The Rebel Queen

Chapter 8:

"Kriss...don't be mad at me," I said in greeting instead of simply saying Hello.

"America! How could you just tell him your a rebel!" Kriss yelled through the phone. I held it away from my ear and could still hear her perfectly clear.

"Kriss you know how I'm feeling inside," I tried to reason.

"No, I honestly don't. Please enlighten me," she said sarcastically.

I looked down at my hand which was fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. "I didn't know what I was doing. I'm.."

"Your in love."

"No. I'm over him," I lied through my teeth.

"Don't lie to me America. You told him everything because you had to. It was necessary closure. Your mind was telling you that if you told him you were a rebel than you could make up for not telling him about Aspen. But your heart was telling you it was tired of lying to him," Kriss explained.

"When did you become a phycologist?"

"I'm your conscious," she teased, breaking the mood.

"Okay. I might still have some feelings for him," I admitted.

"Yeah....some," I could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "You two will end up together."

"How could you possibly know that," I said, taking the chance to roll my own eyes.

"Because I'm going to make sure if it."

There was a knock at my door.

"Care to explain?" I asked, tucking my phone in between my shoulder and my ear and getting up to answer the door. Anne came shuffling in and I gestured for her to be quiet.

Kriss began speaking as I sat down in my chair. "I'm unable to get pregnant."

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"I've known for a while now. A couple years I think. I didn't know it'd be a problem until Silvia made us read that stupid handbook about being a queen," she explained.

"That was months before he picked you. Why'd you stay in the competition," I asked, slightly upset that Kriss would lead Maxon on like that.

"I never thought I would win! We all knew it would be you! So I thought I had no chance,"
Kriss stood up for herself.

I switched the phone to my other ear. "What does this have to do with me becoming queen?"

"Don't you remember the handbook?" Kriss asked. I remember tuning Miss Silvia out as she spoke of the handbook, but nothing about what was inside of. Kriss took my silence as a no. "The second runner up or the selected of Prince Maxons choice will become queen and carry the royal heir. Both of those are you!"

"I don't think so," I sighed

"Whatever America. Expect a call From the palace very soon though. I have to go. Maxon wants me. Talk to you later."

Than she hung up.

"So What'd you want?" I asked, trying to get my mind off of Kriss, Queens, and Maxon.

"I'm here to talk to you about getting inside the palace for the next attack," Anne said in her official maid voice that she used to use on Mary and Lucy.

I turned to face her at lightning speed. "No. No. No. I'm not going on the next trip to the palace."

"What do you mean your not going?!" Anne gasped. "You can't just not go!!!"

"Yes I can! And I am!" I argued.

"Why wouldn't you go?" She asked.

"Maxon knows I'm a rebel and last time he waited for me to get answers. I cannot have him seeing me again. It'll be bad for everyone. Someone else will be able to find the diaries," I said firmly.

"No. I'm taking to Kriss about this," she said pulling out her phone.

"She's busy right now," I reminded Anne.

"She'll make time for this," Anne told me, very sure if herself. She showed her phone to me and I saw she sent Kriss a message in all caps saying AMERICAS NOT GOING ON THE NEXT ATTACK

I glared at Anne as my phone suddenly started ringing.

"What Kriss!" I mumbled grumpily.

"What does Anne mean 'your not going on the next attack'. You can't do that!"

Anne sent me a snobby smile.

"Kriss, you have to agree with me in this one. If Maxon sees me I'll just tell him more valuable information. Remember I'm in love with him..." I said using Kriss's words against her.

There was silence on the other end if the line so I continued.

"Just seeing his face could make me spill everything," I said dramatically, laying it on thick. "I could accidentally let it slip that your a rebel."

"Don't try and black mail me America! I know you'd never do that!" Kriss yelled into the phone.

"Kriss you can't make me sit through his interrogation again!" I pleaded.

"That's what being a rebel is about, Ames. Sacrifice for the greater good," she reminded me. "Plus your the only one who has gotten close to discovering the diaries location. We need you to find those books before the southern rebels do."

"I'll go on one condition. you'll have to do something for me..."

"What do you want America?" Kriss asked suspiciously.

"You need to control your husband," I told her.

"Fiancé," she corrected. "And what do you mean control...?"

"You must make sure he makes it into a safe room safely and stays there. I haven't actually been able to look for the diaries because he keeps distracting me," I explained.

"Done," Kriss agreed.

"Wait," Anne interjected, always the voice of reason. "Maxon is a grown man. He can't just be controlled by Kriss. Maxon could find millions of ways to get away from her at the exact moment of the attack. Plus it's highly unlikely they will even be together at the time of said attack."

"Than Kriss will just have to spend every waking moment with Maxon until the attack is over," I decided, a smile taking over my face.

"What?! I can't be there with Maxon all the time. I can't go to all the meetings with him. I can't sleep in the same bed as him. I can't go to the bathroom with him. There is no way humanly possible that I could always be with him for the next 4 days to a week!" Kriss argued/yelled.

"You'll find a way," I laughed and hung up on her. I turned towards Anne with a huge smile on my face.

"So...what do you need?"