“This is our war paint,” Mattie said, patient as ever as she gave me quick lessons on each piece. “You need it to hide the secrets and darkness.”
Not ominous at all.
Still, by the time she was done, I barely recognized myself. She’d gone dark and mysterious, with touches of green and gold eyeshadow that turned the blue of my eyes almost aqua. My cheekbones stood out with contouring and pink on the apple, and my lips were a dark velvety red.
“I think I need to change,” I said, gesturing to my jeans and band shirt combo. “I’m a little underdressed for how fancy my face is.”
Mattie gasped. “Don’t you dare. It’s so your style, and I think it’s like rock-chick glam. You look hot as fuck.”
Heat lanced through my cheeks; I wasn’t used to compliments. Everybody was too busy surviving back home to throw away careless praise over something like looks. Now, if I’d managed to invent an object that would make money or that could be traded for goods, then I’d have gotten all kinds of accolades. But looking hot… Nope.
“Thanks,” I finally said, feeling a little choked up. “I honestly didn’t expect to make any friends at Arbon,” I told her, wondering if I was screwing myself by spilling my fears. “I expected you’d all be snobby assholes and I’d spend the next four years hiding away, studying. Hopefully staying off everyone’s radar.”
Mattie snorted. “Girl, you’ve been here for five minutes, and I can already tell you’re going to be trouble.” Her expression sobered. “But your first instincts about this place were pretty accurate. There’s a lot going on that you don’t know about, and I hope you never find out. Don’t trust anyone, not at face value.”
I stared down at my nails. They were painted a dark purple, and I pretended to be extra fascinated by them. “Not even you?” I asked casually.
I couldn’t see her face, but I was sure she was staring at me just as hard as I watched those glittery fingertips. “I’ll let you be the judge of that,” she finally said. “I’m a good test run for this world. You need to learn fast, or you’ll be swept away.”
Before I could respond to that delightful truth, there was another knock on the door, this one heavier and more commanding than Mattie’s had been. My gaze flew up, meeting her challenging stare.
"Ready to jump in the deep end, new girl?" She cocked her head to the side, ignoring the second knock on my door and waiting for my answer. "Whether you sink or swim just depends on you."
I quirked a smile at her odd wisdom, but gave a short nod. Despite the butterflies in my belly because Alex—PrinceAlex—was at my door, I had a good sense about Mattie. And she was right, I didn't want to get mixed up with royals. Notthatway. I was getting an Arbon Academy degree, then getting the fuck out of the Switzerlands.Unmarried.
The knock came again, and Mattie stood up from my bed. "I got it."
Before I could object, she threw the door open and blocked the way with her body—tiny though it was.
"Mattie," a deep voice said, sounding surprised. "What are you—?"
"Violet changed her mind," she cut him off, and panic surged through me. What the fuck was she saying? That sounded so rude. She was going to piss off a crown prince on my first damn day. Not to mention Alex was nice, and so stinking hot, and... and...
...and a royal. A crown prince of one of the world’s super powers.
"Bullshit," Alex replied, calling Mattie's bluff. "Is she in there? Let me talk to her."
Mattie propped a manicured hand up on the door frame, making her point crystal clear. He wasn't coming into my room. "Why? So you can bat those baby blues at her and turn up the charm? Don't forget how well I know you, Alex." There seemed to be an underlying threat to her words, something that made me a little uneasy. But then again, maybe that was exhaustion and culture shock making me paranoid.
There was a pause, like they were having a staring competition or something, then Alex chuckled.
"Alright, Mattie. You win this round. But you can't run interference forever."
From where I sat, I couldn't see Alex. But I could see the side of Mattie's face, and I was startled to see her glare harden with something that looked damn near like hate. Or fear.
"Pick someone else, Alex. Violet doesn't want to get involved with royal drama."
Alex laughed again. "We'll see." There was a short pause. "You're looking good, Mattie. Guess I'll be seeing you at Drake's party."
Mattie didn’t reply, she just stepped back into my room and slammed the door in Alex's face. I thought. Unless he'd already walked away.
"What the fuck was that about?" I questioned when she turned back to me, her hands propped on her hips.
She shook her head, a small frown line creasing her brow. "Nothing," she said. "I've just held a grudge since he cut all the hair off my dolls when I was seven."
Liar. I could see the lie in her face.
"Okay," I replied, not pressing her for the real answer. It was obvious there was more going on, but I didn't want to rock the boat so early. Maybe she'd tell me when she knew me better. "So, are we still going to this party?"
