Phoenix by Dawn Rae Miller Read Free Book Online

everything."
    "You tell me more than I want or care to know."
    "And yet you never say to stop. Why is that, Lark? Hmmm?"  
    I roll off the bed and onto the floor. "I don't care if you never tell me about your sex life again."
    "Prude."
    "Maybe so, but I think some things need to stay private."
    "Does this mean you don't want to read this article about '34 Ways to Please Your Man in Bed'?"
    My blush deepens. "Never!"
    She snickers. "Okay. I'm done messing with you. Let's get the boys and go out. I haven't had fun in ages, and I'm bored."
    "Annalise won't allow it," I say. "I snuck over here without permission."
    Kyra lifts an eyebrow. "Naughty, naughty, Lark. She's going to be all over you now."
    I sigh. "I know. I can't go anywhere. Besides, I can't be seen with Beck." I twist my ponytail around my finger. "But I do need to put these rumors and gossip to sleep." I rub the base of my neck. "Henry and Annalise want me to do a press conference in a few days. I'm beginning to think they're right. "
    "Good luck with that, Miss Sunshine."
    "What does that mean?"
    Kyra gives an exasperated huff. "Only that everyone thinks you've gone completely deso ."
    "So I'll smile more. Would that make it better?"
    Kyra shrugs. "I don't know, but I do know you have an image problem, and we need to fix it."

CHAPTER SEVEN

    Step one of Kyra trying to fix my image problem: act as the third wheel to her and Maz at the Opera. It only took endless pleading on both our parts to get Annalise to agree. However, I must not talk to anyone and sneak in after the final seating call. I can be seen, but not heard. And I must travel with a full guard of six.
    I thought coming-of-age and being in control of the State would give me more freedom. Little did I know.
    My retinue and I transport in to the secure zone just after the final seating is signaled. My dress tonight is a gauzy fuchsia number Kyra picked out. It floats around me as I walk, and I worry a little about tripping on the hem and tearing it.  
    "You look gorgeous," Kyra says. She smiles at me, waiting for a return compliment.
    Her dress is made entirely of gray ombré feathers. It's stunning.
    "You are the height of fashion as always," I say, a little envious of her dress. Mine is just a normal dress – nothing overly special - but hers is a showstopper. I need to remember to pick my dress before Kyra gets her hands on them.
    Unlike the last time we went out – when I set the underground nightclub on fire -- the Opera is full of Statespeople and a perfectly acceptable place for the Head of State to be seen. I catch a glimpse of myself in a gilded mirror. I may not be wearing feathers, but how can they miss me in this color?
    Step two of Kyra's plan: have me smile and court the cameras, but don't talk to them. We agreed on this with Annalise. The less I say (nothing), the better. At least until after the press conference.
    Our private box is cozy and overlooks the whole of the Opera. Below me, Statespeople turn toward our box and pretend not to be interested in the fact that I'm standing here. But their hurried glances and whispers give them away.  
    Behind me, Kyra and Maz hide in the shadows, groping at each other. It's a little uncomfortable to say the least, and you'd think they'd be past that phase by now.
    Every so often a camera flies into my view, and I smile into the blinding light, pretending like there's nowhere else I'd rather be.
    "Kyra," I whisper, so the cameras don't hear me. "Does the performance start soon?"
    She untangles herself from Maz. "After they serve the first course." It's a dinner Opera and something I've never been to before.  
    "And when is that?" I ask
    "Soon."
    I'm not sure if I can take much more of the Kyra and Maz show happening next to me, but I'm stuck. To get up and leave would look bad.
    All around me Statespeople buzz with excitement. My box - Mother's former spot - sits in the prime location, middle of the room, directly before the stage. To my left is