CHARLOTTE Taide was standing much closer than I expected him to be. His breath brushed against the crook of my neck, and I had to suppress the shivers that started in my spine. I'd rather jump down these flights of stairs than let Taide know how affected I was by his presence. I thought he wou
CHARLOTTE The sight of the out-of-place object stunned me. I walked over to the bed, letting the books in my hand drop in a heap next to it as I began to study the box. I ran a hand over the surface, awed. Then, when I read the name written in fine print on the cardboard, I was even more taken aba
CHARLOTTE After the chaotic and confusing events of yesterday, it wasn’t surprising that I found my attention drifting away more often than not. Instead of listening during lectures, I found myself idly tapping my pen against my notebook, lost in thoughts and theories as to what had happened. W
CHARLOTTE I said goodbye to Vance after a few more minutes of conversation, then I headed back to the house. The house was silent as usual, and after sending a quick text to Madeline, I headed upstairs, eager to rest a little before the party. All thoughts of respite left my mind when I climbed u
CHARLOTTE I wasn’t sure who looked more surprised.Emma, Avaria or Sarah.But I was sure as hell enjoying the stunned look on their faces, I wondered if I’d be able to get away with taking a picture of them like this. “You’re lying,” Emma said, breaking out of her state of shock, her tone became m
CHARLOTTE When Vance pulled away, I was left extremely out of breath, and just as confused. I could feel every single pair of eyes of every single person person present on me at that moment, but my shock outweighed my ability to be uneasy about the attention. My skin felt hot, and as much as I tr
“Come on Charlotte,” Avaria giggled. “You know, maybe you’ll be more willing to join if there was something in it for you? Like a sweet little challenge” Sounds of interest started going through the room, with a few people even suggesting challenges. They mostly involved nudity and I absolutely did
CHARLOTTEIt felt as though everyone sucked in a breath at the same time. All eyes were now firmly fixed on Caeson and me. But even with the intensity of the crowd’s collective gaze, and Caeson’s intense stare locked on my every move, I didn’t falter. And I wouldn’t. The silence brok
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
I gave her my thanks and followed her instructions, up the stairs and down the calm, clean hallways of the care home. And like every time I came here, I couldn’t help but be struck by the difference between this care house and her old one. I was just about to walk in through the open threshold but
CHARLOTTE The silence didn’t dissipate for a long while after Caeson left. I used those moments of quiet to try to piece together what I had heard from their conversation into something that made sense. Taking a few seconds of thought, I looked up and my eyes darted between Reigh and Taide. Th