I marveled at the fickle nature of everyone around me; how few people I could trust and how I managed to be completely forgotten from the hearts and minds of those I once called friends. In the end, no one was there to rescue me from the Wickeds…but Elsebeth has saved me from the dungeon. As much as I hated her and pitied her and wished that I could care about her again…I didn’t. I was only grateful.

So, as I looked at my hometown for the last time, I sent a silent prayer of thanks to those I wished I could have stayed with. I thanked Elsebeth and Andrien for their mercy and prayed for their happiness. I thanked Georgette for her love, Jordan for his generosity and Jared… I closed my eyes against the tears that lay waiting there as I thought of Jared. I wondered how things would have been different if I hadn’t gone to the ball…if Georgette had known the truth and let me stay.