So. I rewrote this chapter approximately four times before this. All four times, it was absolute shit, and this isn't amazing, but that's part of why it took me so long to write this. Sorry about that.

Also, if you're reading, particularly if you have a character in it, review! It tells me that there's still a reason I'm writing this!

Thanks to Dolphinsplash12, HestiaAbnegation11, and thirteenth7 for being amazing reviewers!

Summer's POV

Summer picked at her waffle with a fork, too nervous to eat. The girls around her were silent, and nobody was eating much. Everyone was too nervous, because they knew they were getting their tests back today. Nobody was talking, and the room, normally full of quiet chatter, was silent. It wasn't helping the nervous mood. She sighed, took a bite of her waffle, and moved the fruits on her plate around. She knew in her head she should eat, but her body was telling her something very different from her mind, and the message was most definitely not to eat.

Finally, the meal finished, after what seemed like an agonizing eternity. The silence hadn't helped it pass either. All of their chairs scraped back, and the girls all filed out of the room, and headed towards the classroom.

Sylvia was already inside, with name cards on all of the desks.

"Girls, please go to the desk with your name on it, which is the desk with your test." She said to all of them. The girls walked around, looking for their name card. It didn't take too long-soon all of the girls were seated at a desk, looking at Sylvia expectantly.

"And you may now look at your score." She said. Dread filled Summer, and she flipped it over.

She closed her eyes, nervous-she was certain she'd done badly. She opened them and looked at the score-96%. She smiled. She'd done it! Then she had another thought-what if all the other girls did better? What if 96% was the worst score? She looked around, anxious. She put on a neutral face, hoping not to give any emotions away. Around the room, she saw girls doing the same, and wondered how they'd done on the test.

"Now girls, I know some of you are probably wondering how you'll know how you've done relative to the other girls. So, to help you, I've created a ranked list from best to worst with your name and score. She pulled down the piece of paper that was covering the board, and sure enough, Summer saw a list. She looked at the bottom of the list and breathed out an audible sigh of relief. It wasn't her.

She kept going up the list from the bottom, not finding her name. Finally, she found it, fourth from top. She smiled. She'd done it! She'd actually done well. She looked at the names above her. Grace had gotten first, Shaylienne second and, to her horror, Lucinda had placed third and above her. It was only by not even a half percent, but she was disgusted in herself for not doing better than Lucinda. Lucinda. How had she let that happen?

Grace's POV

Grace looked at the list Sylvia had posted. She saw the top of the list, and smiled. She'd come in first! She'd gotten a 99.2, and had come in first. She looked at the bottom of the list, wondering who would most likely be eliminated because of the test. She looked at the bottom of the list, and the joy she'd just been feeling at winning melted away. It was Anastasia. She looked over to the bubbly girl, and saw her shocked expression. As girls filed out of the room, Anastasia didn't move, so Grace stayed behind to see if there was anything she could do for her friend. Once everyone had left the room, she walked over to her.

"Hey." She said softly. Anastasia took her face out of her hands.

"Hi." She said sadly, dropping her head back into her hands.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked. Anastasia shook her head. They sat there in silence for a moment. Then Anastasia started talking.

"I've never been good at taking tests. Even if I know everything super well, I test super badly. And now because I came in last place, I'm going to be eliminated and then I'll have to leave and go home." She said.

"They never explicitly said that the worst score was going home, just that the score would effect the next elimination." Grace said lamely in an effort to comfort her.

Anastasia shook her head. Grace sat there for a moment. Then she had an idea.

"Is there anything that can make you feel better?" She asked. Anastasia shook her head.

"Not even chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate cake?" She asked hopefully. Anastasia looked at her.

"But you can't get that around here unless they serve it at a meal." She replied. Grace smiled slyly.

"Where? How do you know about it?" She asked Grace, who started laughing softly.

"I have my ways. You'll see where it is. Come on." She said, grabbing Anastasia's hand and pulling it. Then she slipped. She looked at her shoes and started laughing.

"Goddamn it! Heels are terrible!" She yelled. She took them off, carrying them in one hand, and dragging a laughing Anastasia in the other. Once Anastasia had recovered from her laughing, she stood up.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Follow me!" Grace said.

"Hurry up!" Grace called to Anastasia, waiting for her at a corner.

"These shoes aren't made for running, you know." She said. Grace held up her own shoes, which were in her hand. Anastasia nodded, and took off her own shoes. Grace took off again, leading Anastasia through the palace, her evergreen fairy-like dress swirling around her as she slid on the marble and turned corners, and fluttering as she ran.

Then she stopped abruptly. She listened closely, and heard the distant sound of clicking heels. She determined they were going away from them, and kept on going. As she turned another corner, she stopped abruptly to keep from running into Lucinda, who looked at the two disdainfully.

"Well well well look at that. The girl who failed is showing her knowledge by running around the palace barefoot." She smiled meanly, and Anastasia's face crumpled a little. Then she turned her gaze to Grace, looking down on the much smaller girl. Grace stared right back up at her, challenging her with her eyes.

"And you. I'd have thought you would have known better, but I guess you were a six, after all..." She trailed off, smirking. Grace balled and unballed her fists, holding an arm up to block Anastasia from attacking her. She was already on precarious ground.

"Oh shut up Lucinda. It's not like you would have done well without cheating off my test." She retorted. Lucinda's jaw dropped open, and Grace had to hide her amazement. That had been a wild stab, but now she could see it was true. Excellent. Now she had the upper hand.

"How did you know about that?" She asked angrily, looking ready to murder Grace. Grace eyed her nails, making a note that if they did get into a fight, that she should be careful of them.

"Paying people to compliment you on everything and say you're good at it doesn't mean you are. You're obvious, and it was easy to tell." She lied smoothly.

"But.." She said, her face clouded with rage.

"I would recommend you're nice to me and my friends from now on, unless you'd like other people to hear about this. And I'm sure Noah wouldn't like to hear that you've been cheating." She said in a false sweet voice, followed by a false sweet smile. She turned away theatrically, and then spun around perfectly.

"Bye." She said, giving a cutesy wave, leaving Lucinda standing there, now her fists the ones balling and unballing.

Anastasia's POV

"Why didn't you tell Sylvia she cheated?" Anastasia asked, incredulous, once they were out of earshot.

"Because I didn't know. It was a guess, because after the insults I needed something to reply with." She said. Anastasia nodded.

"Are you going to tell Sylvia now?" She asked.

"No. It wouldn't effect it too much, probably, because it can't be taken away unfinished, which is probably what would have happened. It's better to have blackmail at this point." Grace replied. Anastasia nodded. It made sense to her, for the most part. Although.

"Why do you want blackmail so bad more than just getting her in trouble right now?" She asked.

"Well, there's a more prolonged effect from this. Plus, I have some...issues with her." She said, rubbing her shoulder.

"Don't we all." Said Anastasia.

"No, I mean, like, extra issues with me and her." She said.

"Like what?" Asked Anastasia curiously. It was true there was extra friction between her and Grace, but that probably wasn't it if she was saying extra issues, because all of the girls had friction with Lucinda.

"Well, you know how I used to wear strapless dresses?" Grace asked.

"Yeah. Why'd you stop? You look great in them." Said Anastasia.

"Thanks." She said smiling. Then, "A few days ago there was pieces of glass and sharp stuff in my bed, and I didn't see them because I was tired and they were the same color as my sheets. I laid down, and they cut up my shoulder. I missed breakfast and the Women's Room that day because the doctor was stitching up my shoulder and cleaning it up." She said. Anastasia raised her eyebrows, her jaw dropping.

"Oh my god! Why didn't you tell? Is that all?" She asked, horrified. Grace smirked darkly.

"She wants to break me, for me to tell or go home or something, and I won't give her that. And I have no proof it was her, so telling is pointless, because it's just speculation. And no, that's not all." She said.

"What else has she done?"Anastasia asked.

"Well, you know the dress I wore for the Interviews on the Report?" She asked.

"Yeah! It was so pretty! Your maids are awesome." She said. Grace smiled.

"Well, that was supposed to be for the first Report. For the Interviews they were making me a different dress, which now they're saving for a big occasion. I haven't seen it yet. But either way, that dress mysteriously developed rips in it, and my maids had to work all day finishing a different dress because they knew that one wouldn't be fixable in the time they had. And somehow, I don't think a dress in a dress bag usually has its sleeves and skirts and chest all cut up." She said. Anastasia's mouth dropped.

"Oh my god." She said. Grace nodded.

"So yeah. I figured a little blackmail really wouldn't hurt me." She said. Anastasia nodded. Grace looked around.

"We're almost there." Grace said.

"Where?" Anastasia asked.

"Here!" Said Grace, pushing open a door.

Alright, so they're going somewhere...

Hope you guys liked this chapter!

HestiaAbnegation11-Yes! Watermelon is amazing! I haven't quite figured out what's going to happen with that yet, but I'll do what I can.

Dolphinsplash12-Thanks! Candy is nice, but fruit is, like, WAAAAY better. I totally agree.

thirteenth7-There is that too. Plus fruit is delicious.

RQOTD-Who's your favorite character (barring that, top three), from Harry Potter?
Hermione, obviously.

Followed by Bellatrix and Luna.