Remember Me *Book 3 Of The Remember the Rules Series*

The Skills You Learned

Black spots danced in front of my eyes randomly and I blinked away the dizziness that came with putting on corsets one after the other. Only a few more days, I reminded myself. Then I'll be back home with my own clothes. 

I was still grinning a bit, despite the lightheadedness. The girls noticed. They looked at me with raised eyebrows, but didn't ask any questions. My words from earlier were clearly still resonating with them, keeping the girls from treating me like one of them. 

I was dressed in the red gown that Peter had said made my eyes look bloodshot. Objectively, it actually wasn't bad looking. In fact, it made me look really good, if "really good" meant very, very feminine and just a little bit suggestive. And if "just a little bit suggestive" meant a somewhat low-cut neckline and a skirt that almost (but didn't actually) touch the floor. Which, yes. It did. Apparently. I had the self-awareness to know that I looked good by traditional standards, even if I didn't particularly like it. 

"Come on girls," I said, waving them along as I walked to the door. "It's time for dinner."

"Wait, Lily," Guinevere said cautiously. 

I turned around. "Huh? What do you want?"

She looked mildly uncomfortable; I was sure that Lance had told her something about what happened. "Are you proficient in music? If Arthur is going to be there, you may have to play for him. There's a kind of celebration we have when he comes out long enough to dine with us."

The girls flinched when my grin turned toothy and maniacal. I reached up and unclasped my necklace. The pan flute grew to full size and I played a few notes before stowing it in one of the pockets of my dress. "This night just keeps getting more and more interesting, doesn't it?"

Despite my outer giddiness, I was slightly dreading the possible repercussions of tonight. If I did anything to mess up the game, Pan would be angry. If I flirted too heavily with the boys Felix was talking about earlier, Pan would be angry. If Arthur recognized Felix, as unlikely as that was, Pan would be the least of our problems. Still, I wanted to enjoy the game while it lasted. It was the first one that Pan had run for us in a while, and I liked the high stakes. Besides, I thought as we walked through the doors of the dining hall, I may have earned my punishment, but he never said I couldn't have fun with it. 

The mood was entirely different from the days before; now that Arthur had actually come down for dinner, no one was seated. Just as Guinevere had said, it was a ball that looked like all the ones in the movies. There were more people in the room than I'd seen in the entire castle, and even the Charmings seemed to be enjoying themselves. Henry seemed to have hit it off with the stableman's daughter, which amused me to no end.

Felix found me within seconds of us entering the room. "Save me," he hissed, putting his hand on my shoulder. 

I looked at him in bewilderment and glanced around when I heard another woman calling his name drunkenly. She was wearing a blue dress, brown hair done up in an elegant bun. "Feeelix. Why do you keep running?" She stopped when she saw me and pouted. "Aw, is this pretty little thing your Lady?"

I let out a soft laugh. I was definitely laughing at Felix, but it would come across as rueful and teasing to her. "Hardly. My brother has no skill with women. You'd be better off with that one." I gestured at Killian, across the room.

"Oh, he's very handsome, isn't he?" She was already drifting away. 

My face was red with the effort of holding in my laughter. Felix looked like he was reconsidering his gratefulness toward me. "It's not funny."