I followed Sage immediately after she left the library. I needed a reason. I just couldn't figure out why she would put Sienna up for elimination.

We were nearly to the back door when she turned around. "Is there something I can help you with Hanny?" Her eyes told me she knew exactly what she could help me with.

I gave her what she wanted and asked anyway, "why Sienna?"

Sage smirked and then continued on out the door. When she stopped to find her keys she once again acknowledged me. "I had a strategy. You three didn't."

I raised my eyebrows. "Care to share that strategy?"

Unlocking her door Sage met my gaze. "Liv wanted us to pick the worst girl, instead I picked the best girl." Turning she got in her car and began to back out as I stood still confused on the pavement.

"Why?" I called out, not expecting an answer.

Unrolling her window she still wore a grin. "Don't you get it Hanny? He's only eliminating two of the girls. It's not my job to tell Kit who to eliminate, so instead of helping him I figured why not help out the nice girl I met this morning by getting her a date with the Prince?"

As she drove away I stood there wondering how I hadn't seen it coming. Leave it to Sage to find a way to cheat at a game I didn't even know we were playing.

Finding my own keys I unlocked my car and was careful not to snag my dress on the door as I pulled it shut behind me. Turning up the radio I tried to quiet my thoughts but as I hit the highway I knew I'd have to live with whatever Kit decided.

Did Julia deserve to go home? Not in my opinion, and yet I'd put her steps away from just that. Sage was right, Kit wouldn't eliminate Sienna, so that left Dusty, Leila, and Julia. Two of them would be gone before I was back at the palace; something about that felt wrong.

There were so many more important things I needed to be focusing on though, exams, my valedictorian speech, university. I had no room for the selection and yet it had taken over my mind. Namely Julia and Gwen were what troubled me, but I knew as the days went on things would only get worse.

Sydney always said that my fatal flaw was that I cared too much. I isolated myself so much as a child that I never understood how that could be true. I knew now that it was though. Kit's selected had been nicer to me than any girls at school ever had, and I didn't want to lose that.

I was forced to turn my focus onto the road as I reached the city limits. The drive passed rather quickly when I was distracted.

Sydney's apartment was just outside the city center. She'd started renting it two days after her eighteenth birthday but she'd barely even lived in it. I think she found it rather lonely when I wasn't around. Syd was definitely a people person, she'd always been surrounded by friends in school.

She had her heart broken when she was fifteen and thus strayed away from romance but friendship was what comforted Sydney most. Then there was also our family history. Neither of us felt the pull to be around our extended family at the palace. I never felt like I fit and Sydney never wanted to. That's not to say we didn't love our cousins–we did–there were just more complexities to it than that.

Over the years when I realized how broken she was I felt a stronger connection to Sage. Then came the day that I acknowledged that she was more damaged than me. I couldn't come back from that so instead I put my best foot forward and tried harder, because if someone like Sage and her siblings could make the effort, there was no excuse for me.

Sydney never reached that point, so instead she went to England where she was freed from the usual familial obligations and given others. I never quite understood why she left. Why she thought Aunt Jane and the other cousins would give her less trouble. Maybe it wasn't as much about that as I assumed it was, maybe she just needed out. Sometimes I felt like anywhere would be better than here.

Pulling into the parkade I drove straight to my usual spot beside Sydney's car. It was taken by a black sedan and I felt my breath instantly catch in my throat. Finding the next open spot I was out the door in a second. I hit the lock button, heard the horn beep, and then found myself running to the exit.

A breeze ruffled my hair as the sunlight touched my skin. I probably looked ridiculous to anyone watching, running down the sidewalk with my purse barely hanging onto my shoulder. I reached the familiar brick building in a surprisingly small number of strides considering it was at the other end of the block from the parkade.

Using my key I unlocked the front door and headed straight for the main stairwell. Three floors up and to the end of the hallway.

I knew exactly what to expect when I turned the door knob and yet I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was incredibly nervous. I had no idea what I would say to him. If I asked it would sound like I cared, and I couldn't bring myself to do that. Before I had a moment more of thought the door was opened for me.

Sydney looked only mildly surprised to see me, she must've heard footsteps in the hallway. "Guess who's here," her tone made it clear that it was not a question so I didn't answer. "He arrived about an hour ago and I've run out of things to say."

"My turn?" I asked knowingly.

"Your turn," my sister replied stepping out of the way and allowing me entrance into the apartment.

He was sat on the sofa in the living room with a cup of tea in his hand. When he saw me he put the tea aside and stood up with a smile on his face. "Hannah darling, I've missed you so much."

I wrapped my arms around him in a tight embrace, because no matter where he had been I would always love him. "I missed you too Dad."

"Sydney tells me you were having brunch with Kit's selected," he said as he retook his seat and I sat beside him.

I nodded, "it was a lovely morning." I quickly came up with a safe conversation topic; cousin Agnes. "Now that you're back you should go see Aggie before she returns to Sweden."

"I was actually planning on inviting her out tonight. Are you okay with staying with Sydney for one more day?"

I rolled my eyes, "I'm almost eighteen dad, I could stay home alone." He didn't look like he was going to budge so I sighed, "if it makes you feel better though I'll stay here so you can go to another play without me."

"You and I have plenty of traditions Hanny but this one I'm afraid is not one of them. I can call up Harry though if you want some uncle-niece bonding time."

"Or," a grin spread across my face, "you could buy me a plane ticket to Swendway and I could spend time with Uncle Andrew."

My dad rolled his eyes. "Not a chance. This is my last summer with you, you're not sneaking away that easily."

A silence fell between us as I realized how true his words were. We didn't know where I'd be next summer, or what I'd be doing. Sydney was still around now, but only because she'd been abroad for the year. Her plans after Kit's selection ended would be taking her far from Angeles. Meaning that even if I did come home things would be different.

My dad's gaze shifted to the door and I turned to see Sydney leaning against the frame having decided to join us. Her lips were pursed and I could tell that she was feeling just as reminiscent as me.

"Your sisters miss you."

I'm sure my dad meant just to fill the air with conversation but instead his words created an immense amount of tension.

Sydney began to glare at him and I bit my lip not wanting to start an argument. "I'm glad you had a good trip Dad," I finally said.

"Gabrielle is turning fifteen in a couple of weeks."

I sighed, clearly he wasn't going to let us avoid the topic. "Then why didn't you stay?"

He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous tick that I'd been told he'd possessed even as a teenager. "I wasn't going to miss my little girl's graduation."

Sydney finally broke her silence. "That's nice Dad, but Margo couldn't be bothered to extend Hannah the same curtesy?" Not waiting for a response Sydney stormed out the door, no doubt wishing she'd never come to begin with.

Once she was gone my dad turned back to me. "Your mother loves you dearly Hannah, I hope you realize that."

I shook my head. "She's never proven that to me Dad. Tell her that if she doesn't come," I took a deep breath knowing that if I was going to begin my life anew in the fall that I'd have to make a permanent decision on my mom, "we're done. I can't do this with her anymore." Emotion bled out in my voice and I hoped more than anything that my dad could hear it.

He nodded, his face infinitely more solemn than usual. "I'll call her when I get home." Standing he gave me a forced smile. "Tell Sydney that I'm sorry."

He left and a moment later I heard the front door open and then close. Sydney must have heard too because she came to me a moment later.

Before I could get out our dad's apology she handed me her phone. It was open to her conversation with Sage and the most recent text had been sent only seconds ago.

Tell Hannah that we won this round.

A/N

I'm really sorry about the long time between updates but I'm at a point in my life that is busier than I could've ever expected. I hope you all enjoyed the insight into the Carrington family dynamic, things are going to be quite interesting now that Charles is back. If you recall there were four girls up for possible elimination and so Sage's text signifies the dismissal of Dusty Aurelius and Leila Page; we're now down to 30 girls!

Thank you all for your reviews, they mean the world to me

Shaelynn