another update tonight!
CHARLOTTEStaring wide-eyed at the photos of me, pasted everywhere, my heart pounded in anger, my brows ticked as shame clouded my face."Char!" Madeline's sharp voice cut through my haze, bringing my attention to her running figure.Madeline was dressed neatly in her uniform, her hair lifted in a p
Who was he trying to fool? The only person capable of doing shit like this was him, and no one else."I didn't do it, but you wouldn't believe me even if I said it." He said, moving a microscope, and placing some bacteria culture under the film."Of course, I wouldn't believe it, I’m not stupid.""O
CHARLOTTE"So?" Taide asked, twirling a strand of my hair between his fingers. "What’s it gonna be?"I stood rooted in place, wondering if he was being serious. I studied his features, searching for a possible twitch so I could tell this was all a joke.Why on earth would he want to mark me? The con
"What ?"Taide sent me a pointed look at the door, "The coast is clear, so get going already.""R–right," I stammered, feeling my face light up. Just a couple moment in his presence and it felt like the atoms in my brain had been fried.Immediately, I dashed out of the lab, blushing even harder as h
CHARLOTTEAfter his speaks, I stared straight at him, wondering if he had said the wrong thing, or if I wasn't seeing right, and he wasn't Vance.So I Squinted my eyes, taking in his features, and I knew I wasn't mistaken.Did he hit his head or something then? Why was he offering me a ride?"Would
"Here," Vance handed me a clean towel to which I whispered a ‘thanks’ while wiping some parts of my hair which were damp.After a few seconds of repeated brushing, my hair was somewhat dry, but the towel wasn't. I was embarrassed to hand it over to him, so I clutched the towel, sitting with my back
"Jealous? Of you?" Emmalaine scoffed, "Why would anyone be jealous of you? It's not like—""Like what exactly?" Madeline's voice cut in, snapping our attention to her."Madeline!" Emmalaine called sweetly, "We were just joking with Charlotte here."Madeline gave her a nasty look, coming to stand bes
CHARLOTTEWhen I got the school the next day, the first thing I noticed was that all the pictures of me had been taken down.My eyes skimmed the halls, but I couldn't see anything.It was spotless like the incident didn't occur at all. It was curious. And I stood there, puzzled, wondering if the sch
Here’s the chapter written from Char’s POV in past tense, with simple and clear language: I trailed behind Taide and Reigh, keeping my distance as they moved through the halls. Their steps were steady and purposeful, and I made sure to stay just far enough behind so they wouldn’t notice me. I didn’
CHARLOTTE I sat on the bed, trying to calm my breathing. My chest felt tight, and my hands trembled in my lap. I couldn’t stop replaying what had just happened. King Aurichad been here, in this room, and now he was gone. But the memory of his cold, cutting gaze lingered, wrapping around me like
CHARLOTTE Caeson shot to his feet as soon as the words left my mouth, startling me. He turned toward the entryway, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the empty space. After a moment, he turned back to me, a deep furrow forming between his brows. Without saying a word, he spun on his heel and strod
CHARLOTTE I watched as Taide stepped away from Sean, smoothly sidestepping him without another glance. Sean looked after him for a moment, but Taide didn’t seem to care. I caught Madeline’s eyes, and she grinned before doing a subtle little happy dance. Her excitement was almost contagious. Taid
CHARLOTTE The seamstress stepped back, letting out a satisfied hum. I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing my hands over the soft fabric of the dress I was wearing. It fit perfectly, hugging my body in all the right places. The sweetheart neckline and shoulder-less design gave it an elegance
The hell?I blinked, trying to understand. Then it hit.He was talking about yesterday, when I’d abruptly questioned him and then walked away without waiting for an answer.“You wouldn’t have participated anyway,” I said, using his analogy as I crossed my arms.“You don’t know that,” he replied.I
CHARLOTTEThe morning light streamed through the tall windows of the dining room, illuminating the grand breakfast spread that covered the long table.I could hardly believe how much food there was—it seemed like enough to feed ten people, if not more. The table was piled high with plates of fresh f
CHARLOTTEThe palace was something out of a dream.No, more than that—something out of a world I didn’t belong to.The long driveway was lined with perfectly manicured gardens, each bush and flowerbed so precise it looked as though someone had sculpted them by hand. Towering trees stood around, thei
CHARLOTTE We had our things packed and ready for the trip. Madeline’s birthday ball was this Sunday and now it was Friday already, the day of our departure. By the time we returned home it would be about a week before our junior year finals. And then, graduation. Which meant that we would be