Compassion (A Selection Story)

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"Give me the form, since you can't write, stupid girl," my mother snaps at me, snatching the paper away. She places the smooth, pretty paper on a counter that she'd been scrubbing at since I walked in the door, but despite her efforts, the paper still recieves a dirt stain in the upper left corner. She writes continuously while I try to get a look at the paper. I know I don't have too much to worry about, as my skills and looks most likely won't get picked, but deep inside myself, I realize that even if I was the first one to be sent home, participating would automatically switch me to caste three.

"Why do you want me to enter? Then it'll only be you and Dad making an income," I say, even though I know why.

"Because, idiot, the longer you're there, the more money we get paid. Go wait in the yard."

Obeying, I walk outside and stand in the dried, crumbling grass that is our yard. I give friendly "hello"s to passerby, and they reply with a grunt of acknowledgement. Just after I say hello to a man with scraggly hair, my mother comes outside, and sends me to get three buckets of water. Lugging the buckets that are near as deep as my torso is long is difficult, but is a breeze compared to hauling them back.

My mother waits for me in the yard, with a large object in front of her. It looks like a very large, gray, and shiny oval bucket, and when I run my fingertips over its edge I ask, "What is this?"

"It's called a washbin, now pour the water in and clean yourself!" she snaps, tossing me a bar of soap.

Reluctantly, I strip down and lower myself into the bin, and my mother pours a bucket of water over my head, and it spreads out around me, coming about halfway up my legs, I rub the soap all over myself, scrubbing away grime and dirt that has been building up for weeks. The water fills with brown swirls, which eventually turns into pure brown water. My mother tells me to get out, and she dumps the bucket out, and tells me to get back in. We repeat the process, this time with me combing my fingers through my unruly black hair as the grease and dirt washes out of it.

After that, she tells me to stand in the washbin, and dumps the water over my head. Then, she pulls out a towel and a hairbrush from a package that I'd been wondering about. "I spent more money than I should have on these, so you better make it up by getting in that damn contest."

"Um, thanks," I say, taking the towel and wrapping it around myself, glad that I am no longer naked in front of any passerby. I dry off my body and reach for my clothes, but my mother swats my hand. "No, I spent money for that, too. Come inside."

Inside, there is the most beautiful thing I've ever worn. A light, green silk top and clean, black pants hug my body is ways I never knew clothing could. My mother pulls the brush through my hair, and braids it, flipping the braid over my left shoulder. Satisfied, she snatches up my entry form and whisks me off to the Province of Waverly Services Office.

Stepping inside, I see why she made such a big fuss about being clean, the other girls here, mainly the Twos, Threes, and Fours, are very dressed up. One Two is showing off her cleavage with a tank top so small and tight, I'm surprised it's not just pink paint on her body. Another Seven, Kira, clearly never knew about the pictures being taken, as she was still dressed in her work clothes, a smear of dirt on her cheek.

Due to my looking around, my mother has to push me forward when it's my turn. She slaps the form down on the counter, and I stamp it to say it's all true, though I never did get to read what she wrote. I am pulled to the side for a picture, which is taken as I begin to laugh at a girl who has the most ridiculous outfit, complete with a giant hat. My mother then marches me home, where I reluctantly take off the outfit and give it to my mother for "safekeeping". I lie down in my day-off-clothes, pulling Kai close to me, and fall asleep.

In two weeks, my family gathers around the small TV we have, turned to our only channel, the Report. The Master of Events introduces Gavril and the royal family. He speaks to the family a bit, only making a bit of banter before turning his attention to the cards in his hands. "Let me announce now, our beautiful Daughters of Illéa!"

There is applause after each name he calls. "Miss Marissa Hathens of Belcourt, Three." Her picture pops up on screen and I suck in my breath. She is gorgeous, and if the competition keeps looking like this, there is no way I'll get in.

"Miss Nori Mizuka of Dublin, Four." Sure enough, she is almost every bit as beautiful as Marissa, with long, blonde hair and a splash of freckles beneath her green eyes.

"Miss Kareen Garlen of Carolina, Four. Miss Leanne Farthing of Paloma, Two." I've stopped paying attention to the photos, and after twenty or so names are called, I stop paying attention altogether

That is, until my mother slaps me for not watching.

"Miss Amilee Moran of Angeles, Five. Miss Fleur Dreaner of Waverly, Seven."

My picture flashes on-screen, and I realize how bright and pretty I looked in the picture. My mother sits back with a sly grin on her face, and my father gets up and does a little victory dance.

The phone starts to ring, and our house becomes chaos.

Over a few days, we are swamped with people taking my measurements, explaining rules, and many other things. I barely got to sleep through any of the excitement, and when the day comes for me to pack, a final knock at the doorway stops me. My best friend, Pheobe, wraps her arms around me, squeezing until I can't breathe. When she finally releases me, we walk back to my room, where I have a bag, but nothing to pack except the fancy outfit I'd snuck back from my mother's room.

"You could be the next queen, Fleur! Why aren't you more excited?"

"I don't want to be princess, I'll just make a horrible impression and be the first sent home, but I'll be a Three, and I can learn stuff."

"No!" I turn to find my mother and father standing in the door, clearly having heard everything I'd said. "Phoebe, get out." She obeys, but I know it's only because she's a bit scared of my parents. "Fleur, you will try at the Selection, and I will make sure of this."

"How?" I challenge.

"You wouldn't want Kai hurt, would you?"

I freeze and swallow in fear. "Why?"

"Because every week you stay in the competition, every check we get, he stays alive until the next one."

I sharply take a breath, a sick feeling filling me up. "Where is he? What have you done already?"

"Oh, nothing... yet." My mother dismisses me with a wave of her hand, and a woman suddenly appears in the main room. "Fleur, we're ready for the sendoff," she says in a hurried voice, indicating she wants to get out of our poor excuse for a house.

I get up off the floor, the sick feeling still boiling inside of me as I walk past my parents, who follow me to the car.

The sendoff is short, mainly due to the fact that neither I, nor my parents, want to say anything about me. I am whisked off to the airport, the only good-byes being from strangers and bitter, upper-caste girls grumbling that they should have been picked instead of me.

On the plane, I am joined by two girls in the same black and white sendoff outfit as me. One of them is Nori Mizuka, her blonde hair shining, and the other is a girl whose name I missed. They settle down next to each other, chattering excitedly, and I sit down in the back corner, being totally quiet, and trying not to think of Kai.

When we land, there is a mob of fans cheering for us, but I walk quickly past all of them, and end up waiting in a car for Nori and the other, brown haired girl whose name, I learned, is Harriet and is a Three. Niether of them give a second glance at me, the Seven.

When the palace is in view, I gasp at the pure splendor of it. Marble, stone, crystal, and glass form the largest and most beautiful building I've ever seen. We are ushered into a place called the Women's Room, where I see most girls' dream, and my nightmare.

The pampering begins with makeovers.