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

okay, Piper? I heard

cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my body’s

in my throat, and left my half of the breakfast

pick at.

It took great strength to keep my voice from shaking.

some point last night

the first time

For now, at least, I

in my mind, even as we broke from eating to

for the day. I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s

breath.

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

felt worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find

for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that he could not see the importance of discovering the

manipulated into giving away their wolves

cowed by Terry, or by Nicholas. I had

my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to

nanny and Mark, I set off on my own to find Julian.

to check the empty ballroom. I found him sitting alone

to be so isolated or so reflective.

on the tile

alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost…

In its place was the same sort of

mind company if

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

He had bome witness to the full

it wasn’t

Nicholas moved away.

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