Two of my maids chatter quietly as they pull pins from my hair and undo the multitude of buttons on my dress, but Florence stays silent, only stopping to shoot me a quick smile. Out of all my maids, Florence seems to understand me best - something I greatly appreciate in the unfamiliar, complex environment of the palace.
Some of the other girls, like Samantha, have been nice, but it's nice to have a girl I'm not competing with here, too. The environment is always slightly tense when I'm around the other Selected girls, due to the obvious competition between us. ...Prince Maxon.
I'm finally here in the palace, but there is still a long way to go until the end - because I will stay until the end. I must. The only way to truly bring my parents pride is to reach the end of the Selection and marry Price Maxon.
And if I'm not good enough... well, I don't like to think about that. So it's easier to just tell myself that I must win. As I get up from my dressing table, a slight sigh escapes my lips. It's a blessing that Florence notices my tired expression and assumes I don't want company. I mutter a quiet "thank you" to her as she brushes past me, whispering something to Sara and Katherine and ushering them away.
She smiles again as she closes the door, finally leaving me to my own thoughts.
My head sinks into the plush pillows on my bed the second I lie down, enveloping me in comfort. I can't believe all those girls were already eliminated, and so quickly... it's put me on edge. I've barely even spoken to Price Maxon, so what if he just sends me away? There's nothing i can do about it. He's incontrol of this process, not me, and... I've never felt so helpless. Still, I was very lucky to not have been eliminated.
I can't imagine how my parents would've reacted if I had come home on the very first day.
Still, I'm tired. And though the usual worries about letting everyone down and not doing well enough still clamour for attention in my mind, the cloud-like mattress and cozy blankets lull me into a half asleep state, pushing the anxiety to the back of my mind. And even though I don't remember when, at one point I doze off, leaving the worries for me to tackle tomorrow.
YOU ARE READING
Dear Elise
FanficWe all know about the amazing romance of Maxon and America - it's straight out of a fairytale, after all. But what about the girl who needed to win more than anything... and lost anyway? ...and did she even really lose at all, in the end...?
