Charlotte

Chapter 10

After the reception dinner was over, Lissa stood up and headed straight to the doors. I elbowed Rose, who was talking to Eddie, and nodded in Lissa's direction right as the door was slowly swinging shut behind her. We stood at the same time, saying goodbye to Eddie and Mason, and followed the tall blonde Moroi. Natalie had gotten to her before us, though. 

"She shouldn't have said that," Natalie was comforting Lissa. Standing next to Lissa, Natalies yellow dress made her look less graceful...It didn't fit her body as well as Lissa's did, and the color was a god-awful contrast to her skin and her dark, off-center bun. "It wasn't right. Don't let it bother you." 

"Kind of late for that," Lissa says, her eyes locked on the stone beneath her feet. 

"She was wrong." 

"She was right," Lissa exclaimed. "My parents...and Andre...they would have hated me for what I did." 

"No," Natalie said softly. "They wouldn't have." 

"It was stupid to run away. Irresponsible" 

"So what? You made a mistake. I make mistakes all of the time. The other day, I was doing an assignment in science, and it was for chapter ten, and I'd actually read chapter elev-" Natalie cut herself off, something that she didn't do often. "People change. We're always changing, right? You aren't the same as you were then. I'm not the same as I was then.

"Besides, was running away really a mistake? You must have done it for a reason. You must have gotten something out of it, right? There was a lot of bad stuff going on with you, wasn't there? With your parents and your brother. I mean, maybe it was the right thing to do." 

Beside me, Rose huffed, but despite how much I knew she wanted to interrupt, she stayed behind in the shadows. 

"I don't know if it was, no," Lissa replied. "I was weak. Andre wouldn't have run away. He was so good. Good at everything. Good at getting along with people and all that royal crap." 

"You're good at that too." 

"I guess. But I don't feel like it. I mean, I like people...but most of what they do is so fake. That's what I don't like." 

"Then don't feel bad about not getting involved. I don't hang out with all those people, either, and look at me. I'm just fine. Daddy says he doesn't care if I hang out with the royals or not. He just wants me to be happy." 

"...And that," Rose couldn't hold herself back anymore and stood into the open. Natalie jumped and swore, which made me giggle because I'd never heard Natalie say anything worse that "golly". Both girls heads swiveled in our direction. "Is why he should be king. Not that bitch of a queen. He got robbed." 

"I wondered where you guys were," Lissa finally said. Natalie turned uncomfortable, her eyes darting from one face to the next and shifting her feet until she excused herself. She hurried away, leaving Rose to tell Lissa how willing she was to kill the queen. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. It was really nice to have the three of us together, doing what we usually did. I felt less angry now than I did earlier. Maybe it was because I was focused on someone other than myself for the time being. 

While we were standing there, Rose being annoyed about Lissa seeing Christian still, I decided to call the aura up myself. If I could formulate some sort of control over it, maybe I wouldn't feel so crazy? Maybe I could figure out what it was. I concentrated on my friends, willing the light to shine. Calling for it, hoping for it. Nothing. I sighed, a headache forming. 

"What do you want?" Rose snapped, jamming me out of my head. I turned my head to see Mia's porcelain face standing too close to our trio. 

Mia grinned maliciously. "Oh, I just wanted to know what it's like to be so royal and so important. You must be so excited that the queen talked to you." A gaggle of teens had gathered upon seeing Mia, and knowing drama was about to ensue. They laughed, and I saw Rose's temper flare again.