Assistant for the Alien Prince by Tammy Walsh

Jessica

I marcheddown the endless hallways and hadn’t seen hide nor hair of any of the other guests for the past thirty minutes.

I was so lost I couldn’t even hear the music, and by this point, had no idea where the main hall even was.

I’d intended on getting as lost as possible so no one could find me.

I leaned my back against the perfectly smooth wall and let it embrace me as I slid down it and onto the floor.

The ceremony was a whole lot tougher than I expected it to be.

The sight of him dancing with those beautiful girls…

Of all the guests watching and the dozens of cameras recording every moment…

I wish I’d never accepted this damn job!

I wish I’d gotten a job somewhere else and re-negotiated the terms of my father’s debt.

Sure, the interest would have been astronomical and it would have taken me forever to pay it back but at least then my heart wouldn’t hurt like this.

At least I could look myself in the mirror without imagining him curled up behind me, his powerful arms encircled around me, and his intimidating cock sliding inside me…

At least I could live in peace.

When I raised my eyes from my forearms, I started back and banged my head against the glass wall.

The figure standing before me wore black tattered robes—the same way she had the last time I’d seen her.

“Grand Septon Cath!” I said, scrambling up onto my feet.

“What are you doing here, girl?” the Grand Septon said, her face turned up around her one working eye. “Shouldn’t you be at the party, dancing with the prince?”

I dusted off my dress.

“No. I’m not supposed to dance with him.”

“Hm,” the Grand Septon said, peering up at the walls and seeming to notice something inside them. “I suppose you’re right. It seems my timing is a little off. You’re not meant to dance with him until eighty-three minutes from now.”

“Eighty-three minutes—?”

Grand Septon Cath lurched back and clutched her walking stick close as she looked me over.

She pointed a gnarled finger at my stomach.

I peered down at the spot she pointed at but saw nothing there.

“What is it?” I said.

“Your dress! It’s hideous!”

Says the old hag wearing a torn sack.

“I’ll have you know, I’m not an old hag,” the Grand Septon said with a sniff.

“No, of course not. I would never say you were—”

“But you thought it.”

“No, I didn’t,” I said.

“I might have lost the sight in one eye, girl, but my ears work perfectly fine and they definitely heard the word ‘hag.’”

Crap.

Can she hear my thoughts?

If she can, I’m in real trouble…

“You’re in trouble any way you look at it,” the Grand Septon said. “Don’t look so surprised. It’s these walls, this temple. This glass isn’t there just to look pretty. It reflects sound, making it loud to those who know how to listen.”

“It doesn’t reflect sound. I tested it the last time I was here.”

The Grand Septon leaned in close.

“Not all sounds are made with our voice, dearie. It’s what’s under those sounds that really matter. And your mind is a hive of conflicting noises. No wonder you’re so confused.”

“I’m not confused—”

She took me by the hand and led me down the hallways with surprising strength.

“Come! You will be dressed beautifully for the ball! Much like one of your old Earth stories! The… Now, what is it called? Cinderella! That’s it!”

I blocked my mind off as best I could to avoid thinking anything else she might try to use against me.

After another two turns, we came to a small room packed with so much random crap that, at first, I thought we’d stumbled into an antique shop.

The old lady threw open a wardrobe and began mumbling to herself as she sorted through the dresses inside.

I rubbed the prickled skin of my arms, nervous about being in this place.

A puppet sat entangled in its own strings, its head twisted around and staring at me.

I’ve always hated puppets…

“I, uh, think I should return to the ball,” I said, shuffling toward the exit.

“Ah-ha!” the Grand Septon said, yanking a dress from the wardrobe.

A pale hand gripped its hem and she had to kick at some unseen monster in the wardrobe before it would give it up.

“I agree,” she said, turning to me with a triumphant look on her face. “But not dressed like that.”

I pinched the dress between my fingers and tugged at it.

“No thanks. I feel comfortable dressed as I am.”

“You shouldn’t feel comfortable. It’s a party. And one held in your honor too.”

“It’s not in my honor. It’s in Zai’s honor—”

The old lady waved a hand at me.

“Anyone who thinks this ceremony is about anyone but the fated mate he chooses is kidding themselves. No one is watching to see who he chooses. People watch because of the look on the chosen girl’s face.”

She reached behind my dress, unzipped it, and yanked it.

By the time I raised my arms to stop her, it was already on the floor.

I stood there in my underwear, completely exposed.

“Fear not, my girl,” the Grand Septon said. “You’re beautiful and a dress only helps bring that beauty out. Come. Step into it.”

I had no reason to trust this strange old woman.

She’d lured me to this room, stripped me naked, and now insisted on me wearing an old dress she’d wrestled from a monster in the wardrobe…

Was this what it felt like to lose your mind? I wondered.

But for all the old woman’s quirkiness, I saw no malevolence in her actions.

Her smile was warm and comforting, so I slowly eased forward as she slipped the dress on over my arms and wrapped it around me like some kind of shawl.

She tied the bows on the back, lacing it up and making it comfortable.

“It’s not too tight?” she asked.

I shook my head.

The Grand Septon opened the second wardrobe door where a long mirror hung from the inside.

I edged forward and paid close attention to the monster I knew resided inside it.

I raised my eyes over the dress and gasped.

It might have been carved from twilight and glittered as if tiny diamonds were embedded within the fabric.

In my hair was a sparkling tiara that I hadn’t even noticed the old lady placing there.

I had never worn a dress like that before and I was pleased with how I looked.

“You need a little makeup but it’s outside my expertise, I’m afraid,” Grand Septon Cath said. “But who knows, maybe someone will come along who does know a little something about it.”

“This dress is incredible,” I said. “It’s like something from a fairy story!”

A fairy story…

Wasn’t that how I’d thought of the Pairing Ceremony ever since I’d been a little girl?

And now I was dressed like a princess.

“I… I shouldn’t be wearing this,” I said, wishing I would just shut up and enjoy myself for a change.

“Yes, you should. But if you don’t hurry, you’re going to be late.”

The Grand Septon shoved me out the door.

I tripped and stumbled in the dress, struggling to keep my feet.

“What about my dress?” I said. “Hold on! What about my dress?”

“I’ll use it as kindling. Don’t worry, it won’t go to waste!”

She slammed the door in my face.

Strange, I thought.

I was certain the room didn’t have a door when I first entered it…

A figure came running around a long bend.

I felt relieved someone could point out the way back to the ball.

Getting lost in the endless temple tunnels suddenly didn’t seem like such a good idea.

“Jessica!” Tina said, racing toward me.

I skidded to a halt, not sure I wanted to run into Tina right now after how we parted ways earlier.

“There you are!” she said. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

She stopped and looked me over.

“You got changed?”

“Yes. No. I mean, sort of. I was kidnapped and an old lady made me put it on.”

A moment of silent accusation opened like a chasm between us before Tina shrugged her slender shoulders.

“However it happened, someone did you a favor. But it’s not quite finished. You need a little makeup.”

“That’s what the old lady said. Listen, I feel like I need to make you an apology.”

Tina waved it away.

“No apology necessary. I know I can be… difficult sometimes.”

“I still shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I’ve been stressed and… I don’t know. It got on top of me.”

Tina’s eyes sparkled and showed a great deal of control when she didn’t make the obvious joke I was certain had to be on the tip of her tongue right then:

I knew exactly what was on top of you!

“How’s the ball?” I asked.

“I haven’t seen it yet.”

“You haven’t?”

“How can I when my sister is angry at me? Besides, we both know I’m guaranteed to get in trouble if left to my own devices.”

I felt terrible for keeping her from enjoying the party.

“You should go. No party is complete without you.”

“True, but there are plenty of other parties with rich, hot guys. It won’t matter if I miss this one.”

Tina had made these kinds of promises before, but at the very least I sensed she would control herself—for tonight, at least.

Tina rifled through her bag and came out with two small makeup pouches.

“Now, hold still. I’ve got some serious work to do.”

“I don’t need any makeup,” I said, blocking her.

“Baby, you let me be the judge of that. Now shut up and let a master work.”