"No!  I'm busy."  I repeat for what must be the hundredth time.

"You're not.  You're probably sitting on your bed, looking at your hands and fiddling with you dress."  My gaze snaps up to the door, as if I can see him.

"No, I'm too busy."  Too busy ignoring you.

"Why can't I just tell you something?"

"You already did.  Goodbye, now."  Will he take a hint?  I don't want to hear his stubborn voice right now!

"Ugh!"  I sight in frustration.  "Why would you even care about what I'm doing?"

"I notice.  I notice things, like how your cheeks seem to glow when you laugh, the way you-"  he pauses, opening my door, "-the way your eyes look at me, like you think I'm locked and your the key."  Now that his voice is in the room, and not behind a door, I can hear the emotion behind it.  "And..and I'm sorry, Clarissa.  I don't know what I was thinking."

Bitterly, I spit, "Yeah.  That makes two of us."  He doesn't move, unfazed.  "Alexander, I told you already, go."  My voice is more stern and commanding than it has ever been, and I sound like a queen.

"No."  Why is he so stubborn and arrogant?  Maybe I don't want to be around him!  "No, you need to hear this."  I might as well start packing my bags.  "I-I sent another girl home after dinner."  What?  He stands at my door for half an hour, barges in, and makes me think he has some giant out of the world secret, for that?  That my competition has gotten smaller?  Great, Princey, just great.

"And?"

"And, Marilyn said some very rude things about you,"  his eyes move up and down me, like a scanner to a piece of paper.  Say no more.

"And?"

"I wasn't okay with that!"  He throws his hands up violently.  I remember the simulation, when my mother almost retreated into violence.  But her words were enough to scare me, and apparently Marilyn's were enough to get sent home.

"So you sent her home?  Prince Alexander, you could have sent home your future wife!  Her home might have been right were she was standing, and you took it away because she said a thing or two about me?!  Since when do you care so much about what people say about me?"  I burst.  He is so stubborn!

"Pff."  He fiercely exhales.  "You just don't get it, do you?"  He sneers at me.  I want to punch that condemning look off of his face.

Here's the Prince Alexander we all know and love.  I guess our relationship is just a love-hate one.  But we never do seem to get around to the love part.

Hate just comes naturally.  It's poisonous.

"Just go."  I hope it sounds indifferent, but the crack in my voice is still there.

"Fine.  Maybe you need to go too, just like Marilyn."  Did he really just threaten me?  Shock registers on his face as he realizes what he said, but he is interrupted by a knock on the wall.  On the wall, because he forgot to close the door.  The door that leads straight into the hallway that all the selected can go into.

Shoot.  I will kill Ale- scratch that.  I will kill his emotions, twist them and manipulate them, but make him feel the pain. 

I shoot a glare at the door, expecting Bridgette, the one and only.

Instead, I see Maxon.  "Alexander, get out of there now."  He sounds furious, not even trying to keep in his rage.  I think I have discovered a trait in the Royal Family. 

Rubbing the back of his neck, Alexander's expression wavers slightly.  He glances at me one last time, motioning at my dress.  "I came to tell you that you look beautiful tonight, Lady Clarissa."  He says softly.  He bows and exits.

I sit still, the events still making there way inside of me.  What I saidfinally clicking.

Oh, my gosh.  I am so mean, rude, disrespectful, selfish, stubborn, snobbish, jealous, envious, deceiving, lying, everything bad.  I am turning into my mother, my biggest fear is becoming me.  I feel like someone in an old book I read, about the factions.  The character was named Four, because he only had four fears.  Well, his fear was about his father.  Mine is about my mother.  Our level of fear though?  Exactly the same.  And when I go through the fear landscapes next week?  Not good.  Not good at all.

Muffled, I hear, "Do you even...she wouldn't ever...her?  Did you realize...you just ...I am so...No, will you ever..."  That is all I could grasp of the argument, the war, waging itself outside.  I cannot believe this.  I come to the Selection, at least hoping to find peace with it, and I end up having the former king and the current heir to the throne arguing about me?

I am in way over my head.  I just have to find someone to pull me up.

§§§§§

"Now.  For your first project, you will be preparing for an interview with Conner."  Conner?  I hate that guy!  Well, maybe not hate, but he has caused me some public embarrassment.  In front of the whole country.  So, maybe hate isn't too strong a word.  I don't even know how, only being a year older than me, he can be so comfortable on camera.

Those are the first words I have heard from Jacqueline in a while.  I mean, she's been speaking, and I have been listening to the sound of her voice.  I just can't get the actions of Alexander out of my head.  Practically ripping my heart to shreds, (not that he would ever find out) and then bowing to me, with a remorseful expression on his face? 

Royals are too confusing.  And that includes Maxon, who turned against his grandson, and sided with me.

At least my plan is working on one male Royal.  Just the wrong one, wrong way.

"You will have a list of questions, and submit them to Connor beforehand, when you practice you interview with him.  As you all know, Lady America was once in your very position, before she was selected as The One and made Queen.  Something rather unfortunate happened on one of her interviews, and she requested to have you all tutored in it."  The distaste in her voice and facial expression was all we need to see to know that Jacqueline did not appreciate Lady America's ideas.

I do, however.  I think I might just hug her.

"Start with your list of questions now.  You will have five hours to do it."

"Excuse me?"  I raise my hand.  Five hours?

"Yes, Lady Clarissa?"  She gives me a smile, but I don't know if it is for my parents or me.

"Could you possibly mean five days?"  I ask politely.  "I feel the five hour timeline may make me, as well as others, more rushed, and our work may be less desirable for that matter."

"No, I apologize Lady Clarissa.  Your are meeting with Connor in six hours,"  the room gasped, "and I cannot postpone his meeting with you."

Jacqueline looks as if she is thinking something over, and then speaks to us once more before she leaves.  "You all are probably aware that Connor is, well, the same age, or around that, as you.  I would be kind to remind you that the only man you should give your attention to is Prince Alexander."  She thinks the girls here would ever settle for someone less that the Prince?  I suppose though, if one knows she won't win, living at the palace, seeing the royals every week - It would be a tempting thought.

Not that I think I will win.  I don't, I just don't need to be accused of treason.  I think Eleanor is on that path already.

§§§§§

I only had three questions so far, and I knew Connor would reject everyone of them.

What is your favorite color?  Umm...a little typical, maybe?

How are you enjoying the food at the palace?  Love the food, but honestly, Sarrione doesn't care how I compare the palace chefs to mine...

What school do you go to?  Not sure if you've heard of it, I mean, it's not like every Prestige is practically forced to go.

So, to put it shortly, Connor might want to punch me, and I wouldn't blame him.

A shrill voice called, bringing me back to reality, "Ladies!  I will now come around to you and review your list."  Jacqueline + Review + Horrid +  Questions = Clarissa, use your brain and figure something out.

Now.  I've seen how Jacqueline gets when she is mad, and it's not good.

Biting on pen, I studied the paper.  I had to think of something to please her.

Slowly, I dragged my pen across the favorite color question.  In its place, I wrote:

If you could be any animal, what would it be?

Jacqueline might think it's shallow, but I have a good answer and a good reason.

I wrote it down just in time, for Jacqueline was right in front of me.

"Lady Clarissa."  She said expectantly.

I handed her my list.  Her facial expressions were on one heck of a roller coaster, from gleefully smug, to slightly cringing and shocked, to eyes wide open, eyebrows arched, and mouth open in the most un-Ladylike way.  She composed herself and looked back at me.

"Well...what to say, Lady Clarissa.  These are truly wonderful questions!"  Her lie was so fake I wanted to throw up.  "However, be prepared for Connor to give some pushback.  You never know with him."  Yeah, will do.

I was the last person, so Jacqueline announced with a relieved expression on her face, "Ladies, we are done for today.  You might want to review your questions before meeting Connor.  And," she added as we rose, "don't dress up.  Remember what I said about who your attention is devoted to, hmm?"  Everyone simultaneously got up and walked out the door, leaving Jacqueline to scowl at our backs.

--

Wow, that was a really long chapter!  What did you think?  Thank you so much for reading! As usual, comment, vote, follow, and fan!  It is really appreciated :).

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