"If the moon smiled, she would resemble you. You leave the same impression of something beautiful but annihilating."
~Sylvia Plath, The Rival

Lilly

I jogged in the crisp, cool air along the Cliffs of Aurelia. Normally, heights scared me, but I figured if I tripped and fell over, I could use my ice powers to somehow save myself. Besides, now that I could run long distances without getting winded within the first three hundred feet, I actually kind of enjoyed it, something I never thought would come out of my mouth.

I currently had my 'Get Your Ass in Gear' playlist going when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I slowed to a stop and turned around to find myself face to face with Shane Calhoun. I gasped, and a burst of snow shot out from my fingertips, nailing him in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

"Bloody hell, Shane!" I exclaimed, clutching my chest. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"A girl as beautiful as you? Hardly," he said, standing up and brushing off his black suit. "I'm keeping an eye on you."

"Can you not do it five inches behind me? It'll be creepy no matter the distance, but it'll be slightly less frightening for me."

"I apologize. Personal space is not a concept I'm familiar with. Chad has tried explaining it to me, but I find myself particularly drawn to you."

"Oh. Lovely," I groaned. "Listen, why are you following me? Because you're drawn to me or something?"

"No, I would never do that to you. I'm keeping an eye on the potential future ruler of Vasileia," Shane said matter-of-factly.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"Did you not hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Esmeralda announced the polls are open for future candidates. She's thrown her weight behind you and Vivienne, although mostly you if you ask me. Congratulations on your candidacy!"

I stared at Shane in disbelief, praying this was some sick joke. However, when he continued smiling and failed to say 'just joking' or 'kidding,' panic settled in. "You're serious?"

"As serious as Chad always is."

"I don't want to be queen!" I exclaimed, marching past him. He grabbed my arm, and I yanked it out of his grip furiously. "Don't touch me!"

"I was only going to get you to Alexandria sooner. Part of my darkness powers includes teleporting through shadows. May I?" Shane held out his hand, and I hesitated. I trusted him as far as I could throw him, but no time could be wasted in getting back to the capital. Knowing I'd probably regret this later, I took his hand.

Blackness enveloped me.

Wind rushed past my ears, but my hair stayed still. I couldn't see a single thing, not even Shane, although I still felt his hand firmly grasping mine.

Suddenly, my feet hit solid ground. I swayed in place, disoriented from the trip. Shane wrapped a comforting, steadying arm around me. He said, "It's an experience for first-timers. You all right?"

"I'm fine," I lied, stepping away, desperate to get out of his tightening embrace.

Shane raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you so scared of me that you don't trust my help?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Shane. I don't trust you. There's a difference."

"I've given you no reason not to trust me."

I scoffed. "You mean other than trying to pry into my mind upon first meeting you, the reactions I saw when Caleb and Dylan realized you were getting out, and the small but important fact that you murdered your own parents in front of your little brother?"

Shane stiffened. "Who told you that?"

"None of your business. Do you deny my accusations, though?"

"No," he said matter-of-factly, "but contrary to popular opinion, I'm not a murderer by choice."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Ah, see, that's where I need to trust you fully, and I can't do that when you doubt me. Trust is a two-way street. Besides," Shane added, "I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you. At least, not right now. There are things you need to learn before I tell you my version of what happened. The real version. For now, I think you need to speak with Esmeralda. Would you allow me to escort you to her apartment?"

Shane offered his arm, and I looped mine through it. We walked silently through the halls to Esmeralda's apartment. I let my mind wander to places other than Shane, like wondering why the hell I didn't get a say in my own candidacy? Which, I could assure you, I would not have put my name forward in the first place. I despised politics and politicians on both sides, so why would I want to join their ranks? This was not my idea of 'if you can't beat them, join them.' I'd rather avoid them.

"You'll be fine," Shane said. "You don't want to do it, and people aren't going to vote for someone who doesn't want to rule them."

"Famous last words," I replied, chuckling humorlessly. "I just wish I could talk to Viv about this, but whenever I try to, she's always busy at the hospital or with Chad."

We stopped outside Esmeralda's apartment and faced each other. Shane smirked. "You sound like you don't like my little brother."

"I actually like you more, believe it or not."

Shane laughed, the first genuine one I'd heard from him. "That is shocking, but it's a pleasant and welcome surprise. I hope to see you at dinner, Lilly."

Lifting my hand and kissing the back of it, Shane winked at me and strutted off. If he wasn't so unsettling with his sociopathic tendencies, I might actually be attracted to him. His devilishly handsome looks certainly helped his case, but I'd seen enough movies and read enough books to never trust someone who made you feel uneasy. Still, I had to gain his trust in order to find out what really happened that night with his parents...

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I knocked fervently on Esmeralda's door. She called for me to come in. Upon entering, I found Vivienne seated in an armchair, sipping tea and appearing much more at ease about the news than me.

"Hello, Lilly," Esmeralda greeted, motioning for me to sit. "You must be here to ask me about your candidacy."

"How'd you guess?" I joked lightly, willingly taking a seat.

"You have a certain look on your face." Esmeralda handed me a cup of tea. "All right, dear, tell me your worries."