CHAPTER 17
THE BACKDROP FOR OUR PHOTOS was plain and light blue. My maids put together a lovely dress for me, with little off-the-shoulder cuffs that just covered my scar. For now, my days of strapless gowns were gone.
Though I looked pretty good, I was completely overshadowed by Nicoletta, and even Georgia was dazzling in her gown.
“Lady America,” the woman next to the camera called. “We remember Princess Nicoletta from when the women of the Italian royal family came to visit the palace, but who is your other guest?”
“This is Georgia, a dear friend of mine,” I replied sweetly. “One of the things that I’ve learned from the Selection so far is that moving forward means joining your life before coming to the palace with the future that lies in front of you. I’m hoping to make another step in joining those two worlds today.”
Some of those standing around let out satisfied noises as the cameras continued to capture the three of us.
“Excellent, ladies,” the photographer said. “You can go enjoy the party. We’ll be taking some candid shots later.”
“Sounds fun,” I answered, motioning for my guests to come with me.
Maxon had made it clear that of all days, today was one when I really needed to be on. I hoped to be the lead example of what an Elite should be, but it was hard for me to try and be so perfect.
“Tone it down, America, or rainbows are going to shoot out of your eyes.” I loved that even though our friendship was brief, Georgia could see right through my act.
I laughed, and Nicoletta joined in. “She’s right. You do seem a bit perky.”
I sighed with a smile. “Sorry. Today is a high-stakes kind of day.”
Georgia put an arm on my shoulder as we walked deeper into the room. “After everything you and Maxon have been through, I highly doubt he’ll send you home over a tea party.”
“That’s not exactly what I mean. But we’ll have to talk about it later.” I turned to face them. “Right now, it would be a huge help to me if we could mingle. Once things settle down, we need to have a pretty serious discussion.”
Nicoletta looked over at Georgia, then back to me. “What kind of friend are you introducing me to here?”
“A valuable one. I swear. I’ll explain later.”
For their part, Georgia and Nicoletta made me shine. As a princess, Nicoletta was quite possibly the best guest in the room, and I saw in Kriss’s eyes that she wished she had thought of that. Of course, she didn’t have a direct line to Italian royalty like I did. Nicoletta herself had given me a phone number to contact her if I ever needed to.
No one knew who Georgia was, but when they’d heard my line—the one Maxon had specifically fed to me—about joining my past and my future, they thought that was a spectacular idea as well.
Elise’s choices were predictable. Powerful but predictable. Two very distant cousins from New Asia representing her ties to the leaders of the nation paraded next to her in their traditional dresses. Kriss had chosen a professor from the college her father worked at and her mother. I was dreading my family hearing about that. When Mom or May realized they had a chance to be here, I was sure to get a very disappointed letter from them.
Celeste, true to her word, brought full-fledged celebrities. Tessa Tamble—who had allegedly given a show at Celeste’s last birthday party—was there in a very short but glamorous dress. Celeste’s other guest was Kirstie Summer, another musician who was mostly known for her outlandish concerts, and her outfit was more like a costume. My guess was that it was either something she usually performed in or an experiment in painted leather. Either way, I was surprised she got through the door, both because of the way she was dressed and the fact that if you passed within a foot of her, you could smell the alcohol radiating off her.
“Nicoletta,” Queen Amberly said, approaching us. “How wonderful to see you again.”
They exchanged kisses on both cheeks before Nicoletta spoke. “The joy is all mine. I was elated when I received America’s invitation. We all had such a wonderful time on our last visit.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” the queen commented. “I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit calmer today.”
“I don’t know,” Nicoletta countered, pointing over to where Kirstie and Tessa were standing in a corner and talking loudly. “I’m betting those two will send me home with at least one story.”
We all laughed, though I could see a little anxiety in the queen’s eyes. “I suppose I should go introduce myself.”
“Always the picture of bravery,” I joked.
She smiled. “Please, relax and enjoy yourselves. I hope you get to meet some new acquaintances but, honestly, just take some time together with your friends.”
I nodded, and Queen Amberly left to meet Celeste’s guests. Tessa was looking fine, but Kirstie appeared to be picking up and smelling every finger sandwich on a nearby table. I made a mental note not to eat anything near where she’d been standing.
I surveyed the room. Everyone seemed busy eating or talking, so I decided now was as good a time as any.
“Follow me,” I said, heading to a small table in the back. We sat, and a maid brought us tea. Once we were alone, I dived in, hoping this would go smoothly.
“Georgia, first, I haven’t had a chance to apologize about Micah.”
She was shaking her head even as I spoke. “He always wanted to be a hero. We all accept that things might . . . end like that. But I think he was proud.”
“I’m still really sorry. Is there anything we can do?”
“No. Everything’s taken care of. Trust me, he wouldn’t have chosen a different end,” she insisted.
I thought of the mouselike boy in the corner of the room that night. He willingly ran out into the fray for me, for all of us. Bravery hides in amazing places.
I turned back to the matter at hand. “Well, Georgia, as you can see, Nicoletta is the princess of Italy. She visited with us a few weeks ago.” I looked between them. “At that time she made it clear that Italy would like to be an ally to Illéa if certain things changed.”
“America!” Nicoletta hissed.
I held up a hand. “Trust me. Georgia here is a friend, but I don’t know her from Carolina. She’s one of the leaders of the Northern rebels.”
Nicoletta sat up in her seat. Georgia gave her a timid nod, confirming what I’d said.
“She came to our aid recently. And lost someone close to her in the process,” I explained.
Nicoletta placed her hand on Georgia’s. “I’m sorry.” Then she turned to me, curious as to how all this tied together.
“What we say needs to stay among us, but I thought we might be able to talk about some things that would benefit everyone here,” I explained.
“Are you trying to overthrow the king?” Nicoletta asked.
“No,” Georgia assured her. “We’re hoping to align ourselves with Maxon’s reign, and work toward eliminating the castes. Maybe within his lifetime. He seems to have more compassion for his people.”
“He does,” I added.
“Then why do you attack the palace? And all those people?” Nicoletta accused sharply.
I shook my head. “They’re not like the Southern rebels. They don’t kill people. They sometimes deliver justice that they see as fit—”
“We’ve gotten unwed mothers out of jail, things like that,” Georgia interjected.
“They have broken into the palace, but never with the intent to kill,” I added.
Nicoletta sighed. “I’m not so bothered by that, but I’m not sure why you need me to know them.”
“Neither am I,” Georgia confessed.
I took a breath. “The Southern rebels are getting more and more aggressive. In the last few months alone, their attacks have increased, not just at the palace but across the country. They’re merciless. I worry, as does Maxon, that they’re very close to making a move we won’t be able to recover from. Their idea of killing their way down the Elite’s castes is pretty drastic, and we’re all afraid those attacks are going to escalate.”
“They already have,” Georgia said, more to me than to Nicoletta. “When you invited me here, I was happy if only to be able to give you more news. The Southern rebels have moved to the Threes.”
I placed a hand over my mouth, shocked that they were progressing so quickly. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Georgia confirmed. “The numbers shifted yesterday.”
After a moment of quiet worry, Nicoletta spoke. “Why are they doing this?”
Georgia turned to her. “To scare the Elite into leaving, to scare the royal family in general. It seems like they think that if they can stop the Selection from finishing and isolate Maxon, they’ll only have to get rid of him in order to take over.”
“And that’s the real worry. If they come to power, there’s nothing for Maxon to offer you as king. The Southern rebels would only oppress people further.”
“So what do you propose?” Nicoletta asked.
I tried to walk lightly into the criminal territory in front of me. “Georgia and the other Northerners have a better opportunity to stop the Southern rebels than any of us in the palace. They can see their moves more easily and have had chances to confront them . . . but they’re untrained and unarmed.”
They both waited, not seeing what I was implying.
I lowered my voice. “Maxon can’t siphon money from the palace to help them buy weapons.”
“I see,” Nicoletta finally said.
“It would be under the full understanding that these weapons would only be used to stop the Southerners. Never against an officer of any government-issued position,” I said, looking at Georgia.
“That wouldn’t be a problem.” I saw in her eyes how much she meant that, and I already knew it in my own heart. If she’d wanted to, she could have taken me out when she found me in the woods or chosen not to come running into the alley after us. But that was never her goal.
Nicoletta was strumming her fingers across her lips, thinking. I knew we were asking a lot, but I wasn’t sure how to move forward otherwise.
“If anyone found out . . . ,” she said.
“I know. I’ve thought about that.” If the king ever knew, a caning wouldn’t be enough where I was concerned.
“If we could make sure there isn’t a trail.” Nicoletta kept fidgeting her fingers near her mouth.
“It would need to be cash, at least. That makes it harder,” Georgia offered.
Nicoletta nodded and dropped her hand to the table. “I said if I could do anything for you, I would. We could use a strong friend, and if your country is lost, I fear we would only gain another enemy.”
I gave her a sad smile.
She turned to Georgia. “I can get the cash today, but it would need to be converted.”
Georgia smiled. “We have means.”
Over her shoulder I saw a photographer approaching. I picked up my teacup and whispered, “Camera.”
“And I’ve always thought America was a lady. I think sometimes we miss those traits because we see Fives as performers and Sixes as housekeepers. But look at Queen Amberly. She’s so much more than a Four,” Georgia said kindly. Nicoletta and I both nodded.
“She’s an incredible woman. It’s been a privilege to live with her,” I shared.
“Maybe you’ll get to stay with her!” Nicoletta said with a wink.
“Smile, ladies!” the photographer instructed, and we all showed our brightest faces, hoping to cover our dangerous secret.