Adam and his friends stood in a semi-circle a few paces in front of me. I reached out a hand to tap Jake on the shoulder so they would know I was there.
"Where are we sitting?" Jake asked.
My hand dropped.
"Why don't you sit next to Kelis?" Adam suggested, though I didn't think he'd seen me.
"Why?" Jake sounded shocked his friend had even suggested it.
"She likes you. It might be nice for the two of you to spend some time together."
I was mortified. Why would Adam say such a thing?
Jake laughed, the booming sound filling the room and making more than a few people stop talking. "Why would I want to sit next to that kid?" he asked.
Pain lanced through my heart.
"She's my cousin," Adam warned him.
"That doesn't mean I'm going to fake interest in her," Jake snarled. "Besides, I’m with Lyss."
I stepped back, hitting someone and stumbling slightly. My clumsiness drew attention to me, and I was greeted by a horrified look from Adam and a scowl from Lyss.
"So sorry," I muttered to the person behind me, turning away so that none of the others saw the tears welling up in my eyes.
"It's alright," Topher's rumbling voice distracted me for a moment. "Why don't we go take a seat?" he suggested.
I wanted to tell him no, that I already had a plan, but Jake's words still rang in my ears.
Instead of running back to my room like I wanted to, I nodded once. "That would be nice. My chair's at the top of the hall. You can take the one next to me if you'd like." It was an offer most of the court would fight over.
"That'd be great." His smile reached his eyes. I looked him up and down, paying more attention to him than before. Which was how I noticed that he had a dark material lining the inside of his suit jacket, and his wand holster was similarly black. Maybe he could be the friend I so desperately needed.
"Unless you want to sit with your friends, I understand if you don't want to..."
"No need, I'd be honored to sit next to you, Princess." He shot a glance at Jake that was almost impossible to decipher. Was he just doing this because he'd heard what Jake had said about me and wanted to be nice?
Did I care?
I shook my head. I was being given a gracious way to exit the situation, and I was going to take it.
"I'll show you to our seats. But no one calls me Princess in the palace. Just Kelis is fine."
"I'll take that into account Just Kelis." He smirked.
I didn't wait for the others to say anything. I just led Topher up to the top of the banquet hall, gesturing to the chair next to mine.
"There's an unspoken advantage of sitting here too," I said to him.
"That you can always see when someone spills on themselves?" The amusement was impossible to miss in his voice, and I found myself relaxing and starting to forget the nastiness in Jake's voice as he'd spoken.
I chuckled. "Oh, better than that. We get the first choice of all the dishes they send up from the kitchen. After my parents, of course."
"That does sound good," he admitted. "Which ones are your favorites?"
I thought about it for a moment. "It depends on the day, but I'll tell you what's good and what isn't," I promised.
Before Topher could answer, trumpets sounded. Chatter throughout the room died off as Mother and Father walked in, their heads held high despite the heavy crowns placed on top of them. Their white cloaks trailed along the floor, glittering with tiny crystals that caught the light of the candles as they walked.
They were a vision. No one would ever doubt that they were the ruling royals.
People bowed and curtsied to them as they made their way up to the two thrones next to me.
"You look beautiful, Kelis," Mother said once they reached me.
"Thank you. So do you." She always did. The mirror wasn't lying when it sang her praises. She had the kind of beauty that was impossible to ignore. And no one ever did.
Once they were seated, servants began to stream in with various dishes piled high. They'd bring them straight to my parents, who would gesture to tell them which of the dishes they wanted. After them, they'd turn to me and Topher.
"Not that one," I warned him as he asked for a soup made out of fish heads. I'd always found that dish to be wholly unappetizing even if Father loved it.
"Is it not good?"
"Not unless you particularly like fish eyeballs," I told him. "But you do want some of that bread." I gestured for the server with a basket of baked perfection.
"What's in it?" Topher asked as a roll was placed on his side plate.
"Some nuts and some kind of spice. It's delicious, especially when it's freshly baked." I picked up my own roll and broke it in half. The inside still steamed from the warmth of the oven.
No one paid us any attention as the banquet progressed. My gaze slipped to where Jake and the others sat. Just like the rest of the people in the room, they weren't paying any attention to me and Topher. Jake had his arm slung around the blonde girl. Lyss laughed and popped a strawberry in his mouth.
Jealousy bubbled up inside me at the sight. She was perfectly perfect with her long blonde hair and white gown giving her the appearance of an angel, albeit with a face that was a touch too angular.
"You really like him, don't you?" Topher asked.
"Sorry, what?" I turned to face him.
He frowned. "Never mind. Are you looking forward to the Fright Festival?" he said instead.
I studied him. His intelligence was a little intimidating in some ways. He'd already been able to see through my emotions.
"Yes. It's going to be
