Chosen

Chapter Thirteen

Then they curl my hair in long ringlets down my back. After that, they put mascara and eyeliner on, then a light pink lipstick and I'm done. It's time for breakfast.
I take a deep breath and walk to the door, turning to smile and thank Ariel, Jackie, and Ariana. Then I walk out and down the stairs, to the dining room. I meet up with Marley at the door and we walk in together, finding a seat and sitting down. She turns to me.
"So are you excited to see your family today?" I force a smile and nod.
"Yeah, I can't wait to see my brother and sister. I can't wait for you to meet them, you'll love them. Are you excited to see your family?" She nods enthusiastically.
"Yes, I've missed them so much. It'll be nice to see them. And what about your parents? Aren't they coming?" I smile sadly, thinking of my mom.
"My mom died when I was young and I haven't had the best relationship with my dad since then." She frowns.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." I smile.
"It's ok, I've got my brother and sister for family." She smiles, nodding.
"Yeah, I'm excited to meet them. I can't wait for you to meet my family. I'm sure you'll love them." I smile and nod.
"I'm sure I will." We talk about our families for the rest of breakfast, laughing and reliving good memories. After breakfast is over, we go up to my room until lunch. We talk for hours, about our lives before the Selection.
     "I actually have someone at home, waiting for me to come home. His name is Brandon, he's the one I'm going to marry." She smiles.
     "That's amazing, so why are you still here? Why aren't you back home with him?" She laughs, which confuses me more.
     "I told Adrian that I'd help him with you. He had no idea how to make you fall in love with him, so I helped him come up with a few date ideas. But the ones you've been on were all his idea." I laugh, shaking my head.
     "He didn't need any help, he was doing just fine on his own. So when do you get to go home?" She smiles, looking excited.
     "I'm leaving with my parents next week." I smile.
     "That's awesome! I'm so happy for you Marley!" I hug her and she hugs back, laughing.
     "Yeah, I can't wait to see him again. I just hope he's still waiting for me."
     "I bet he is." She smiles. I hear a knock on the door and get up to answer it. Luke is on the other side.
     "Hey Luke, what's up?" I ask, smiling at him. He smiles.
     "Hey, I'm just here to get you. Everyone's families are here and the girls are wanted in the ballroom." My stomach drops, but I smile and nod. I turn back to Marley.
     "Marley, it's time to see our families." She squeals and we walk out of the room happily and to the ballroom with Luke trailing behind us. We get to the ballroom and see all the excited girls talking to each other. No ones family is here yet, I guess they are waiting for all the girls. Marley and I are the last ones needed.
     "Ok, everyone, calm down. Your family is arriving any minute now, they will come in one by one. Don't be crazy, stay calm." She looks at a guard by the door and nods. "Ok, they're here. First is Lady Margaret's family." A family walks through the door and we hear a squeal then Margaret runs to them, hugging them. Octavia sighs and talks again. "Lady Marley's family." Marley's family walks through the door and she runs to them as a little girl runs toward her, hugging her. That must be her little sister. I hear her gasp, looking at a boy in the back of the group.
     "Brandon?" She gasps, then runs towards him, hugging him as he wraps his arms around her. Adrian let Brandon come so Marley could see him earlier, that is so sweet!
     "Lady Bethany's family." She runs to her family, she has a big family, three sisters and two brother, then her parents.
     "Lady Arabella's family." I hold my breath, watching the door. Monica and Jake walk in first. I don't even look behind them, I just run to them, hugging them both as they envelope me in a hug.
     "I've missed you so much." I say, hugging them tighter.
     "We've missed you too." Monica says. I look up at her, still wrapped in the hug.
     "Is he here?" I ask.  Monica sighs, and nods.
     "Yeah, he's here." I sigh, pulling back and looking behind her. There he was, glaring subtly at me, making sure no one could see.
     "Father." I say, looking at him coldly.
     "Arabella."  He says my name as if it disgusts him.  It probably does. I turn away from him and back to Monica and Jake. They smile sadly at me.
     "So how's it been at home without me." I tease, smiling, trying to lighten the mood. They laugh, it worked.
     "It's been quiet for a change, it's weird, usually you're there making some kind of noise." Monica laughs.
     "So how is it at the palace? You look amazing. That dress is beautiful." I smile.
     "It's been really good. And I'm glad you like the clothes, because you'll get to wear stuff like this while you're here." She gasps, happily.
     "Really?"  I laugh, nodding.
     "Yeah." She gasps, happily.
     I look over and find Marley talking to her family, with Brandon's arm wrapped around her waist. She looks so happy. I turn back to Monica and Jake.
     "There's someone I want you to meet. Her name is Marley and she's been my best friend since I got here." I walk over and Marley sees me and smiles.
     "Hey, Ara, I'd like you to meet my family. My father, Henry, my mother, Jane, my brother, Peter, my other brother, Marcus, my little sister, Lisa, and my fiancé, Brandon." My eyes widen.
     "He proposed?" She nods, smiling. "That's awesome! And I'd like you to meet my family. This is my brother, Jake, and my sister, Monica." I turn, pointing at my brother and sister, then see my father standing behind them. "And that's my father." I say, quietly. Monica raises an eyebrow, silently questioning my. I just shrug, unable to answer.
     I see Octavia walk to the door. "Ok, everyone, it's time for lunch, this is also where you will see the royal family. Let's all go to the dining room." We all walk out of the ballroom and to the dining room. They set it up differently. There are circular tables all over the room and tables of food. I see Adrian and his parents seated at their table, they all stand up when we enter.
"Welcome, everyone, we are so pleased to have you with us. We hope you enjoy your stay with us, now please eat and make yourselves comfortable." Queen Hadley announces. Everyone starts towards the food tables and I look around and see Adrian coming my way, smiling.
"Hey, Adrian." I say, smiling. He laughs.
"You know, I was planning to be formal, but you just ruined that didn't you?" I laugh.
"Yes I did." I say, smiling. I turn to Monica and Jake. "Monica, Jake, this is Adrian. Adrian, this is my brother and sister, Monica and Jake." Adrian smiles.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. You are so lucky to have gotten to spend your entire lives with Arabella, she is simply amazing." My cheeks flush at his words. I hear a snort behind us and turn to see my father silently laughing and glare at him. He glares back, careful that Adrian doesn't see.
     "Yes, she is. We are very lucky to have her as our sister."  Monica smiles at me.
     Lunch is uneventful, Adrian walks around, meeting parents and talking, but he always comes back to me. I don't talk to my father, just to Monica and Jake, all the does is stand there, silent, always with a drink. I'm worried that he's going to get drunk.
     "How much has he been drinking, Monica?" I ask, worriedly. She looks worried.
     "Too much. Stay away from him, he's not good when he's drunk." I nod.
     "I know." I know too well.
     Another hour passes and I can tell that my father is drunk. He talks too loud, stumbles around, barely able to keep from falling down. It's not good.
     "AND SHE RUINED EVERYTHING. SHE RUINED MY LIFE, I REGRET EVER HAVING A CHILD, LET ALONE THREE. WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE?" I close my eyes, he snapped. I have to stop this. I walk to where my father is standing, yelling at absolutely nothing.
     "Father, quiet down, you're making a scene." He whirls around to face me, glaring venomously.
     "What did you just say to me?" He takes a step closer to me, I take one back. "Did you just tell me to be quiet? You don't tell me what to do, you don't talk to me, don't even look at me. Understand?"
     "Yes, father, but please quiet down, you're making a scene." I say quietly. He narrows his eyes.
     "Didn't I say not to talk to me, and here you are, talking to me, looking at me, and telling me what to do. You are an awful child, you should never have been born." He raises his hand and I know what I about to happen. I close my eyes and prepare myself for the pain. His hand slaps across my face so hard it throws me to the ground. I hear a gasp rise from the crowd as I sit up, holding a hand to my face. I see Adrian emerge from the group with a murderous look on his face. He gets to my father and punches him in the face, over and over again, until he's a bloody pile on the ground.
     "If you ever touch her again, I will make sure you never see the light of day again. Guards, take him away!" Three guards come running and drag him away. Adrain runs to me and picks me up in his arms. He starts to carry me out of the room.
     "Sorry for the interruption, everyone, but I think it would be best if everyone went to their rooms." He carries me out of the room and up the stairs. He opens the door to his room and takes me in, setting me down on his bed.
     "Are you ok?" I nod, taking my hand away from my face.
     "Yeah, I've been through worse." He sighs.
     "I'm so sorry. Is this the first time he's hit you? Please tell me he hasn't hit you before." I hesitate, then shake my head.
     "It's been going on for a while." He clenches his jaw and gets off the bed.
     "How could you not tell me this?! Something this important and you keep it from me! I could've kept him away!" He yells. I flinch.
     "That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I'd be the only one here without any parents, I'd be an outsider, a freak. So I kept it from you, I didn't want you knowing that my father was abusive and my mother is dead." His eyes narrow.
     "What else have you been keeping from me? Have you been lying about everything? Has our entire relationship been based off a lie?" I shake my head, my eyes widening.
     "What? No. That's the only thing I haven't told you. Everything else has been the truth." He shakes his head.
     "How am I supposed to believe that?! How am I supposed to know when you're lying and when you're not. You kept a huge secret from me, something I could've helped with. How am I supposed to trust you?" Tears fill my eyes.
     "Adrian, you're overreacting. Just let me explain." He scoffs.
     "Overreacting. I saw your father slap you, Arabella! How am I overreacting! And here you are acting normal like nothing happened! I don't think I'm overreacting! I can't trust you anymore." I get up and walk over to him. I try to take his hand but he jerks away.
     "Adrian, please-" He cuts me off.
     "No, Arabella, you can't say anything to make this better." Tears start to flow down my cheeks. "I think you should go home with your family." His words slap me harder than my father did. I take a step back, tears falling freely down my cheeks. "Just go, Arabella." I turn and run out the door, not even closing it behind me. I run up the stairs and to the one person I think can comfort me. I knock on the door and wait for her to answer. The door opens and I ask the maid to see Marley. She lets me in and I see Marley sitting with her brothers and sister. She looks shocked when she sees me.
     "Arabella? What's wrong, why aren't you with Adrian?" A sob racks through me. She gets off her bed and hugs me.
     "H-he's sending me home." I sob, Marley hugs me tighter.
     "What? Why?"
     "He said he couldn't trust me anymore."
     "He can't me in the right mind right now." I shake my head.
     "I don't want to be here any longer. I'm going to go tell my maids goodbye and get on the first flight out. Please don't tell my brother and sister. I want them to enjoy their stay here. Goodbye Marley. You've been a great friend to me while I was here." I pull away and walk out the door and to my room.
     I walk in and see my maids standing there. They see the redness on my face and sigh. I don't say anything, just go to them and pull them into a hug.
     "You guys have been such good friends to me, I'm going to miss you." They pull back, confusion evident on their faces.
     "Adrian sent me home." New tears fall down my cheeks as they gasp.
     "What?" Ariel says in horror.
     "He found out and said that he couldn't trust me anymore. I just want to get out of here as fast as possible. It hurts me to stay here any longer. I just wanted to tell you that I love you guys, you've been such great friends. Goodbye." I walk out the door and to the main floor. I find a guard and ask them to get a car to take me to the airport. The car arrives and I jump in, asking them to take me to the airport. I stare out the window at the castle as the car pulls away, taking me away from the love of my life. Forever.
                    End of Chapter
Ooooooooh my gosh, so emotional!!! I cried when I wrote this chapter. My poor Ara. Adrian is such a loser. But I still love him.
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