Kerttu's Elite - A Sequel

Town Hall Riot - Chapter 6

He tried to meet my eyes at breakfast but I wouldn’t let him in. How could he try to manipulate me like that? I trusted him, worse, I liked him. A lot. How could he try to use my feelings in that way? It was so dirty. I chewed methodically slow, overthinking the whole situation.

“Are you okay?” Amberly asked after not so subtly beaming at Berry.

“Yeah, no. Shaan and I got into a fight. I don’t really want to talk about it.” Our parents overheard us, leaning over the table.

“Are you guys okay?” Dad asked, filled with worry.

I tried to muster up a smile for him but failed. “It’s Shaan. He gets really jealous of the other guys. And he tried to convince me to not go on my date with Adim.”

“I thought he was more self-assured then that,” Mom commented. She was clearly disappointed.

“So what are you going to do about it princess?” Dad asked.

“Ignore him as much as possible is what I’m going with.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Dad replied earnestly. “I wasn’t even in the Selection but I can understand his emotions. It’s hard when someone you love is having romantic relations with someone else.” He squeezed Mom’s hand underneath the table. “But I also understand your side of things. Try to see both ways.”

I nodded, taking in his advice. “Thanks for your constant words of wisdom.”

“It gets annoying doesn’t?” Mom said laughing, which caused the whole family to do the same. Johan was trying to process all of our comments that he was still a little too young to understand.

I was helping a maid sweep up the floor when I heard a voice behind me.

“Let me help you with that,” Chaarlie said, swiftly picking up the rest of the food I had spilled into the dustpan. The maid thanked him and then rushed off.

“Thanks. What’s up, Chaarlie?”

“Nothing. You just seemed a little stressed earlier and then you spilled your food. Which I guess is typical, but,” he said with a smile, “I thought I could help.”

“Don’t judge my eating habits.” He chuckled before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a now crushed dandelion.

“I stole it from the garden. Don’t snitch on me.” I laughed and took the gift.

“Thank you so much, Chaarlie.” None of the boys had ever given me anything before but their time. It was small and stolen but it meant a lot. “And I don’t snitch. I’m trying to make sure I have flawless skin.” I fanned my face obnoxiously and he smiled.

“You’re already doing amazing at that,” he replied.

“You are just the physical body of charisma, aren’t you?”

He shrugged, his large shoulders equivalent of boulders. “What’s your schedule like today?” We were walking out of the hall, our sounds echoing in the tall ceiling.

“A couple of meetings. We have a town hall meeting later and a advisory meeting after that.”

“So does that mean you are free right now?” He turned his head to look at me, his matching eyes and hair color becoming rather handsome in the sunlight peering through the window. I could easily picture him as the next king. He was reserved yet charming. Funny yet calm. He was very self-possessed. He knew himself. To the point where it was a little unnerving.

“It does. What’s your schedule looking like?”

He chuckled, hands in his suit pockets. I had never seen him not wearing a full suit before. “My schedule just fits your schedule. You are the princess, you know.”

I did not know how the other boys would handle being prince consort. Chaarlie would kill it. “Thanks. That means a lot. So what do you want to do?”

“Literally whatever you want to do.”

“Really?” I said shrilly with a giggle. Something about him put me on edge. In a good way but still.

“Yes.” He spoke words with such conviction and projected them as if he was giving a speech. Chaarlie Luther King, I thought with a laugh.

“How about a walk in the gardens?” I suggested, making our way into the hallway.

“Nah.”

“What? I thought you said I could pick anything I wanted.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know you would pick something so lame. How about horse riding?”

My mind immediately reminded me of Shaan. Shaan. This whole mass jealousy thing started with that horse back date he cancelled. He didn't understand how much-

“We don't have to do that. How about cooking?”

Pushing Shaan out of my mind, I smiled. “i would like that.”

He was decent at cooking and I had taken interest in it a couple years ago so our meal turned out great. We had time before the town hall meetings to just sit and talk.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question, Chaarlie?” I asked, taking another delicious bite of the filet mignon, the flaky crust melting on top of my tongue.

“I would hope so. Otherwise this might get awkward.”

“You’ve never really pursued me before. I know that’s weird to see but in the last couple of days we’ve interacted more than we’ve ever really had. Why now?”

He finished off his food, smiling. “It takes time for me to get acquainted with a person. I wanted to see if you were someone I could love.”

Love. I fought down my thoughts of Shaan and refocused. “I passed the test? Nice!”

He chuckled. “You killed it.”

“What’s your favorite thing to do?”

“Surf.”

“Besides surfing!”

“Talking with people. Like this.” he gestured between us with his steady hands. “You learn so much.”

I softened. “I love that too.”

His roguish face widened. “I know. One of the reasons I like you.”

“Oh god, don’t look at me. You make me blush too much.” I hid the heat in my face with my hands, Chaarlie chuckling the entire time.

The town hall meeting proceeded without hitch until, of course, community questions. I loved them but man, they loved controversy. We were in the town hall meeting in Kent, the place led by Josie Woodwork, Uncle Kile’s sister.

One of her constitutes came up to the microphone. Their voice sounded hysterical, their pitch ranging through values in milliseconds. “I know who attacked the palace. I know.”

Mom grew focused, leaning forward in her chair. She looked back in forth at the crowd. She was questioning whether she should let this be announced in public. “Go on,” she ordered, her crown gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

“There’s a new organization. Well, a new version of it. The Northern Rebels. They are in your government, they-” He was muffled by a fellow town member who began shouting over him.

“It wasn’t them! It was Marid!”

Another voice broke into the outcry. “It was the New Asians!”

The shouting continued, our guards the only way we could stop the now riot. What just happened?

**Riot...what's going on?**

**Thoughts??**