slowed down to come right next to her. She raised her eyebrows. It was obvious he wanted to speak to her and get to know her a little. But something was bugging her the whole time. Why did he pick her? It wasn't like she was the prettiest or the strongest person there. Sure she knew she stood out because of her hair, but still he could have picked someone else.

"So…Gwen huh?" he asked her. He thought she was going to give him some little response, but this girl was serious and mean business. She ignored his attempt to make small talk and went to the subject she wanted.

"Why did you pick me? Francesca is much prettier than I am. You could have had her instead," Gwen objected, talking about a girl that was the popular girl of the industry. Seriously, she wanted to know. He chuckled. Most girls would thank him and tell him that he made the best decision.

"Because you are so much more energetic than whoever you are talking about. I can see that there is more to you than meets the eye. There is just something about you that made me choose you. Plus you are not like the other girls either," Kevin replied, which made Gwen satisfied. "And…you are way prettier than any of the girls there." He smirked and rode up to the front again, which was good because for the first time ever she blushed a deep red. He thinks I'm pretty?

The palace became closer and closer. Gwen saw the beautiful white walls and buttresses. Flags that had his initials on them were every where. It was gorgeous to stare at. A bridge was lowered and they crossed it to arrive at the entrance. Gwen got off the horse, as well as Kevin, and some men took their horses away. Gwen couldn't move as she stared in awe. It was simply amazing, and way better than any other palace she had seen as it took her breath away. It was huge up close.

She did noticed that King Kevin had left, which left her somewhat sad. He didn't even say bye to her. He must be busy or something… Gwen wouldn't admit it, but she liked it when he was around her. But instead, a huge, not to mention ugly, woman came up to her.

"Are you the new girl?" she asked roughly. She reminded her of Rojo, except uglier.

"Uh yeah, I'm Gwen," she replied.

"I really don't give a damn what you name is. Just come on and hurry," the woman grabbed her arm and took her into the palace. They entered the foyer, which was filled with marbled floors and many golden items, but turned the corner to only lead to a door and a stairway. The woman led her down the stairs to where many maids and servants were scattered.

This must be there hang out…

"Ok get yourself settled and hurry up," the woman said gruffly as she left Gwen by herself. Gwen's eyes widened.

"Wait! Where do I go? I don't know what to do! I just got here!" yelled Gwen who was really frustrated. She looked around and no one seemed to care about the little new girl that had just arrived. Gwen didn't know what to do.

"That's Roberta, and you never want to get on her bad side…which is all the time, so you can't really blame her," a voice came from behind Gwen. She turned around to see a very pretty Asian girl that was her age, with black hair that was right below her ears and very pretty hazel eyes. "I'm Julie." Gwen smiled.

"Gwen."

"So you're the new girl…well welcome to the king's servant hang out. I am going to be showing you around the place," Julie said, as she got out some clothes. "Here, you can put this on."

Fifteen minutes later, Gwen was fully equipped with a navy blue dress and short skirt. Around her waist was a black sash, and she had black flats on her feet. She started twirling around to get a good look at herself in the mirror. She actually thought she looked cute, and didn't have some stupid bonnet blocking her face. He hair hung down her back as usual.

"Why does my outfit look so much different than the other maids?" Gwen asked. Julie smiled.

"That's simple. It's because you're the king's personal maid. You'll be respected more by the guards and servants around here," replied Julie, impressed with her work. "So do you like it? I made it myself."

"You made this? It's so…amazing," Gwen said, looking at herself in the mirror again.

"Yeah, I've learned a few things being here. I grew up here with my mom; she's sort of taught me everything I know," Julie said.

"So why didn't the king just chose you. You are the same age as me and it's a lot easier for you, since you've been here so long."

"Honestly, I don't know why, but I usually stick with my mom to clean stuff, and the king respects that. He's nice like that; but I usually clean one side of the palace and I do a really good job at it. Well we better get going if I am going to give you a tour."

They went up the stairs, so that Julie would show Gwen around. Gwen was so excited; she hadn't felt this way in a long time. And this girl…she liked her for who she was and actually included her into her life. They laughed, they talked, and they gossiped….Gwen was feeling happy. She only knew her a couple of hours and felt that she could trust her.

"And that's why I no longer take care of the horses," laughed Julie, as Gwen laughed as well. "Now, you are the kings personal servant, so that means you have to follow him every where. You're practically glued to his hip." For some reason, Gwen didn't think that it was such a bad idea. "But today you have the day off so that I can show you the ropes."

"So you grew up in the palace?"

"Yeah, the king and queen were good friends with my mother a long time ago, because she saved the queen from choking on piece of tuna in a market. They offered her a job and immediately took it."

"Well that's cool. Are you and Kevin close then? I mean, since your mom saved his."

"You can say Kevin and I are good friends. We'll talk like normal people would instead of using our status as an obstacle. But we never do it in public, only when we are hanging out in the palace," Julie admitted. "And he picked me to show the new girl around, because he knew he'd pick someone about the same age as me. I just didn't know I would totally have some things in common with her." Gwen smiled.

"Well at least he's nice…or so he seems," Gwen said, sort of blushing. Julie smiled. They came up to some very large doors with the king's initials on them.

"Well this is his room. But we won't go in there right now; he's probably signing papers and does not want to be disturbed, but at least you know where to go in the morning." Gwen looked nervous all of a sudden, and Julie noticed. "Hey don't worry about it, you'll do great. Anything is better than being back there, right? What would you be doing right now at this point?"

"Actually, I was planning on escaping later today…back to Omnitrix," Gwen said. She didn't know why, but Julie seemed to blush when she said Omnitrix. She did a terrible job at trying to hide it too.

"Oh, uh, well, it seems you had a whole plan going on if you didn't get picked. But I wouldn't go to Omnitrix, especially at this time."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"Well, for the passed ten years there have been monster sightings in the kingdom."

"Monster sightings? As in freaky things going around everywhere?" Gwen said, pretty surprised.

"Oh yeah, King Max has been trying to find out what's going on, but he just can't. I heard that there are ten different ones going around the city."

"Ten? Well why are they all staying in Omnitrix? You'd think they would go into the different kingdoms and terrorize them," Gwen thought strategically.

"That's the thing though…they don't go anywhere else; they only stay in Omnitrix. And there's another thing…ever since the monster sightings, the criminal rate has gone down 80 percent."

"So you think these monsters are actually… helping people?"

"I don't know, but Omnitrix is either known for its monster sightings or their good criminal rate. Anyway, King Max and his grandson come over to Bellwood all the time, so you'll probably be able to meet them."

"King Max has a grandson? I never knew that," commented Gwen, as she saw Julie blush even bigger than before. Gwen smirked. "What is the grandson's name?"

"Prince Ben," Julie sighed, a bit love struck. "He and Kevin are really great friends. They have been friends since they were ten. That's one of the reasons why King Max comes over, so that they can hang out. The other reason is King Max teaches Kevin archery. Both of them are coming tomorrow so the king can teach Kevin his usual lessons."

"It seems you know a lot on the Tennyson family, don't you?" Gwen smirked again, making Julie blush once more.

"Well, they come over a lot, so…so I know a lot about them, that's all," Julie stammered.

"Is the prince...oh I don't know, attractive?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What?! Are you crazy? Why would you think that? Just because he's royalty? Just because he comes from a very wealthy family, does not make him cute."

"But I never said-,"

"Nope, don't say another word. I have to go see my mother; you can find your way back, can't you?" Julie got up really fast, as Gwen started to laugh hysterically. It was good to laugh once in a while, and Gwen hadn't done it since Verdona. She ran after Julie, still laughing, only to catch up to her, now both of them laughing.

Gwen could tell right now that Kevin choosing her was the best thing that had ever happened to her…

That was chapter 2 of Rescue Me. So I introduced Kevin, Julie, and I gave you a look at Ben. I hope you guys are enjoying it. I got some really encouraging reviews that really inspired me to continue…

Cute in Purple: Thank you so much!

Random person number 1141: Thanks!

Raikimluva22: Thank you and I will try to update sooner…

A Saphire Rose: Thanks, I am glad you're excited and want to read more…

Hearshey- Kiss: You really think so? Well thank you for that; I am do glad you are enjoying it. And don't worry; this will not be a discontinued story, because I love where I am going to go with this. You really motivated me too.

Gwen and Kevin are going to talk more, what will happen? The king and prince from Omnitrix are coming over…will there be any surprises? Find out next chapter!

R&R

Wtncgirl09