Untitled

Chapter 1

36 hours before:

Breanne Smith scrunched her nose, glaring at the Times New Roman font before her. She tried remembering the answer to the question.

"What was King Louis XIV's reasoning for building the castle of Versailles and what influenced this decision. Explain the importance  of Versailles during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Remember to use the proper format for the essay."

Answering questions on French culture and politics was not how she wanted to spend her birthday. She had just turned twenty-one and she had wanted to go out with her friends for a movie and Mexican food.

She hadn't been able to see them very often recently and had been looking forward to their company. She sighed and started to write her answer.

King Louis XIV, the spider king, used Versailles to control the nobility by forcing them to move to the palace for at least two months every year. Using spies, he gained information that aided him in having complete control over the three estates which included the clergy (1st estate), the nobility (2nd estate), and the peasants (3rd estate). The reason behind his decision is contributed to a rebellion by the nobles where they tried to take control of France away from Louis XIV when he was a young child. This caused him to become paranoid later on in life. The palace at Versailles used as a summer home for the royal family and eventually became the court of France right before the French Revolution in which it became a stronghold for a short while....

She paused when she heard a loud knock on her dorm door. Sighing in frustration, she stood up to answer the door.

Breanne unlatched the deadbolt and threw the door open. "What do you want?", she snapped. She finally looked at the person and immediately flushed in embarrassment.  "Oh, it's you."

Towering over her at six foot, Cole glanced down at her with amusement. "Well then. I don't know if I should be insulted or flattered." He was being incredibly sarcastic.

"Definitely insulted." 

He glanced down at his hawaiian shirt and brown cargo pants and shrugged. "I can see where I'm not appreciated." And then he smirked, "Well our group was going to take you on a road trip but I guess not. Too bad, we were planning on going to Yellowstone."

The words froze her in her tracks. Cole had chosen the one thing that could get her to leave the university. A road trip. A perfect escape for spring break.

"When do we leave?"