Scarlett Selected

ONE

By the time I had arrived home, my feet shoes were covered in mud and dirty puddle water. My hair was a frizzed, rats nest thanks to the ever so slight drizzling down. The humidity was horrible in Carolina. The bugs, the sweat, the heavy fog. All the more reason to move North.

I peer through the window to see if Silica was home, relief flooding over me when I realized I would be alone in the house. I pray a silent thank you to God before I fumble my keys into the lock on the doorknob. Swinging open the door, I carelessly toss my damp, dance bag onto the floor, slamming the door behind me. Oh, what a day to be free.

My eyes look to the messy, mail covered island in the center of the table. Walking over to it, I grumble a growl of irritation.

"Spoke too soon..." I mumble. The yellow sticky note atop of all the mail had a distinct set of directions on it in sharp cursive lettering.

'Dajavona,
I will not be returning home until late tonight. Rachel and I are out working on having her fixed up for the selection drawing. I expect dishes to be done, dinner to be made, clothes folded and bills sorted by the time we return.

-Silica'

I stare at the note for a second and roll my eyes.

That damn selection drawing had everyone bustling around. Though I must admit, the escape from Silica is temptimg. However, now adays you have to pay a significant amount to even enter the drawing. All of my money earned went straight to Silica's account, so even though I wanted to, theres no possible way I could.

A moving black cat catches my eye and I look at him as he spals himself out on the back of the couch, batting his bright green eyes at me.

"What are the chances I'd get in anyways, right Toothless?" I sigh heavily and begin sorting through the mail. The cat lets out a soft grunt and hops down from the couch with a small 'thud', padding his way over to me. He lays on my wet sandals and flicks his tail contently.

I can't help but let a smile cross my tightly pursed lips as I seperate light bills and water bills and tax bills and so on. Once finished with the four seperate small stacks, I turn my attention to the sink piled high with dishes Rachel and Silica had been using. I should've done the dishes last week, but I put it off, now I had twice the work.

The water bill was already ridiculously high due to my foster sister's long, steaming hot showers. Doing a hundred dishes would make it go higher. I run a hand through my tangled brown hair and close my eyes with a heavy sigh. Opening them, I look down at Toothless and give a small cheerful smile.

"Smiling makes you more confident." I tell him. Toothless stares up at me and makes a loud growl noise before standing wearily to his paws and bounding back over to the couch. Stubborn cat.

I tap my fingers against my thigh impaitently, and look down at the note again.

If dishes werent done, dinner wouldnt be made. Last time my mother and sister were hangry, I got backhanded so hard I had a diamond ring imprint on my cheek for three days. I would prefer not to suffer that same fate again.

"I will at least treat myself to some TV as I suffer this." I exclaim to no one, dramatically. I skip out to the living room and acoop up the remote, pressing thenred button a few rimes, forcing it to start up. The screen remains static for a few seconds before King Taylor appears on the screen.

"Our country is in need of a new queen as my son takes over. And due to my wife's unfortunate illness, we may have to move the selection along faster than we intended." King Taylor preeches. I scoff as I turn the water on and run a white dish under it.

"Unfortunate illness...c'mon now. Everyone knows he put something in her drink." I mutter, shaking my head. King Taylor and Queen Helena were both mutually insane, it was a given. They were stern rulers with and iron fist on the country of Illéa and dont get me wrong, they're great. Its simply, some of the decisions they've made in the past have been pretty questionable.

But my mind quickly raced back to one thing.

The Selection.

I glance back over at the TV hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the Princes. Prince Eli was said to be fairly childish and a trickster. Gorgeous none the less of course. Blonde hair and sharp blue eyes, tall and fair skinned. He was everything a girls dream could and was. I smile a little upon seeing him come onto the screen.

This year, three Princes would be participating in the Selection. Prince Sebastian, the crowned Prince, Prince Josh, the middleman and Prince Eli, the youngest. I sigh thinking about it.

I never wanted to become Queen, but to be real with you-I've had a massive crush on Prince Eli since I was a kid...I run a hand through my hair and grumble a stubborn sigh-weighing the pros and cons.

Pros: A chance to get away from my foster home, a chance to maybe even start a new life, make new friends, actually be happy. Cons: If I lose or don't get in, I'm damned to hell. I look down at the plate in my hands that had been scrubbed clean.

I had to join. Or at least try to.