Scintillate {The Selection}

Chapter 8

Hero swings into my room on crutches. "My lady, I couldn't bear not to attend upon you after your dreadful experience." Awww, that's so sweet I replied as I hurried across the room to help her into a chair. "Hero, you shouldn't be getting up so soon after your injury." She swung her leg up onto a stool that I pushed to her. "Tell me all about it," I say grasping her hand.

"I saw Amalie standing in a doorway with her maid head to head, and as I walked past, she shoved her maid out who ran quickly to open a door for me," She breaks off to cover her eyes with her hand and chokes back a sob, "She was very close to May, and she was always so polite. As Lady Amalie pushed Kate, she knocked into me and I fell down the stairs." The last word rang with nerves and she abruptly got up and swung out of the room. I stared after her and wondered why she'd left.

A brief knock rang on my door and Rosie rushed out to open it. She made a deep curtsey so I stood before sweeping into my deepest curtsey to Caxon. "I've come to warn you about the interviews on the Report this week. No one's meant to know but my father is conducting the interviews and you aren't his favourite so he'll be trying to give you the bad questions." I waved my hand to dismiss Rosie and Caxon advanced closer to me before brushing my lips tenderly with his. Go to sub-level 3 in the fifth room straight after the report tonight were his final instructions before leaving. As he left, May and Rosie whipped in with a gorgeous tulle floor length gown in a delicate shade of peachy pink.

"Why pink?" I ask, a frown furrowing my brow.

"Well, my lady, you were the only one wearing turquoise every time so now every lady in the Selection is asking for a turquoise gown as you've had the most dates." May informs me.

"AND," Rosie announces, "the Queen is wearing rose pink so you will stand out as an individual as well as looking regal."

I give in and allow them to stuff me into the ball gown, hook diamonds into my ears and softly curl my hair, pinning it neatly over my shoulder. They hurry me out of the door as I am very close to being late. The King glares at me as I slip into my seat just before the cameras begin rolling. I observe the sea of turquoise gowns around me apart from Cherry's and Sophie's which are silver and red. They go through political business before cutting to the interviews. Amalie goes up first and bends over a lot giving the King and the camera a clear look down her dress. I can tell that it's the King's favourites first so I am nearly last.

"Your Majesty," I curtsey as he begins.

"What have you done on your dates, my lady?"

"I have gone riding with his highness, which was quite eventful!" I laugh and decide that I will win the king over with my answers tonight. The rest of the questions go quite smoothly and both the king and Caxon are nodding with pleased looks.

Cherry bites her lip until all her lipstick comes off in her interview but Sophie answered confidently and proud. I applaud at the end of their interviews because I am impressed and they did it for me. At the end of the Report we sip tea as our meal before we are dismissed to our rooms.

"Hey girl,"Sophie says, "We were thinking about going to Cherry's room and doing our nails tonight." I smile and with a fake yawn I say that I'm really tired but I'll see them tomorrow. They nod and trail off. I stop in at my room to tell my maids where I'm going and tell them to get the pair of embossed cuff links out so I could give them to Caxon.

They wrap them up neatly and let me go. I hurry down the corridor with May at my side for the excuse that she's showing me my new dress. She takes me to a hidden panel in the wall and reveals an escalator, "It's the fastest way down." She informs me. We go down and I laugh with delight as I have seen them but never been in one. We stop suddenly at sub-level 3 and she lets me out. I count the doors carefully. I double check before swinging the door open and stepping in. Inside, there is a table with two beautiful chairs and the table's heaped with food.