Taken- a Selection FanFiction

Chapter 8

I hadn't come out of my room for days. A constant ache was always in my back from sleeping on the uncomfortably thin mattress, and I was tired of eating cold oatmeal and lukewarm chicken broth with vegetables.

I refused to see anyone unless they brought me food. I neglected my cleaning duties, and nobody had come to visit me. Thankfully, Nathan had given me space. I cleaned myself up in the bathroom before peeking out in the hallway in my maid's uniform.

"Lady Ray, you can't be out of your room," a nearby guard said.

"Lady Ray?" I questioned.

"You are engaged to the Successor, correct?"

"No," I replied. "I'm not."

I walked to the supply closet and drug out a mop to begin cleaning. I used the cleaning and scrubbing to help me forget everything I was doing. When a black sport wouldn't come off of the floor, I huffed and got on my knees to get it off with a small brush.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked behind me. I threw my head around to see Nathan behind me, eating an apple.

"What does it look like?" I asked curtly before returning back to the floor.

"So, you come out of your room after a few days to clean?"

"If I didn't have to deal with you, then yes."

"Elisa," he sighed. "I don't want this any more than you do. We have to make do with it for now. I've convinced Father to lay off the engagement for now, ok?"

"Sure," I shrugged. "Not like my opinion matters anyway."

"He wants you to come to dinner tonight. He apparently has an announcement."

"And if I don't come?" I turned to him.

"Punishment will be ensued, most likely. You're already on thin ice, Elly."

"Do not call me Elly," I commanded sharply. I tensed bitterly. I only allowed one person to call me that, and if he couldn't, nobody else will. "Leave me alone."

"I'll be back to retrieve you for dinner," he promised.

"I'll be counting the minutes," I called after him.

I kept cleaning the hallways until they were spotless. Then, I went to tidy the servant's quarters and bedrooms. I grabbed sheets to change and headed into a few rooms. The sheets were hardly clean; they had hardly even been washed.

"What are you doing in here?" Somebody said behind me. I turned to see Penelope with fresh sheets in her arms and blonde wisps falling into her face. Her engagement ring glimmered on her finger.

"I was changing the sheets. Could you help me with this corner?" I asked her solemnly. She nodded her head and took to the opposite side. "Are we really not going to talk about this?" I asked after a while of silence.

"No, Elisa," she sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. "I'm sure I can have a stable marriage with John, and marriage isn't for love. You should know that more than anyone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked acidly.

"Oh come on. A contest for 'the Prince's heart?' more like for his crown. You're going to be ruling a country and producing heirs, so I don't really see how duty goes hand-in-hand with love."

"Like you know anything," I retorted. "I love Aaron!"

"Well, you're never going to see him again, so just accept it! He's going to marry someone else!"

My heart felt a sudden pang. "Take it back," I cried softly. "Take that back!"

"Think what you want," she laughed. "But he's not coming for you." Her violet eyes stared on me with pity. "I love you, Elisa, but you need to wake up. I have." She stormed out of the room, leaving me to cry alone in the empty room.

******

I woke up on Nathan's couch with a pounding headache. I sat up to look around the empty room, which left me very confused. I got up and stood on my legs, which felt like rubber. I stumbled around the room, occasionally using the walls and tables for support.

"Elisa?" Nathan called from the doorway. "It's time for dinner."

"I'm not ready," I groaned, still groggy from my unexpected sleep.

"That's why I grabbed this," he explained. He threw a ball of black fabric at me, and I caught it my the hem. "You can change in the bathroom in here."

"How gracious of you," I mumbled before going into his bathroom. I pulled the dress over my head, and it was strapless with a zipper.

A zipper.

I walked into Nathan's room with an exposed back. I cleared my throat so that he could see my plight. He chuckled and came to help me, his hand jerking the zipper up. After I tamed the heat in my cheeks, I turned to face him.

"Thank you," I said awkwardly when I found the courage to speak.

The walk to the dining room was quiet; only the soft fall of our feet made noise. Nathan threw the doors open to the dining room, but only Ray and Harrison sat at the table.

"Where's Penelope?" I asked.

"The Lady Brown is a bit preoccupied at the moment," he smirked.

I shrugged my shoulders and ate my food without complaint. This was the only meal that I could find edible with the cold oatmeal that stuck together in clumps. I scarcely had time for lunch with my chores.

"Son, I need you and Lady Ray to come to room 683 after dinner," Ray informed us before leaving the dining room.

Harrison gave me a questioning and disproving look from across the table. "I'm not engaged," I scowled. I rubbed my bare ring finger comfortingly.

After dinner Harrison, Nathan, and I walked the hallways to room 683. Harrison opened the door for us, and the dim room was illuminated by a flickering light. The room was stark white, as usual, but there was a wide space opposite us separated by a glass wall.

"What's going on?" I asked confusedly.

"Oh no," Nathan said with wild eyes. His golden eyes had been filled with fear, and he had paled significantly.

"So glad you could make it," Ray announced loudly from the other side of the wall. He wore a brilliant white suit, with no color to coat him. He jerked a chain in his hand, which drug Penelope out of a corner. She was chained and dazed, with rips and tears in her maid's uniform.

"I brought you here to witness the death of an innocent girl, who just happened to be collateral damage of your futile rebellion against my wishes. Also with us, is the a Royal family, watching from the palace," Ray declared.

He glanced at us, then back to the camera. He released a sinister smile. "I'm going to kill this girl."

Well, that happened. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but at least I prepared you for next chapter. So.......... I'll talk to y'all later.