The Girl Who Lost

Chapter 7

I didn't move for at least a minute. My eyes flickered between the couple, and for a moment it felt like all the food I ate this morning would immediately come back up. I took shallow, jagged breaths, and my stupid mouth just wouldn't move.

"Hey, Kriss? I asked you a question."

The voice shattered the thick silence as my eyes moved to it.

"Sorry, um, do you mind repeating that?" I asked hesitantly.

Orabella looked at me, clear concern on her face. "I just wanted to know if you're ready to have dinner, or if you want to freshen up first. We'll wait up for you if you want to take a bath first."

"Yes, I'd love to freshen up first," I said, knowing that I needed time to comprehend what just happened.

I took the risk of peeking at Maxon and America again. Maxon gave me a friendly nod, and America smiled brightly. Still in shock, I didn't return either gesture.

Orabella watched us and took a breath before she spoke. "You are wondering what they are doing here, you must be," She said. "Well, if you must know, we are negotiating an alliance between our countries. It's well overdue, don't you think?"

I nodded dumbly, not processing even a single word she said.

She walked over to me. "I'll walk you to your room. Meanwhile, America, you and Maxon can wait in the Casuales Stanza, and we'll meet in about an hour in the dining room."

As they walked away, she looped her arm in mine. "Come on," She said, pulling my still stunned body. 

She stopped right in front of a wooden door. She turned the knob and...

"Guarda!  Isn't it amazing?" She asked excitedly, with clear pride for her palace and the room.

I looked around. It was relatively small compared to the room I had during the Selection, but it was still pretty impressive. The walls were friendly, with intricate little flowers painted in a swirl across the room.  There were gigantic windows that ran across the wall from the bottom to the top, and flowing red drapes covered them protectively. I wanted to run my hands across the drapes, wondering if they were actually as velvety as they looked. And the bed was also massive. It had silky pink sheets and luxurious little pillows that seemed to be more for decoration than for sleeping. Next to the bed was a tall wooden nightstand, with tons of little treats on top of it that I was excited to look through.

"Wow, Orabella. This is impressive. No one ever put so much effort for. . . me. I mean, all I am is the girl who lost the Selection. I didn't think. . ."

Orabella cut me off with her incredulous stare. She walked towards me and took my hand in a gentle and conversational gesture.

"Kriss, I understand that Nicoletta preferred America over you, but I never did. You were the sweetest, most trustworthy person in the group of the 35 girls to me. In fact, you are one of my best friends. We really bonded on the day me and my cousins visited. So just because you used to be in the Selection, doesn't mean you have to think of yourself as the girl who lost. Think of yourself as the girl with new opportunities," Orabella said.

I was touched. Nobody ever told me that, and I really needed it. Still, there was one nagging thought in the back of my mind. . .

"How am I supposed to have new opportunities if I can't get over the past? It would have been a fresh start for me here, a break from all the chaos in Illea if you hadn't brought America and Maxon." 

Her hopeful expression dissolved into regret. "I'm sorry, Kriss, truly. This wasn't my idea; it was Nicoletta's. We have to do it, otherwise a pact between our two nations may never come to life. They'll just stay for a few weeks, I swear."