"There. You look lovely," Jade smiled.

I looked down at the red and white dress they'd selected for me. "It's beautiful." I forced a smile.

Madeleine guided me over to the vanity. I sat, and Leah began brushing my hair while Jade sorted through the drawers for makeup. Choosing a bottle, she unscrewed the top and pulled out a black brush. "Keep your eyes open," she instructed as she began applying mascara.

"Thank you for doing this," I said, my eyes watering with the need to close.

"Of course! We're friends, after all," she laughed, snatching up eyeliner. I shook my head, causing Leah to pause in her brushing.

"Please don't use any of that stuff. I'm just not in the mood for it today."

Jade pursed her lips, but let the eyeliner slide back into the drawer. "All right, then. Can I do your nails, at least?" She looked at me so imploringly that I easily agreed to let her paint them white.

It was nearly 2:50 when she was done -- time for me to leave. I rose and profusely thanked her and my maids. Reaching up to touch my hair, I found that Leah had braided the top and clipped it out of my face. I looked in the mirror, and did a spin, much to their delight.

"I'll walk with you to the Women's Room," Jade said, tidying the vanity.

"Good luck, miss," Kate beamed, bouncing on her toes.

"Thanks." I shut the door and hiked up my skirts a little, walking carefully. Jade watched me, amused.

"You're not used to this, are you? Of course you aren't. You're just like me. But you're catching on much more quickly," she giggled.

"I suppose. I can't imagine what kind of queen I'd make." I shrugged.

Jade's smile remained unwavering as we descended the stairs. "So you think you have a chance at being queen, then?"

I considered. There would be so much I could do if I were queen, but what of the responsibility and constant publicity? And after what Hyperion had insinuated...."No," I said, anger flaring up in me. "I won't be queen."

Jade frowned. "You'd be a good queen, I think."

I imagined being constantly pressured into helping the Titans. Being threatened, controlled, and abused by my own relatives. "Never."

We'd reached the Women's Room, and Jade reached over to give me a light hug. "Well, have fun, anyway!" Then she entered the Women's Room.

I leaned against the wall, the corridor quiet and empty. Pondering what Hyperion had told me, and how I could somehow reveal their plans. Then Leo sauntered around the corner.

"Hey there, Sunshine," he grinned. "Ready?"

"I do believe I told you to stop calling me Sunshine." I took the arm he offered me and walked with him down the hallway.

"And I believe that I said I would keep calling you Sunshine, and there's nothing you can do about it."

I rolled my eyes. Then he opened a door for me, and I forgot about the nickname.

The room was painted green, and a small, circular table sat in the center, filled with different finger foods. But the best part was the enormous window that took up an entire wall. It showed a lovely view of the gardens and, in the distance, a lake.

"Beautiful," I breathed, taking a seat in one of the chairs by the table.

"It is," Leo agreed. "I figured if we couldn't go outside, we could at least be as close as possible."

I turned my attention to the food, picking up a plate and studying the food items. I chose two deviled eggs and a blueberry scone, as well as several chocolate-covered strawberries.

Leo grabbed as much food as his plate could hold, then settled back into his chair. "So how are you enjoying the Selection so far, Lady Sunshine?"

I couldn't help it. I laughed. Still snorting, I took a bite out of a strawberry. "It's certainly different from what I'm used to," I admitted. "A little nerve-wracking. But I've made some friends. And yourself?"

Leo put down his plate and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Do you really want to know?"

When I nodded, he threw himself back against his chair. "It's the hardest and most confusing thing I've ever done in my life. I'm constantly trying to keep twenty-nine of you happy. I can't remember everything! If I call a girl by the wrong name, it makes a bad impression. But how am I supposed to know? There are two Sarahs, and an Enna, Anna, and Morgana. I can't keep them all straight!"

I snickered at his obvious dismay. "I could help you."

He sat up straight. "How?"

"Only when we're in a crowd. At a party, or something. I'll help you get to know them."

"You'd do that?" His incredulous expression made me smile.

"Sure. I mean, as a friend. I'm willing."

"Wow." Leo shook his head. "I wouldn't have expected you of all people to offer that, but I'll gladly take it."

"Why not?" I stuffed half an egg in my mouth.

"I thought you hated me. I mean, you just acted so cold and standoffish."

"Don't let it go to your head. You still annoy me, Repair Boy." He grinned at my use of his nickname. "But....let's just say you're not as bad as I thought."

"How comforting." Leo stuffed a piece of chocolate in his mouth.

I took a handful of blueberries from a silver dish, watching him wipe the chocolate-y remains from his mouth inelegantly. "Do you ever wish you weren't a royal?"

"Constantly. I'm not cut out to be king, and sometimes I just wish I could give this duty to someone else." Leo sighed. "But that would be the scandal of the century."

Suddenly he sprang to his feet. "I just thought of something. Come with me!" He tore off, bursting through the door and down the corridor. I had to sprint to keep up.

Leo dashed down two flights of stairs, entering the basement level. We passed dozens of servants hard at work, yet none of them acted surprised. I followed him down a long, empty hallway of the basement to a lone door. He flung it open, and I stepped into a disarray tools and metal.

It was a huge workshop, filled end to end with old and new creations, screws, nails, boards, metal scraps, and tools of every kind. There were hundreds of mechanical projects littered around the room. "Wow."

"This is my workshop. I call it Bunker Nine," Leo said proudly. He beckoned me over to a long side table. "Remember when the guard told you my name was Festus?"

I nodded. Of course I remembered.

"When I first talked to you, I told you I'd take you to meet the real Festus. Well, here he is."

A long metal structure lay on the table---much bigger than me, maybe forty or fifty feet long. It had a curved top, a strange head, and small legs protruding from the bottom side. It almost looked like...."A dragon?"

"Yep. I found part of him, all dented and rusty, in the woods. Brought him back here and set to work on him. All I have to do is fix the control disk in his head, and he'll be good to go. If I could build him wings....someday he'll fly. I'm sure of it." Leo's eyes sparkled with joy as he talked. I realized this was where he was happiest: his workshop.

"He's magnificent." I ran a hand over the bronze dragon, almost feeling the hum of machinery coming to life inside him. What a sight that would be.

"He is," Leo agreed. "Whoever built him was a genius."

"Whoever could have fixed him is a genius." I brushed a finger over one of the dragon's legs.

Leo glanced up at me. "Did I just hear that right?"

"Knowing you, probably not."

He laughed, and I laughed, too. What a different side of people you see when they're doing something they love, I thought.

. . .

That evening at dinner, I found out that four more girls had gone home: Chloe Albright, Shannon Hanby, Sarah Gerald, and Morgana Andrews. Only twenty-five remaining.

Well, at least he won't have any trouble telling the Sarahs apart anymore.