Hazalen and I arrived to school the next day in our formal gowns. Not to forget Henry, who decided to wear his flashiest suit which almost blinded you in the light. Arms crossed with eachother, we stormed into Mettling High.

It seemed we had made a reputation of ourselves during the extended break. All eyes gave us second looks while we walked by, as if we were the King's guards of some sort.

"Smile and wave girls, smile and wave." Henry whispered to us, arriving to my homeroom.

"At this point I'm used to it," I replied, recalling the Blackberry ball. I figured out that walking down a grand staircase with hundreds of royals staring at you was quite harder than a school.

"Well some of us relish in it, so don't patronize me." Henry readjusted his reflective handkerchief. I blinked away, the light catching my eye at a certain angle.

"Henry you are going to hurt somebody." Hazalen laughed, the picnic basket in her hand shaking.

Oh- that's right.

We were having a back-to-school picnic with the crew this afternoon. Hazalen had to be nervous knowing that Landon was invited, and this was her best chance to break the ice. After finding out Landon's situation, Hazalen found sympathy for her lover. If that had happened to Damien I would've felt the exact same.

"Hey, sweetheart." Damien came up behind me, kissing my cheek while still grasping his back-pack straps. I immediately felt stares, quick glances in my direction- whispers already forming.

This was going to be a long day.

"What did you have for breakfast? My father called for a meeting, so I left before you woke up." He exclaimed, placing a relaxed hand around my waist.

I could tell his father had been pestering him more frequently, as if the Annual Targle Event exhausted him. The Bendlar Clan had been dealt with and he finally wanted to be done ruling Deltora. After loosing your soulmate, watching over a Kingdom must've been hard taking the weight alone.

Sometimes a warm bed was the best thing to turn to at the end of the day.

"Maria made me some of her 'gritz' and some toast. How about you?" We walked into homeroom, completely ignoring the stares.

"Don't let them have power over you, sweetheart."

"I was too full after last night," he purposefully coughed, shoving his face into his elbow. I shoved him playfully- he didn't move an inch and I bounced back into a desk. He laughed at me, giving a sultry wink.

Veronica and Isabelle sat in the corner of the room, eyeing us with distaste. Yet Isabelle didn't hold such hatred in her eyes as she did once before, glancing away to continue her gossip. Veronica held her stare at Damien, eyeing him like a piece of meat. She was obviously jealous that our relationship had matured.

I decided to sit on the desk, my legs open for Damien to stand in-between. I leaned up, placing a lingering kiss on his soft lips. He gave me a questioning stare, noticing my gaze at them.

"Are you worried about them?"

I actually laughed,"Worried? They are the most insignificant part of my life right now. I am glad they can see I will do as I please, with you by my side."

His hands drifted along my thighs dangerously,"I love how confident you have become. You used to not even be able to look in my direction, and look at us now."

"You bring out the best in me."

"I try." He smiled down at me, holding my eyes in a gaze. We couldn't look away from eachother, locked in our own world as conversion faded out.

My mother had once told me that if you were to fall in love with somebody- make sure you love their eyes. Appearances will change with age, but their eyes would always remain the same.

And gods dammit, I could get lost in his eyes forever.

"I love you," I grabbed his hand, kissing the back of it. He smiled bright at my simple words, squeezing my hand.

"More than words can explain." He replied, his voice raspy with emotion. It sent chills down my spine, and he felt them, chuckling at my body's response.

"Theatre is all a facade. It's about how good you can lie, yet using your emotions to make it seem real." Our drama teacher dabbled on, explaining how our class would be this semester. We were going to preform scenes from a dramatic play, having to memorize monologues and work with partners.

The whole crew was enrolled in this class, somehow working out well for lunch afterwards. Henry and Damien sat next to me, listening to his long lecture. Henry was fully engaged, but Damien was rolling his eyes at some statements.

"What's with the attitude?" I whispered to him, shoving his arm lightly.

His woodsy smell engulfed me as he leaned to my ear,"I hate acting, long speeches and presentations I can do- but acting is bullshit."

"Is Daruis of Deltora actually... bad at something?" I grasped onto my seat, flabbergasted.

He immediately responded,"I am not bad at acting, I just don't prefer it."

"You're bad at acting. Just admit it Da-"

"Sh!" Henry aggressively leaned over us, holding his finger to his mouth. Damien gave him a glare, pretending to wipe spit off his face.

So immature.

"I thought royals had the ability to persuade a crowd. Isn't it something to do with their blood?" I asked him more quietly. I was curious to find out if this was true, due to the fact I almost tempted Cole into letting me out of my chains.

"Yes, but acting is simply a script and memorized words. You must feel it in your heart- your own words- to persuade a person with the desire of your goal. I've done it many times before, but never able to do it on you." He glanced down at me, questioning,"How do you know about that?"

Shit... that's a royal secret isn't it?

"I read about it," shrugging nonchalantly, I hoped Henry would shush us again.

"Jack and Annalise! You will be partners for Act II scene four. This is when the lovers finally come together before the hero dies."

We both turn our heads to the teacher, interrupting our conversation. First, Damien glares at the teacher, then he glares at Jack. It was as if his glances swallowed up the room, everybody's eyes were on Damien's cutthroat reaction.

"What did I tell you. Bullshit." He whispered to me.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It seemed as if our partners lined up accordingly. Landon was paired with Carey, the liar of the school. Henry, Hazalen, and Damien were in a scene together- hunting for a lost beast. Then there was Jack and I, playing lovers as he died.

Damien was eyeing us closely as we read our script over, but I paid him no mind. Jack and I were just friends for the time being, and it was going to stay this way.

"Then it says here that we have to... kiss." Jack read it over.

"What? Where," I asked him curiously. He pointed to the script, where it indeed said we would kiss.

"We don't actually have to, do we?" I glanced at Damien whom was choking on his words. I held back a giggle, he truly was awful at acting. He was a smooth liar, great with pick-up lines, but he always hated following guidelines and did things his own way.

"Let's skip over it for now," Jack noticed my obvious smile in Damien's direction, ignoring it completely. We continued practicing our lines, memorizing the short scene for our presentation. It was only a page long, so we blocked out what our actions would be.

"First up on the stage we have Daruis-"

"Damien."

"Damien, Hazalen, and Henry! They are looking for the lost beast of Mount Hackobe," The teacher continued excitedly. I watched as Damien dragged himself to the stage, not caring to show he despised this class.

"My fair lady, I shall slay the lost beast so we can return to the castle. I am frightfully sorry it had killed your brother, but we shall avenge his death." Henry's voice boomed through the room, taking me by surprise.

His suit sparkled in the light, blinding me. I squinted to see Hazalen grasp onto his arm,"Oh, Fredrick! I would marry you for such acts. Henchmen, grab my coat," she snapped at Damien.

Damien handed her a coat,"As you wish, lady Rose." His voice was more high pitched than usual, and showed no emotion. His face was like a brick wall, and he stood out like a sore thumb on stage.

"Henchmen you forgot the bow!" Hazalen seemed as if she was trying to cover up for a line Damien missed. I started giggling, trying to block the sounds with my hand.

"Oh, right! The bow-" he acted as if he gave Henry an invisible bow. Henry 'snatched' it from him aggressively, staying completely in character.

Their scene continued like this: Damien showing no emotion, his voice cracking, Henry over-acting and Hazalen playing the damsel in distress. Before I knew it, it was Jack and I's turn to preform our scene.

"I have to tell you something, dear Fredrick." I grasped onto Jack's hand, and he pretended to cough in pain. He was laying against a chair as if the beast had just slain him.

"Anything for you, Rose my darling." Jack spoke roughly. He was quite a good actor, it seemed as if he was truly dying.

"I am bearing your child." I stated with remorse. I held back a grimace, not having to look over to see Damien's begrudging stare.

"Oh Rose-" Jack played with my hair, which he hadn't done when we were rehearsing. In this exact moment, I remembered this was the part he was supposed to kiss me. Yet instead of "skipping over it", Jack had other ideas.

I awkwardly pulled away as Jack's lips left mine, not liking the unfamiliar feeling. I was used to Damien's soft, plump lips, but had no time to think once I heard a chair slide in place.

"Oh hell no." Damien stood from his chair, arms crossed around his chest. He held a deathly glare toward Jack, walking toward us.

Well shit.