The Diamond: A Selection Story

chapter 1

My family caste is Four, and we are jewelers, to be precise. Never in my life, I would think that I would get anything special. For anything I receive, I am grateful. So when the letter in the post came in, I was shaken to the core.

It took quite the convincing for me to enter into The Selection. I'm very stubborn, but after my hopeless attempt to throw it in the trash, we signed the form and headed down to the Post Office.

And since I took that photo, I've been waiting for the Report to come on.

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I finish the necklace, placing and securing the final emerald into place. I step back and smile. Perfect.

"Aurora!" My Mom sings. "The Report is on! The Report is on! Come on, and the girls are going to be selected!" She hurries up to me and whispered. "And one of them is gonna be you!"

"Please, Mom. I doubt that. Thousands of girls alone in Belcourt have applied. Why would it be me?" I laugh playfully. Mom grabs my hand and pulls me out of our workroom and into the sitting room. It's a shabby thing, the couches are half torn, old tomato sauce stains on the coffee table, and a gray rug with loose threads hanging out.

"Aurora, look!" My sister Nelie points to the screen, where Prince Austin grabs his mother's hand, Queen Lily, while sweating beads off his forehead. 

"Welcome, welcome! I am your master of ceremonies, Gavril, here, hosting your annual Report! Today," he turns his head to the royal family, "The royal family chooses the 35 girls who Prince Austin will generously host in the palace, and one of them will be his wife and our queen!" He takes a deep breath, and I grab my sister's hand. 

"One of them will be you!" She whispers.

"Like I'm beautiful enough." 

"Now, I would like to call up Prince Austin for a few words on the Selection. Prince Austin?" He waves his hand, and the Prince nervously walks up to the podium. "Now, how do you feel about inviting 35 ladies into your home?"

"Well," he scoffs, "The only women I've ever lived with is my mother and my sister, and they're a handful, so living with 35 of them? I'm terrified!" He says jokingly. "To think that one of those girls could be my future wife is amazing. I cannot wait to meet them!" 

My older sister walks into the room, popcorn in hand. "Oh!" She rushes down beside me. "Look at that. He can't wait to meet you, Aurora!"

"Shut up!" I say. "They haven't pulled any names yet."

"I wish you luck, Your Highness. And now, a few words of advice from our Queen," he holds the microphone up to her seat. 

"Don't try to change yourself, and by the end of this, Queen or not, you want to stay yourself, it's the reason you were selected." Queen Lily says in a delicate voice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." He says. "Please join me in welcoming the 35 Selected girls, Daughters of Illéa!"

A small box in the corner of the screen hosted Prince Austin's face pops up, while the rest is a dark screen emblazed with the emblem of Illèa.

"Miss Chantel Aarke of Atlin, Two."

A girl with blonde hair flashes on the screen, her face looks serious.

"Miss Florence Andersen of Colombia, Two."

Prince Austin smiles, looking at his mother's expression. She nods.

"Miss Amy Madison of Denbeigh, Three."

"Oh, come on! When will you be up there!" Nelie screams.