Hushed whispers filled the tunnels. It made me sick forcing myself to trudge back through them, but this time I wasn't fearing for my life. I felt sure of myself and confident. Everyone that stood behind me knew the plan. We would get what we needed and get out. I would run for the secret library that Luke had showed me so long ago, and the others would go for the armory.

Dante squeezed through the kitchen secret passageway first. It was so late into the night that all the servants were asleep by now. We did not plan on doing this quietly, that was too easy. We were going to make a statement. This was time to show them that we were a force that they should fear, that they will fear.

Dante beckoned for us to come out of our hiding spot. I bounced out of the tunnel with a new wave of energy. I let the others rush passed me and fill the hallways outside of the kitchen. The battle cries and shattering of the handmade bombs filled my ears. It had begun.

I kicked open the kitchen door and took off in the opposite direction of the rebels. I felt free as I ran down the hall, the sirens that had already been sounded filled my ears. I felt comfortable, more like myself, in the pair of tight fitted pants and tank top that my maids had packed for me. I wore an old brown leather jacket over top of my clothes. We thought about covering our faces to hide our identities. Many of them did, probably more than half, but I wanted to be seen. I wanted them all to remember me. I wanted them to be afraid of me. I wanted power over them.

My boots echoe through the corridors. I took the too familiar stairs two at a time. The screams of the Selected and of servants were now present among the chaos behind me. Get to the library.

My head whirls when I see Queen Amberley burst from her room in a white robe. I skid to a stop and slide behind a flowing curtain of velvet, praying she didn't see me. I listen to her yelling at the king as they rush passed me.

"I told you we should've had the safe rooms built when the riots first started," she scolded the king.

"They were not in our budget yet, Amberley," the king sounded annoyed, like they had had this argument a thousand times. I had never heard him fight back against Amberley before. She usually walked over him and told him what to do all of the time. "Our country is not exactly holding together well. We splurged on the troops going out to find the girl you had to capture so badly. And we didn't even find her."

He was talking about me. Amberley forced him to send men to Bellingham to capture me. They made it look like it was for the rebels committing treason, but it was all for me. Amberley knew that without me the rebels wouldn't unite. Too bad for her she was wrong. Dante already had them formed, I just stepped in as an extra push for them.

"You know as much as I do why she is dangerous. She will be our downfall if you do not take the precautions I told you to. If the Selected get injured it is all over for us all. We will be ruined."

Cossette came bounding out of her room as well. I could hear her muttering words that I did not understand, probably because they were in French. I waited to see if Luke and Alexandr were going to exit next, but neither of them came. I figured they were already gone, probably up late at night somewhere together, so I ditched my hiding spot as soon as the coast was clear and bolted for the hidden library.

I felt along the familiar bookcase and unhatched it. The casing slid away and I slipped into the dark room. There was no time for me pick out the books that I wanted the most. I took the empty bag that I had with me and filled it with bulking books. Once it was too heavy for my to carry, I slide a few more from the shelves and put them in my arms to run with.

I took in a breath of the room that I had spent the night in after Luke had saved my life. I hoped he was safe, away from the chaos and damage that the rebels were doing. He knew I was going to come for the palace. The only reason he didn't join me was because of the position it would put him in against his family. He loved them, and I understood that. He also was engaged. His life was planned out and perfect, I couldn't expect him to run away with me and live a life of nothing and poverty. We had our moments before, but that was all they were, little moments, soon to be forgotten.

As I hopped down the last set of stairs I made eye contact with Dante from down the hallway. He was illuminated by the flaming curtains that framed the windows. The walls were spray painted with slurs and all the furniture and antique decorations were shattered. The palace that once looked so perfect now looked like ruins. It would take them days to clean what we have done to them.

I ran with the bag of books hanging from my arm and two more clutched in my hands. Dante grinned at me and nodded. They got the weapons. I saw the masked rebels carrying multiple guns back into the kitchen.

That's when the guards arrived and opened fire.

I heard myself shriek as blood splattered onto me from the rebels that had been shot dead. The sounds of bullets on flesh played on my head. I fell down with the lifeless bodies. It took me a moment to convince myself that I was not the one that had been shot.

I looked across the floor and saw that the books I had been holding had slid across the floor. A hand reached to pick the two books up. It was Dante. He waved his arms wildly at me. Though I couldn't hear what he was shouting, I read his lips easy enough. Run.

Knowing that Dante had at least two books with him, I was satisfied to die. I knew he could lead the rebels better than I could. I wished I could've laid down and died right then, but there was something in me that wasn't settling well.

I pushed myself up and ran in the opposite direction of the kitchen door as Dante disappeared inside it. I prayed that Dante got the books back out of the tunnel and that there weren't more guards waiting for them at the end of it.

I looked back to see the guards swarming into the kitchen now. I ran faster and faster. The banging bag of books weighed me down, but I pressed forward, searching for a new escape route.

There was none to ask for help now. I could not drag people like Miss Petegry of Max Chance into this mess anymore. If they was spotted with me they would be executed. I was alone and I needed to find my own way out.

I was running through the Great Room when a hand grabbed my wrist, stopping me with suck a force I thought my shoulder might pop out of place.

"Miss Mallory."

I turned to see that my captor was Alexandr. He no longer looked like the boy that I sat on the roof with for hours, looking at the stars. He was stern and his emotions were masked over. He was back to doing his duties of being a prince, and that was turning me over to the queen.

"Alexandr, listen to me," I tried to reason with him, but his grip only tightened.

"You will address me properly," he warned. "I am your prince and your behavior will not be tolerated."

If it had been Luke he would've understood why we had to break into the castle; Luke wanted the change as well. But Alexandr saw that everything was perfect the way it was. In his eyes I was a criminal through and through.

He bellowed for the guards immediately. They came rushing through all entrances in no time.

"Alexandr, listen to me! Please. I did this for good! We can't live like this anymore. People are starving on the streets and the upper castes don't even give a damn. We can help them." I screamed at the top of my lungs as I was being forced away from him.

"Overthrowing the kingdom will not be of any help to them," his tone was threateningly low. "You have done nothing but commit treason. A crime worthy of a public beating followed by execution."

He was stone cold. It didn't bother him at all that I was going to die. "I should've known better than to sympathize with such a brainwashed son of a bitch."

The words hit him hard, I could tell. He tried to hide it, but his facade faltered.

My attention was forced from Alexandr and to the new crowd forming in the Great Room. I looked into the dozens of faces around me until I found the one I wanted. Luke.

His eyes bore into me. I expected him to look disappointed or angry, but he was nothing. I thing that hurt worse than him screaming at me for being a fool. He had a face of stone, no emotion detected.

Queen Amberley slid in beside him. This was her doing. I was wrong about Alexandr being the brainwashed one, he knew what he was doing and agreed with it. The one under her complete control was Luke. This was how she was hurting me. I remembered her saying to me that night of the ball that she would use Luke against me. I didn't think it would bother me if I saw him with his new fiancé, considering she was so flawless, but the fact that he didn't even care about the importance of this revolution was what stung because deep down he knew this government was corrupt, but she was fooling him into thinking otherwise.

He had spent a night with me mulling over ideas about this revolution. He showed me books and gave me ideas. I thought he was on board with me, even if he wasn't committed to running away from his life. I knew after Cossette came into the picture that he was not mine ever again, but I wanted to be allies.

He was a robot now, and his mother held the controls.

That's when the rest of the tears that were building up inside of me burst free. I cried for Luke and for Lil and I cried for the fallen rebels whose blood stained my skin. I cried for the castes and for the helpless men that Queen Amberley commanded in the palace. I cried for my maids and for Max Chance and for Miss Petegry.

Most importantly I cried for myself.

I was brought to the palace with nothing and I will be executed here with nothing, if only the hope that Dante and the others escaped with the supplies of weapons and the forbidden text.

Speaking of, the bag of books that I clung to for dear life was ripped form me. They sprawled over the floor and skidded to a stop at the feet of the royal family, who only looked at me with stone cold faces.

I pleaded with my eyes for Luke to do something. It was no use, I had made my own decisions and I had to accept what was to come.

Again I prayed for the quick death that the rebels had in the hallways minutes ago.

I did not deserve a painless death, and it was not one that I received.

The cell was dark and dreary. I got no visitors save for the guards that slid me food. There was no Max Chance to help me escape this time. I was alone.

All of my tears had dried onto my face and I felt numb.

An odd feeling in my stomach comforted me. I would be with Lil, if there was such a thing as an afterlife and one that I was worthy enough for. It calmed me to lay on the cold floor and dream up images of Lil prancing around. She was clean and not starving and her skin shone with the sun. The smile that rarely disappeared was still on her face, as bright as I've ever seen it.

"I'll be home soon," I mutter and press the palms of my hand to my eyes.

After hours of laying still, I sit up at the sound of a door. I sit bolt upright, but no one ever enters. I wait cautiously.

Then the golden beauty catches my eye. The gold coated rose that Luke had given me so long ago was sitting before me.

I snatched the rose with disgust. This is a sick joke. Queen Amberley, or even Luke, might've sent this to me, a reminder that I once was stupid enough to believe that a prince could actually care for me. I remember the past when Luke had apologized to me with the rose. It was so nice, and I tried so hard not to feel anything or think anything of it. It was only soon after that that we got close, too close.

I squeeze my eyes shut at the remembrance of his lips on mine, a hot need for something to fill the gap in his heart. Not his, mine.

But I believed his foolishness and now look where I am. I did this to myself.

The rose in my hand gives me the strength to face tomorrow morning. I was filled with such a gulf of rage that I screamed. As loud as I could, I screamed, getting it out now before the public beating tomorrow. I will rip the queen apart for bringing me here. The Selection might've been the worst thing I have ever had to endure.

But it gave the rebels a chance, I reminded myself. I might not have enjoyed it, but they were given a spark. My purpose was fulfilled.

I tossed the rose to the ground and chattered it under my foot.

Tomorrow I was going to go out with a bang.

Hi! Sorry for the short chapter and my sudden absence. I am back now and hopefully to the end of this story. I hope you are all enjoying and please leave a review or suggestions for this story or if you want a sequel let me know. I expect it to be over in a few more chapters so, let me know if you have another story idea you would like me to try out.

Thanks for reading,

jeweleethegeek