Unthinkable - a The Selection fanfiction

Innocent Girls and Big Bad Wolves

While I was talking to my family, blandly telling them of my time at the palace, I felt someone grab my hand. I looked down, and there was Shalom.
"Hey kid. How are you doing?" I asked.
"Is this your family?"
"Yes, kid." I introduced them to Shalom. "Folks, this is Shalom. The youngest prince."
They waved and smiled down at him. Shalom looked at me and tugged my hand again. I picked him up.
"Are you happy you met my family?"
Shay just nodded. He was being timid now.
In a matter of minutes, Amberly came along.
"Hey, Amber, what are you doing here?" My family sort of bowed to her, but she didn't care, apparently all of the Royal children had an aversion to formalities, like their mother.
"I want to meet your family, of course." She answered, then she turned to Georgiana "you know, Cassandra always talks about how excited she is to be an auntie. She's looking forward to it. So, do you already know if it's male or female?" Asked to my brother, I didn't know it myself.
"Female." Replied Georgiana.
"Do you know the name?"
"We..." Georgiana and and Ethan looked at each other. "We wanted to call her Francesca or Cassandra" I was surprised. My brother wanted to name his daughter after me!
"Or both!" Suggested Amber enthusiastically.
Then, in that moment the alarm went off. Jax and Chris quickly explained what was happening. The guards urged my brothers and dad to the safe room. A couple of them took Shalom and Amber and started to guide them away.
"No way guys, where are the weapons?" Asked dad to Jax. They showed us. Apparently, they were everywhere along the walls. Dad, Ethan, Kit, the twins and I started taking all the weapons we could, while Georgie and Emma left for the safe room. We heard a shot from afar. The look on Jax's face told me it wasn't a gun of theirs which shot.
I grabbed two guns, one was secured to my ankle, the other to my hip; several magazines; as many knives and daggers as I could, one was secured to my back, two to my thighs, and many in a sort of jacket. Dad picked up four guns, where he'd put them I had no idea, an assault rifle and a couple knives. I saw in his eyes he wasn't fond of me being so much armed, but didn't complain.
He was focused on taking these rebels down. Then I heard a scream. I knew the voice. I thought Shalom was safe.
I took off in the direction of the scream. My family went the other way, where we could hear most of the fight noises come from, it seemed more urgent. In hindsight, I should've asked someone to come along but... Oh well.
I was glad that the dress I had on was short, but the heels were too much work, so I took them off.
I looked around the corner with both a knife and a gun in my hands.
There was Shalom, surrounded by five people, he was crying in fear.
I took my weapons off and hid them. Then I walked towards Shalom, pretending I didn't notice the men.
"Shalom. Hey. Hey, kid. They are all..." I stopped when I felt a knife pressed to my throat. Oh man, they were making it too easy.
"Look what we got. A lady." Said the man who was threatening me. The others laughed.
"What are you going to do? Please please let us go. We won't say anything" I pleaded, I was even able to shed a few tears in the process. I saw Shay's terrified look. But I couldn't comfort him. I wanted to tell him to close his eyes, this was going to be nasty.
"Kill you and take him."
"Would you kill an innocent girl?"
"Innocent, she says! No one in here is innocent" while he was talking I acted. I did what I had done to Will the first time we met.
Just this time I stabbed the man who was holding me and then threw the knife to the one holding Shalom.
"You're right. I'm the big bad wolf."
The kid was present to himself enough to run and hide. I grabbed the guns from the man I stabbed and ran where I left my weapons, and Shalom was there. I dropped a gun to take a knife. The other three men were looking for us. I could hear shots being fired from all over the palace. I could just pray my family was safe, or at least not wounded. A quick thought of dad or the guys or Will ending up like mum made my heart quicken, but I pushed it aside right away. I needed to get Shalom to a safe place.
I told the little prince to shut his eyes, cover his ears and not make a sound.
The geniuses put silencers on their weapon. When two of them were close enough, I shot both of them in their shoulders and knees. There was no using weapons nor running for them. When their screams attracted the attention of the last one, and he came where I was, I waited for him to walk past me and then wrapped my arms around his neck, to make him faint.
I tied them down and check on the other two. They were standing still. A wave of terror rose inside me. Had I killed them? It was a chance. I hadn't quite cared of the places I'd hit them, as long as they didn't hurt me or Shalom.
I checked their pulses and let out a relieved breath. They were alive. I pressed cloths on their wounds and tied them down as well.
I went back to Shalom, grabbed his hand and pulled him up in my arms.
The poor thing was crying in terror. I could feel his. It was my own.
I found a guard, made him open a safe room for the kid and told him to stay with him. I couldn't tell why he had listened to me, but he did, which was enough. I picked up all my weapons and grabbed a rifle. In the poor state in which I was, I went to find my family.

***

When I woke up, I felt a loud beeping. My head hurt so much. Why was I even asleep in the first place? When did I faint? Where was I? My heart quickened. I remembered taking the rifle. I opened my eyes, regardless of the white light hurting them. "Where am I?" I was panicking. I couldn't breath. What was of my brothers?
"She's awake" I heard someone say. "go call his highness" I didn't know the voice, it was a female. Maybe the doctor?
I looked around and found the person the voice belonged to.
"Calm down, lady Cassandra, it's alright. You're safe now." The woman was trying to comfort me. "Sweetie, calm down." I looked at my arms. I was full of needles. I had a phobia of needles.
"Where is my family? Where is..." Right in that moment Will entered the room. His eyes had dark circles underneath, as if he hadn't slept in days.
He didn't really say much. Just thanked the heaven and hugged me tight. Not that I complained but everything was hurting.
"Please... Please... Let me go a little"
He apologised.
I had calmed down by now. Well, the heart monitor said something else, but it was a different kind of panic.
I asked the lady if she could remove the needles.
"You need them, miss" was her answer.
"Please. Please. I'm scared out of my wits of needles. Please, ma'am" I really was that scared, no exaggeration.
The woman executed.
After she left the room, I asked Will the questions on my mind.
"How's my family? How's Shalom? Your family? The other girls?"
"They are alright. Your dad was shot in the arm, but he's already recovered." I sighed relieved. "Shalom won't shut up about how great you've been. My family is alright, as well as everyone else. No dead. Except the rebels. Your dad and brothers don't take prisoners, do they?"
"They killed the rebels? All of them?"
"Except the five you took care of. Your brothers are questioning them as we speak."
"Can I see them?"
"The rebels?" Asked Will skeptical.
"What? No! My brothers. My dad." I said standing up, but the room started moving. I collapsed back in bed.
"Easy tiger." Will grabbed me and helped me put my legs back up. "They will come see you in a few hours."
"How long did I sleep?"
"5 days"
"Five what? What happened to me?"
"Someone suffocated you. Well, made you faint by suffocating you."
It was impossible. If that was the case, I'd have woken up in a matter of hours
"Come again?"
"Alright. They shot you. In your stomach."
"Great." I commented taking up my shirt to look at the damage. Doing so, I exposed the scar that was on my hip. I saw the patch the right side of my belly, right under my ribs. I was lucky I wasn't dead. Now that was why it hurt when Will hugged me.
"Cassie!!" I heard. I turned towards the voice. Shalom ran into the room. Will put him on the bed, so that I could hug the kid.
"Hey kiddo!" He was strangling me, from hugging me so much. "I'm glad to see you are alright!" I commented laughing.
"Will. She was amazing. You should've seen her" I couldn't quite understand how Shay could be admired and not scared, but I didn't question it.
"I did" replied his brother
"Did you? How?" I wasn't following.
"The cameras. They are in every hall. Great job." I caught a hint of sadness and... Anger maybe, in his eyes. I couldn't understand such feelings.
The King and queen entered, dressed in a nightclothes. Was it night?
"Lady Cassandra!" Queen America sounded relieved.
"Your majesties, I hope you forgive me for not curtsying. I cannot stand" I said apologising.
"No sweetie, you have no reason to bow. I should." I was very much taken aback by her sentence. Why in the world would the queen curtsy to me?
"I... I don't understand, your majesty"
"The heavens know what would be of Shay if you hadn't been there. You can ask all you want. My family owes you much a greater deal than we could ever give you back" oh. Now I understood
"Duty, ma'am. Your majesty, you owe me nothing." I said. Then maybe something I could ask. "But, if I could ask...?"
"Go ahead, my dear girl" encouraged the queen
"In the event I don't win your son's heart... I know it would be of little comfort but... Do you think I could... Have a shot at joining the guards?" I felt the most stupid, once the thought left my lips. Of course I couldn't. It was against the rules. On the other hand, the King was the one who made the rules and Will said he would change it.
They looked at each other, conversing only with their eyes.
"Consider it done. I heard the guards already want you in their ranks. You will choose your job. You could be Shalom's body guard" proposed the King.
"I doubt I will want to stay here, if there is another woman in Will's heart. But thank you for allowing me." I replied, a little sad because of Will's behaviour.