Maybe

Chapter 25

~Marissa~~3 days later~

It was actually pretty scary waking up in my old room. I guess I had just gotten used to seeing my room at the palace so much, that I forgot what my old room looked like. Even after three days it was still weird back in my old room.

Getting out of my bed, I took one look at the dresses my maids had packed and decided against them. They were truly beautiful, but while I was home I wanted to wear my normal clothes. So I pulled on a pair of jeans, and an old t-shirt, and went downstairs for breakfast.

My grandma was standing over the stove, Aunt May was helping grandma, Uncle Gerad was setting out places, and Lucas was sitting at the table working on something. Marlee was nowhere to be found. She must be in my mom's room like she has been every morning. It was amazing what kind of relationship they had.

As I sit down for breakfast I spot a magazine next to Lucas. I grab it and begin to look at it. I immediately regret that decision, because what I saw began to eat at me. On the front cover it had Nathan kissing one of the other Selected. The title read, 'Could This Be Our Next Queen?'

I flip through the pages until I find the page.

'With the recent news that Selection favorite, Marissa Singer, has returned home for a short time to help with her mother former Selection contestant America Singer after her recent heart attack. It seems that our Prince Nathan has now got eyes on a new girl. That girl is former eight Milla Brown. The two have seemed to be inseparable. Although since Marissa's left for her short time home, Prince Nathan has sent five more girls home, and has kept his eye on some of the other girls still running in the competition. In case if you missed it here are the girls that have been sent home in this recent elimination: Samantha Know from Likely, Ella Zimmers from Sumner, Bella Weaver from Allens, Callie Stopher from Whites, and Sophie Laks from Paloma. That leaves twenty remaining Selected. Our inside sources claim that Prince Nathan wants to have the girls narrowed down to the Elite by Christmas. Will the lucky girl be proposed to on Christmas Day? All we can do it wait.'

I was shocked by what I was reading. Maybe I was a little jealous, but I was in a competition to win a prince's heart. He's supposed to be seeing other girls, and not just me. But it still hurt me to see this.

I close the magazine, and toss it aside. Soon my grandmother comes around with some pancakes.

"Don't let those articles get to you Marissa. That's one thing that gets those girls eliminated," she said as she put two pancakes on my plate. She puts two on another and hands them to me. "Take these to your mother please."

So I take the plate, and my plate and go to my mother's room. There on the bed is Marlee and my mom.

"Hey there Marissa," my mom says.

"Grandma made pancakes, and told me to bring them up to you. I brought mine because I thought I could sit and talk to you about your Selection," I say handing her the plate.

She takes it. "Thank you. Of course. Is it alright if Marlee stays? She could help you out too you know."

"Sure."

I crawl onto her bed, and sit crosses legged at the bottom of the bed. I shovel a bit into my mouth, swallow, and begin to talk.

"Okay. So I just read an article about the Selection, and I don't know how I feel. One part of me feels jealous, the other part is mad, one part's confused, and the last part is understanding. What did you do when that happened to you?" I ask taking another bite of pancakes.

"Well first off, I never did really read many of the articles in magazines. I just let them say what they wanted to say, and I paid them no attention," my mom said.

"Well, except for what Celeste shoved them in your face all the time," Marlee said piggybacking off of my mom.

"True. I did get jealous in those moments, even though I was usually the one they were talking about."

"Okay, but I just read one and I don't know how to feel," I say getting back to the main question.

"Just shake it off. Everyone in the palace knows that he spends the most time with you. My husband has contacted me, and has told me that he doesn't spend much time with them. He really likes you Marissa. You'd have to be blind to not see it," Marlee said.

I smiled. "Honey, even if you read an article, and you get confused, just focus on what you already know. Nathan really loves you, and he'd be stupid to let someone like you go," my mom says

I smile once again. "Thank you. Both of you," I say to both my mom, and Marlee.

"Anytime. I know what it's like both girl drama, and Selection drama," Marlee says.

"Oh. Don't even get me started on Selection drama," my mom says throwing her head back into her pillows.

"What happened?" I ask truly curious.

"Celeste Newsome. She wasn't all happy, and welcoming, and all around the attitude she has today. She was rude, and always tried to get drama started. I almost got kicked out a few times because of her."

I let out a laugh. "Celeste? Like the Celeste we stayed with in Angeles?"

"That's the one."

"Geeze. It's hard to think of her like that."

"You have no idea. Speaking of Celeste, there is another Celeste in the Selection this year," Marlee says.

"Oh really?" my mom asks.

Marlee nods her head. "My daughter Josie is training to be a maid, and she helped with Mila Brown. She's the eight in the Selection. Turns out she isn't quite what you think. Yes she has all the qualities that an eight might have, but she was rude, unkind, and all around unpleasant. Being an eight though gave her a different image on camera. She also said that she's vicious to the other girls, and then nice and sweet to Nathan."

"Well there you go Marissa. That's what Celeste was like."

"Well, I guess I can't wait to get back then," I say with a small smile.

We continue to talk for awhile. Having Marlee here made me feel better, because now I know I have someone watching my back in the palace.