Being Selected

Chapter 3

We arrived at the castle in the late afternoon, a few hours before The Report. We weren't the first to arrive, but we weren't the last because word got around that the girl from St. George had refused to fly in a plane, so she would be cutting it close to air time because she had to be driven. We had been organized into seven groups of five, with one group only having four, based alphabetically on our province. It was easy for me to remember everyone's names, but I hadn't the faintest idea of where everyone was from, nor did I care. My group included the very end of the alphabet, and based on my own knowledge that meant one of the girls around me were from Tammins, Whites, Yukon, or Zuni. Rosemary and Asya were talking by themselves, and Tatyana was busy admiring herself in her compact mirror. Neither Nieve or I made a move to start a conversation, so our group remained silent other than the faint whispers from Rosemary and Asya.

Since I didn't have to bother with conversation, I focused on everyone around me. The first group was being waited on by the maids so their faces wouldn't appear chalky on camera. I noticed that Deanne was chatting with the maid who was fixing her up, and I was impressed by how easy it was for her to engage anyone she met. The other groups were getting to know each other, complementing the different ways they tried to stand out. I touched my grandmother's pin, which was still fixed in my hair. The pin reminded me to look for Aunt Camilla, but I didn't see her among the faces of everyone bustling about.

I focused on my group, seeing that Rosemary had been able to engage Nieve in conversation. They all laughed at something Asya said. When she told a joke, her nose scrunched up in an unflattering way. She was fairly pretty when she wasn't speaking, with rich brown eyes and wavy brown hair that perched on her shoulders. But when she spoke her mouth took over face in a way that resembled a person sucking in air after holding their breath.

They giggled when the next group went up, and one of the girls tripped. It was fairly annoying how much they laughed at mediocre things. I hoped they wouldn't stay around too long. Time went by, until it was time for our group to get ready.

The maid working on me set to work quickly, adding make up where I needed it and fixing my hair. I waited until everyone else was ready before we were sent to wait in line. The Report was being prepared for our entrance, and based on the clocks on the walls I figured The Report would begin in fifteen minutes. I was toward the back of the line and I strained to see the front. There was a thick door that was between us and the determiner for the rest of my life. While we were standing here I distracted myself with my list. Footage from the first Halloween ball, original diaries of Gregory Illea, cremation papers of Bethany Illea, Queen Amberly's diary, and the trickiest an ounce of royal blood. Unless a blood drive was going to take place I had no idea how I was going to retrieve that. My thoughts were cut off when the line began to surge forward, towards the door. I put a smile on my face, knowing my family and the Agency were watching.

I stepped through, the lights of the set glaring in my eyes, but I didn't squint because it always made me look angry. I looked directly at the camera and watched as it focused on us taking our seats. I didn't dare look at the royal family, but I was comfortable enough to focus on Septa, the host of The Report. She had been on the show for only four years, replacing Vectra after the scandal she was caught in. She had shoulder length blonde hair that swished when she turns and mossy green eyes that although looked interrogative also had a sparkle of kindness. When she was chosen I wasn't surprised because she was a natural speaker and from what I had seen of her past work, she seemed easy to get along with.

"Prince Weston, do you believe you can find a wife, and future queen within this group of women?" Septa asked.

"Without a doubt. I'm sure each of the ladies here will provide the makings to become the Queen someday," Prince Weston spoke.