I spent my days dancing in the mini ballroom with Fidel, Eldora, and Tony. It was fun hanging out with them. It was like we were a group of friends in highschool joking around and laughing at each other's mistakes.

One time, Tony and Fidel were partners to entertain us. Eldora and I sat down on the floor and laughed out loud. Tony didn't want to be the girl but he lost rock paper scissors. But I must say, he acted pretty well as a girl. Fidel had a few tricks up his sleeve and suddenly put his arms on his torso and tried to lift him up, but he couldn't carry Tony and ended up on the floor. Eldora and I laughed so hard that we couldn't care less about their pain. They sat up by themselves and laughed along with us.

Another instance was when Eldora made me do a grand jete and Fidel had the idea to copy me. When he leaped, his pants ripped and he ended up clutching his private part while complaining that it hurt too much. I laughed too much that I didn't notice Tony sneaking up behind me. He put me on his shoulder and I remember complaining a lot of times. I pounded on his back and tried to wriggle out of his grasp but he was too strong. Eldora laughed at both me and his brother. Tony headed to the part where there was a trash bin where we put our garbage from our snacks.

"No!" I exclaimed.

I knew he was going to throw me in the trash so I kept kicking and harming him. He laughed at my pathetic attempts. Eldora got a camera and filmed us. Fidel got up from the ground to watch.

How can I escape this? Think, Haidee.

Then I thought of a plan. We were nearing the bin and when my feet touched the lid of the trash bin, I did a lame back flip that almost got me killed if I didn't land on my feet. I caught him by surprise and I took the chance. I opened the lid pushed him inside. Eldora and Fidel bursted into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

I smirked at him, "Your plan back-fired."

He grumbled, "Since when did you know how to do a back flip?"

I shrugged, "About ten seconds ago."

Another fun experience was when Eldora lost a game we were playing and was told to sing. Fidel was the one who said it. Tony laughed when he heard it. Eldora glared at him and mumbled a curse. I looked confused.

"Why?" I asked, "Why are you laughing?"

"You'll see," Fidel said with an amused expression, "Sing Dive."

Eldora sighed and nodded. Before singing, she turned to me and said in a serious voice, "Haidee, if you still want to hear things, cover your ears. It's for your own good."

My eyebrows furrowed and I tried to ask why but she ignored me. She took a deep breath and sang in a startling voice.

"So don't call me baby," She sang and I tried not to cover my ears, "Unless you mean it."

Fidel already had his hands over his ears. Tony just laughed at Eldora's voice. I didn't want to describe her voice as horrible, but that's what I thought it was.

"Don't tell me you need me," She continued in an off-tune melody, "If you don't believe it."

Fidel was signalling me to cover my ears but I refused. It seemed impolite to do so.

"So let me know the truth," She sang, "Before I dive right into you."

I never knew she had a (sorry) terrible voice, I thought princesses were good at everything. But that was the way they made us think.

The day of the ball was approaching and I haven't seen Claire or Louise since the day it was announced. Thankfully, the rebels haven't made any move to oppose us so far. But I get the feeling that they were planning something sinister. Gabriel is smart, he wouldn't act rashly. If he had a plan, he'd make sure it works and that's why I've been dreading the day when he strikes again.

Right now, I'm sipping a cup of tea with Eldora. Fidel and Tony were out and I didn't know what they were doing. They were probably hanging out with the Elite. Just thinking about it made my heart feel like it was pinched.

"So," Eldora began and looked at me with her fierce gray eyes, "I haven't asked you this question in seven days."

I nodded as a motion for her to continue. I placed the cup down and waited for her question.

"Tell me what you think of the Elite."

I gazed up on the ceiling and thought carefully of what to say, "Well, who do you want me to start with?"

She hummed, "Hmm . . . Let's start with that shy girl."

"Louise?" I asked to which she nodded, "She's--"

"Oh, and by the way, tell me what you like and hate about them." She added.

My eyebrows furrowed, "Hate? I don't know. Let me start with good points first. Louise is a very nice girl. She's proper and she acts like a lady, but she can also act like a kid sometimes," I smiled, "I remember the time when she chased me just to see my painting."

She raised her eyebrow, "You can paint?"

I shrugged, "That painting was made out of anger and pity. Anyway, Louise is an artistic girl. She loves to paint. She's somehow like a fragile piece of glass. One time, she said thatㅡ" I hesitated, "That Tony kissed her. I believed it. She wouldn't lie about anything. Then, another elite told her that she wasn't special and that she had the first kiss. Louise looked like she was about to cry so I asked the girl when he kissed her. That girl said that she was kissed on the day after The Report but I knew it was a lie. We were with him that time. That girl didn't believe it and kept saying that the two of them were together. Celestiana entered the room and then a series of insults came from her mouth and that girl shut up."

Eldora smiled, "I'm guessing you got the first kiss?"

Heat rose to my cheeks, "How are you sure?"

Her grin spread wider, "Well, honey. Anybody would have you as their first guess."

"It's complicated, really. The thing is, he kissed me when he thought I was asleep so he thought that I didn't know. I've kept it from him until now."

She chuckled, "Oh, Zeke." She shook her head, "Still a coward. Now for the bad traits."

I frowned when I thought about a bad side to Louise, "I honestly don't know. I don't think she has one."

Eldora rolled her eyes, "Hon, everyone has a bad side."

"If that's so, I haven't seen it." I replied.

"Alright then," Eldora conceded, "Now that other girl who has white skin."

I chuckled at the name, "White? I guess you're right about that. Claire is nice . . . in a way. She's strong and she's stubborn. She will trample her enemies down and it would be bad to be her enemy. She's harsh and she curses but she has a good heart and strong mind. She's smart and she's a great dancer. She can also sing. She'd break the rules if she can." I smiled, "She cares about her friends and the people she loves."

Eldora took a sip of her tea, "You seem to be fond of her."

"Yeah, she's my best friend." I replied, "You could say I'm biased but I think I made more compliments for Louise than Claire." I shrugged, "I even told you her bad sides."

She smiled, "Ah, friends. I can relate, you know? When you talk about people who aren't your friends, you'd be really nice but when you talk about the people closest to you, you won't even hesitate to say what they're bad at."

I chuckled, "I agree."

Eldora glanced at the wall clock and frowned, "Where are those two? It's almost 2 pm. We need to assemble at the gardens by three."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why? I wasn't informed of anything about going to the gardens."

She put her cup down and looked at me, "That's because you aren't invited."

There was a little pang of hurt in my heart but I concealed it and asked, "Why?"

She smiled, "It's a secret." I frowned to which she chuckled at, "But what I can say is that the meeting is for royals only."

I nodded, "Alright. So I guess it would only be you, Fidel, and Tony."

Her grin turned into a smile of mischief, "Totally."

I sipped my tea again, "If the meeting is at three, why do you need to meet at two?"

"We have to do a last rehearsal for today. Then I need to get out of this icky sweaty shirt and change into a gown. Then I need to put on make-up. After I get my make-up done, I need toㅡ"

"Alright, alright. I get your point." I said with a smile.

She grinned then glanced at the door, "And here comes the tardy."

Just then, the door opened showing Tony and Fidel. Fidel was patting Tony's back with a smile. Tony showes him a smile as if they've accomplished something.

"Where have you been?" I asked them.

Fidel glanced at Tony then smiled at me, "We just talked."

Eldora rolled her eyes, "Right. Now let's have the last practice. I'm a busy woman. Time is gold, people. Chop chop." She said and clapped her hands twice for effect.

I rose from my seat and approached them, "Who should I partner up with?"

"I'm your partner now," Fidel stated then glanced at Tony with a smirk, "At least . . . for today."

Here's the thing, we always switch partners in practices. I don't know why but they insisted that I should only partner up with Tony for a few times. I've only danced with him for two times.

"Alright then. Let's go, Mr. Future King." Eldora said and grabbed Tony.

"You do know that that title can apply to both me and your brother, right?" Tony said and went into position.

Eldora rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Now shut up, smarty pants."

I smiled, "Let's start now."

I don't have a clear answer if I'll be dancing this at the ball with Eldora and the others because they kept ignoring the question. Eventually, I got tired of asking and just braced myself of what was to come.

Like what they told me, the dance was hard. It sort of struck me as formal. Like a dance for royalty. But of course, why would they teach me a dance like that?

I danced with as much grace I could muster. It was tough trying not to be outshined by royals. You'd need to do a lot of effort to look like you belong. And being myself, I wanted to feel like I fit in. Eldora and Fidel were great companies but you'd still be intimidated. You'd feel like you want to prove your worth.

We danced along the music. Fidel often complimented me on my dancing skills but of course I told him it was nothing. Sometimes, he'd point out my mistakes and correct me. He makes sure that he sounds polite when he tells me my mistakes and I appreciated it.

I was controlling my breathing when we were done. My head was down when I finished with a deep curtsy. I puffed out a breath and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I don't get sweaty easily but this dance was so complex, it made me excrete a little. My sweat had lessened since the first dayI tried the dance. It could only mean that I was improving. But I worried. The ball was due in two days and I still made mistakes. What if I made a total fool out of myself?

Eldora clapped her hands, "Great job, Haidee! You're getting better and better. Of course, not better than me, but better!"

I smiled gratefully, "Thanks."

"Look at the time! I have to leave now. I'll see you at dinner!" Eldora said and ran off.

Fidel rolled his eyes, "She thinks she's so much better than all of us." He sighed and smiled apologetically at me, "Don't mind her. Now I need to change. Farewell."

I nodded and waved goodbye. I turned to Tony who was just staring at me. I raised an eyebrow and that seemed to snap him back to reality.

"What are you going to do without us?" He asked.

I shrugged, "I'll probably practice."

He frowned, "You should rest."

I leaned back on the mirror wall and leaned on the railing, "I don't know if I can. I don't want to look like a dumb girl dancing infront of everyone."

"But you're a great dancer," He retorted, "Everyone knows you are."

"That's the point. Everyone thinks I'm a great dancer and I'm afraid to disappoint them." I replied.

"You won't disappoint them, Dee. And if they would, they can't." He said.

I raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Why?"

He smirked, "It's a surprise."

I rolled my eyes but a smile played on my lips, "Whatever. Now you should go change. I can smell your stench from here." I said and fanned the air.

He rolled his eyes, "Right." He turned around so his back is facing me, "You should really rest, Dee. It won't be good for your health if you keep on pushing yourself." Then he walked out.

I sighed and approached the music player. I played it and waited for the song to start, "Alright, Haidee. Time to practice."