Cress

Chapter 50

Am I wearing this right?" Cinder said fidgeting with the belted

 wraparound blouse that had three different ties that were

 supposed to lace together in some mysterious fashion.

"Yes, it's fine," said Iko.

 "Would you stop moving your head?"

 She slapped her hands on Cinder's ears to hold her 

head still.

Cinder shifted from foot to foot, trying to calm her racing 

 thoughts while Iko twisted her hair into a pinching bun 

 that made her scalp throb.

 It seemed as if it had been hours since Thorne and

 Dr. Erland had left them, though the clock counting

 the seconds in her head claimed it had been less than

seventeen minutes.

In one corner of her vision was a newsfeed hosting its

 own countdown. 

 The countdown to the start of the royal wedding.

Cinder shut her eyes and tried to kill will away another

 about off nausea.

She'd never been so nervous in her entire life, and it 

 wasn't just the waiting or the knowledge that so many 

 things could go wrong or the terror that she could be

caught and returned to prison at any minute.

What really terrified her, what really made her nerves 

 hum, was knowing that she was going to see Kai again. 

Face to face.

 Looking into his eyes for the first time since she'd fallen

 in the palace gardens.

At the time, his expression was so filled with shock and

 betrayal her heart had split in two, especially when not

 an hour before she had stood dripping wet at

the top of the ballroom stairs and Kai had looked

 up at her and smiled.

Smiled.

The two expressions could not have been more different,

and they'd both been

directed at her.

She didn't know what to expect when he saw her now, 

 and the uncertainty was terrifying.

"Cinder—are you watching the news?"

She refocused on the news broadcaster who was reporting

 word of a temporary delay to the ceremony. 

 They were being told that all was well and the

ceremony would begin shortly, but that the only security

 team was taking extra precautions—

"That's it. Let's go."