16. Feisty
2011 Words
The next couple of months go the same. Collin and I do well with the routine. Sometimes I can sneak out of bed on Sundays, sometimes he catches me first.
The opening of the art store was amazing. Collin had me sculpting little animals inside the store, so I didn't cause a big cluster f**k at the door. Lindsay painted the flower candle holders. She even brought some candles from her candle shop to sell. Collin was so busy he didn't even notice. The castle painter was there painting people. It was a lot of fun.
The statues are still outside the art shop. I've made quite a few more. My favorite is Johen. I made him into a magician with a staff in one hand and an orb in the other. The wind is blowing his cloak. But Mikey keeps trying to sell them for 10 to 15 bars of gold each and nobody is going to pay that.
I wake up and stretch. This is the first day of the mate games. I throw the blanket over my head and try not to exist.
Collin pulls me out of bed at 11. "What's wrong?"
"Nobody's going to come."
"You don't know that. Let's eat lunch, then you can sculpt for a couple of hours. Keep your mind off it."
I eat whatever he puts in front of me. Then wait for him to do my hair.
He guides me over to the art store and has some clay delivered.
I stare at it. I guess I'll make a little statue. Not much room left. I have no ideas. I put my hands in the clay and let them work it out.
I end up with a girl. She sits on the ground in her underwear. She has her knees-up and her arms folded on them. Her face is buried in her arms. Her hair's all over the place. I don't know what this is.
I stare at it until Collin picks me up. "That's enough for today. Let's get cleaned up."
Dipak rubs my hair. "You're going to be fine, Star. This is an event to say hi. You can do that. Say hi to some boys. You like boys."
"I like this boy." I snuggle Collin.
Dipak nods. "That's a future problem. Not a today problem. We're going to say hi to different boys. That's all." I shake my head. "Well, fine. I'll carry you around while Nadine and Thora say hi to the new boys. They like boys."
Marcus chuckles. "They like them too damn much. Oh, I have Mattias coming."
"It's not that hard to analyze this."
"You'd be surprised. Who is this, Star?"
"Just a girl."
"She's got some wild hair, like someone else I know."
I try to push my hair down, and end up smashing clay into my scalp.
Collin laughs. "Yea, it'll take a few washes. I'll have her in your office at 5?"
"4:30."
"Sounds good."
Collin gets me clean and puts me in a human-style dress. Then he braids my hair.
I watch us through the mirror. "I'll miss you doing my hair."
I see tears fill his eyes. "I'm sure any mate you pick will love to help with your hair."
"I'll miss everything. I'll miss my whole life. It finally got better."
"It'll keep getting better, baby. I know it will. Let's get you up there, so you can say hi."
I shake my head. "No. I quit."
"You can't quit this. And it's nothing really. Saying hi to some people. You can do that."
"Ok..." I wait for him to turn around, and I run for it. "BUT I QUIT."
"YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU ARE NOT QUITTING." He catches me halfway down the hallway. "There is no quitting right now. You can choose not to pick someone later. That would be kind of like quitting. But you can't quit now. You haven't even said hi yet. Let's get your shoes."
I grab someone's door frame. "BUT."
"Baby... You can say hi."
"BUT."
"Let go."
"NO."
He carries me to the elevator and I grab hold of the door. "I am fine like this."
"You can be fine saying hi too." He pulls my hand off the door.
I kick at the buttons. I get a few of them.
The door opens and Tre looks at us. "You're going the wrong way."
I kick some more of the buttons.
"WHY IN THE f**k ARE THE BUTTONS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR?"
It takes both of them to wrestle me up to Dipak's office. We stop at about every floor. When we have to switch elevators, I damn near rip a door off.
The elevator dings for his office and I grab the door.
"You're late."
Tre steps out of the elevator and unhooks my hands from the door. "Elevators lock. Room lock. No one in or out. She's quite feisty, Dipak."
Collin puts me on my feet. "Yea, she's a fighter. And I think you need a new elevator door down on 5."
Tre nods. "New buttons in the apartment elevator. Small confined spaces do not do well with the feisty."
Tye cracks up laughing and nearly falls off the chair. "We'll have to remember that. Small spaces do not do well with feisty."
Dipak rubs his eyes. "The men have to be checked in by 6. We are having dinner in the ballroom. Then visiting after that. We don't expect this to last a long time. Maybe a couple of hours. All we're doing is meeting them."
Thora stands up. "And yes. There are some here. You are not going to be in a room by yourself. They are showing up."
I shake my head.
"Yes. They are coming."
"How many?" Collin asks for me. I can't speak.
"123 right now. But they're still checking in."
"You shouldn't have said she was a princess."
"We had to say something. And it's too late to take it back. But yea. There are 3 kings so far." She stares at the wall. I stare at her until she cracks. "FINE. 8 princes."
I run like hell for Marcus. I fall under the table and shake.
Dracul rubs his eyes. "Why did you even say that?"
"What did you want me to do? Have her walk into a room with 8 princes? She'd probably have another seizure. At least she's conscious."
Marcus picks me up. "Where are your shoes?"
"Pick your battles, asshole." Tre glares at him.
"And the 1 prince you like is down there. Romeo. You went to the theater with him."
"Oh what the hell? I'm kissing that one." Nadine goes for the elevator.
"LIKE HELL YOU ARE," Marcus yells.
"AHHH!" I jump for Dipak and get my arms around his neck. Marcus still has my legs.
"OH, all of you together can't make a plan. Everyone sit down." Coral is standing up with her arms crossed. "Girls, you can not touch any of the boys down there. One of them may end up as her mate. Would you like it if she made out with your mate?"
Nadine and Thora plop down.
"Never mind that she's being pulled apart by Dipak and Marcus. One of you pick." Marcus lets me go and Dipak pulls me into his lap. "Now, you have to talk to her in a way she understands. Starlet, you are not Princess Evie. These men are here to meet Princess Evie. Princess Evie is not a real person. She is a character we have made up. You are playing her. It's just like one of your plays. You're going to be famous again, but you have to play the part. Now, what do we know about your character this time?"
"She's a princess. Her mate died somehow. She's 392."
Tre smiles at me. "Do we know how her mate died?"
Mikey sits up. "Attack on her castle. The castle fell. Family and mate were killed. She was evacuated in time."
"Why was the castle attacked?"
"Gold. The attackers wanted the vault. It was cleared out." Nik shrugs his shoulders. "If they're here for money, they'll leave after hearing that."
"Good point. Any siblings?"
I point at Mikey.
"No. Mikey is your brother. Not Princess Evie's. We can't confuse that." Dipak rubs my hair. "Remember she's a character in an act. And I bet she's not afraid of princes."
Nadine smirks. "No. She's not afraid of princes. She likes them a lot. I bet she kisses 1 tonight."
I shake my head so fast.
Collin gives her the dirtiest look.
Coral rubs her eyes. "You 2 can not kiss them while you're dressed up as Princess Evie either. It's the same damn thing. If you kiss one of them, I'm throwing her at Johen. I'm going to make her make out with him."
Johen laughs. "Why me?"
"Nik, Elek, and Tye are princes. Mason, Marcus, and Dipak are very old. Not to mention, it would traumatize her. She has a bond with them. It's either you or Tre and Tre's not fun like that. So, you will make out with her if they kiss anyone down there."
"I will hurt you if you touch my sister."
"I am watching you." Nadine's eye twitches and she glares at Johen.
He throws his hands up. "Don't kiss anyone, woman. I will have to go into hiding. Damn."
Omar rubs his eyes. "We are way off-topic, people. How about nobody kiss anyone today? Will that work? We can move forward. What else do we know about Princess Evie?"
"She doesn't look like a mule anymore. I fixed her." Thora grabs the box. "Come here. Let's get you ready for the play. Princess part."
I run over to Thora and jump up and down. She touches the box to me, and I'm a princess again. I spin in a circle and poof the dress.
Collin gives me a hug. "Beautiful this way too." He winks. "More beautiful as the real you though."
I bounce and hug him. "My boobs are really bouncy." I bounce some more.
He rubs his eyes. "Someone fix that."
"Yep." Marcus takes the box. Then I change again.
"This is much better. Thank you." I rub my boobs. They're better now. "Am I wearing underwear?"
"Yes." Mary nods. "I made sure. All your outfits have underwear."
"Thank you."
"My pleasure."
"Ugh." Marcus hands the box to Collin and plops down in his spot.
Tye laughs and takes the box. "Marcus is done talking about girls' underwear. I'll take you out."
"Why can't he stay?"
"Because you won't see anyone in the room but him." Tye pokes my nose. "I'll summon him back when it starts clearing out. But you need to at least see these people. Ok?"
I giggle. "Ok."
"Good."
"Tye check on Kane after Collin's out. We left him down there alone. Didn't realize there would be so many. Tell him we'll be there in about 10 minutes."
"Will do."
Thora smiles at me. "So, what is Princess Evie going to do?"
"Make out with Johen."
Nadine jumps up and I bust out laughing. I point at her and everyone starts laughing. She is ready to kill Johen. She has a neck twitch and an eye twitch. She's pointing at him with red eyes.
Johen jumps up. "This is not a fun game."
I laugh so damn hard.
He points at Collin. "He doesn't like the game either."
Collin's about to twitch too. I give him a hug. "It was a dumb joke. I'm sorry. I'll never touch Johen. I'll touch you though."
He smiles and kisses me.
"No. God, you two are bad at this. Princess Evie is not with Collin. She's single. Collin go."
"She's going to be with Collin later."
"Bring the bouncy boobs back woman." Collin goes to kiss my neck but Mikey chases him out with a sword instead.
"f*****g ASSHOLE."
Dipak stands up. "Everyone use the box to get ready. Then we'll go down."
- Writer
