Royal 2 (Book two in my Selection series)

Chapter 41

I step into the trailer and see Will looking up and down some of the shelves of pictures.

"I just keep them up there because they reminded me of the happier days." I say to remind him of my presence.

"Who was the Girl?" He asks me.

"Her name is Kiera. She's my neighbor and watched my mother whenever I wasn't home. She's got it rough." I admit and sit on the couch. Will walks over to the window and looks out.

"She looks it." He grimaces and sits beside me. "I feel bad because I sit on money I don't even need and a throne that I've just been given. And then there are these people that are living without three meals a day and some without even that. I don't even know how I can help."

"A lot of them don't want help. I didn't. Though I probably should have for Colton's sake." I shrug as Will sits in the seat on the other side of the couch.

"I just want to do something about it." Will sighs and rests his head on the back cushions.

"Don't worry about it now. I'm going to go make sure the shower is still working." I mutter and stand up to go to the bathroom. I push open the door and work the nob in the shower. It hadn't froze up yet which was good. "I'm going to go shower I'll be done quick."

•••

After I'd showered and now waited on my bed for Will to finish in the bathroom, I leaned my head against the backboard of the bed I shared with Colton for the last few years.

"Hey." Will says at the front of my door. He sits on the end of the bed and smiles at me.

"I'm sorry." I mutter and pull one of my pillows up to my chest.

"What for?" Will asks.

"You live in a palace. I live in trailer and the ceiling leaks sometimes and at the palace the ceilings have marble lining. Here, the carpets rolling up in the corners and at the palace they are vacuumed every day. I shouldn't have let you come here. It's just been a hard couple of days and I wanted your support." I sigh and close my eyes.

"You didn't make me come here, Autumn, I wanted to. I chose to come here and that's what I wanted." Will states firmly.

I don't say anything just sigh and turn to the wall. I didn't want to cry anymore.

"You're allowed to cry, you know. It isn't a crime." Will says as if reading my thoughts. I stay quiet again, but turn to him and force a smile.

"I don't wanna cry anymore." I mutter. "Could you all really hear every word I said to my father?" Somehow I still felt like that was a cruel thing to happen.

"Nobody blames you, I promise. It was sadder than it was embarrassing for you." He admits.

I groan and sit up a bit straighter. I hated that people I had never even spoken to in years had heard all of that.

"Did you really write him letters?" Will asks. My lips form in a straight line and I nod.

"You know, I just wanted him home because after years everything seemed okay, but at the beginning everything was scary. When I turned fifteen I still felt like I was going through briars that I never knew when it was going to end. I wrote him a letter and asked for ten dollars more every month and said it was getting harder with Ma getting sick and I talked about Colton as much as possible, but he didn't get the hint. He sent the money but he didn't try in any other way to help me out for the next two and a half years." I shrug.

"I promise I'm not going to leave even if the roads get bumpy. I don't get how someone does that to their own kids." Will looks distant for a moment with a frown.

"And for some reason I can't even look at his kids. I just don't understand how they are so different than I was and that he, for some reason, just picked that life and ruined ours." I sigh as Will moves up the bed closer to me.

"Believe me, I don't get how anyone would leave you either." Will smiles and I couldn't help but return it.

"I was thinking maybe tomorrow we could go to the field my mom would take me to. I haven't been there in so long I think it would be nice." I say and smile a bit.

"Sounds like a plan. Go ahead and get some sleep. If you need anything just let me know." He smiles and slides out of the bed.

I fall asleep that night, but wake up hours later from a nightmare.

"If you would've just stayed home." My mother was alive and healthy and standing in front of me. "I may have been okay."

"You aren't real." I mutter and step back. Her eyes were surrounded by dark shadows and her face paler than ever.

"Is that what you told them all?" She asks and tilts her head to the side.

"What are you even talking about, Ma?" I ask her, confused. She turns and walks away, but I wanted answers. "Stop! Don't go!" I scream but it was useless. She was walking into the shadows and I tripped painfully on a root.

I wake up to Will sitting by me on my bed and smoothing my hair from my face.

"It's okay. It's just a dream." He mutters quietly.

"I'm sorry." I say drowsily and sit up. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He says quietly. I put my arms around his neck and pull me close to me. I just wanted to feel safe and protected.

"Please don't leave." I whisper.

"Okay." He replies and that entire night he didn't leave me just like he promised.