The Selection

Chapter 17

TONIGHT WAS THE NIGHT. The Illea capital report was tonight and I couldn't be more prepared. Nicole was giving me speed questionsHow was I enjoying the palace? What was the most romantic thing Maxon had done for me? Did I miss my family? Had I kissed Maxon yet? I eyed Nicole when she asked me that one. I'd been throwing out answers to the questions, trying not to think too hard. But I could tell she'd asked that one out of genuine curiosity. The smile on her face proved it.
"No! For goodness' sake." I tried to sound mad, but it was too funny to be upset about. I ended up smirking. And that made Mary giggle. "Oh, just ... why don't you clean something!" She laughed outright, and before I could tell her to stop, Grace and Poppy burst through the doors with a garment bag. Poppy was looking more excited than I'd seen her since the moment I'd walked in the first day, and Grace seemed quietly devious. "What's this about?" I asked as Poppy stopped in front of me to give a buoyant curtsy. "We finished your dress for the Report, miss," she replied. My brow wrinkled together. "A new one? Why not the blue one in the closet? Didn't you just finish that one? I love it." The three of them exchanged looks. "What did you do?" I asked, pointing at the bag Grace was hanging up on the hook near the mirror. "Lady Janelle was booted because she spoke bad about America. All of the maids have taken than on board as the prince loves her. Every girl is going to be wearing blue. That means you will stand out in this!" Grace says revealing the dress. It was bright pink. That would be perfect.

Sure enough, the room was full of dresses in every shade of blue. Some of them fell closer to green, others closer to purple, but it was clear there was a theme. I felt immediately uncomfortable. I caught Celeste's eye right away and decided to just stay away from her until I absolutely had to go over to the seats. Kriss and Natalie walked past, having just checked their makeup one last time. They both looked a little unhappy, though sometimes it was hard to tell with Natalie. Kriss at least looked somewhat different from the crowd as well. Her blue dress was melting into white, like delicate strands of ice were weaving their way to the floor. The one person my maids were wrong sbout was America, she got the memo, she was wearing a deep red, she looked amazing in comparison. Now the two of us would stick out the most. "America!" Celeste calls out and I watch as she lures her into a corner and rips her dress. I couldn't help but smirk. I saved Celeste a seat in the front row. "I knew I liked you for a reason." I whispered to her as she sat down. It's official. Celeste is my best friend. "Your next." She whispers back.

It was almost time to start. Gavril was flipping through notes as the royal family came in at last. Maxon had on a dark blue suit with a pin of the national emblem on his lapel. He looked sharp and calm. "Good evening, ladies," he sang with a smile.
A chorus of "Majesty" and "Highness" fell over him. "Just so you know, I'll be giving one brief announcement and then introducing Gavril. It'll be a nice change; he's always introducing me!" He chuckled, and we all followed. "I know some of you are probably a little nervous, but you have no need to be. Please, just be yourselves. The people want to know you." Our eyes met a few times while he was talking, but nothing long enough for me to read him. I didn't want to after what happened this afternoon. I had nothing good to say about him. He didn't seem to notice the dress. My maids would be disappointed. He walked over to the podium, calling out "Good luck" over his shoulder. I could tell something was going on. I assumed this announcement of his would be related to what he'd told us today, but I still couldn't guess at what it all meant. Maxon's little mystery distracted me, and I wasn't so nervous anymore. I felt all right as the anthem played and the camera settled squarely on Maxon's face. I'd been watching the Report since I was a child. Maxon had never addressed the country before, not like this. I wished I could have told him good luck though. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Illea. I know that tonight is an exciting night for us all as the country gets to finally hear from the twenty-five remaining women in the Selection. I can't begin to express how excited I am for you to meet them. I'm sure you will all agree that any one of these amazing young ladies would be a wonderful leader and future princess. "But before we get to that, I'd like to announce a new project I am working on that is of great importance to me. Having met these ladies, I've been exposed to the wide world outside our palace, a world that I rarely get to see. I've been told of its remarkable goodness and made aware of its unimaginable darkness. Through speaking to these women, I've embraced the importance of the masses outside these walls. I have been woken to the suffering of some of our lower castes, and I intend to do something about it. It will be at least three months before we can set this up properly, but around the new year, there will be public assistance for food in every Province Services Office. Any Five, Six, Seven, or Eight may go there any evening for a free, nutritious meal. Please know that these women before you have all sacrificed some or all of their compensation to help fund this important program. And while this assistance may not be able to last forever, we will keep it running as long as we can." I kept trying to swallow up the gratitude, the awe, but a few tears leaked out. I was still aware enough of what was coming next to worry about my makeup but so appreciative that it was no longer the top priority. How did he know we were hungry like this? I was ecstatic.