The Fire Didn't Stop Her

The Truth Hurts

Cinder and Iko crept back into the palace, luckily before they were missed. Iko took the communication device and was about to start her long way back to Thorne's ship. They would need it later for their trip to talk to Cress. Hopefully, Thorne wouldn't become completely brain dead and somehow break the machine.

"I'll be on the ship with Thorne. To make sure our friend doesn't try to take off without us," she was just about to leave when she turned back to Cinder. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Just go before he decides to leave." With that, Iko left for the night. Selene knew she would see her friend the next day, but she felt a little abandoned without her android's company. She wouldn't go pester Kai, that would just end weirdly. Cinder also didn't fancy the idea of spending time with her aunt.

As she lay on her back on her bed, she tried to run her plans for tomorrow in her head. Every time she thought of ditching Kai, her heart dropped about a yard. Why couldn't he come too? Why did he have to stay here, alone? Because this is his country. Because he is not the niece of the crazy woman trying to force a royal marriage.

Cinder let these thought swirl in her head for almost an hour before an all to familiar feeling crept up her skin. It was the nausea of a thick, heavily used glamour. A sickness that became ever so recognizable over the years. Levana. The fake woman strode through the room while radiating a sense of victorious evil.

"Hello, darling," her voice laced with a devilish pleasure. "Did you spend time with the prince like a good girl?"

"Yes," she replied plainly.

"Well, I hope this isn't straining your glamour too much, Selene," the witch turned, as if to head for the exit. But spun back around just as quickly. "Or should I say ... Cinder?"

She did her best to conceal her anger, betrayal, and feeling of intrusion. She knew. How in the name of Luna did Levana know about her and Kai? "That's right. I know what you've been doing with the prince. And I have to say, I'm quite impressed."

"What?" confusion swept over the princess. Why was she 'impressed' with the fact that she had fallen in love?

"The way you manipulated Prince Kaito after he found out you're a filthy cyborg. That must have taken a great deal of control. And how you made him stay with you afterward to 'care' for you even though he knew what you are. That is something that not even I have mastered. I implore you for your talent in glamouring."

"You think I'm glamouring the prince?" What is she ranting about?

"Well it's completely obvious." She flashed her a fake smile that faded as she took in Cinder's misconception. "Oh, you poor thing." She stepped closer to her bed. "You think that the prince really loves you. Don't you?" Selene sat their, speechless. Kai was being glamoured, by her? "You must be doing it subconsciously. You must be incredibly strong, then."

"You're lying. Kai loves me for who I am. He doesn't care what you turned me into!"

"Darling, you're forcing him to love you through some crazy delusion you have about finding someone that loves you for the repulsive creature you are. Why do you think he hardly showed any surprise when he saw your foot fall off?"

Why hadn't he? She shook the question from her mind. This was just a jealous, evil queen trying to mess with her head. But the doubts kept resurfacing. The wondering of why he loved her could be answered by this. Did she force him to love her? No! She couldn't have. And he said that he loved her. He said that no matter who she was, he always would. Yet, that is exactly what she would have wanted him to say. That is how she would have wanted him to act. Calm, collected, caring, loving, and sensitive. She would have wanted him to stay with her, to hold her, to love her.