"Two more people have been murdered." Genevieve sighed as she sat down on her large bed. "Father told us this morning."
Liana frowned. "That doesn't mean anything though, does it? Terrible as it is, people are killed all the time."
"It doesn't mean anything right now, but any murder could cause concern." Genevieve replied, playing with a piece of her dark hair. "Especially when they still haven't found the murderer."
"Where were they murdered? Who were they?" I asked as I sat down beside Genevieve.
"Somewhere in Midston. I think it was an older man and a teenage boy." She replied.
I curled my knees up to my chest. Midston was just south of Kent and it was close to Allens, where Liana was from. Cleo's mother had been murdered nearly two weeks ago, but I'd barely thought of it. Now, with two more people dead, I felt myself worrying for my own family's safety and the possibility of a new rebel group. I didn't think I could bear it if someone told me something had happened to them.
"Don't worry about your families." Genevieve smiled softly as she took mine and Liana's hands. "Derek and my father are making sure that they're all safe."
"Thanks Gen." I smiled softly, squeezing her hand. It was almost as if she had read my mind.
"No problem. Even though I technically didn't do anything; it was all Derek and my father." She chuckled.
Liana rolled her eyes as she laid down at the foot of Genevieve's bed. "Do you ever do anything?"
Genevieve scoffed and nudged Liana's shoulder with her foot. "Of course I do things. But in case you haven't noticed, my brother is the future King. Him and my parents make those kinds of decisions."
"That's probably a good thing. If you were the future Queen we'd all be in trouble." Liana smirked.
Genevieve glared and smacked her with a pillow. "I'd be a better queen than you. If you marry Derek, Erika and I are moving to Italy."
"Agreed." I laughed before Liana smacked both of us with a pillow.
"At least I walk into rooms instead of falling in them." Liana teased as she turned to look at me.
Now it was my turn to smack her with a pillow. "I haven't done that in at least two days."
"Wow, is that a record?" Genevieve smirked.
I rolled my eyes and hit her with the pillow. "Very funny."
"Okay, no more." Genevieve grabbed the pillows from Liana and I as she started to giggle. "If we keep hitting each other the feathers will burst out."
"Well, you started it." Liana grumbled as she sat up.
Genevieve hit her with one of the pillows before stuffing them back on the bed. "Shut up."
The look on Genevieve's face caused us all to burst into laughter. We were rolling around her bed, giggling so hard that we didn't even hear one of Genevieve's maids come in.
"Excuse me, your highness? It's getting quite late. You really should be going to bed soon." The maid spoke quietly from the opened door.
Genevieve groaned. "Alright, fine. I'll see you all tomorrow morning then."
Liana and I nodded before walking out the door. It wasn't too late in the evening, but the halls were completely silent. It looked like we had been the only ones up, so we quickly scurried down to the second floor and to our individual rooms.
Elisa and Beth looked up as soon as I walked in. "There you are!"
I blushed. "Sorry. We lost track of time."
"No worries dear." Beth shook her head. "You look quite tired though. I'd say it's time for bed."
I nodded and started to yawn, finally realizing how tired I really was. Elisa giggled, and the both of them helped me into a pair of pajamas and got me ready for bed. My hair had been in a braided up-do, so they took it out and let my hair down in gentle waves. As soon as I was finished, I crawled into bed and fell asleep nearly instantly.
_________________________
"Miss! Miss Erika! Wake up!" Elisa shook my shoulders.
"What? What is it?" I shot up, quickly rubbing my eyes.
"There's been an attack on the palace. Come on, quickly! We have to get you to a safe room." Her and Beth pulled me out of the bed and rushed to the door.
"What? Who is it? Rebels?" I asked frantically as we rushed through the halls.
"We don't know miss. Now hurry." Beth wheezed as we ran. The halls were filled with guards running, and I could see other selected being led to the safe room. I couldn't help but think of James; he was a guard, so he was bound to be fighting with the others.
"Go dear, down the stairs. Follow the other girls." Beth gasped as we ran up to an open door where the other girls were going.
"What about you all? Where are you going?" I turned towards them.
"We have our own place nearby, don't worry about us. Now go!" Elisa nudged me down the stairs and closed the door before I could say anything.
I walked slowly down the steps, not sure what I would see when I reached the bottom. I was met with the sounds of crying girls sitting on rows of cots. The Royal family was sitting in a corner of the room, huddled close together. King Maxon and Queen America sat close together, Prince Cade and Princess Marlee on their laps. I was relieved to see that Genevieve was sitting on a cot, holding Everly close to her, while Derek stood beside the bed tapping his foot. I'd started to notice that he did that whenever he was nervous.
Liana was curled up alone on a cot, and I quickly rushed towards her.
"Oh thank god. I was worried when I didn't see you." Liana hugged me tightly as I sat down beside her.
"I'm glad you're okay too." I hugged her back tightly, relieved. Thankfully it didn't look like anyone was missing.
"Do you know what's going on?" I asked her.
She shook her head. "I know as much as you do. All we know is that someone is attacking the palace."
I sighed. "I can't believe it. We were talking about the possibility of rebels only a few hours ago."
"I know." Liana squeezed my hand. "But it'll be okay. Everyone here is safe, and I'm sure King Maxon and Derek will figure out how to fix this."
"I hope so." I sighed.
She smiled sadly and squeezed my hand again. "I'm going to go back to sleep, okay? Wake me if anything happens."
I nodded and moved over to the cot beside her so she could sleep. I looked around the dark safe room, watching the other girls. I could see Teegan wailing in a cot, hoping for attention from Derek. Some girls were praying, while others just huddled together. A few others were crying, but not nearly as loud as Teegan.
I sighed and leaned back against the cot. I was worried for James, the other guards, my maids, and everyone else. Cora hadn't even been with us tonight, and I had no way of knowing if they had made it to their safe room. As for the guards, they were running towards the fight while we sat here doing nothing.
"Are you alright?" I felt Derek sit beside me, his body taking up the rest of the cot. The bed was so small our sides were smushed against each other, but I didn't mind having him so close.
"Oh. I'm fine." I nodded slowly, glancing over at him.
"Good." He sighed. "You were one of the last to arrive. I was starting to get worried."
"You were?" I looked at him, surprised.
He nodded slowly, taking my hand gently. "I care about you Erika. I don't want you to get hurt."
"I care about you too." I could feel myself starting to blush, but I was hopeful that the dark room would hide my red cheeks. "Do you know what's going on?"
He sighed and shook his head. "Not yet. We don't know if it's rebels or just a stupid group of people who think they're being funny."
I swallowed. "And what if it is a rebel group?"
He looked at me. "Don't worry about it Erika. Nobody is going to get hurt. I'll make sure you all are okay."
I sighed and held onto his hand tightly. Having him so close gave me a strange sense of comfort. Even though he'd abruptly left my room after playing the piano together, I still felt happy when I was with him. It was almost like it was just us in the safe room, until I noticed the dirty looks the other girls were giving us. I realized that Liana had woken up and was smirking at the two of us, while Genevieve stared from her corner of the room.
"You should go. Talk with the other girls." I whispered so only Derek could hear.
He nodded and sat up. "I'm sorry by the way. For leaving your room so quickly the other day. That was rude."
I shook my head. "It's alright. Don't worry about it."
"No, it's not. And I'm truly sorry. We'll talk when this is over though, alright?" He squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek quickly. "Just you and me."
I smiled and nodded in agreement. He grinned and squeezed my hand one last time before walking over to the other girls.
"Well," Liana grinned from her cot. "That was interesting."
"Oh shut up." I rolled my eyes before leaning back against the cot again.
We stayed in the safe room for about another hour before the guards came down and told us it was safe to come back up. Liana and I walked back to our rooms together, since I didn't want any girls bothering me about Derek.
The halls were eerily quiet as the early morning light filtered in through the windows. Maids scurried past us every so often, as well as a couple guards, but nobody stopped. There had been a couple casualties, but I was relieved when I saw James with the Royal family. I was thankful that he was alright.
"I'll see you later." Liana hugged me tightly before disappearing into her own room.
As soon as she was gone, I rushed into my room hoping that Elisa, Beth, and Cora were all alright. As soon as I opened the door, I was met with a ruined mess.
"Oh Erika, we're so sorry!" Cora rushed over to me as I looked around my room in shock.
The blankets on my bed had been ripped to shreds and tossed around the room. The mirror on the vanity had spider-web cracks in it, and the drawers were pulled out and lying on the floor. The curtains were torn, and feathers from the pillows were lying in piles on the floor. All of the makeup had been tossed to the floor and smashed, leaving piles of colorful powder everywhere. My heart broke when I saw the piano in the corner, broken and smashed to pieces. A couple of the keys littered the ground.
"Everything was ruined." Elisa shook her head sadly. "They destroyed it all."
Though it broke my heart to see the piano ruined, I was really only worried about one thing. The small bag that I had brought when I came here had been stuffed into the closet, and I hadn't touched it since. I quickly made my way through the trashed furniture and opened the closet doors. I rummaged through the broken cabinet, and was shocked to find my bag untouched.
"That's strange." Beth looked at my small bag. "They destroy everything but a simple bag with your things."
Strange as it was, I was too happy that my things were okay to even consider why they wouldn't have been touched. I had only put a simple pair of jeans and a flannel shirt in it, as well as a couple of photos from home, but they gave me comfort.
"We'll get this all cleaned up. You should go change." Elisa looked at me.
I nodded and slowly walked into the bathroom. It was relatively untouched compared to the bedroom, but there was still some damage. I quickly pulled on the jeans and red flannel shirt, happy to be wearing the clothes I was comfortable in. I'd grown used to the dresses, so the fabric felt a little strange, but it still felt like home.
A knock came from the door and I walked out to see who it was. Beth opened the door to reveal Celia standing, a phone in her hands. She looked around the trashed room, and finally turned to face me. Her face looked surprised when she saw the clothes I was wearing, but she didn't say anything.
"Ah, Lady Erika. Because of the attack, all of the ladies are allowed to call their families to let them know that they are alright." Celia held the phone towards me.
I eagerly took the phone from her, and started punching in the numbers. I hadn't spoken to them in so long, and I knew that they would be excited to hear from me. I envisioned Amber sprinting to the old phone in the kitchen, and quickly held the phone up to my ear.
"Hello?" My mother answered the phone. Of course it would be her; she was the only one who liked getting up early in the morning.
"Mom! It's Erika." I said excitedly.
"Erika! Oh my goodness, I haven't heard your voice in so long sweetheart."
"I know momma. I'm sorry it's been so long. They only gave us a phone because of the attack."
"What? There was an attack?" She exclaimed loudly. I was sure that she'd probably woken up the whole house.
"There was, but I promise I'm fine. They got us all into the safe room, and only a couple guards were hurt. Everyone is okay."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness baby. I'm glad you're alright."
I nodded and glanced at Celia, who motioned for me to hurry it up. "Listen momma, I've got to go in a minute. Is anyone else up?"
"Oh, of course. Amber's been waiting as soon as I picked up the phone. I love you sweetheart." She said before she passed the phone over to Amber.
"Erika! Oh my god! I can't believe you called!" She squealed.
I chuckled. "I know. There was an attack so they let me call to tell you I'm okay."
"Oh thank goodness. How's the palace? How is Derek? Have you kissed yet?"
I blushed and glanced at Celia. I couldn't tell Amber with Celia in the room. "It's been great Amber. He's really nice."
"Nice? That's it? Come on! Tell me everything."
I sighed. "I can't Amber. I've got to give the phone back in a second. Listen, is Annika there? How's she been?"
"Um...well, she's been alright. She hasn't talked much."
I sighed. "So there's no way she's forgiven me?"
"I don't think so. I'm sorry Erika. But when you make it to the Elite and we get to come visit, I'm sure she will."
I chuckled. "Thanks Amber. Tell everyone I love them."
"I will. Bye Erika."
I quickly hung up the phone and handed it back to Celia. She left without another word, and I turned to help my maids clean up the rest of my room. I didn't know what was going on, but I could only hope that it wouldn't be like the King's selection.
_________________________
Veryyy long chapter but I hope you enjoyed. Hopefully it makes up for the wait! Please comment and vote! Commenting and voting will really help me know what you guys like and what you want more of, and I would sincerely appreciate it. It may not seem like much, but seeing comments and votes really makes my day! Also you guys can always send me questions and I can answer them at the end of this book in the dedication at the end.
Also, drumroll please...I made the cover for Another Elite! I personally love it, so here it is!
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed! xoxo