The Elite (Selection)

conversation to go either. Maybe I should leave.” I could hear in his voice that he wanted me to ask him to stay, to tell him this was all going to work itself out.
    “I think you should,” I whispered.
    He shook his head, irritated, and stood. “Fine.” He walked across the room in quick, angry strides. “I’ll just go see what Kriss is doing.”

CHAPTER 26
    I WENT DOWN FOR BREAKFAST on the late side. I didn’t want to risk running into Maxon or any of the girls alone. Before I made it to the stairs, Aspen came walking up the hall. I made an exasperated sound, and he looked around before approaching me.
    “Where have you been?” I quietly demanded.
    “Working, Mer. I’m a guard. I can’t control when and where they schedule me. I’ve stopped being placed on the round for your room.”
    I wanted to ask why, but this wasn’t the time. “I need to talk to you.”
    He thought for a moment. “At two, go to the end of the first-floor hallway, down past the hospital wing. I can be there, but not for long.” I nodded. He gave me a quick bow and went on his way before anyone noticed our conversation, and I continued downstairs, not feeling satisfied at all.
    I wanted to scream. Saturday being a day-long sentence to the Women’s Room was really unfair. When people came to visit, they wanted to see the queen, not us. When one of us was princess, that would probably change, but for now I was stuck watching Kriss pour over her presentation again. The others were reading things, too, notes or reports, and I felt sick to my stomach. I needed an idea and fast. I was sure Aspen would help me figure this out, and I had to start something tonight no matter what.
    As if she could read my thoughts, Silvia, who had been visiting with the queen, stopped by to see me.
    “How’s my star pupil?” she asked, keeping her voice low enough that the others wouldn’t notice.
    “Great.”
    “How is your project going? Do you need any help fine-tuning?” she offered.
    Fine-tuning? How was I supposed to tweak nothing ?
    “It’s going great. You’re going to love it, I’m sure,” I lied.
    She cocked her head to the side. “Being a bit secretive are we?”
    “A bit.” I smiled.
    “That’s fine. You’ve been doing wonderful work lately. I’m sure it’ll be fantastic.” Silvia patted my shoulder as she headed out of the room.
    I was in so much trouble.
    The minutes passed so slowly that it was like a special kind of torture. Just before two I excused myself and went down the hallway. At the very end, there was a burgundy upholstered couch underneath a massive window. I sat to wait. I didn’t see a clock, but the minutes passed too slowly for comfort. Finally Aspen came around a corner.
    “About time.” I sighed.
    “What’s wrong?” he asked, standing by the couch, looking official.
    So much, I thought. So many things I can’t talk to you about.
    “We have this assignment, and I don’t know what to do. I can’t think of anything, and I’m stressed, and I can’t sleep,” I said spastically.
    He chuckled. “What’s the assignment? Tiara designing?”
    “No,” I said, shooting him a frustrated glare. “We have to come up with a project, something good for the country. Like Queen Amberly’s work with the disabled.”
    “This is what you’ve been worked up about?” he asked, shaking his head. “How is that stressful? That sounds like fun.”
    “I thought it would be, too. But I can’t come up with anything. What would you do?”
    Aspen thought for a moment. “I know! You should do a caste exchange program,” he said, his eyes glittering with excitement.
    “A what?”
    “A caste exchange program. People from the upper castes switch places with people from the lower castes so they can know what it feels like to walk in our shoes.”
    “I don’t think that would work, Aspen, at least not for this project.”
    “It’s a great idea,” he insisted. “Can you imagine someone like Celeste breaking her nails stocking shelves? It’d serve them right.”
    “What’s gotten into you? Aren’t some of the guards natural Twos? Aren’t they your friends now?”
    “Nothing’s gotten into me,” he answered defensively. “I’m the same as ever. You’re the one who’s forgotten what it was like to live in a house with no heat.”
    I straightened my back. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m trying to come up with a service project to stop things like that. Even if I go home, someone might use my