Hi amazing readers! Just wanted to let you know that I will hopefully have two chapters ready a day. Today is unusual because I don't have school, so I am writing non-stop.

Anyways, this chapter is mostly in Maxon's POV. I hope you all enjoy, and don't forget to review!

All rights to Kiera Cass. I did not come up with these characters, I am simply using them to write what I hope is a good story.

Chapter Three

(Maxon's POV)

I was walking towards my room when I heard the siren go off. I tore down the hallway at a record time, reaching my room and running down the hidden entryway. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, the guards didn't even pause, they swung the door open and let me in. I walked as fast as I could over to my mom and dad, not even looking to see if all the girls were in the safe room yet. Usually we can predict when these attacks will happen. For the past few months they have happened every other week. The fact that this one was so random got to me.

"How could we not know? We patrol the grounds every thirty minutes, we have a switch on all the guard's communication devices that sets off the alarms. We were prepared." I asked my father in a quiet, but urgent tone.

"Maxon, I thought you would know by now that not everything goes according to plan. Now stop harassing me and go attend to the Elite. Act like a Prince for god's sake!" He replied back with an annoyed look on his face.

I couldn't deny it. He got to me. I would not disobey him today. I had already gotten caned once this week, I wasn't going to have it done to me twice. I bowed my head and then walked towards the awaiting girls. I tried to count them as I was getting closer, but it seemed I kept messing up. One was missing. The one girl I cared for the most, to be exact. I stopped in front of the cots and looked at each of them again. I wasn't hallucinating. America was not here.

"Where's America?" I asked the other three girls urgently, "Have any of you seen her?"

Shaking slightly, Elise was the first to speak up.

"I-I-I saw her before I came down here. She was stuck in her room. I tried to call to her, but I didn't want to be noticed by the rebels. She was trapped, Maxon. From what I saw, there was no way for her to get out."

I fell to the ground, holding my head in my hands. At that moment, I didn't care if the other girls knew how much I loved America. I didn't care that I was not acting like a Prince. All I could think about was America,and I had to find a way to save her.

"Maxon, I'm...I'm sure she's alright. America is a tough girl." Kriss said lightly, not wanting to hurt me further.

I looked up at her with tears falling down my cheeks.

"Thank you, Lady Kriss, but I'm afraid even the toughest of you could not beat the rebels. They have weapons. They also know who she is. They know how important the Selected girls are. If they find her..." I shuddered, "I don't know what will happen." I said morosely.

I knew that Kriss meant well, but her words made my heart hurt even more. I stood up and walked back to my family. They looked up at me as though they already knew what had happened.

"Maxon! Oh sweetheart, I am so sorry. We will find her. Don't you worry. Smart minds can think of ways out of anything. She will find a way to get to safety, I just know it." my mom said, trying to keep her tears for me at bay.

I couldn't form any coherent words to say back to her, so I just sat down and wallowed in my misery. Eventually, the guards came down and told us that it was safe to go upstairs. As soon as I heard them say those amazing words, I ran for the steps, taking them two at a time until I reached my room. I didn't bother to change, I couldn't knowing that my America could be dead.

I stopped every guard I found along the way to her room and told them to search every hidden safe room in the palace. Once I entered her hallway, I saw carnage everywhere. There were dead guards and maids, torn apart walls and picture frames, broken windows, and worst of all, the door to America's room was completely unhinged. As I tried to pry it open, it fell to the ground.

I didn't waste time looking through her room. She obviously wasn't there. I walked out of her room and started to help the guards with the hidden safe rooms. They had already searched five when I remembered that she wouldn't know where any of them were except one. I ran unceremoniously down the steps and to the first floor. I flew past the gardens and when I finally got to the end of the hallway, I tapped on the wall. When I looked inside, I wasn't ready for what I saw.

Laying on the floor of the room with a knife in her stomach was America. I started to hyperventilate.

"America," I said shaking her, "America!" no response. She was breathing, barely, but if I didn't get help soon she wouldn't be.

I lifted her and held her carefully in my arms, sprinting as fast as I could to the hospital wing. Just as I barged through the doors, she shook violently in my arms and looked up at me.

"Maxon?" she asked, barely keeping her eyes open.

"Yes dear?" I replied, trying not to cry.

"I love you." she said, letting her eyes close.

"I love you, too." I said back, tears falling down my cheeks so fast that it felt like two rivers were forming there.

At that point I was crying so hard I couldn't carry her anymore and a guard quickly came over and helped me. Not long after that, the doctors and nurses were running back and forth throughout the hospital wing looking for supplies.

They preformed surgery on her almost immediately, trying to get the knife out of her and stitch her up before infections settled on her abdomen. They said that her stomach was slightly punctured and that she was lucky to be alive and safe. I wasn't going to say anything, but I wouldn't think of her as lucky or safe until she was fully recovered and with me.

I may have been mad at America for ignoring me, I may have taunted her with Kriss; but the truth of the matter was that although we were a pain for the other when mad, we were also in pain without each other.

That's when I knew who my princess would be. It was only a matter of persuading my dad.

Okay, I know that was a lot in one chapter, but I felt like Maxon's point of view was EXTREMELY important during this rebel attack. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please favorite, follow, or review! Thanks guys!

- Property of Illea