When I woke the next morning I had breakfast, courtesy of Abigail, and washed up in the sink. I passed by Gideon, offering a small smile and nod on my way to meet Shelby, tapping lightly on their bedroom door before entering just as she tugged the sleeves of her dress down.

"Day one and you're already picking out dresses without me. At this rate, I'll be useless by the end of the week." I laughed, taking a seat on the stool in front of her vanity. I tucked a few strands of my wiley hair into the bun secured at the top of my head, nabbing a bobby pin from a glass container to hold them into place.

"Well since we'll be doing other clothing-related things today I figured I'd give you a small break from it this morning." She replied, the tip of her nose slightly red when she turned around.

It was a tell that she'd been crying, one that I'd recognize no matter how long it had been. "Is everything okay?" I asked.

She flitted a hand through the air. "It's nothing, Gideon and I are always more stressed when it's close to time for another run. Unfortunately that means we snap at each other a little more since we're together a lot." She leaned around me to look in the mirror, making sure her eyes didn't appear teary. "Anyway, we have a busy few days ahead to prepare for the ball. We'll run a few errands in town and then I have your friends finishing their first day of work around three. We'll stop by to visit them around that time before returning for the evening." She confirmed. I was grateful that she kept her word, glancing at the clock to see that we had five hours until then.

We stopped by the same seamstress' shop we'd visited the day before, Shelby doing a last fitting of the gown that was being crafted for the ball. The shop workers pulled at the strings of the corseted back, showing me the easiest way to lace the piece for when I would dress her. Even before, Shelby could pull off anything, timelessly stunning in the emerald dress that made her look befitting of her royal title.

When the final touches were made and the delivery date was set, she moved on to thumbing through the designer's sketchbook while I peered out the front-store window, observing the few people who mulled along the street.

"I think for Alena we'll go with something like this design. It's sure to be cold so maybe in velvet. Alena what do you think?" She asked, pulling me back from the trance I'd been fixated in, watching a girl and boy with their hands crossed and holding the other's while they leaned away to spin around in circles.

I moved so that I was standing next to her, peering over my shoulder to where the shop owner was already pulling out samples of velvet fabric. Shelby was immediately drawn to the cloth in a deep burgundy, raising her brows for me to affirm the choice.

"I'm sure it'll be beautiful." I smiled at the owner. It was obvious that she worked hard, confirming the drop off date for my dress in a small notebook she kept.

We went by the hair salon, Shelby contemplating styles for the ball and insisting that we make a girl's day of the morning before, leading to me listening to the stylist ogle over how she could bring my hair back to life. After receiving word that Shelby was in town, an old man who ran a sandwich shop invited us in for lunch. We ate and drank lemonade while she told me about his former life as a tenured professor in the science department who had a secret dream to one day live a simpler life where he owned a deli.

I didn't have a way to check the time and wondered how close we were to three o'clock, estimating that it was sometime past noon based on the sun's position. "There was a new calf born yesterday that I want to go see." She carried on with a pep in her step as we walked to the farm.

After so much time on the outside, looking for safety and comfort, it was difficult to accept a place where these things were possible. Still, being with Shelby, in what felt like a smaller version of the downtown area of the city I grew up in, made it a little easier. Touching a baby cow might have helped too.

With our final task of selecting flower varieties from a garden to be used as decor we turned on the path toward our house. When we passed it I wanted to transition into a full sprint and shorten the route to my most anticipated task of the day.

"I have a meeting next door but it shouldn't take long. I'll be back in about an hour." Shelby commented once we were in front of the frat house, Emmanuel opening the front door on the hour, inviting me inside before leaving to accompany Shelby.

It didn't seem that they told any of the boys I'd be visiting, every door in the house closed. I picked up on the sound of running water, the floorboards creaking with every step I made. The kitchen cabinets were stocked with a few items and there was a bookshelf with every gap filled in the common area.

With several bedrooms upstairs I tired of knocking only to find each one empty, popping open each door until I lucked out, faced with Jin's backside, clad in only a white towel that draped around his waist. Namjoon peered over a book from the bunk bed he rested on, jumping down from the top when he realized it was me. "I'm so glad you're here." He raced to the door, wrapping a long arm around my shoulders.

"I am too. Where are Yoongi and Jimin?" I questioned. Jin pulled a t-shirt over his head, his ears reddened at still being in a towel.

"They're in the next room. We'll head on over." Namjoon said, leading us from their bedroom, his expression unreadable.

Jimin and Yoongi's room was completely silent as we entered, both staring into nothing from their spots on the bed. "Miss me?" I tried to lighten the mood, Jimin's mouth curling into a smile and Yoongi tugging me across the bed for a hug as I climbed in with them.

Namjoon stood against the wall, waiting to speak until Jin was dressed and joined us. "Who wants to start?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know this place is weird and it wasn't what I was expecting when I found Shelby. I hate being away from you but I'm hoping that once we get through these first days of adjusting that I'll be able to see you more." I barely gave any time before I jumped into rambling. "Are you all really okay?"

Namjoon nodded but Yoongi shook his head, Namjoon jumping in to answer me first. "We're okay. We've got food, water, and a place to stay so we're fine." He took a seat on the small desk in the corner.

"Something's off with this place. Don't let your guard down Alena." Yoongi stepped over Namjoon, leaning across the bed to meet my eye.

"No one's letting their guard down, but so far everything has been as they've said it would be so we have no reason to question it." Namjoon retorted.

A too soon knock turned our attention back toward the door, Shelby standing in the frame after her meeting ended earlier. "Could we move this party to the common area?" She requested though we couldn't have declined, our feet pittering against the stairs at our descent.

Shelby sat in a single chair while I mushed myself between Jimin and Jin, Yoongi sitting on the arm of the couch and Namjoon in another single chair that he turned toward Shelby. "So I know you met at the prison, but what exactly brought you all together?" She asked after a tense silence.

"That's Alena's story to tell." Yoongi replied, defensiveness in his tone.

Shelby cleared her throat, her hands rubbing over the thighs of her dress with nerves. "Of course, is there anything you can tell me about yourselves? You are the new mystery that rolled into town with my best friend." Shelby kept a smile through every moment of strain.

"They came south from Harvard." It was hard to think of anything else to say and I found myself stuck on choosing the right words.

Namjoon relieved the awkwardness with a question of his own, diverting the attention with his curiosity. "I was wondering if you could tell us a little more about the upcoming ball? We want to be prepared." He leaned forward and I saw the easy way Shelby responded to those alluring dimples.

"You'll love it. I really enjoy getting the entire community together. We'll have food, dancing, and entertainment. The only thing we don't have to look forward to is the boring speech Gideon will insist on giving." She joked, doing her own part to lighten the mood.

"Surely my speeches aren't that boring." Gideon appeared in the doorway, eyes like ice and an ingenuine smile.

Shelby laughed, standing and putting a hand on his chest when she approached him. "They have gotten worse since you stopped letting me read over them beforehand." She quipped, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Then I'll be sure to let you read over this next one." He cooed, giving his attention back to the room. "I hope everyone had a good first day of work, but we should be off to prepare for dinner." He nodded, holding out an arm for her in the way he always did and giving me a nod, a look that let me know I would be leaving with them.

"Of course, we will see you again at the ball." Namjoon stood, squeezing my hand with assurance.

It wasn't enough time and I don't think anything could comfort me until I was free to talk to them without bounds or intrusions. Yoongi stomped toward me before I made it through the door, grabbing onto my arm so that I turned to him. "It's okay, I feel it too." I confirmed with him, letting him know that even if I was living in the royal quarters, probably getting the best treatment and a better sense of normalcy than I had in a long time, I wasn't naive to the the thing in my gut telling me that there was something hidden beneath all the apparent safety and order of Carolus.