The Luna Choosing Game

My feelings for Nicholas, however, were not likely to change any time soon. If I had free reign here, Nicholas was the one I would
pursue. But the fact was, the cards were stacked against me from the start.
I was only in this competition to I increase the viewership. I never had a chance of actually winning.
I lower my head. I don’t need Veronica to rescue me, not when the ultimate answer is so innocuous.
“None of it matters,” I said. “You know who I am. Where I come from.
What I'm going back to. In the end, neither Nicholas nor Julian are going to pick me for their Luna. I imagine I'll be going home
after the next elimination
ceremony.” I was honestly surprised I had lasted this long. Jessica must have agreed, because she nodded sagely, as if I had
imparted some great wisdom. Veronica continued to look at me. Though her face didn’t show it, this time I knew she was offering
me pity.
Before I could say anything else, a very drunken Bridget sauntered back toward our dwindling bonfire. She was carrying a near-
empty bottle of white wine in her hand. She stopped at my side, looked at the three of us sitting there, and then promptly fell
down sideways into the sand.
I rushed to help her, but she pushed off my hand.
“I’m fine,” she grumbled.
“But Bridget,” I started.
“I'm fine,” she said more forcefully.
Then her eyes closed, and she began to loudly snore, all while clutching the wine bottle close like a child cuddling a teddy bear
in her sleep.
I lifted a brow, and looked at Veronica and Jessica.
Jessica started to laugh. “Should we draw a mustache on her face?” Veronica and I chuckled, but we decided against it. Bridget
would feel bad enough on her own when she woke up with a hangover. She didn’t need us to add to her embarrassment.
We stayed like that for a bit longer.

Veronica, Jessica, and I traded marshmallows until the bag was empty. Bridget snored from the sand
bed she’d made beside me.
Eventually I made my way inside. Most of the servants must have retired by now. The hallways were barren, except for a few
here and there keeping watch.
The guard at my door smiled when I approached him. “Turning in for the night, Miss Piper?” “Yes, thank you,” I said.
He started to step aside to let me enter, but then held up a gift bag into my path.
I tilted my head. “For me?” “Yes,” he said. “Prince Nicholas left this for you. He said you would need it for a good night's sleep.”
Eagerly, I accepted the bag and peeked inside. A change of clothes? Oh. Pajamas.
How thoughtful.
Nicholas could have just gone to sleep without thinking of me at all. I would have been comfortable enough sleeping in this shirt,
even though it had some sand on it now, and was sticky with the salty sea air. But he had thought of me. And now I would sleep
comfortably because of it.
“Thank you,” I told the guard, who nodded politely.
I opened the door and entered my room. Elva was already sound asleep, so I slipped as quietly as I could into the bathroom to
change.
Nicholas’s pajamas were huge on me.
The elastic waistband of the pants was not tight enough to keep them from falling down my hips, so I had to hold on to keep
myself covered. But the clothes smelled like Nicholas. Wearing them almost felt like being hugged by him, safe and warm.
Everyone else may wonder, but I knew.
My heart belonged to Nicholas.