The Luna Choosing Game

“How long did you wait, Piper? A week? Two? It couldn’t have been long.”

He sounds like he’s jealous. Or was that an illusion? He doesn’t care about me and is just mad at me.

Maybe the latter is more logical.

His dark eyes burned into me, leaving my heart in scorched tatters. Never in a thousand years would i

have thought Nicholas would be so vicious to me.

“It wasn’t like that.” I said, to try to defend myself.

He crossed his hands over his chest. He wasn’t going to listen to me,

“Why even come here?” he asked me.

“My application was selected…”

“Why even apply? Were you trying to get to me?”

“No,” I said.

“Maybe you regret your child’s father. Maybe you want me back.” He laughed once, bitterly. “Like you

have a chance.”

The words sliced into me as surely as if he’d been holding a knife. He had changed since I’d known him.

Three w

years ago, he’d been kind and patient. I’d given him my heart and he’d gently cradled it. So many

nights, we’d laid under the stars, trading kisses and stories.

Once, when he’d spent all night looking at me, I had told him, “You’re missing the

starlight.”

He’d replied, “I can see it in your eyes.”

The man before me now was nothing like the one I had known. The man here was arrogant, indifferent. and imposing in how he carried himself.

Breaking up with him had never been something I wanted to do. It hurt me still, thinking upon it, so I had tried to push it to the back of my thoughts

and caring for Elva, that I could successfully distract myself

with him now and seeing what he had become, brought all

+15 BONUS

if I was misremembering the

that young, innocent

whatever you want,” I said, adding some bite to my own voice. The hurt

a mistake, and I intend

along my spine. “You are the only woman who ever dared to break up

walking out into the sitting room, and then out into the parlor. I thought he might

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

hate him.

children. He’d been kind to Elva. He didn’t take any of his misconceptions about me out on

wanted to hate him,

to my knees beside the

maybe he would have revealed his secret in time. Maybe the three of us could have been a happy

a

very far from these golden fixtures and

wasting time, staying here. I needed to go home and look for another job, as

I

beside Elva’s on the cushion. I was so drained, from the trip, from seeing Nicholas

own

me Excuse me,

open my

me. I beg your pardon, miss, but the King Luna, and princes have arrived, I suggest you

from my eye.

was already disappearing out of the

on the couch, watching me with curious eyes. “Is it time for more

is. We have to be quiet though, okay? No one can

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

Elva into my arms and camed her

atop some type of stage The King stood

his Luna on one side. The three princes flanked his

older than he did on the bills in my purse.

himself well and his voice camed far, like he was

crowd and

for this monumental event. We are very pleased by your presence and look forward to becoming more acquainted over the

Luna leaned in and whispered something in