Chosen (The Selection fanfiction)

Twenty.

I may have felt safe sobbing into Henry's arms but I didn't feel warm or comfortable. To be honest, I felt kinda lonely when he said nothing. It was like at the Halloween Ball, the air surrounding us was a thick mess of awkwardness. I didn't like it.

As we rounded a corner I nudged Henry to put me down afraid of what the selected would think. I mean I don't really care what they think of me but what they think of Henry and I. Danny was pacing up and down the hallway whilst the selected stood in a cluster drawn to a hushed whisper.

"Sir, Paris was found inside her room." Henry's voice sounded so cold and distant; it reminded me of a monotone guard simply reporting his findings. Not like the friend I once had.

Daniel's head snapped up at the sound of my name and a smile spread so far across his face I was scared of it breaking. Completely disregarding his royal manners the prince ran towards me to pull me into a tight hug. I cried into his shoulder ignoring his words of encouragement.

"What happened?" He spoke so quietly as if it were to be our own secret.

"I couldn't get to the door in time, a rebel was rounding the corner and I didn't want them to find the safe room. I ran into my own room to find the same rebel poking through my stuff. But that rebel, her name was Jade, protected me from the rebel on the other side of the door. Danny, I was terrified. I, um, thought I would be taken away again and forced to watch my brother get murdered, like my sister was." My voice rose in volume the deeper into the story I was. I broke down into a fit of sobs at the last trembling word.

Danny dismissed the rest of the selected to their rooms and they scurried away in a hurry. Amy made her way towards the prince and I as I believed flirt with him right in front on my face. Instead she gently pried me from his arms and into hers. I couldn't believe Amy was actually being thoughtful. I really didn't believe what she did next. This new and reformed Amy whispered a thank you into my ear and flashed me a smile before she headed to her room.

+++

I would say that I spent the remaining day with Danny laughing and joking around as if nothing had changed. But that's not true- something had changed. I had developed an uncontrollable fear of the rebellion. It was as if I would be taken at any given moment the forced to watch the people I love die. The fear probably wasn't a reality but that didn't make it any less terrifying.

My legs hung off the balcony in the dark night tickled by the cool breeze. My eyes grew tired as more time disappeared before my eyes. Just as my eyes drew to a close they snapped open as a reaction to the whistle. Just like horror films, the whistle was short but repeated itself seconds later. The whistle came from different directions each time drawing me to my feet. The whistle remained the same volume spinning myself in circles to catch a glimpse at what I was dealing with. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a figure running into the woods. They were dressed in all black and I could only guess that they were not alone.

I leaned forward against the railing trying to clear my vision and see deeper into the woods but it was no use. It was no use until I fell. 'Fell' or as I was put it: 'pushed'. My heart was beating too quickly to scream as I tumbled down the roof becoming closer and closer to the edge. My nimble fingers clung to the tiles but it became no use once I slipped. Thanks to some kind of miracle I survived by landing on the rood of a gazebo. From there I slithered my way off and into the ground.

As soon as my feet touched the ground the whistling started up again only louder and more persistent. I held my hands to my head in agony. I couldn't take it. I ran in the direction of the woods, where the dark figure had run, pushing my way through layers of branches. The harsh sticks jabbed into my arms as I ran but it didn't matter- the whistling was too excruciating.

I had reached a clearing and froze dead in my footsteps. Three bodies knelt in a row all gagged with a dirty cloth. The three bodies of my remaining family. To the left was my father kneeling tall his back straight, a pathetic attempt to be the brave one. On the far right was my mother leaving Sydney in the middle. My brother was young, small and confused beyond belief at the situation. Even at her lowest moments my mother remained proud.She wore her head high careful to hide any creases in her perfectly fitted nightgown.

If this situation wasn't so sick I would've probably laughed.

Standing behind my family was a cluster of dark figures one circled out as the leader. He wore his hood down revealing himself to me as the same man who brutally murdered my sister right before my eyes. At first fear slithered down my spine then anger boiled up inside of me. I wanted to rip this guy's head off for what he had done. And worse, what he will do.

"How's the Prince? Dead? Poisoned?" I remained silent. "We made a deal, princess."

"I'm not a princess."

"But you will be, won't you?"

"I didn't break the deal, evil-masked-guy-whom-I-don't-know-the-name-of."

"That's where you're wrong, the prince isn't dead."

"But I did poison him, I simply found a cure."

The vein on his head was practically popping through the skin with anger. I wanted to curl in a little ball and beg for his forgiveness but I stood my ground.

Before he exploded a small smirk grew across his lips as he puled out his gun. He aimed it towards the body on the left, my father, and shot. He fell. I cried out. Then he turned the gun to the body on the right, my mother, and shot. She fell. I cried out again. The final shot was aimed at my brother and he fired too quickly. I couldn't stop it as the bullet ripped through his skull. This time I fell to the ground tears bottling out uncontrollably.

It was too much.