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.

had Elva in my lap, but she was busy

you okay, Piper? I heard some truly terrible

and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my body’s reaction to Nicholas

left my half of the breakfast uneaten on the plate

pick at.

left the grounds?” I asked. It took great strength to keep my voice from

some point last night and returned to his own mansion.”

of relief and for the first time that day, I

now, at least, I

continued to linger in my mind, even as we

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

breath.

she? Where had she come from?

able to

knew in his heart he was only worried for me and for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that he could

protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their

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

of those innumerous other souls out

Elva safely into the care of her nanny and Mark, I set off

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

wasn’t like him to be so isolated

the tile steps, he turned back to look at me. “Piper.

I asked him. I had questions and demands, but

his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was

don’t mind company if it’s you,” he

his flirtatious charms and took a seat

hadn’t forgotten that Julian was also there last night. He

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

Nicholas moved away.

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

the circumstances of my

I was still

angry about it. I did have desire for Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on the balcony. In