Ever After . . .

Chapter 23

~America~

It's Friday night. Which means that the Report is on. Which also means that we find out the winners of the Selection. Marissa had an even chance of winning. We were all seated in the living room. Even mom and May were both watching from home. 

The Report starts, and Maxon and Kriss are interviewed for a few minutes. Then Prince Nathan gives Gavril the letters. They start with Angeles. 

They show the photo on the screen, along with Prince Nathan's reaction to the girls. Then comes to province of Bonita. An eight named Milla Brown. Everything stops. Gavril looks back at the letter to see if he read it right. Sure enough it's an eight. She's actually very beautiful. She has tanned olive skin, dark brown eyes, and short black hair. Gavril clears his throat and continues.

There were two more provinces before Carolina. The moments drag on. Marissa grabs my hands, and holds them tight. "From Carolina, Lila Rhodes, two," Gavril said.

Marissa drops her hands. A wave of emotion crosses her face. Relief, sadness, anger. All so different from my emotions when I was Selected. I rub her back to calm her. I knew how badly she wanted to win for Carolina. She stands up, and turns from the TV to us. She looks like she's on the brink of tears.

"Come here," I say. I embrace her, and she begins to cry into my shoulder. "It's okay. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. You can only go up from here." She pulls away, and looks me in the eyes. "Hey. It'll be fine."

She rubs her eyes to clear away the tears. "I hope so," she says as she sniffs.

"I know so. There were so many girls that entered. It was a random drawing. Maybe something amazing will happen while the Selection is going on, and you'll be glad you weren't in the Selection."

"I hope so."

Marissa gets up from the couch, and I assume she's going back to her room. The Report finishes, and the screen cuts off. After a few seconds of silence Luke gets up, and says, "I'm going to check on Marissa."

He moves from his seat on the couch, and goes back to Marissa's room. I'm left sitting alone on the couch, with the empty TV screen.