Divination
Page 16
I wasn’t so sure about the rest of them. The royal family only made appearances after the sun had set. During the Great War, the royal guard had staged all of their attacks against the settlements at night.
Although the guard hadn’t spoken, I found enough nerve to ask him a question. “Where are you from?”
“The city.” His accent was flat, familiar.
“How’d they get you to work for them?” I blurted out. It was probably the only chance he had at a regular paycheck, but still. He was human and from here. I hadn’t realized our kind worked for them.
He looked at me sharply. “You’re not allowed to talk to any males except for the prince and the royal emissary unless one of us asks you a direct question,” the guard said quickly. “Don’t say another word to me.”
I didn’t. I bit my lip instead.
We passed the golden Joan of Arc, one of the city’s few remaining statues, a reminder of our settlement’s former glory. Silently, the guard led me to the train station, his face pale and stoic as we waited for the train. I’d never ridden in a train before. When I was in school, a hired car had taken me to the academy and to my private lessons. Now, I walked everywhere I needed to go. Before the war, only workers had used the trains. Now, no one used them except for the government.
I held my breath as a train approached, metal wheels squealing against the tracks. I obediently followed the guard aboard, clutching my lone bag of possessions. The doors closed behind us, and before I was ready, the train jerked to life. I had to scramble into a nearby seat before I fell flat on my face.
“Awkward.” The girl in the seat next to mine admired her nail polish, not looking up. “I like it.”
“I’m sorry?”
The guard stood nearby, but he didn’t correct me for speaking to the girl.
She eyed me from beneath her strawberry-blond curls. “I said you’re awkward and that I liked it.” The girl, although rude, was very pretty. She must have been another contestant.
“I’m Gwyneth.” I held out my hand. “Gwyneth West, Settlement Four.”
She eyed my hand until I gave up and dropped it into my lap.
“I’m Eve. Settlement Four as well.”
“I’ve never seen you before.” I was surprised. Our settlement was one of the smaller ones, and I’d assumed the other contestant would be from my school or one of the other elite academies.
“That’s because they went slumming for me.” She smiled without warmth. “I’m from the projects.”
“Oh.” I racked my brain for something appropriate to say to the bristly girl.
Her aqua eyes flicked over me. “I know you’re from the Upper East End. You don’t have to talk to me.”
“Uh… I might not talk to you because you’re a jerk, but I couldn’t care less where you live.”
A small smile tugged at the outer edges of her lips. She held out her hand. “Eve Whitely, unwilling and ungrateful contestant in the Pageant.”
My guard’s eyes widened at her boldness. Her guard shifted away, as if she might be contagious.
I leaned forward. “Let’s talk more about that later, shall we? What school did you go to?” I deftly changed the subject, my mother’s years of social training kicking in.
“The slum school. I take it you went to the Upper Academy?”
I nodded. “Have you met any of the other girls?”
She shook her head. “Rusty here”—she motioned to the guard next to her, who had red hair—“said we aren’t allowed to mingle with the girls from the other settlements. Not until we get there.”
I licked my lips. “Do you know where we’re going?”
“The palace, I’m guessing.” Eve shrugged. “Where else are they going to lock us all up?”
I coughed and gave her a warning look. “I’m sure they won’t need to do that. It’s just a beauty pageant, after all.”
“Just a beauty pageant, huh?” Eve leaned back against her seat, all lazy confidence. “You have met other girls before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but—”
“Not to mention that the prince and his stiff parents are filthy bloodsuckers. My money says they’ll be locking us up ASAP.”
I coughed, spluttering a bit. My mother had been right. I’d been raised in a bubble. I’d never heard someone speak so brazenly before. Even the other traders at the black market wouldn’t dare.
Eve grinned, a rogue’s smile. “Just saying.”
The prince and his stiff parents are filthy bloodsuckers.
I opened my mouth to respond then snapped it shut. Because really, what could I say to that?
If you’d like to keep reading, here’s the link to Vampire Royals 1!
VAMPIRE ROYALS 1: THE PAGEANT
Also by LEIGH WALKER
The Division Series
Premonition (Book #1)
Intuition (Book #2)
Perception (Book #3)
Divination (Book #4)
Vampire Royals
The Pageant (Book #1)
The Gala (Book #2)