His Choice (The Selection)

Chapter Seven

As we pull up to the airport, I pick at my nails. They instructed me to keep them bare so the professionals at the palace could do them which is driving me crazy. I always have a perfect manicure so it is really weird for them to be plain.

I look out the window and observe that two other identical limos have already arrived, meaning that there is one more girl left. My escort opens the door for me and I step out. She leads me to the plane with a smile and wishes me good luck.

As I place my foot on the bottom step of the plane, I hear laughter. I take a deep breath and walk up the rest of the steps. When I walk inside, I see two girls in the second row of seats. They both look my way and smile when they see me.

A girl with dark brown hair and hazel eyes is closest to me. She holds out her hand for me to shake. "Hi, I'm Savannah!" she says with a perky smile. I take her hand and shake it. The other girl, a blonde with olive green eyes puts out her hand for me to shake as well.

"I'm April!" she says with a smile almost as large as Savannah's. I give them a small smile.

"Ember," I tell them. I sit in the row behind them. They both turn to look at me.

"So, are you excited for the selection?" April asks. I look at her.

"Pumped," I say in a voice that sounds more sarcastic than I mean to. Savannah smiles at me.

"This is going to be so much fun! I mean, while I would love to win the prince I am not going to be that upset since I got to go to the palace and meet all the selected. I can only imagine how nice the others are," Savannah says. April nods.

"I know! I feel like I am about to make 34 besties!" she says. They start talking excitedly, forgetting that I am behind them. I reach into my bag and pull out my MP3 player. They gave us a list of things that are and aren't allowed. Cell phones were not allowed but luckily I was allowed to bring my MP3 so I could listen to my music.

The sound of the final girl stepping onto the plane grabs our attention. The sound of the clicks of her heels cause me to like this girl immediately. Unlike the other two, who are just wearing the white shirt, black pants, and ballet flats, she has accessorized as well.

She has a black infinity scarf around her neck and black bangles are around both wrists. Her dark hair is styled in perfect curls, the kind my mother insists I wear in my own hair. To sum it up: she looks like my friends and me with her designer hand bag and Starbucks coffee.

"Hi! I'm Savannah," Savannah says, standing up to shake her hand. She doesn't shake it since her hands are full. April stands up as well and smiles.

"And I'm April," she says.The girl walks over to the seats in the row across from me. She puts her bag in the seat next to her and looks at them.

"Bexley," she replies. Savannah and April talk to her for a few more minutes beforere turning to their own conversation. She looks over at me and seems to be taking in my outfit. "Who is that?" she says, nodding towards my cardigan. I look down at it and then smile at her.

"Harrods. It isn't supposed to be released until the fall, though," I tell her. She gasps.

"How did you get it early? I have been trying to get my hands on pieces of that line for weeks with no success," Bexley says. I shrug and look down at it.

"My mom is friends with her. They're tea party buddies," I say, rolling my eyes. She laughs and nods.

"I understand perfectly.That's how I got this," she says. She picks up her bag and moves it so I can see it better. The brand is Waverly. I immediately recognize it as Lily's favorite.