Her Majesty: A Selection Fanfiction (COMPLETE)

Eleven

    Lessons were miserable affairs. One hour in and I was still struggling with forks.

   "So this fork goes here..." I slowly paced down a larger fork, my other hand tightly held to my temple in concentration. "And this one goes here...?" I looked up to Drew in front of me as she eyed my work.

  She sighed. "Ah, Lady Harlow." She reached down and swapped the forks. "You have it backwards. Again."

  I pasted on a smile that I was sure looked more like a grimace. "Seventh time's the charm?"

  Drew shook her head before drifting off to her next victim. Yvonne leaned over from her station beside mine. "You got off easy," she whispered. "Did you see what she did when she got to me?"

   I nodded glumly. No one could forget the death glare Drew had given Yvonne.

  "So," Yvonne said, nudging me with her hip. "How'd your date with Mr. Amazing go?"

  I raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Amazing?"

  She blushed. "I don't know, it sounded better in my head."

  I rolled my eyes.

  "You're avoiding my question. How'd it go?"

  I grimaced. "Good, I suppose. I don't really have anything to compare it to." She nodded understandingly. "It was a little awkward at some points, but I think we made decent conversation for the most part."

  "That's go--"

  "Alright, ladies, time for our next etiquette lesson," Drew interrupted. The other girls quieted. Drew clapped her hands and a clan of guards marched into the room, each dressed in matching sapphire uniforms and perfect formation. The Selected started giggling and whispering immediately. I caught the emerald eye of Finn, the guard who had helped me get ready for my date, in the lineup. He winked. I flushed. Did this look suspicious? I sure hoped not. I avoided his gaze. He made me rather uncomfortable.

  "What's he looking at?" hissed Yvonne. She inconspiciously jerked her head in Finn's direction.

  "Who?" I questioned, feigning confusion.

  Yvonne rolled her eyes. "Finn."

  "Oh," I said, pretending I was shocked. "Dunno. Probably just, you know, around the room. And stuff."

  Yvonne frowned. "My goodness, Harlow, you are seriously the worst liar. You and I both know he was looking at you." She tapped her chin. "The question is why. He doesn't even know you, what's up with this creepy attraction? Not to mention that he already knows you're taken."

  "Who's saying that he's attracted to me?" I raised my eyebrows. "Maybe he's just really friendly."

  "Maybe," mused Yvonne. "But I doubt it."

  "--now, let us begin," finished Drew.

  "What are we doing?" I whispered to Yvonne. I hadn't been paying attention to what Drew was telling us.

  Hayley tapped me on the shoulder. She was standing along with the large throng of girls behind us. "Ballroom dancing," she muttered. She pointed to Drew, who was now demonstrating the dance with a middle-aged guard. He had more pins on his jacket so I figured that he must be a general.

   The music dulled to a slow and Drew broke apart from the dance, clapping her hands again. Boy, did that woman do a lot of clapping. "Now, ladies," she announced, "you will pick your partners. Go forth and practice!"

  I stumbled away from the crowd of girls behind me. I noticed Finn, his hand outstretched in my direction. I ignored it and strode over to a young guard with thick, black-framed glasses. "Hello," I said cheerfully. "Care to dance?"