Princess Ballot: Royals of Arbon Academy

by James Tate

  Holy fuck. This was why I hated royalty. This was why I’d hesitated, despite my attraction to Alex. This bullshit pissed me right the fuck off, and Alex didn’t even understand why what he’d done was so wrong.

  “I think I’m going to just study in my room tonight,” I bit out between clenched teeth. “I’m not feeling that great, so I’ll have to take a rain check.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but I spun, following the same path as the young student he’d rudely turfed out of the seat.

  “Violet,” Alex called, not caring that everyone turned to look at us. Thankfully I was almost out the door at that point, and picking up my pace, I rushed through the school.

  My face felt hot as I fumed and dwelled on my own stupidity. Why had I thought Alex was different? Why didn’t I trust my instincts?

  Shallow bitch, my subconscious reminded me. It was partly true, but I’d thought I saw something better in him as well.

  Guess I’d been wrong.

  In my blind fury, I hadn’t been watching where I was going, and I almost charged right into Rafe. Stopping just in time, I sucked in some deep breaths, my chest hammering for multiple reasons. My emotions were a shitshow of fucked up right now, and I was probably going to say something really bad in reply to whatever asshole thing was about to leave his mouth.

  Only he didn’t say a word. He just let that enigmatic gaze rest on my face, no doubt seeing a ton of stuff I wished he wouldn’t, and then he straightened and continued on down the hallway.

  It was only after my brain caught up to me that I realized he’d been dressed entirely in black, and had that been a black balaclava clutched in his hand? Not to mention that look on his face … It had been focus and determination. An expression I’d recognized from my many years with Master Shensei.

  But what did that mean? Could Rafe possibly be…

  Spinning on my heels, I raced after him, intent on figuring out exactly what was going on in this school. Despite the fact I was full on sprinting, there was no sign of the prince. And considering his size and the general open lengths of these halls, I was at a complete loss as to how he’d disappeared so fast.

  Frustrated, I turned back the way I’d been going originally and finally made it unscathed to my room. Despite the roar of my thoughts, so many of them swirling until I actually felt sick, I somehow managed to get the last of my homework done. By no means was any of it amazing, and I hadn’t caught up in classes yet, but it would get me through another day. Maybe tomorrow Alex wouldn’t act like an arrogant dick, and I’d be able to get his help.

  * * *

  That night sleep was hard to grasp, and when I finally dozed off, it was to faceless giants all dressed in black who kept slipping through my fingers every time I chased after them.

  Fucking Rafe. Not only did that asshole bother me during the day, he was now starring in my dreams. I needed a mental health check, stat, because this was not okay.

  A quick shower helped revive me, and because I had some extra time, I blow-dried my hair dead straight, again marveling at how long it had gotten. Master Shensei had advised me more than once that it would be better to cut it short so my gender wouldn’t be so hard to conceal, but I couldn’t seem to part with the golden tresses. Vanity, thy name was Violet.

  Still, a girl had to have something.

  The knock on my door came as I was dressed and about to leave the room. I swung the door open expecting it to be Alex, apology in mouth, but it was Mattie.

  “Girl,” she said, checking me out in a long slow sweep that almost made me blush. “You’re looking hot as fuck today. What’s the special occasion?”

  I snorted. “Uh, not being hungover with ten minutes to get my ass to the dean’s office?”

  Mattie shrugged. “Makes sense.”

  She stepped back so I could leave the room, and I made sure it was locked before we started down the hall.

  “So, I have kind of noticed that you’re lugging that heavy bag around everywhere,” she started, and I hoisted said backpack higher because she was right about how heavy it was.

  I blinked as she thrust her hand out, a small, familiar device sitting in it. “This is purely selfish,” she added in a rush, no doubt seeing the no on my face before I even voiced it. “I hate not being able to message you on a whim, and it’s safer if we know where you are, especially with the vultures in this school.”

  My throat felt unexpectedly tight, and I tried to think of a time anyone had offered me anything for such a caring reason.

  “It’s too much,” I choked out, knowing the cost of one of those. “I’m going to try and get a part-time job and earn enough to buy my own.”

  I knew that I’d probably have to work for approximately fifteen years part time to afford one, but maybe a princess wouldn’t realize that and she’d be happy to wait.

  Grounding to a halt, Mattie grabbed my hand and snapped the small device onto my wrist.

  It was almost the size of a normal watch, until you started pulling out all of the attachments, and I must have been in shock as I stared down at it for a few beats.

  “I programmed in my and Nole’s numbers, along with Jordan’s because he’s always good to have around if you’re in trouble.”

  Blinking at her, I willed the damn fire burning my eyes to go away. Last thing I needed was to bawl and smudge my carefully applied makeup. “I don’t know how to thank you,” I murmured huskily, “and I will get a job and pay you back for this.”

  She waved a hand at me. “Come on, I told you it was selfish. You’re doing me and my lazy ass a favor.”

  We both knew that was a lie, but not wanting to appear ungrateful, I didn’t try and throw her gift back at her. I wanted to, but I didn’t.

  “Do you need any help on how to use it?” Mattie asked as we started walking again, heading to the dining hall for breakfast.

  I nodded, a laugh escaping. “Yeah, that is probably a good idea. I’ve never used one before.”

  We were some of the first in the hall, and before any of her friends arrived, Mattie ran me through the basic functions of the palm reader. I loved how easy it was to log into my classes and pick up the syllabi and the simplicity of messaging my friend whenever I needed to ask her something.

  “This is going to make my life so much easier,” I said, staring down in awe at it. “It feels too good to be true.”

  For a second I wished I could take back that very personal statement. I didn’t need Mattie’s sympathy, in fact, I would be pissed as hell if she felt sorry for me, even if the truth was that nothing in my life had ever been easy or free. I’d been gifted nothing but my weapon, and even that I’d had to pay a lot of blood to get.

  Her hand landed on my arm, and thankfully her smile was full of warmth and caring, without an ounce of sympathy present.

  The moment was interrupted by the arrival of Nolan, who pressed a kiss to his sister’s head before moving on to do the same to me. I almost flinched at the overly familiar gesture, but for some reason, Nolan managed to get past most of my defenses. I never felt weird, even when he was kissing me.

  “How are my favorite girls this morning?” he asked, slumping into the chair on the other side of Mattie. “It’s too damn early to not have a coffee in front of me.”

  Waiters appeared, coffee in hand, and I was going to guess that this was how Nolan started every morning and they were very familiar with his needs.

  I placed my order, intrigued by the fresh juice selection. I’d never had a “cold-pressed juice.” Now seemed as good a time as any to find out what that was.

  “It’s the way they juice it,” Mattie told me when I laughed at the name. “And they’re delicious. All the fruits and vegetables are grown organically in the huge greenhouses out at the back of the school. Are you in any horticulture classes?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, I pretty much grew up in a concrete jungle, and the closest we got to fresh plants was the mold in the back of the damp room.”

&n
bsp; Mattie and Nolan both stared at me for an extended moment, and I could tell they were trying to figure out if I was joking or not. When I didn’t smile or laugh, Mattie wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I’m so glad we got you out of there.”

  Like it had been her personally who’d chosen the Princess Ballot winner.

  Rafe showed up at our table just as my food and fancy juice arrived, and though he was back in uniform, I couldn’t forget that all black outfit. Already well-equipped to look dark and dangerous, Rafe had really stepped that vibe up last night. Whatever he’d been dressed for spoke of activities that might not be school approved.

  Activities I wanted to know about, especially if Nolan, who I already considered a friend, was part of them as well. That injury could have been lethal had it hit a little higher and deeper. It bothered Mattie, and it was bothering me.

  If Rafe got one of my only friends killed, I was going to destroy him.

  “You look tired,” I commented, levelling a direct stare at the handsome Swiss heir. He didn’t—he looked incredible—but I couldn’t stop myself from pushing the issue. “Big night last night?”

  His brow lifted, and I noticed a small white scar running through the end of it. Somehow I doubted he’d gotten that playing croquet or whatever princes did in their spare time. Oh right. Soccer. Yeah… still, I’d put money on it being a scar from a bladed weapon.

  “Nothing unusual,” he drawled back, his lip curled into a slight sneer—a face I was coming to think of as his “Violet’s near” face. “But nice to know you’re taking such an interest in my appearance, Cinderella. Need a pic for your shiny new palm reader?”

  I gaped, at a loss for a snappy comeback. In fairness, I hadn’t really known where I was going with that line of questioning, but I definitely wasn’t awake enough for this level of snark.

  Before I could formulate my cutting response, Rafe reached across the table and snatched my hand in his. A small sound of protest squeaked from my throat, but he was quick. He’d already flipped out the camera attachment and taken a selfie on my palm reader before I could wrench my arm out of his grip.

  “There, now you can stop staring in public.” His smirk was all perfection and cruelty. “And hey, now you have a visual aid when you’re touching yourself later.”

  My cheeks instantly heated, and I spluttered. “You fucking wish I’d be picturing you. Crazy as it seems, even in my sexual fantasies I prefer men with slightly better personalities.”

  Nolan choked on his drink, and Mattie patted him on the back while stifling a laugh herself.

  “Sure you do, charity case,” Rafe replied, his self-confident smirk still in place as he slouched in his chair. His arms folded across his chest, making his tanned forearms flex beneath rolled-up shirtsleeves.

  Ugh, fuck. What was it about rolled-up shirtsleeves? So. Freaking. Sexy.

  What a shame the arms in question belonged to such a self-important fuck.

  I pasted on a sarcastic smile. “I suddenly lost my appetite. I’ll catch you guys later.” This last part was directed to Mattie and Nolan as I scraped my chair back and hefted my bag over my shoulder. Rafe I didn’t spare a second glance at, but I could feel his smug smile as I walked away from the table. His table. He’d made that crystal fucking clear.

  On my way out of the dining hall, I was so lost in mentally berating myself, that I totally didn’t see the person coming the other way until my shoulder smacked into his.

  “Whoa, you okay?” Jordan’s hands gripped my shoulders, preventing me from falling flat on my face. Not that I would have—my reflexes and training were better than that—but any other girl would have.

  “Shit, I’m sorry,” I replied, shaking my head. “I was a million miles away.”

  His brows rose, and his dark brown eyes studied me with intensity. “I see that. Something wrong?”

  I shook my head but couldn’t prevent a small glance back into the dining hall. At Rafe. “Nope, all good. Just got a ton of schoolwork to catch up on. You guys really don’t slouch in the academics here.”

  A small smile hit his lips, even as his gaze drifted over to his table, to where his friends sat. “Arbon Academy didn’t get it's reputation by producing mediocre graduates,” he commented, but sounded distracted.

  I snorted a small laugh. “You got that right. Anyway, sorry for bumping into you.”

  I started to move past him, and his gaze snapped back to me with an intensity that made my heart rate gallop.

  “Hey, I know not everyone is being super welcoming…” He trailed off, and I got his implication. Rafe. Rafe was being a dick, and his friends had noticed. Thank fuck it wasn’t just in my head. “But if things go too far, if you need any help, just hit me up. Okay? Mattie said she gave you my number already?”

  Stunned, I nodded. “Uh, yeah. I think so.” I held up my wrist to show him my new palm reader. “After I work out how to use this.”

  A small smile touched his lips, and I needed to blink a couple of times to keep from going all weak at the knees. If people knew how fucking gorgeous the heir to New America was… but then that was part of the reason why people didn’t know. In history, several royals had been killed in paparazzi pursuits, all because people had become too enamored with their lives.

  “Well, when you work it out, I’m just a click away. Us Americans have to watch out for each other.” His eyes sparkled with amusement, and I got the heavy sense he had an ulterior motive. What? I had no clue. But this wasn’t just out of the goodness of his heart. Not when his best friend hated me so much for no damn reason.

  “Uh-huh, thanks.” I glanced down the hallway, trying to remember where my first class of the day was located. “I should go.”

  Jordan gave me another scrutinizing look, accompanied by a smile. “Of course, sorry to keep you.”

  I gave him a tight smile back and hurried away with the distinct feeling of his gaze following me. What his game was, I had no idea. He was up to something, though.

  Chapter 11

  Classes that week left me feeling light-headed and exhausted, but… I kinda loved it. I was learning, and that gave me this crazy, fizzy sense of hope like nothing I’d ever felt in my life. State college would have set me up for one of the few career paths available to someone in my position: personal assistant, lab technician, or something in the cleaning sector of an upper class home.

  Arbon was setting me up for any career I wanted. It still blew my mind that I was here. That I had won the lotto.

  “Violet Spencer?” a woman called, grabbing my attention as I left my last class of the day. She was dressed in a sharp green dress with a cute little hat perched on her head. “I’m Nurse Reller. Can you follow me, please?”

  “Uh, sure.” I nodded, hefting my bag a bit higher and doing as she’d asked. I’d used almost my entire lunch break catching up on some of the required readings for all of my classes, and since I was still learning how to use the palm reader—I had the basics, but there was so much more to it than that—books still went with me everywhere.

  The nurse led me down a corridor I hadn’t discovered yet, then ushered me inside her clinic.

  “So, Violet, how was your first week at Arbon Academy?” she asked me with a strangely intense smile on her face. “Settling in okay? Made any friends?”

  I hesitated a moment, weirded out and confused. “Um, it’s lovely here,” I offered. “The students have all been really welcoming.” Okay, that was a lie. But they’d been nicer than I’d expected… for the most part. Even if I was avoiding both Alex and Rafe.

  Nurse Reller smiled. “Good. That’s good to hear. Okay, just pop your clothes off for me, and we’ll get started.”

  “Uh, what?” I frowned at her, perplexed as all fuck. Did she just tell me to strip?

  Nurse Reller raised her brows like I was being dumb as shit. “Your physical. Dean Morgan did tell you that all students are required to undertake quarterly physical examinations, didn’t he?”

&nb
sp; I blinked and shook my head. “No, I think he forgot to mention that.”

  “Oh.” She blinked back at me, her friendly smile gone. “Well, it’s school policy. With so many prestigious students attending, the royals can’t take any chances with infections and diseases. It’s my job to ensure every student is in prime health at all times, and that includes running periodic physical examinations.” She paused, her lips pursed, but when I made no move to start taking my clothes off, she let out an annoyed sigh. “Ms. Spencer, this is a condition of your enrollment here, just the same as every other student. I have a very busy schedule and would rather not spend all afternoon explaining this to you.”

  The implication was clear, and I had no doubt this was just the first of many such threats. Do what we want, or go back to your shitty life of poverty.

  “Okay, sure,” I muttered, standing from the chair she’d sat me in when we arrived. “Just, uh…” I indicated to my clothing, unsure how much she wanted me to remove.

  “All of it,” she snapped, holding out a blue robe that may as well have been made of paper. “Put this on and hop up on the table for me. I’ll be back in just a moment.”

  She bustled out of the room and left me with a small amount of privacy to take my uniform off.

  I moved quickly, not wanting her to open the door again while I was butt naked and bent over or in some equally embarrassing pose, then parked my bare ass on the plastic-coated bed. Talk about uncomfortable. I’d have happily sat through an entire conversation with Rafe and Claudette over this, any day.

  I grimaced at the thought. Actually, no medical examination could be that bad.

  “Ready?” Nurse Reller asked as she breezed back into the room without knocking. It wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t been ready because she was clearly in a hurry.

  For the next hour and forty-five minutes, she checked every inch of me. Tested my eyesight, hearing, and reflexes. Examined every freckle, mole, and scar on my skin. Checked my teeth, my breathing, my heart rate, my ears, my throat… All of that was tedious, but it only got worse when she sat back on her little chair and ordered me to lie on my back with my feet up on the bed.