16. Chapter 16 (1/2)

oh my gosh, guys. i was re-reading happily ever after, and i almost started crying in english class. my emotions can't handle this.

so many reviews! thanks so much!

tiedietruth: i'm really glad you think i did a good job with rin's part. it's hard to write from the perspective of characters i didn't create, and with rin there's the extra challenge of her being, like, 30 years older than me.

sorryi'mreading: okay, thanks for the explanation. i think that in general, most of my writing has more empathetic characters like allysa, but writing for characters like ember is also a ton of fun.

arianna w(or r) : thanks for the review! i'm glad you liked it. and thanks for the username explanation. i have two last names, too, so, yeah. cool!

booki: wow, thanks so much! you totally understand what i'm trying to do with these characters, which is awesome.

guest: aw, thanks! i'm updating a lot less than i used to, but i'm still working on this story, i swear.

starlene's pov (this should be interesting . . .)

it's all over the tabloids. it's next to impossible to find a magazine that doesn't mention the fights of the week. one article in particular catches my eye."'little miss perfect': could there be truth behind miss storme's accusation?"

"in the past week, there have been not one but two fights in the royal palace. the cause behind the first fight was likely a simple airing out of differences after a particularly slow and uneventful week. what really caught the public's attention was the second one, in which lady ember storme allegedly

ought the nation's distaste for starlene schreave to attention. according to a source (who wishes to remain anonymous), lady storme called starlene 'little miss perfect' and told her that 'half of your country doesn't even like you.'

though her words were harsh, one has to wonder . . . is there something more than a short temper and a stressful week that caused lady storme to lash out? perhaps miss storme did not put it very eloquently, but it cannot be strongly argued that she was incorrect in her accusation. a recent poll shows that more than 50% of the public considers starlene schreave overly self-centered. a recent campaign has been made to remove the title of princess when speaking of miss schreave. though she never truly held the title in the first place, many would use it when referring to her. lately, the consensus seems to be that she is unworthy of the title and that it is to be avoided when referencing her."

i blink back tears. of course i know that the title was never really mine in the first place, but i've always felt like a princess, and it hurts that people want to take that away from me.

"don't read them," someone says.

i turn to see one of the selected. i'm not sure what her name is, but i know she was in the sitting room yesterday when ember yelled at me. "what?"

"the tabloids," she clarifies. "it doesn't help anything. besides," she says, plucking the magazine out of my hands, "this isn't even written well."

she's probably right about the tabloids, but who does she think she is to tell me what to do? "was it you?" i suddenly say, glaring at her suspiciously.

"what?" she says. she looks like she genuinely has no idea what i'm talking about, but for all i know, she could just be an excellent actor.

"someone told them," i say. "someone told a reporter what ember said about me, and everyone is agreeing with her! was it you!?"

"no," she says simply. "it wasn't me." she looks sincere, and i feel silly for accusing her so fast.

"i'm sorry," i say. "can- can you please go away?"

"do you want to talk?" she asks me, and with that question, i suddenly remember her name. she's allysa, the one foster went on a date with that was literally just talking. i thought it was a lame date idea, but apparently it went well.

"no," i say. "i'd rather just be alone right now." it's not entirely true: i do want to talk. but i barely know this girl, and even though she seemed sincere when she told me she didn't tell anyone about what ember said, i can't risk more negative media attention. i close my eyes and count to ten, and when i open them, allysa is gone.

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allysa's pov

in the days following the fights, things are quiet. i find myself spending a lot of time in my room to avoid isolde and ember. the problem is, i still haven't escaped the fighting. elaine and lily don't talk to each other much, but the tension is thick enough to drown things are too tense in both the women's room and my own room, i escape to the li

ary and gardens. i spend a lot of time alone, which i'm not used to. since i was thirteen, i've been around people all the time. being by myself feels unnatural.

i turn a corner as i'm wandering the hallways aimlessly, and suddenly i'm not alone anymore. "foster!" i say, startled.

"just allysa," he returns the greeting with a smile. "what are you doing?"

"i'm not an expert in etiquette," i tease, "but i believe the proper greeting is how are you doing."

he gives me a look, the kind of look that's supposed to be sort of stern and dubious, but it mostly just looks ridiculous.

i laugh. "i'm not really doing anything," i admit. "just walking around."