Chapter 40

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Rachel's POV

The Prince has danced with half of the girls so far, including Annabeth. But not me. I guessed that he wouldn't be all to eager to speak with me again, but I still feel hurt that he hasn't come to seek me out yet.

I danced with a nice guard earlier, I forgot what his name was. Afterwards, he left to dance with Drew and they've been dancing ever since. It seems as if I'm not good enough for any of the boys here.

The music stops for a second between the transfer of songs. In that gap, I see a young man walk in. He looks younger than me. He has a mop of messy black hair on his head and dark brown eyes. He reminds me of someone, but I don't know who.

I watch him walk up to Percy, who is taking a break by the looks of it. Percy looks happy to see him and gives him a side hug. The boy's face turns red and he breaks away from the embrace. Percy laughs at him and ruffles his hair. I see the boy give a small smile.

Silena walks over to me. She smiles as she takes the seat next to me.

"Hello, Rachel. Why aren't you dancing?" She asks me brightly.

"I'm not much for dancing," I lie.

"That's a shame. The ball has been so much fun," she sighs. Silena looks stunning in her white dress with rhinestones. She really does look like a diamond, just like she's supposed to. Our group did a pretty good with the costumes.

"...and I met a really nice guard," Silena continues. I realize that I zoned out while she was talking. "His names is Charles Beckendorf, but for some reason, the other guards just call him Beckendorf. We danced for four songs in a row!"

I nod and smile, trying to act interested. I don't really know Silena and I don't know why she's talking to me. Maybe it's just because she's a genuinely nice person.

"Did you see that new boy? I noticed when he walked in, but no one else seemed to notice him."

"Yeah, do you know who he is?" I ask, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"No, but the Prince seemed really happy to see him. Anyways, did you hear the big news?"

Disappointed that she quickly veered away from what I wanted to know, I shake my head no.

"Well, the Prince told Clarisse, who told me, that he'll be eliminating at least five girls tonight. Maybe even more than that."

Five girls all at one time? And the fact that Percy was mad at me earlier won't help my chances of staying in the Selection.

"Wow, all tonight?" I ask Silena to make sure.

"Yeah, I'm honestly a little bit worried since the Prince and I haven't really interacted much. Why would I stay if he doesn't even know me?"

"He'll want to get rid of the girls he doesn't like first," I say, talking more about myself than Silena.

"I know, but what if he doesn't know if he likes me? You've gone on dates with him before, you don't know what it's like to be completely in the dark about the Selection," she says, her voice suddenly cold.

I almost burst out laughing with that comment. I'm always in the dark with Percy's feelings. Especially since he's mad at me now.

"It looks like Charlie is done talking, I'm going to go dance with him now. If you'll excuse me," she gives me a quick curtsy before leaving in a flurry of white.

I sigh before standing up to find something to eat. When I arrive at the food table, I see that all there is are small snacks, nothing big or heavy. I take a glass of punch and tiny sausages wrapped in a crescent roll. I turn around and bump right into the prince.

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