The Selection: One of the Selected

11: Conversations

A/n: let's say they've had dinner early today, so before Quinn's walk with Maxon.

I had left pretty quickly after that, just because it was getting late and the guards were pointedly checking their watches. 

As soon as I got to my room, Marlee peeped her head out of her door and smiled inquisitively. 

'So...' she said.

'So?'

 'How was it? Is he as nice as he seems? What did you do? Actually, come in and tell me,' and she waved me into her room. It was a mirror image of my own, but she had many more photos than I did dotted around the room.

She plopped onto the end of her bed, patting next to her with her hand.

'Tell me everything,' she beamed.

I was about to open my mouth, when there was a knock on her door. Marlee frowned, and cracked it open, but upon seeing who it was, she grinned and pulled them in too.

I saw the fiery red hair before I saw her face. America.

'Sorry to interrupt, but I was passing and saw Quinn come into your room.'

'Of course, of course! She was about to tell me about her date with Maxon,' Marlee said, turning to me expectantly.

'Well, firstly it was more of a walk-'

Marlee blushed. 

'Well, I might have just seen you in the corner of my eye through the window...' she admitted, and we all spun round to see her curtains wide open, facing the gardens where we had been not minutes before. 

I told them how he wasn't so uptight, and how nice he had seemed, and where we went.

Soon we were laughing, and Marlee got a maid to fetch us some snacks too. I'd never had a day quite like this before, no laughing with friends or walks with boys, let alone a prince. We stayed up quite late, before a maid warned us we should probably get some rest soon, so America and I left. 

My maids and America's had been informed of us being with Marlee, so they weren't worried when I came back late. They just quickly got me ready for bed.

'Would you like one of us to stay in your room tonight, or still not?' Rose asked as she brushed my hair.

'No, no that's fine thanks.' I dismissed them, and they hurried away.

But as I climbed into bed, thoughts ran wild through my head.

Would my outburst at the prince make him think lower of me?

Will I even still be here next week?

Did having the first one-on-one with the prince mean anything?

If I didn't drop my fork, would he have asked America on that walk instead?

Too many questions, too few answers.

~ * ~

A/n: I'm going to alter the storyline more from now on, because otherwise we will end up with many, many chapters! So now, this story will be different from the book. Enjoy :)

The next morning at breakfast, America was asked on a walk. The room quietly whispered confused thoughts to those beside them, but America just seemed satisfied.

It was now evening, and I was sat at my window, watching them go through the gardens. I wondered if Marlee would be doing the same. It appeared to be going well, until America...kneed Maxon in an unfortunate place. He doubled over, and looked at her, hurt not only physically, but emotionally too. Guards, alarmed by her action, rushed over and tended to the prince. 

America stood awkwardly, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, until Maxon cottoned onto why she did it. I watched as America fled the scene, and I pulled back from the window sill. As soon as I was sure America wasn't coming up, I slipped out and knocked on Marlee's door.

'Yes?' her maid asked.

'Could I talk to Lady Marlee please?'

The maid looked back for confirmation, and nodded.

'Marlee? Marlee did you see that?' I whisper-shouted to her. The maids suddenly were very focused on dusting.

'See what? I was reading,' she said.

'Oh...America technically just assaulted the prince,' I revealed, and she gasped.

'She did what?'

'I think she misunderstood what prince Maxon was saying, and kneed him in...uh...'

Marlee clapped a hand over her mouth. 

'Oh no, America...oh...do you think she will be kicked out of the palace?' Marlee's eyes welled up at the thought of losing our friend.

I shrugged.

'Maxon seems to have a soft spot for her, so we will have to see.'

Marlee nodded, and I left her room, disappearing into my own. 

Bessie walked in not long after, and gave a tiny smile.

'Hello Bessie,' I smiled back. She just nodded and scurried back out the room again.

Lily came in after she left, arching an eyebrow at Bessie sprinting away.

'Lily, is Bessie scared easily? Or does she have something like social anxiety?' I asked.

Lily shook her head.

'No, no it was after her family all, well, to put it simply, she woke up and they were all...dead,' Lily's usual breeziness fell away.

'That's horrible! Do you know how they might have died?' 

'It's thought that it was the rebels. Her room was in the attic, so she was fine, but her dad betrayed the group and they just killed him...but then they went rogue. Her aunt works here at the palace, so she was sent here. Never really talks much to anyone, for fear she will get attached or too friendly with someone who will make a mistake. Also, she would probably appreciate if you didn't tell anyone this,' Lily said. I sat in silence.

'So why did she become a maid if she doesn't want to talk?' I eventually asked.

'I think she thought it would be easy to get her mind off things, you know, a distraction.'

Our conversation was broken by Rose darting into the room.

'Sorry I'm late, miss, I got caught up-'

'Caught up with that guard again? What's his name...Avery?' Lily smirked.

Rose became flustered and blushed.

'What? No! No. Never,' she defended.

I grinned.

'So, tell us about Mr Avery then, Rose, I don't mind,' I jokingly teased.

It was then we heard the bang downstairs. 

A/n: nooo I published this part yesterday, but for some reason it didn't actually upload! Sorry!