The Selection: One of the Selected

1: The Letter

'Quinn! Could you take over breakfast please?' Mother was shouting across the house, despite me being on the sofa just in the next room, watching television. I sighed, and shut off the TV before shuffling to the kitchen.

'Mother, it's much too early for this...can't we eat later? I'm sure Aziel and Poppy won't mind too much,' I offered, but Aziel and Poppy, upon hearing their names, shot up from the dining table and instantly started to object. 

'Quinn, I think your brother and sister appear to mind very much. Come,' and she nudged me to a steaming bowl of oats and milk on the stove, handing me a wooden spoon pointedly. I reluctantly took the old spoon, earning myself multiple splinters in the hand.

Mother smiled, that sly one when they know they have accomplished something, and she bustled past us, up the stairs while wiping her hands on her checked apron. I could hear the steps protesting with every pace in the form of an agonised creak.

As I slowly stirred the oats, I saw the edges had gone black from the unnecessarily high gas being projected onto the pan. I was cringing as I stabbed at them with the spoon, when the sound of a letter being pushed through the letter box filled the house. 

'Poppy, could you get that?' I asked, and watched as the blonde haired girl bounced out the room. She was four years younger than me, 13, and matched the rest of the family with her blonde curls. It was just me with jet-black, straight hair, although I did inherit the classic Appleton family green eyes. 

I heard Poppy gasp happily from the front door, and she sprinted back, waving the letter in her hand. 

'Quinn! Quinn! It's for you, and it has the royal stamp on it! What is it?' She babbled, wafting it before my face.

Aziel glanced up from the dining table he was seated at, and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. He was two years older than Poppy, almost exactly, and had short hair, but it was perhaps still a couple of inches long. 

I took the letter with my free hand, still stirring the pot, and peeled it open with my teeth. 

Aziel got up and removed the spoon from my hand, taking on the role of breakfast, and I slid the delicate parchment from inside the envelope. 

'Mother! Father! I got a letter from the palace!' 

As soon as I said it, I heard mother's excited gasp and father leaping from the sofa he was sat at in the lounge. 

'What does it say? What does it-' I cut off Poppy's words with an annoyed look and she shut her mouth, but her eyes were still wide with anticipation. Mother rushed in, closely followed by father, and leant over my shoulder to read. 

'Let's read it at the table, so we can all see?' I suggested, and my family set themselves down at the seats, Aziel abandoning his post of breakfast. I laid the paper onto the middle and smoothed it with my hand. 

After mother scanned through it, she snatched it from the table before anyone else could, and read it again, her eyes flicking over the words.

'Mother? What is it?' I asked, and held out my hand to see. She didn't give it to me, and I drew my hand back.

'The selection...Prince Maxon is looking for a queen!'

'Quinn, that's fantastic!' Poppy squealed and got up to dance around us.

'Everyone at an appropriate age will have gotten sent this. Of course, it is your decision to make, Quinn, but I personally think you will get all snobby on us,' Father said with a shrug. I frowned at him, a little hurt.

'But how cool would it be to be a caste one though! The highest rank and two better than our own!' Aziel pointed out. There were eight castes in total, with eight the lowest, on the streets, and one the royals and leaders.

I scoffed. 'Yeah, only cool so you could show off to your friends, Aziel.'

'Do it! Do it! Do it!' Poppy started to chant. Mother handed me a form that was in the letter.

'I think it would probably put us in a lot of danger of thieves, or becoming stuck up, but consider it over the day, Quinn,' mother smiled, but the moment was broken by the oat breakfast hissing on the stove and bubbling over. Mother leapt up and switched off the gas, before rummaging through the cupboards to find a tea towel to mop up the mess. 

Aziel pulled a face, as if to say, "I'm not going to eat that even if my life depended on it," and sauntered off to the lounge. A few moments later we heard the TV blasting a news report.

'Hello people of Illéa. I am going to put you straight over to the palace, to discuss some very exciting news! Over to Gavril,' we heard a news reporter shout through the house from the screen. 

Gavril was the reporter for the royal family, and had been since I could remember. He was jolly, knew how to get himself out of any awkward situation and seemed to have a never-ending stream of questions ready in his head. 

(a/n: I know in the selection books the interview was at a different point/everyone said different things in it but I altered it for the storyline) :)

'Thank you!' Gavril's voice rang around the room, reverberating across the walls, and our family fell silent to listen. 

'Your highness, Prince Maxon, we have just received a note that all the eligible lovely ladies across Illéa have got their letter about the upcoming selection! When can everyone expect to be informed of who has been picked?' 

I also got up from the dining table, squeezed past a stressed mother followed by Poppy, and wandered through to the lounge. Aziel was stretched out across the only sofa, and looked like he had no intentions of moving, so I sat on the floor in front of it and Poppy followed suit. 

The TV was projecting an uncomfortable looking Prince Maxon, but he had a plastered smile  on his lips. He appeared to take a moment to process Gavril's question before he answered.

'Ah, well they need to submit all their forms first, but if everything goes well then you can expect to know...' at this point he glanced off camera to his right, perhaps for confirmation, before he continued. Poppy gave a light squeal at the sight of his jawline from the side, and I rolled my eyes.

'In a couple of weeks from now. So, ladies, I would recommend getting your forms in quickly if you are interested,' Maxon finished, with a slight genuine smile. While Poppy and Aziel were distracted, I slipped away and out the room to talk to mother and father.

I stopped before I was in view of them, and I heard their conversation drifting out the door; I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but what they said made me stay.

'Snobby? She will positively frown down on us!' father's voice growled.

'But...have you seen the money they give?'

'Money? I wasn't aware of that?'

'Oh yes, see here? That is what the palace are offering. You know since you...since the job fired you we've been tight...'

Fired? I wasn't told father had been fired! I also wasn't aware of the amount of money the palace was offering, but I knew it must have been quite a bit for mother to want to get it.

I heard father sigh, and walk towards the door I was hidden against. I quickly staggered back from my hiding place, before walking back towards it as if I was only just arriving. 

'Mother? Father? Pass me the forms. I will submit my name for the prince.'

a/n: Hello! This is based on the books The Selection, so you might recognise some of the interviews etc... However, I will alter some things, so don't complain about it not being completely accurate! :)

I am not sure how many people will be interested, but I have more plot planned ahead. I am open to suggestions too.

I got the image from Pinterest, and any other image you see probably will be too.

Thanks for reading so far, and I hope you will enjoy! I will update when I can, even if it is just at a few reads. Thanks again! :)