THE PUPPET MASTER

Chapter Four

~Jared~

The guilt was eating me alive.

Every time Jaxon would flash those puppy dog eyes at me, I felt another wave of remorse for being so harsh on him.

I constantly had to remind myself that this wasn't his fault, and he didn't deserve my bitterness. We were both victims in this mess.

But that didn't stop me from ranting to him about decorum and inappropriate behavior after he whistled at Arabella Livinely on the Report.

Granted, it was not professional behavior. But he didn't deserve me going off at him like I did. I regretted it the moment I walked away, and it has been nagging at me ever since.

I honestly doubt that he's still even thinking about it, but it keeps eating at me. Why did I have to be so harsh on him? But my foolish pride kept me from apologizing, so here we are. Still not speaking and feeling incredibly uncomfortable whenever we're in the same vicinity.

I know it will need to change soon. The selected arrived yesterday, and their makeovers and send offs were featured on the Report. However, Jaxon and I were about to meet them for the interviews, and in order for Lillian's brilliant plan to work, we had to collaborate.

I was already second guessing this whole ordeal. How were we supposed to share 35 girls? What if we both fell in love with the same one? We definitely didn't need anything more to argue about.

Lady Emory Beckett seemed to light up the room with her cheery smile and bright composure. Her flowered dress and blonde hair contributed to her cute, optimistic look.

"Lady Emory," Jaxon smiled at her, gently kissing her hand and guiding her toward the seat. She cast me a confused glance as he kept a comforting hand on her back.

"It's very brave of you to come here, and before we get started, and I would like you to know that I really admire you and your bravery," Jaxon said, mouthing the word 'blind' to me very obviously.

I cringed. Mental facepalm.

"I appreciate that. Being deaf is a challenge that is rather difficult to overcome," Emory spoke, her voice slightly off kilter. Her words hit their mark and Jaxon blushed beat red.

I was almost dying from second hand embarrassment, but it was rather amusing to watch Jaxon attempt to hastily recover.

"Um, of course. Deaf. It must have taken a lot of work, to learn to read lips. Because you can see our lips very well, can't you?" He spoke very quickly, obviously piecing together that she had seen him conveying to me that he thought she was blind.

I jumped in before Emory could respond, not wanting to see Jaxon make an even bigger fool out of himself.

"Lady Emory, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have some questions to ask you that will help us get to know you better. You have three minutes to answer. Just say the first thing that comes to mind, alright?" I explained the process as best I could, hoping she would understand.

"Okay!" Her cheerful disposition brought a smile to my face, even as I pulled out the first index card. "Fruits or vegetables?"

"Fruits," her answer came quickly, with no sign of hesitation. "I love mango, kiwi, oranges, and mellons. They're probably my favorite foods," she gushed.

"Really? I love oranges! They're my favorite food too!" I blurted, unable to maintain a professional decorum. I was just really passionate about oranges.

"You can't go wrong with fruits," Emory giggled.

"I agree," Jaxon piped in. "Besides, no one likes vegetables. Brussel sprouts? Ugh! I mean, they're just so green and salty and…" Jaxon trailed off awkwardly, blushing under our gazes. "Um, nevermind. Next question!"

He quickly reached for the next index card of the stack, reading it rapidly.

"Fiction or non-fiction?"

"Fiction! I love to read, fantasy and historical fiction are probably my favorite genres. I would read all day if I could," she replied without missing a beat.

Jaxon jumped in, seeming eager to have something to contribute.

"Did you know I once read a 400 page book in one day? Granted, it was because my best friend made me read it -" I noticed his eyes dart toward the back of the room where the rest of the selected sat patiently - "but it was a really good book, and it was old English, so it was hard to read too!" Jaxon declared pridefully, inciting a giggle from Emory.

"Really? What book was it?"

"Jane Eyre. Good book. Four hundred and eighteen pages of greatness, that book, and I read it all in one day. Impressive, right?"

"Very! I loved Jane Eyre! It's one of my favorites, actually. I'm glad that you've read it," she said, smiling fondly at the idiot, who was grinning like a fool.

I cleared my throat, anxious to participate.

"We don't have much time left, so we should probably move to the next question." I shuffled through the cards quickly, skipping past the one that asked if she preferred Dora or Elmo. "Email or letter?"

Again, she answered very quickly with confidence.

"Letter. Handwritten letters are just so much more meaningful, you know? I've always thought it's so romantic when people write to each other. It'd just be so incredible to receive a long, thoughtful, handwritten letter," she gushed.

I smiled fondly at her.

"I'm afraid that we're out of time, but I completely agree. Letters just show how much time and energy someone invests in you," I commented, causing her to beam at me.

"It was really nice meeting both of you," she curtsied before gracefully bouncing back to her seat.

"She's energetic, isn't she?" remarked Jaxon. "I like her." Though I didn't want to admit, I actually agreed with him. Emory was such a sweet girl that you couldn't help but like her.

"I can't believe you thought she was blind," I moaned, laughing when Jaxon's cheeks flamed.

"Shut up," he muttered, avoiding my eyes. I chuckled, clearing my throat as I looked at the next name on the list.

"Lady Constance Fabre," I called.

A gorgeous brunette with the figure of a model approached us with a bright smile.

"Lady Constance," I gestured toward the empty seat, which she lowered herself to after curtseying.

"Your Highnesses," she addressed us respectfully, her sweet sounding accent giving away her French descent.

"So, Constance, we have three minutes together, and during that time, we're going to ask you a series of this or that questions that will allow us to get to know you better. Sound fun?" Jaxon explained the rules eagerly, grabbing an index card as soon as Constance nodded.

"Cats or dogs?"

"Cats," Constance answered immediately without hesitation. "I mean, I don't mind dogs, but I've always wanted a cat," she sighed dreamily.

I could almost hear Jaxon's ears perk up and sighed as he began an animated conversation of her about cats.

"Really? I love cats! I have three of them, actually: Buttercup, Chocolate Milk, and Anastasia," he gushed. They're my favorite things in the world! I brought them all here, of course, so I'll have to introduce you to them!"

"That'd be so great! I'd also like to hear the stories of how you named the cats. Real creative," Constance teased him.

"Oh, don't make fun! Buttercup and Chocolate Milk are very meaningful names, I'll have you know," he said, pointing a threatening finger at her. "And Anastasia is my favorite princess movie. It's incredible!"

"You're not wrong about that," Constance admitted playfully.

"Jaxon's cats are great," I interjected, "but we should move on to the next question." I was amused by their banter and felt bad interrupting, but we were almost out of time already.

"Coffee or tea?"

Again, she answered without a pause. "Tea, definitely. Coffee isn't bad, but one of my favorite things to do is snuggle in a blanket and read a good book with a hot cup of tea." I couldn't help but smile at this adorably cheerful girl with a cute accent.

"I completely agree. Tea is my go to drink when I need to relax," I added, forcing myself to look cool and not do a little dance when Constance beamed at me.

"It's been lovely meeting you, Lady Constance, but I'm afraid our time is up," Jaxon spoke mournfully. "I hope to see you soon!"

"I'll have to take you up on that offer to introduce me to your cats," Constance teased, curtseying to each of us. "It was a pleasure to meet you both."

Jaxon and I exchanged looks as she walked away.

"We're keeping her," he said decisively as I nodded along.

"Lady Chelsea Della Rovere." Jaxon's eyes shot to mine, and I answered the unspoken question shining in his eyes. "Yes, this one's blind. But don't treat her any differently, okay?" He nodded obediently, but I could already see his mind wandering.

Lady Chelsea was very pretty, with pale skin, light blonde hair, and delicate features, but her looks seemed to be the last of Jaxon's concerns.

Leading Chelsea toward the sofa was a friendly looking golden retriever. Jaxon's eyes grew as wide as saucers and he looked at the me, the dog, and back at me again.

"It's a dog!" He mouthed energetically, waving his hands around like a little girl. I rolled my eyes and resisted burying my face in my hands.

As Chelsea approached, Jaxon cleared his throat, speaking clearly and tentatively.

"May I… pet your dog?" I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping Chelsea wouldn't notice that the Prince of Illea hadn't asked who she was and had instead skipped right to her dog.

However, she nodded, a hint of bewilderment displayed on her face.

"His name is Domino," she said, a bit indignantly.

"Lady Chelsea," I addressed her, throwing Jaxon a pointed look as he sat on the ground with the dog.

"Prince Jared, Prince Jaxon," she said with a small curtsey. Thankfully, she seemed to find Jaxon's playfulness and immaturity endearing, so I resisted reprimanding him.

"Lady Chelsea, it's wonderful to have you here, but we only have three minutes to get to know you, so in that time, we're going to ask you as many this or that questions to get to know you better as we can. Does that sound okay?" Jaxon asked hesitantly, obviously nervous that he would say something wrong.

"Of course." She folded her hands on her lap and leaned forward slightly, eager to begin.

"So. Our first question is… chocolate or vanilla?"

"Chocolate. I'd kill for dark chocolate," she answered confidently.

"Dark chocolate is the best food to ever be invented," I agreed quickly. "I'll have to bring you to the palace kitchen sometime, they make the best chocolate; I'd probably be willing to murder to get my hands on a piece of that."

"Oh, I like the sound of that," Chelsea laughed.

"Next question: Studying or partying?"

"Studying."

"Edgy or girly?"

"Girly."

"Dresses or skirts?"

"Probably… skirts." We shot questions at her and she answered rapidly and without elaboration, almost as though she was in a race.

Jaxon drew the next card but faltered halfway through his sentence.

"Black and white or…" he looked up at me with terrified, pleading eyes before showing me the card that read 'black and white or color.'

"Or?" Chelsea prompted, clearly growing impatient. I shrugged at Jaxon helplessly, slightly amused by his comic desperation. He gulped, shot me one more pleading look, before giving her an answer.

"Um, the card has a spot on it… I can't read it! I think it's water! Moving on…" he coughed awkwardly, but Chelsea seemed determined to answer the question.

"Just take a guess," she suggested. "Black and white or…?"

"Black and white or color?" Jaxon flinched at Chelsea's cold look. "I'm sorry, that's a really inconsiderate question, considering that you're… I really didn't mean to offend you!" he stuttered.

"You don't need to worry about offending me. I know I'm blind, you can say it out loud like a mature adult," she responded cooly. I bit back a snicker as Jaxon's cheeks flamed.

"I'm sorry!" He squeaked nervously.

"Color."

"What?"

"The answer. It'd be color," Chelsea stated. I smiled to myself. I liked this girl.

"Lady Chelsea, it was lovely meeting you, but our three minutes are nearly up," I imposed.

"Of course. I just have one quick request: may I feel out each of your faces so I can get a good idea of what you look like?" Though we were both bewildered by her demand, we immediately agreed and paused awkwardly as her delicate hands roamed our faces.

After a moment, she stepped back and pointed to Jaxon.

"You have cheekbones for days, and you-" she swiveled around to point at me - "have a jawline that could cut. You both seem to be really good looking," she stated matter-o-factly before walking back to her seat, led by her seeing eye dog.

I almost had to stuff my fist in my mouth to stop myself from laughing, but Jaxon wasn't having the same success. He was laughing loudly, though his ears were turning progressively pinker. After exchanging an amused glance with him, we called the next girl up.

After an exhausting amount of conversation, we had spoken to every one of the girls. However, agreeing on one to eliminate was a more difficult problem. We argued back and forth on several girls, and ended up agreeing on 2 to eliminate. However, Maddison Bailey, an obnoxious three who had food stuck in her teeth and spent most of the meeting picking, was a unanimous decision.

After a grueling day of being social and meeting girls, I was ready to crash. But as I drifted to sleep, clearing everyone from the day from my mind, there was one girl in particular whose face I couldn't seem to forget.

heyyyy! okay, before you say anything, just know that i hate myself more than you hate me. i'm a terrible person. i suck. i know, im very difficult to work with, considering that i havent updated in months, and i know many of you are very frustrated, but i promise im getting better. thanks so much for those of you who are sticking with me. christmas break is next week, so ill have so much more time and will start getting ahead on the chapters. im super sorry for making yall wait so much, but i promise i havent given up on the story! i have plans for it and definitely plan on sticking with it for a long time. i dont deserve reviews, and yet im gona ask for them anyway. please review! i know it doesnt seem like it, but they really do give me motivation to continue writing.

also, i know this chapter was kinda awkward and ended really abruptly, but i really wanted to post it and ive been having terrible writers block, so i figured better late and sucky than never. anyway, i love yall for sticking with me and i apologize again!

-lexi