The Luna Choosing Game

By the next morning, the drug had worked its way through my system and I felt like my old self again. I

went down to breakfast, where I was reunited with Elva, who had stayed with Susie the night before by

order of Nicholas.

I was grateful for his foresight. Mortified as I was by my actions and sounds, I was at least spared the

embarrassment of explaining any of this to Mark or the nanny myself. Or worse still, to Elva..

A thought so stomach–churning, I dared not even think of it.

So when I did finally greet her, it was with a tight hug and big smile, the same as always.

Susie and I didn’t always sit together, but we chose to that morning. There were still many empty chairs with the previous elimination, and I was feeling vulnerable from what had happened the night before. I needed my friends.

Around us the girls were chattering about the curiousness of the evening’s events. Terry was to be one of the main judges of the night, but he never came to ballroom.

Also as curious, both Nicholas and Julian disappeared sometime in the night, only to reappear this morning, one with a black eye and the other with an injured hand.

“You don’t suppose the princes got into a fight with each other?” one of the girls asked.

“No,” Lilliana said flatly. “He is too mature to take part in such childish antics.”

“Julian does love to tease,” said someone else.

“Not enough to tempt a prince away from his decorum,” Olivia added. “Prince Nicholas been around Prince Julian for years. He’s surely built up a tolerance.”

“Well, then what happened with Sir Terry?“”

“Maybe he started the fight,” someone said, and another laughed. A third shushed them.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

her seat to face me. I had Elva in my lap, but she was

heard

my head, pushing away her concern. I felt hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my body’s reaction to Nicholas the

my throat, and left my half of the breakfast

to pick

Terry left the grounds?” I asked. It took great

at some point last night and returned to his

sense of relief and for the first time

least, I was

night continued to linger in my mind,

help but feel Terry’s cold hands on me or smell his

breath.

she? Where had she come from? How had she gotten it? And why was she teasing

questions. It felt worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad

the kingdom, but it frustrated

underground organization was exposed, it would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and

Terry, or by Nicholas. I had my own heart and my own beliefs.

those innumerous other souls out there who just

safely into the care of her nanny and Mark, I set off on my own to

empty ballroom. I found him sitting alone on the bottom stair,

be so isolated or

on the tile steps, he

you want to be alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands,

and his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was the same sort of cocky expression I’d

mind company if it’s you,” he

charms and took a seat on the

forgotten that Julian was also there last night. He had bome witness to the full

tell me it wasn’t my fault, as well as

Nicholas moved away.

Nicholas would have taken advantage. He wouldn’t have. But Julian’s being present

of my desire much

I was still

I did have desire for Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on the balcony. In time, I might have wanted to have him do