Once An Eve Novel

to me, the smell of smoke as real as it had been hours before. We were supposed to be out of the tunnel by now, moving through the abandoned neighborhood, our packs full of supplies. I took another step, then another, all the should-haves presenting themselves before me, one after the other. We were supposed to be leaving the City, going away from the wall and the soldiers and the Palace, moving east as the sun made its slow arc across the sky, finally warming our backs. We were supposed to be arriving at the first stop on the Trail.
    We were supposed to be together.
    But instead I was here, more alone than I’d ever been, the diamond tiara heavy on my head. The King paused in front of the altar and lifted the veil for a moment. He gazed at me, playing the role of the loving father, the camera flashing, freezing us forever in this terrible place. He pressed his thin lips against my cheek and let the veil fall back over my face.
    Then—finally—he was gone. I stepped up the three short stairs and took my place beside Charles. The music stopped, the people were silent. I focused on my breathing, the only reminder that I was still alive. I steadied my hands, remembering Moss’s words.
    The ceremony was about to begin.

acknowledgments
     
    A BIG HUG AND THANK-YOU TO ALL WHO MAKE THIS SERIES possible: funny man Josh Bank, for general awesomeness; Sara Shandler, for her spontaneous “I love Eve” emails, which are so supportive they make me want to dance; Joelle Hobeika, editor extraordinaire, for being able to talk character development and reality television with equal enthusiasm. To Farrin Jacobs, for all those aha! notes. And to Sarah Landis, the all-knowing “third eye,” for seeing the things that we’ve missed (and then some).
    To the sharp women who promote these books as if they were their own: Marisa Russell, for blog tours and retweets and signings; Deb Shapiro, for being the first to be All About Eve. To Kate Lee, my Twitter bestie, for all her good work and guidance. And to Kristin Marang, for her time and love spent on all things digital. That two-hour “conversation” was magical.
    Much love and thanks to all of my friends, in so many cities, who offered everything from flash mobs to cocktail parties just to celebrate this series’ release. Special thanks to those who’ve kept me afloat during this process: Helen Rubenstein and Aaron Kandell, who read early drafts of this book; Ali and Ally (the aptly named Allies) for understanding. To Anna Gilbert, Lanie Davis, and Katie Sise—my long-distance girlfriends—for talking it out; Lauren Morphew, right back at you. And to T.W.F., for making LA feel like home.
    As always, endless gratitude to my brother, Kevin, and my parents, Tom and Elaine, for loving me first and best.

credits
     
    Cover design by Elizabeth H. Clark
    Cover art by Steve Stone
     

copyright
     
    “Monster Mash” by Leonard L. Capizzi, Bobby Pickett (Capizzi Music Co., Chrysallis One Songs LLC, House of Paxton Music Press). All rights reserved.
    Once
    Copyright © 2012 by Alloy Entertainment and Anna Carey
    All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
    Carey, Anna.
    Once / by Anna Carey.—1st ed.
    p.  cm.
    Sequel to: Eve.
    Summary: “In the second book of this dystopian adventure, Eve will come face to face with the king who has been ruthlessly hunting her—and learn shocking truth about who she really is”—Provided by publisher.
    ISBN 978-0-06-204854-7 (trade)—ISBN 978-0-06-221644-1 (int’l ed.)
    EPub Edition © MAY 2012 ISBN 9780062048561
    [1. Kings, queens, rulers, etc.—Fiction. 2. Identity—Fiction. 3. Love—Fiction. 4. Science fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.C21On    2012
2012004294
[Fic]—dc23
CIP