Becoming Prince Maxon

Arrival

Age: 19

Two weeks after The Announcement ...

The palace was buzzing again when I woke up. I could feel it in the air before I opened my door. I rushed to get dressed and brush my hair back.

I quickly hustled down the staircase and into the Great Hall, where I joined my Father and Mother for breakfast.

"So," Father said looking me up and down. "The girls will be arriving today."

I almost choked on my pancake. It had already been two weeks?

"Yes," my mother cut in. "But you won't be able to meet any of the girls until tomorrow morning."

I nodded. "Of course. I will do my best to watch out for the young ladies."

My father looked up from his plate and stared at me with his cold eyes. "No. Maxon, you will avoid every girl until tomorrow."

"That is what I understood."

"Then why are you going to 'Do your best'?"

"Well," I said washing down my last bite with the orange juice placed next to my plate. "It will be hard to avoid 35 girls who are in my home. So, I was just saying that I would try my be-"

My father raised his hand cutting my off and I immediately went silent. I looked down at my food and suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

"Maxon," my mother's sweet voice cut in. "We need you to stay in the office or in your personal quarters until the girls are restricted access to anything. That will be around noon. They will be gathered in the Women's Room, and then at 3, we need you back in your room. The girls will be getting a tour then, and we want to have each one of them be able to personally meet you at the same time."

I nodded. "Of course, Mom. Excuse me. I'm getting very full."

I left the table and walked back upstairs to my room. I grabbed my camera and went out onto my balcony which overlooked the garden. I zoomed in on flowers, but the quality of the photo from this high up was horrible. I ended up deleting all the pictures I took, and eventually, I gave in and out my camera back on my desk.

I sighed and plopped myself into one of the two chairs that were on my balcony. I gazed over the garden, and listened to the birds and wind blowing through the trees. I found myself dozing off, but the abrupt sound of tires on gravel snapped me out of it.

I glanced down at my watch and the time read "11:23."

Either the first car was 23 minutes late, or the last car was just pulling in and I slept through the other cars.

I heard the door click open, and one of the girls sighed.

"Finally!" She yawned. "Oh, please don't make me get into one of those stuffy limousines again unless it's my very own or until I'm queen."

Someone was confident.

I heard two little giggles which clearly belonged to two different people.

"Common," one of the other girls said. "Let's go, America."

America.

The flaming red hair and huge smile flashed across my vision, and I strangely found myself wanting to go down and grasp her in my arms. Just a hug from her... Just her smile...

I shook my head. It's been one picture, Maxon. You don't even know her!

The arrival was over. The Selection was about to begin.