Scintillate {The Selection}

Chapter 9

In the morning, I rolled out of bed to May peering at me with a bowl of icy water. "My lady, thank goodness you're awake because you have an early breakfast this morning, in half an hour!" She said. She rushed into my walk-in wardrobe, throwing me a letter as she went. I scanned through it and realised that I was going out on an escorted ride with the Prince this morning. 

May got out a pair of jeans with a white sweatshirt over-laid with some flowery lace. She hands me a pair of soft brown leather boots. I allow her to help me get it all on. She brushes out my hair and puts some bracelets on my wrists. Leaving nothing to chance, she packs me a saddlebag of essentials. I pick it up and run past the closed doors of the other Selected. I am rushing along a corridor when I run into Caxon, literally! He grabs my hand and drags me into the Singer library. There is a small buffet which I grab a few things off of. We eat this quickly and begin to run towards the stables. Waiting, and holding the horses, are around 5 guards. One holds my horse while another legs me up. They lead out five more horses and vault up. Caxon picks up a nice helmet and places it kindly on my head, careful to touch my face. 

We begin at a trot, the soldiers with our saddlebags hanging off their horses. After we get off palace grounds, 3 guards gallop ahead while two fall back. We gallop across fields with the guards ahead until they stop abruptly and fan out across the fields. They face outwards, giving me and Caxon some privacy. I dismount from my horse and kneel on the grass. I stroke Starlight's face and take the bit out of her mouth. 

"I take you all of the way out here so I can talk to you alone and you're spending the time with a HORSE!!!!" Caxon cries. 

I turn around and kiss him gently, "Is this better?" I say teasingly. He leans in and as he murmurs yes, he cuts himself off by pressing his lips to mine. We sit on the grass, asking questions and rewarding each other's answers with kisses.

"What's your house like?" Caxon asks, suddenly serious.

"Well, it's small with three bedrooms, a box room and a junk room."

"I've always wanted to go to a house like that," Caxon says wistfully, "Where you can smell what's cooking from the other side of the house and your little sister's running around and you are helping in the kitchen.Where nothing is quiet..."

I place a kiss delicately on his lips and he returns it. 

"Right, your deepest secret?" I ask him.

He leans in towards my ear, "First, you must promise not to tell," I link my pinky with his, struggling to keep a straight face, "Well, I've got a little sister."

My face expresses shock and I give a little shout, "What?" He places a finger over my lips and traces them gently. "It's true," he says, "She was taken away from the palace when she was 3. My mom cried for days after..." He breaks off with a sob as a single tear traces down his cheek. I gently place my lips over it, covering my lips in the saltiness. "This is the last picture that I have been given, she was fifteen. Her name is America after my grandmother as my Mother missed her so much when she died." He shows me the picture. It was the girl from the crowd. I gasp. 

"What? What is it?" Caxon asks, his face crossed with concern. 

"I've seen this girl before, in the crowds when I arrived at the airport." My face is confused. "Wait... come with me..." I say, dragging him up with me. He lifts me onto Starlight and swings onto his own. He whistles for the guards who quickly hop on their horses and gallop after us. We sprint into the palace after chucking our reins to the guards. Servants stop to bow to us as we sprint past and we barely have time to nod back. I fling the door to my room open and gesture Caxon through into the receiving room. He goes in and sits neatly down. I go to my dresser and pick up the slip of paper. May appears and looks at me strangely.