The Selection: One of the Selected

10: The Walk

'You already got a date with him?' Lily asked, her eyes wide as I told my maids the story.

'Yes, the first one too!' Rose grinned. 'I knew the prince would like you.'

I smiled as my maids gushed over me, as Bessie quietly touched up my makeup.

There was a tentative knock on the door, and my maids gave me an encouraging smile as Rose opened it.

Maxon was awkwardly stood on the other side, but a smile was glowing on his face. 

'Hello, Your Majesty,' Lily waved from beside me, earning a sharp look from Rose at her informal tone. Maxon chuckled.

'Hello. Could I take Lady Quinn from you please?' 

'Of course, of course,' Rose gently pushed me up from the chair and to the door.

Bessie had shrunk back to a corner, an unfocused stare on her face, and Rose franticly flicked her eyes back and forth from Maxon to her. 

To break the tension, I called a goodbye to my maids and quickly shut the door behind me. Maxon held out his arm, and I cautiously took it.

'No need to be so scared. I don't bite,' he smiled, and continued to lead me down the stairs.

'So...Aziel started to admit, but was cut off by my mother?' I confirmed.

'If Aziel is your brother, then yes, that is correct.'

'But then I technically won the bet!'

Maxon paused where we were and nodded his head in a way of agreement. I twisted to him, loosening my arm in his, and frowned, but I still had a light hearted smile on my lips.

'The bet meant that I got my pillow, not the walk..?'

Maxon just gave a small shrug, and we advanced down the steps once more.

'What's your family like?' Maxon abruptly asked.

'What do you mean?'

'Just that. Your family must be different from mine.'

I laughed. 'Well, yes, for one we don't have to learn what fork to use for an hour before we can eat our breakfast.'

'More of a two hour thing at the Appleton house?'

'Of course.'

'You know, the name Appleton sounds quite like a fairy tale name,' Maxon wondered aloud.

'The villain or the princess?' I teased, before realising that this was my chance to literally be a princess, and it sounded a bit snobby to say so.

Maxon must have noticed that I didn't mean what I said in that sense, and played along.

'Well, Quinn is similar to Queen too,' he pointed out.

'Queen Quinn. Ah. Best pick someone thats name doesn't sound like you made a mistake while saying it.'

Maxon reverted the conversation back to his original question, 'So your family. What are they like?'

'Well, I'm the oldest sibling of three. Aziel is the middle child, and he's the one who I wanted to admit the cooking was better. He was fascinated by the fancy car that rolled up on our driveway. With his interest in them, I guess he might make a living of it.

'Then we have Poppy, the youngest in our house, and she was very enthusiastic about me signing up. I guess if anyone ever needs any motivation, they should go to her. 

'My parents...my father thought I would get snobby on everyone as I had lived in a palace, but my mother wanted me to come. Although, I'm not entirely sure if that was for the fact it was the Selection, or because...' I swallowed uncomfortably. Did I really want to share with the prince my money issues? But then, if I was removed from the competition I most likely wouldn't see him again, so I continued.

'...or because of the, uh, money. But I didn't sign up because of that, I signed up for-' Yes, dig your own grave deeper, Quinn.

'For me?' Maxon finished, in a low voice. I hurriedly nodded, and I spotted him get a pleased smile on his face from the corner of my eye.

As we went westwards across the grass of the gardens, the sun was blocked by the towering forest ahead. Shadow crept on top of us, engulfing the two of us in a blanket of darkness, despite it still being early in the evening. Just ahead, I saw the bench where he and America had met earlier. I studied it, and Maxon followed my gaze.

'Ah yes, you must have seen mine and Lady America's first meeting here then,' he said.

He must have guessed from my expression that that answer was a yes.

'It wasn't planned, but she was lightheaded and wanted to be let out to the gardens...and don't think it gave her any advantage. She wants positively nothing to do with me.'

With a small gasp, I tried to comprehend what he said. So why was America here if she doesn't want to get to know the prince? She seemed so nice, so surely she wasn't only motivated to come here for the money. But had I done just that?

Maxon saw the confusion etched onto my face, and sighed.

'I don't know why either, but I think it is something to do with having a lover back home.'

'You could've sent her home to them then, rather than make her pursue something she doesn't want?' We were both surprised at my outburst, but he collected himself quickly.

'Oh, I tried, but she declined my offer. Has she mentioned anything to you about it? I thought I might have seen you two together a lot of the time,' he asked, hopefulness filling his features. 

'Sorry, she hasn't. She has been rather quiet, actually, when I'm around, but with Marlee she is much more open,' I confessed, and he frowned.

'Strange, but I could ask her about that if you like?' 

'You could if you were subtle about it, I suppose. She would open up to you too then?'

He walked to a bench opposite the one he and America had met on, and sat. I followed suit.

'See now, because she wasn't interested in me, she presented the idea of us as friends.'

'To which you accepted?'

'Yes.'

A/n: Thank you all so much for reading! I wasn't expecting to get any reads, so gaining over 60 in just over a week is quite unbelievable to me (although it may not seem like a lot to other people) :) Also the votes that I have got is amazing too!

If you are on half term break like I am, I hope you have a great time off! (: