Another Elimination

Everyone is staring at me. I feel like I should wear a sign that says, stare here you will anyway. Only Sage knew everything. Part of me hopes none of them have questions and that all the questions I was just asked mean they won't bombard me with their own.

"Ladies, please enjoy Lunch. Kellan and I will join you tonight for dinner." Darius smiles and walks out, with Kellan following.

Walking to the table, Sage follows. "You did amazing." She smiles as we sit down. I know she says it, but I'm worried I might have said something wrong.

"You know you could have told us." I look up and Lyra moving and sitting opposite me.

"No one could know. There was too much risk, we only told people today because one of the wolves yesterday that stopped me knew who I was."

"You could have protected them, defended the king and prince from all the people, and you chose not to?" Callista looks at me.

"Elara had expressed her wishes to do just that, but the king and prince didn't agree with her. She asked many times, and they refused each time. She is not at fault." William looked at them. "If this turns into an argument, you will be forced to stay in your rooms like Astrid is."

"No arguing, promise." Lyra smiles at him but then narrows her eyes at me. Yeah, she wants to argue. We eat in silence, which isn't good because now my mind is focused on everything, or rather jumping between things because it has nothing to focus on.

Sage leans towards me. "Focus on Kellan or Darius. Even from here, you should be able to focus and hear their heart. I do it with Tony. It helps." She smiles and I do as she says, only it's hard. I feel they are in their metal box.

After lunch is finished and cleared away we stay sitting together, William has told us there will be an announcement soon. I'm still not sure how this is going to work. Kellan had accepted me, Darius seems to have now.

So what is the plan? I know they can't just end this Luna Battle, but still. I don't know how I feel about this. Sitting, we all speculate what the announcement could be. Everyone thinks that Astrid is being sent home.

I watch the door open and Astrid walk in. She looks defeated, and I feel sorry for her. She isn't wrong; Darius has slept with me. She joins us and sits quietly, and I watch as Kellan and Darius walk in.

The cameras are ready, and Darius smiles at us. "The events you all planned are now over. Each event was marked and scored by your guests. The lowest number of guests was one hundred and fifty. To make it fair, that is the amount who could vote for each event regardless of your number of guests."

"As always, the one with the lowest votes will be leaving." Kellan looks at us. I hear Astrid mutter something but ignore her.

"Each person could give a score out of up to three points. With 436 points, is Sage." I turn and hug her. "431 points is Elara." I relax slightly. "420 points Lyra, 401 points Callista and 324 points to Astrid." Darius looks at her.

"Your comments from your guests are here. Feel free to read and find out where you went wrong or right. That means Astrid is leaving." I watch as William guides her out.

I expect them to stop, but they don't. The cameras stay fixed forward.

"Tomorrow will be the next event." I still when I hear his words. This is quick. "The palace will be open, as Queen you will be expected to welcome guests in who come from all walks of life. Tomorrow will test how well you do with a variety of people." Kellan looks at us.

"I've decided to do something that hasn't happened in years. Anyone is welcome to the palace and request help, be that money for an issue, approval to do something, or suggestions. Everyone is welcome, no matter your standing within the kingdom. Those with and without wolves are welcome."

"How will winners and losers be chosen for the event?" The producer looks at Darius.

"Each person who approaches us will leave a vote on the way out. No one will know which lady they will speak to; throughout the day, they will change. This keeps it fair. Each contestant will spend two hours helping, which will be split into one-hour intervals."

Well, that's good. If it were a day thing, everyone for Lyra would be rich and powerful. This way, no one knows who we will be facing. I'm confused, though. Surely this is a risk? With all the issues, this is something big and open.

It's not an invite-only, so how will they stop Ethan or even Draven from making a move? Darius finishes explaining things, and the cameras move. I'm freaking out more for them than me.

They walk over and join us for Dinner. "We will have extra security for tomorrow. The people visiting will not get to enter far into the palace, just one room. Each person who steps through the gate will be recorded." He looks between us, but I know he's saying it for me. It's a risk, a very big risk.

"The order you go in will be random. You each need to decide if what someone requests is possible, is it right, can it be done, and should it be? You can not say yes to everyone. Some people requesting help won't be real, so watch for signs."

So what he means is they have people set up to ask for things which we should really say no to? At least we get a warning about that. Sitting, we eat, and I watch the time pass by. Saying goodnight, I go upstairs with Sage.

Kellan and Darius are busy, so I spend my night in the room with Sage, going through some scenarios of what we may be asked about tomorrow.