Dawn -
When I've finished my dinner, I head upstairs, feeling like I'm going to puke. Eating so much was a mistake, and I could feel some of the upper castes eyeing me and the others. Let them think what they want to. They've never been hungry. I head into the Day Wing and to my room, turning the handle.
When I walk in, two women I've never seen before greet me. They both curtsy more gracefully than I ever could and the one on the left starts talking.
"Lady Dusk." She looks a little familiar, but I can't place where I've seen her before. The other one introduces them.
"I'm Iana, and this is Violet."
Oh. Now I know why she looks so familiar. She's Lilac's older sister. She looks like she's just sixteen.
Lilac comes out of the bathroom and looks from Iana and Violet to me before sinking into a low curtsy.
"You don't have to do that." I say.
Lilac immediately stops and starts chattering away while leading me to the bathroom. It's comforting, and I don't miss the way Violet watches her happily, her eyes calm. Iana and Violet follow us into the bathroom and help me strip, then carefully lower me into the tub. I sigh when I'm fully submerged in the water, and Lilac starts sprinkling fresh lavender over the bubbles in the bathwater.
By the time my bath is over, I'm perfectly at ease with these three girls, and we chat like we've been friends for ages. Even Violet, who I learn is quiet, puts in a few words. Lilac has plenty to say about their lives and all the gossip, and I eagerly soak it all up as they dress me again. Iana adds in more than a few tidbits for us to speculate about, and by the end of it all, I feel like they're my friends more than my maids.
The nightgown they've dressed me in is soft, but the material is thin and certainly does nothing to hide my figure. It's meant to sleep in though, so I'm not too worried. The girls have already seen me naked, so it's nothing for them.
When I reach the bed, I realize the bag with my possessions has been placed next to it, so I get to work setting them up. I have to admit this isn't half bad. But my priority is still to get back home to Dusk and switch places again so she can marry Brandon as a Three.
I'm sitting holed up in bed, but I've never really slept without Dusk before.
-o-
I sent the girls away so they don't have to watch me all night. Once I'm certain they're all gone, I pull on a robe they left for me and step into a pair of fluffy slippers. Luckily, my door doesn't creak when I open it, and I exit the Day Wing without any complications. The rooms of the selected are on the second floor, so the rooms of the royal family must be on the third.
I decide to head down. It's only once I reach the bottom of the stairs do I realize how big the palace is. I remember the way to the Women's Room, so I tiptoe there and open the door quietly. It's eerie here, in the middle of the night. There's no one inside, and the lights are all off. The only reason I can see anything in here is because the curtains are open and moonlight is streaming through; unfiltered.
The stations where the makeovers were done are completely cleared away and without them, the room looks a bit empty. In the corner, there's a gorgeous piano. I remember that the queen was a Five before she married the prince (now king), and her profession was music. She must love sitting here and playing it.
I wish I could play, and I used to be able to as payment for cleaning a Five's house for a while, but she was old and passed away within a year of working for her. Besides, piano lessons wouldn't feed my family. I can only remember a few songs, and none of them are very difficult.
Instead, I sit on the little window seat and look outside to the grounds. There's nothing but flat ground until the palace walls, which look like they're about a mile away.
Opening my mouth, I start singing a song I wrote when I was younger. Eventually, tears are blurringmy vision. Kyle was the only person that ever heard this song. Not even Dusk knows about it.
I don't know how long I sit here, singing for a brother I'll never see again, but my voice starts to get tired. I close my eyes, just to rest them for a bit.
Dusk -
I can't believe Brandon helped Dawn with her crazy plan. When I went to visit him the garden, he... distracted me. We're too poor to have watches, so I wasn't keeping track of the time. Later, when I asked him, he lied. I only realized what Dawn did when I left the Richards's mansion and walked out onto the road.
The whole province was celebrating my being drawn, and I could see camera crews packing up. She'd just left, I'd missed my other half leaving me. We've never been apart for more than a few hours and now she's halfway across the country in a palace she never wanted to go to.
-o-
It must be past midnight right now, but I can't sleep without my twin next to me. Eventually, I stand up and pace around the room. I ignore the dirt layering the bottom of my bare feet, riddled with guilt.
A soft knock at the door surprises me, and I go to it, opening it nervously. It's Brandon. Quickly, I pull him inside my room.
"What are you doing here?" I hiss at him.
His perfect face is apologetic.
"Dusk, I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He says.
I want to be angry, but I know he was trying to protect me.
"It's not your fault." I say.
He looks like he doesn't believe me.
"Are you sure? Because-" I stop him with a kiss.
He melts into it naturally, and he pins me to the wall next to the bed. My hands go to the back of his neck, deepening the kiss. When we stop for a moment to breathe, I can see the question written on his face.
"Please, Brandon." I beg.
"Please, just this once, I need to forget."
And that's what he helps me do.