Turning Point

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The next day, I was sitting at the dining room table, stirring a spoon in a cup of tea, when my mother came bustling in. “Hey, baby-boo,” she greeted me, wearing a bright smile that I wasn’t accustomed to.

I arched an eyebrow at her. Baby-boo? 

This whole Selection idea that had rooted firmly in Mom’s head was making her act weirdly towards me; too many hugs and smiles and strange nicknames. I guessed that she could tell I wasn’t completely wanting to enter my name in for the Selection, and thought being more affectionate (?) would sway me over, somehow.

“So, I was thinking...” Mom said carefully, her tone a little too casual. 

 “It’s Selection-related, isn’t it?” I asked shortly.

Mom’s eyes widened, surprised. “You’re truly amazing at reading people.”

“C’mon Mom, you aren’t exactly the epitome of subtlety,” I told her, shaking my head a little so that my hair came out of the woolen beanie I wore. “It wouldn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

 “Hmm.” Mom’s eyebrows furrowed a little at my words, but her expression cleared quickly. “Anyway, yes, you’re right. It does have a little something to do with the Selection.” Before I could ask, she exclaimed, “We’re going shopping!”

I tried my best to hold back a groan. Everyone found it strange that I, a fairly girly teenager, did not enjoy going clothes shopping at the mall. It wasn’t even as if I didn’t have the money to buy things, they’d point out, or that I wasn’t used to the mall enviornment like some of the members of the lower castes might be. One of my aunts had even straight out told me it was unnatural, eyeing me like I was a small child who was doing something they didn’t know was bad for them. I tried to ignore it, but honestly, it drove me crazy. Wasn’t I allowed to have my own likes and dislikes?

“Aw, honey, come on,” Mom wheedled. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

I ignored this remark, as I’d heard it way too many times before and knew that it most definetely would not be fun, no matter what anyone promised. “What does this have to do with the Selection?”

Mom paused. “Well, I thought we might be able to hear a little more about the age restriction being lowered there. I’m sure we’re not the only ones wondering about it.”

I gave her a look. “Mom. There are many other, simpler ways that you could find that out. You could just talk to a neighbour, for God’s sake.”

“Yes, but that’s no fun now, is it?” Her face suddenly spread into a wide smile. Fun again. She patted my head and walked over to the cupboard. “We’ll leave soon, okay?”

Sensing I had no choice in the matter, I reluctantly nodded, before pushing back my chair and leaving the room. I didn’t have to look back to tell that Mom’s eyes were following me, disappointment filling them. She’d been hoping I’d stick around, probably so she’d be able to chatter about the Selection some more. But I really didn’t want to hear about that anymore, particularly the matter of me entering. Mom and Dad seemed blind to the fact that I wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to possibly become the country’s next ruler, too busy getting overexcited amongst themselves. 

I raced up the stairs and hurried into my room, being sure to close the door behind me. Then I sank onto my bed, covering my face with my hands.

Whenever I thought about entering the Selection, I’d get mixed feelings. On one hand, it certaintly would be exciting, going to the palace, wearing ball gowns and high heels, and living like a lady. But on the other, being around so many other people probably wouldn’t turn out well, what with my terrible shyness around strangers. Imagining embarrassing myself in front of the royals, which I was very likely to do, made me shudder in horror. Not to mention the miniscule, one-in-thirty-five, but still there nevertheless, chance I’d have of…becoming Illea’s next princess. Eventually…the queen. What if it happened? What if, by some crazy turn of events, the prince chose me to be his wife, and I had to rule the country…

Could I do it? Was I capable of such an astonishing feat? Did I have it in me to be Queen Lyla?

Maybe other people thought so, but for me, the only word that filled my head was a big, fat NO.

Not. A. Single. Chance. 

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Hey guys. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, I've been pretty busy, and in addition had a huge case of writer's block which I kinda still am going through. I'll try to get out a new chapter for Chill soon, and update this a little more often. Sorry it's so short. I'm working on making longer chapters. I just really wanted to update this today, so yeah. 

xxx, M