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.

they continued to argue, Susie turned in her seat to face me. I had Elva in my lap, but she was busy stuffing her face with

heard some

my head, pushing away her concern. I felt hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for

in my throat, and left my half

pick at.

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

Terry left at some point

with a sense of relief and for the first time that day,

For now, at least, I

night continued to linger in my mind, even as we broke from eating to

for the day. I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s cold hands on me or smell

breath.

Who was she? Where had she come from? How had she gotten

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

in his heart he was only worried for me and for the kingdom, but it

people like me from ever being manipulated into giving

wouldn’t be cowed by Terry, or by Nicholas.

I wouldn’t let him stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous

her nanny and Mark, I set off on

I thought to check the empty ballroom. I found him sitting alone

him to be so isolated

on the tile steps, he turned

asked him. I had

his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was the same sort of cocky

mind company if it’s you,” he said.

eyes at his flirtatious charms and took a seat on the same step he

that Julian was also there last night. He had bome witness to the full extent of my

to tell me it wasn’t my fault, as

Nicholas moved away.

taken advantage. He wouldn’t have. But Julian’s being present helped him.

my desire much quicker.

I was still

so angry about it. 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