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.

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

I heard some

felt hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my

the bile rising in my throat, and left my half of the breakfast uneaten on

pick

left the grounds?” I asked. It took great strength to

“Word is, Terry left at some point last night and returned to

for the first time that

least, I

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

help but feel Terry’s cold hands on me

breath.

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

It felt worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian and me from continuing our investigation. 1

kingdom, but it frustrated me that

it would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away

by Nicholas. I had

stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to

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

searched through most of the palace before I thought to check the empty

like him to be so isolated or so reflective.

click of my heels on the tile

asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost… lost

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

company if it’s you,” he

and took a seat on the same step

night. He had bome witness to the full extent

it wasn’t my fault, as well

Nicholas moved away.

Nicholas would have taken advantage. He wouldn’t have. But

of my desire

I was still

kiss me on the balcony. In time, I might have wanted to have him do more.