Maybe

Chapter 17

~Nathan~

I quickly make my way to the infirmary. I couldn't let anything happen to Alison. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I did let anything happen to her.

I'm directed by nurses to her room. The infirmary seemed heavy. The air was thick, and people seemed to move in slow motion. No matter how quickly I walked, I just seemed farther away from Alison.

Finally making my way to her room I find her asleep on a bed. She's pale, and hooked up to an IV. I sit by her side, and hold her hand. She instantly wakes up.

"Nathan?" she rasps out.

"I'm here," I say brushing hair out of her face.

"I have something to tell you."

"Anything. You can tell me anything."

She takes a shaky breath. "I don't have the flu. Well not exactly."

"What?" I ask confused.

"I had the flu for two days. I watched as mother switched my medicine for something else when she thought I was asleep."

I suck in a sharp breath. First Marissa and her mother, and now Alison.

"Please don't think I'm crazy," Alison begs weakly.

"I don't think you're crazy. I was just thinking. I'll tell father. I'm sure he'll listen." She tries to shake her head no, but I stop her. "He'll listen. He'll understand. Trust me Alison. I had a similar conversation with him the other day. You're not crazy."

She takes a deep breath, and nods her head. "If you trust he'll understand."

"He will. I just know it."

I give her hand a small squeeze. She doesn't know father like I do.

All the while I'm sitting with Alison the more my mind drifts. Could my mother have poisoned Alison? She's plotting a murder plot, so it doesn't seem far fetched.

Soon Alison falls asleep. I kiss her head and leave the infirmary. There is so much going on here. But I can't think about that now. The Report starts in a few hours, and I have to get somethings done before I can get ready. Making my way back to my office, I think about the work I have to do.

When I walk in I find Ben.

"What are you doing in here?" I demand.

"Looking," he states plainly.

"No. Get out. You have absolutely no reason to be in here."

"But I do. You have something that I need."

"Drop the act Ben. If it's even your real name."

I overstepped a line, and I did it blindly. The next thing I see is Bens fist coming right at me. It barely misses my eye, and collided with the side of my nose, and the inside of my eye. I fall to the floor holding the side of my face. Ben bends over, and puts his face close to mine.

"I would watch where you tread prince. You can't protect everyone."

He stalks out of the room with a piece of paper in his hands. I try and get up, but my vision blurs, and I have to sit back down. Pulling my hand away from my eye I inspect the damage that was done. My hand is somewhat covered in blood.

Slowly I pull myself into a standing position, and make my way into the infirmary. I don't know how I'll explain this, but I'll have to find a way. I'll have to wear a lot of makeup tonight to cover what the blow left. It wasn't going to be pretty.

On my way down I pass the Selected rooms. Marissa's door was slightly ajar, and I could hear her gawking over a new dress. I didn't look in, but lingered by her door just to hear her talk. Her voice is so melodious, and beautiful, without her even trying. I just loved it.

Moving along, I heard a few more girls talking about their new dresses. Other rooms were silent, meaning they weren't in their rooms. Rounding the corner I run into another Selected.

"I am so sorry Prince Nathan," the girl says bowing.

"It's quite alright. It's my fault really. Can't see out of one eye right now," I say in a joking tone.

"Oh my goodness. What happened?"

Here's my fib, my lie. It was going to be dumb, but it just had to work. "Well I was reaching for a book on a high shelf, and it ended up coming down on my face without warning."

She nods. "I could help you down to the infirmary if you would like me to."

This girl is so sweet. "That would be lovely." I hold out my arm, and she takes it. We walk for a ways before I ask her, "What's your name again? I'm terrible with names."

"I'm Arianna Killion. I'm from Clermont," she replies sweetly.

"Arianna. That's a very pretty name."

"Thank you. It was my grandmother's name. She died the day before I was born. It was least my parents could do for her."

"I'm so sorry. How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen. Just barely made the cut off date."

She was one of the older contestants here. She wasn't tall, but she wasn't short. My guess would be as tall as me without heels on. She had dark tanned skin, and short curly black hair. She had a few freckles that dotted under her eyes.

Before I knew it we were in the infirmary.

"Thank you so much for walking me down here. I believe I can get it from here," I say with sincerity.

"No problem. Sorry again for running into you back in the hall. I hope you'll get cleaned up before The Report. I'd hate to see you with a black eye on national television."

"I think I'll be fine."

Arianna left with another courtesy, and for the second time today I walked into the infirmary, and told my lie. I just hope that the doctors would actually believe something so fake it sounded made up. But one things for sure, Ben is going to pay.