Scintillate {The Selection}

Chapter 1

Max ignores me for the full month leading up to the Selection announcements. To her credit, Mom never asks me why she never sees him riding his motorbike down the street in front of the house that she inherited in Dad's will. Mom gave up everything to ensure that we fitted in with our neighbours on the street, full of former Twos, like Dad's family. She bought us new clothes when she could, and made us new ones when she couldn't afford to. She sent us to the private school on the next street, taking three jobs to afford it. 

I filled in the Selection form for her - to give her some extra money and one less mouth to feed. Esmay filled the form in next to me, punctuating it with eye rolls and dramatic sighs about 'leaving Carter.' 

I laughed behind my hand, trying to find things to fill in each of the sections with, somewhat desperately clinging to the hope that I could leave this small town and save my family. 

It reached the last day before the Selection announcements and I finally cave, getting on my Dad's old bike after work and cycled over to Max's house, knowing the roads by default. I sail up Max's long drive and knock on the door, trying to straighten out my cleaner's outfit to look like an appropriate visitor. 

The maid opens the door as usual, her eyebrows furrowing when she sees me, "We weren't told to expect a cleaner today?"

"No!" I exclaim, trying to force a laugh, "No, I'm Max's... friend - Marie Georges?"

"Hold on, Miss," The maid says, turning back into the house and closing the door slightly. I hover on the porch, remembering the days when I used to just appear in his home, laughing in his room or lying across the couch in their den. 

I hear footsteps on the stairs, then Max yanks the door open, "Come back to rub it in, Marie? I get the point."

I rub my hands together awkwardly, "No, I just came to tell you... never mind, it's stupid. I just wanted to tell you that I applied for the Selection, so you might never see me again, which is what you seem to want."

"I do, Marie, I want that for you," Max says, then he sees the look on my face and his jaw drops, "No, I don't mean it like that, I mean, well, I want you to have a good life, even if it means that you're married to a prince hundreds of miles away from us."

I hug him instinctively, inhaling his familiar scent, and the tears begin to fall, "I'll miss you next year, if I don't go, and you go off to college..."