After breakfast, I go straight back to my room to play with Princess. As I open the door, I find her on my bed tearing through my pillows.
"Princess," I wail and she freezes.
Feathers are strewn across my bed and on the floor. Princess immediately goes make to chewing on the pillows.
"No, bad dog," I say as I walk over and pick her up by the scruff of her neck. She wimpers as I lock her in her kennel. I put the kennel in the bathroom and close the door.
"How am I going to clean up this mess?" I wonder aloud as there's a knock on the door. Crap.
"Who-who is it?" I call.
There's no answer. I go over to the door and crack it open. Outside is Alexa, James, and Daxton. I offer them a weak smile.
"Is something wrong?" Daxton asks.
I glance behind me at the mess of my room.
"Uh, just...come in," I open the door a little bit more them and they slip inside.
"Camry, did you get mad at your pillows," James chuckles.
"No, my maids left Princess out and she chewed through all of my pillows. How am I going to clean this up?" I ask.
"You live in a palace with maids and servants to do your bidding and you're wondering how you're going to clean this up?" Daxton says.
"Fine I'll call my maids. They were supposed to be watching Princess anyways," I say as I ring the bell that calls my maids.
A minute later, they show up. Their faces go from worried to shocked.
"What on earth happened?" Cecily asks.
"Princess. She was left out and she started chewing on my pillows. How did she even get on the bed?" I ask them.
"We were going to get something and we were only going to be gone for a second so I put her on the bed," Courtney says and hangs her head.
"It's fine but I'm going to need new pillows," I say as they start cleaning. I try to help them but they protest until I stop.
"Why are you guys here anyway?" I wonder.
"We came to get you," Alexa says.
"Why?"
"We're going to have some fun," James says.
"Last time you said that, we got into a food fight," I say.
"Just come on," Daxton grabs my hand and all four of us leave my room.
James bounds up the staircase that leads to the fourth floor.
"What are we doing?" Alexa wonders.
"We are going to play hide-and-seek chase on this floor," James says.
"But it's huge. We could miss lunch," I complain.
"We'll hide in pairs, or at least close to each other. Daxton, you're with Camry. Alexa, you're with me," James says.
"We'll count first," Alexa says.
"This is stupid," I groan.
"Let's just go hide," Daxton says and pulls me along.
"We'll count for one minute," James calls after us.
"I know the perfect place to hide," Daxton starts running, pulling me after him.
We take a sharp right and then another right and then a left and then pulls back a curtain, opens a door that's behind the curtain and pulls me through it. We're immersed in darkness.
"Daxton, where are we?" I ask. There's no answer.
"Daxton?" I repeat. Something bumps into me and I shriek.
"Shh. I'm just looking for a light switch," Daxton says and a second later the room is filled with light.
I look around. The walls and floor are made of stone. There's a set of stairs that leads downwards but I'm not looking to see where they go.
"Where are we?" I ask again.
"It's an old servants passage," he says, sitting down.
"How did you know where it was?" I wonder, sitting next to him.
"We used to play hide-and-seek when we were little. Me, James, and Rose," he smiles.
"Doesn't that mean he knows all of your hiding spots?" I point out. He shakes his head.
"I would come here every time. After five minutes, I'd go down the stairs. The lead to many different places in the place. See that door," he points at a door I hadn't noticed before, "it leads to a servants room. That room has three doors and leads to three different rooms on this floor," he explains.
"So in a second we're going to go through one of those doors and then make a run for base," I say and he nods.
"We should probably go now," he stands up and opens to door. Inside, just like he said, are three more doors.
"Let's take this one to the parlor," he says. He opens a door and we both get a face full of curtain.
"Daxton, I know you're in here," we hear James voice.
"Crap," mutters Daxton. He quietly closes the door.
"Let's take this one," he says and opens the next one. There's another curtain in our way. We push past it and hear something break. Both of our eye's go wide.
"We've knocked down a vase," Daxton wails.
"Nobody has to know," I point out as James and Alexa come into the room. Their both smiling until they notice the broken vase.
"Charlotte's going to kill us," James says.
"It's not like she heard," I argue.
"Charlotte can hear anything. She'll be here in a minute tops," Daxton says.
"Then we leave," Alexa says.
"We can't, she'll catch us," Daxton moans as Charlotte bust into the room.
"THE VASE!" she yells and we all flinch.
She quickly rushes over to inspect the pieces. After a second, she turns around to acknowledge the criminals.
"Why is it always you four?" she groans. I hear James stiffle a laugh.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Peter? Would you like for me to get your uncle? Remember what happened the last time you got in trouble with him?" Charlotte asks. James straightens up.
"Yes, ma'am. Please don't get him," James says.
"We're sorry, Charoltte," Daxton says and I nod.
"We didn't mean to," I add.
"If you were't the heir to the throne I'd throw you out of the palace," she hisses.
"What about us?" I motion the rest of us.
"You are the Princes guests and one of you maybe the future queen. So no, I cannot throw you out either," she says.
I sigh in relief.
"Now, go do something that won't get you into trouble. And ladies," she says, "the queen and the princess are going to visit your rooms after lunch."
"Is it because we got in trouble?" I ask her.
"No, their visiting each of the selected's rooms," she says and leaves.
We make our way back down to the third.
"I have to take Princess out and get ready for lunch. We'll see you two later," I call to Daxton and James.
I think they heard me but they seemed be engrossed in a conversation. Alexa goes to her room and I go to mine. Inside, I find my room is back in place. Not a feather in sight. Thank goodness for my maids.
"Princess," I call.
After putting on the big fur coat, I go into the bathroom and put her in the inside pocket. I'm about take the right hallway that leads to the gardens when two familiar voices reach my ear. I silently walk find my way to where they stand and hide behind a bush.
"Daxton, what are we doing here?" Alexa wonders.
"I need to talk to you," he says.
"About?" she prompts.
"You can't be here anymore," he starts. "In this competition, I mean. It wouldn't be fair to either of us."
"What are you saying?" she whispers.
"I'm saying, you're eliminated. You can't stay here like this anymore, Alexa. You'll leave before lunch," he says.
"What about Camry? Can I say goodbye?" she wonders.
"No, you'll both be fine," Daxton says.
I quickly walk away and into the gardens before I hear more. I feel like I've been punched in the heart. One of my bestfriends is leaving and she's not even allowed to say goodbye. And Daxton said that we would never leave. Maybe he didn't mean that. Maybe he meant something else. Now there are 23 girls left.
After Princess has finished doing her business, I put her back in my pocket and run upstairs and itno my room. I ring for my maids.
"What is it, miss?" Cecily asks.
"I'd like to take lunch in my room," I request. I can't bear to go to the Eating Room and Alexa not be there.
"Very well, miss," they leave.
A couple minutes later, they're back with a tray of food and a drink with them. I lay on my bed and instruct them to do things, being to lazy to do them myself.
"Bring Princesses kennel over here beside my bed," I say. They do as I say. Her kennel is a little taller than my bed, but still small enough that I can put her in her bed.
"Can you hand me the tray?" I ask.
Josee hands it to me. At first, I pick at my food but still end up eating everything.
"Miss, we brought you a milkshake also," Cecily says.
"Chocolate?"
"What else?" Courtney laughs.
"Thank you," I say gratefully, as I sip on the milkshake.
"Now, miss, we need to get you ready for the queen and the princess," Cecily says and I groan.
They fix my hair and makeup and put me in a simple pink dress that falls to my knees. We put Princess and her kennel in the bathroom.
"They'll start at the begining of the hall and go back and forth. You'll be last," Josee says and I feel like crying. But I don't. I suck it up.
"Very well then," I say.
Cecily peeks out the door.
"They're going to the first girl," she reports.
"Alright, I'll be out on the balcony," I say. I quickly grab my happily ever after journal and sneak onto the balcony.
I open it and write:
My happily ever after would be in the castle. James, Alexa, Rose, Daxton, my maids...everyone would be here. Daxton and I...well I'm not sure what would happen with us but I know we'd live happily ever after. We might get married...or he could send me home like he's done to other girls. But if we did get married, Alexa would be my maid of honor. If she was already married, she'd be the matron. And then Emory and Rose could both be my maids of honor. I mean, I'd be the princess, why couldn't I have two maids of honor?
"Miss, they're here," Josee interrupts my thoughts.
"Oh," I say and get up.
Sitting on one of the couches in my room, is the queen and Rose.
"Miss Camry," the queen acknowledges me.
"Umm..," I look to Rose for help.
"You can just call me Isabel," she smiles warmly.
"You can just call me Camry," I say back and sit across from them.
"Do you care to know my name?" Rose asks.
"Not really," I say and we both laugh.
"So, Isabel, Rose, what brings you to my room?" I wonder.
"Mum wanted to know some about the girls and their relationship with the prince," Rose explains.
"Oh, well I'm Camry. My bestfriends are Rose, Daxton, James, and...Alexa. I love sweatpants. And messy buns. I love dogs," I smile. A second later, we hear Princess yip.
"What was that?" Isabel asks. Both mine and Rose's eye's go big.
"Nothing," we say in unison.
"Tell me," the queen demands.
"Yes ma'am," I say.
I walk over to the bathroom and get Princess out of her kennel. I craddle her to my chest.
"Is that a dog?" Isabel asks.
"Yes, isn't she cute. Come here, Princess," Rose says.
"Where did she come from?" the queen wonders.
"Daxton got her for me for my birthday," I explain. The queen raises an eyebrow.
"Did he?"
"Yes," I whisper, waiting for her to take Princess from me.
"That's so sweet," Isabel says.
"Really?"
"Yes, he must really like you. Daxton hasn't got any of the other girls gifts," the queen smiles.
"Well, I didn't know that," I say.
"We must be going now. It was wonderful meeting you Camry," Isabel says and they go, leaving me to think about Alexa.