The limo ride passed quickly when I thought about Caspian, and we were at the mansion in a short amount of time. "Claire," I nodded, seeing Alex's arm stretched out in front of me. I took it. When I saw my room, I gasped. They had fit as much color as possible in it. I loved it. I knew that the room's color wasn't an accident. When he asked me what I wanted most now after the war, I said color. Lots of color. And I meant it. There was some lingerie laid out on the silk bedsheets, so I put it on unknowingly, thinking I was going to bed. Alex came in unexpectedly after I was done changing and sat next to me on the bed. "How do you like your room?" He gestured to the colorful attire. "I love it, thank you, Alex." I had said this quickly, for I was embarrassed at what I was wearing. The lingerie was short and black; I wouldn't want anyone but Caspian to see me in that. "Look, Claire-- do you know the plan?" I nodded. "Go into the government facility and find Caspian's file-- nothing else, in room 411. Tuck it in the lab coat I'll be wearing and hurry outside to meet you." He smiled at me, and kissed my cheek. I shuddered. "We need to find out as much as we can before we see Caspian again." He had a way of emphasizing his words that I was not fond of; I had only hung out with him for six hours, and he was getting creepier by the minute. I wished that i could just get on with the plan, but I would have to wait for a few weeks. It was only my first night in the glamorous resort, and I was already itching to get out. "Make sure you etch the plan into your brain for the next two weeks, Claire-- I'll be counting on you." I looked at him, surprised he was already at the door. I felt like he was undressing me with his eyes; something Caspian wouldn't do. Alex wanted me, and I didn't want him. That night I had strange dreams. One of them was a memory of the first time Caspian and I went on an official dinner date. It was at a place called reefToday, two weeks later, I'm ready to leave Alex-- even if just for a few minutes. The outfits I was supposed to wear for the last two weeks were revealing to say the least. God, if it weren't for Alex's connection to Caspian and his rich grandfather, I would have killed him. I receive a knock on my door. "Claire, breakfast." It's Alex, probably trying to catch me in my lingerie again. However, I had made it a habit to dress before he came at 7:00 every morning. "Come in," I make an attempt to look at him trough the mirror and not gag. "So, Claire- how did you sleep?" He gestures to the neat bedsheets behind me. "I slept pretty well..." I had slept terribly, as thoughts and dreams of Caspian plagued me the entire night. I brush my now longer hair into a pony tail like the one Alex had showed me. I shiver, remembering. It was getting colder out, and I was in the resort's gardens thinking about Caspian. I tugged on a flower, remembering when he gave me a lollipop bouquet for my birthday a year ago. I still remember every detail of the picture perfect birthday party. Everyone I cared about was there. Even my cousin Carter, who cared about me as much I did him was there. I remember looking into his green eyes to thank him for the gift he had given me. Too bad I never got to use it; he gave me money for a new car. Trust me, I was desperately in need of a new car. Carter shrugged and let me tousle his dark brown hair. Where was he now? After singing and a candy cake, we all partied until at least one in the morning. I remember constantly having a blueberry lollipop in my mouth; courtesy of Caspian. That was the night when his lips turned blue from kissing me so much. Or from me kissing him so much. I blamed him for giving me the blueberry lollipops. Anyway, while I was in the gardens Alex strutted up to me. "We missed you at lunch-- I missed you at lunch." I nodded, thinking of how I had purposely came out there and "lost track of time" to miss lunch. I parted my hair, and he touched my hand, trying to be romantic. "Look, Alex--" he brought me closer to him, putting his arms around my waist. "I-I'm sorry--" he cut me off, kissing me; constricting me. His lips were greedy and hot on mine, and I could feel his rough intentions. I broke the kiss violently. "Alex!" I screamed before slapping him. I soon realized that that was not the right move. He slapped me back, harder. I fell to the ground. Hard. Not making an attempt to help me, he left me there, bleeding and sorry. What was I going to do? Later that day, Alex met me in my room. He didn't mention what had happened earlier. "Hey," "Hi," I tried my best to sound cheerful-- not bitter. It didn't work. Maybe if I had thought about Caspian it would have worked. "Look, I got your security ID for the plan. You know, so you can enter the building?" I nodded. "Anyway, I need to show you how to do this pony tail." I shuddered. Couldn't he get one of the maids to do it? His hand grabbed my soft, red hair and brushed it to the side before putting it into a pony tail. Easy. "Wow, Claire-- you look really pretty." I watched as his hands went from my hair to my shoulders. "Make sure you have this down before next week." I nodded, relieved that he was leaving.