Another Selected (Book 1 of Selection fanfics)

Chapter 19

The halls were strangely quiet. I'd skipped dinner, something I'd never done before, since I was too mortified to set foot in the same room as Genevieve and Derek. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed about what happened even though, technically, Derek should be even more embarrassed.

He'd asked me to help him get the snake out of his room, and what had I done? I'd screamed like a little girl and practically bolted out of the room and Genevieve had laughed at both of us. I honestly wasn't sure if we were even talking about the same snake; how on earth was she not scared of the humungous monster that was Harold?

I was angry at her, as well as myself. Originally I'd thought her prank was a funny joke, but once I'd become a part of the prank, I didn't want to be on the receiving end of her jokes. As for myself, I was angry that I hadn't calmly walked out of the room. Instead, I'd decided to scramble out of the room like a lunatic. Although, to be fair, Derek had looked just as stupid as me.

Back home, if I was angry, I'd usually take Duke out for a long ride. Unfortunately, Duke wasn't here, and I couldn't exactly steal one of the palace horses to ride. Instead, a long walk through the palace would have to do. Practically sprinting, I exited the third floor of the palace as quick as I could. The last thing I wanted was to be hauled out of the palace for trespassing on the only floor that was off limits. I steered clear of the selected's rooms as well; I really didn't feel like talking with anyone, even Liana.

I found myself walking past the Great Room and outside into the gardens. The sky was a dark gray and the clouds were covering the sun, nothing like the bright and warm Angeles weather I'd grown used to over the past week. A cold breeze blew suddenly, and I regretted not bringing a jacket outside with me. The day dresses the palace had us wear did nothing to keep me warm. Still, I kept walking, enjoying the fresh air that the gardens gave me.

The palace gardens truly were gorgeous, but they were nothing compared to the land back home. Growing up I'd had acres and acres of land to play on, so every day was a new kind of adventure. One day Annika and I could run through a field laughing our hearts out, and the next I could be climbing trees with my brothers. The possibilities were endless for me as a little girl.

Growing up in the palace would have been the complete opposite. Even though the place was huge, and the great room was nearly the size of my house, it still felt confined. Sure, the gardens were huge, but there was a wall blocking outsiders from coming in. The palace was sprawling, but it felt empty. My house was small for a family of seven, but at least we knew where everyone was. At the palace, you could go days without seeing someone in your family.

Since Genevieve and Derek had grown up here, they probably thought the exact opposite. Still, I couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to be cooped up here for most of your life. I wondered how it had been for King Maxon, growing up with no siblings. At least Derek and Genevieve had had each other, and eventually Everly, Cade, and Marlee. I couldn't imagine being here alone, with only your mother and father for company.

Suddenly, a large bolt of lightning struck in the distance, interrupting my thoughts. Thunder rumbled menacingly, and I felt splatters of rain drops starting to fall. I realized I'd wandered deep into the garden, where none of the guards were stationed. I felt a flare of panic rise up in my stomach, but I quickly pushed it back down. The most important thing was to find the way back to the palace before it started pouring.

I turned around, and started heading back to where I assumed I had came from. All I could see were trees and grass, and the palace in the distance. The problem was, I had no idea which way I needed to go to get to the palace. I started running through the grass, doing my best to avoid the large raindrops falling from the sky. Another bolt of lightning struck, thunder rumbled, and suddenly I found myself running into a set of arms. I nearly screamed before I recognized the person I'd somehow run into.

It was the guard who'd smiled and greeted Liana and I when we went to visit Genevieve in her room. Except, this time, he wasn't smiling.

"There you are Lady Erika! I saw you when the lightning struck, but I lost you. We need to get inside, quickly." He grabbed my arm gently, and pulled me inside. The rain was coming down in buckets now, and I could feel my dress sticking to my skin. I was sure the makeup my maids had put on was smeared across my face, and I cringed at the thought of their faces when they saw how much of a mess I was.

The guard turned back to me, his blue eyes sparkling under a sheet of dark hair that was plastered against his forehead. "You're alright miss?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Officer-" I paused, realizing I didn't know his name.

"Leger. Officer Leger." He smiled softly, before a serious look crossed his face again. "Princess Genevieve sent me to make sure you were alright after you ran off. I lost you in the gardens."

I blushed as I moved pieces of wet hair out of my face. "Oh. Sorry about that. I uh, just needed a break."

He laughed suddenly, a smirk moving across his face. "We all need a break from Genevieve once in awhile. Just don't run off so fast next time, that way I don't lose you. Everyone would have killed me if I lost you in that storm."

I chuckled, nodding slowly. "Right.."

"I'll take you back to your room. Make sure you don't get lost." He offered.

I shook my head. "No thanks. I can find my way back."

He nodded and turned to walk away. "I'll let you go then. Goodbye Lady Erika."

"Goodbye Officer Leger." I said slowly, as I watched his tall frame walk away. I wasn't sure what to think of him, but it seemed that he was at least friends with Genevieve. I assumed that meant that that wasn't the last time I would see Officer Leger.

As soon as he was gone, I turned to head back to my room. My hair was sopping wet, my dress was sticking to my skin, and my shoes were squeaking against the floor. The halls were still quiet, as it was way past dinner, so the faster that I walked, meant that less people would see me. Technically I should have been in bed by now, but I hadn't had any way to tell what time it was.

As I walked up the stairs to the second floor, I heard voices coming from a closed door. They sounded muffled, but also angry. It wasn't a selected's room, so as I quietly as I could, I crept up to the door, curious to hear what was happening.

"You've got to be kidding me! It's only been a week. I can't get her out that fast." A girls' voice hissed.

"Well you'd better. The longer she's there, the more we risk. The faster we get her out, the faster we can get our plan in motion." A male's voice said. It sounded staticky, almost like he was on a recording.

"Give me more time before we have to resort to plan B. There's still time for her to leave without our interference. It's better to have her leave without a reason for anyone to be suspicious." The girl said again.

There was a pause before the man spoke again. "Fine. I'll see if I can get you a month or so. But you'd better remember our deal, or else."

"Good. I'll call again soon with an update." I heard the girl breathe a sigh of relief, before pushing a button to end the call.

I backed up quickly, hurrying to get to my room. I didn't want the girl seeing me, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to see the girl. It sounded like something strange was going on, but I couldn't do anything about it. I had no idea what her and the man were talking about, so there was no way I could tell anyone about it. All I knew was that something was happening, and I had to figure out what it was.
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Hey guys! Sorry this took awhile, but I hope you guys liked it! Things are starting to get interesting, so I'm excited for you guys to read more! Who do you think is the girl? Who do you think is the guy? What are they planning? Why are they there? All will be revealed in time!

Also, I just wanted to thank all of Another Selected's loyal readers. Your comments and votes make my day, and I really appreciate all of you guys! I can't wait for you all to see what happens! xoxo