She would never forget the day that her mother had told her to stay away from the public swimming pool. And she'd never know why her parents hated water with the kind of passion to where they would ship their daughter off to a work camp if they saw her in a puddle. Which they did one day when Amity had just turned five there had been a had rainstorm in the Yukon, the streets had flooded, and Amity's mother was in the middle of giving birth as the rain had finally stopped pooring.

Amity was supposed to be helping her older sister and dad deliever the child, because Thomas was still too young to hold anything besides a sippy cup; but all the mucky brown water appealed to her. Amity could hear her mothers distant cries of pain as she opened the door and walked out into the cold, and harsh weather. The rain had stilled for now, but the sky was still and endless gray that promised more rain. The forests were full, the tree's rose pass the horizon. Amity remembered the world being so big, it almost surprised her now how small it was. But the thing she remembered the most was how the calm flooding of her neighborrhood road had slowy rose over the tops of her already ruined sneakers, she remembered the cold of the water. SHe remembered how it made her feel alive.

Water was in her viens, driven deep down inside her blood. When she was younger she had wanted to be a mermaid when she grew up,but she wasn't a two. She was a five, and a poor one at that. Her family could barely afford the two bedroom house they were living in at the time, four people had already lived in the house, Amity felt claustrophobic at the thought of five people. Even at the age of five she wished that the water would carry her away, but the water couldn't, or better it wouldn't.

Amity couldn't even let the water reach the top of her shins before her father ran out and got her.

"Amity you'll drown!" Was her fathers first excuse, and then it was

"Amity you'll get hypothermia!" but she didn't care either way,she still ought like hell to get out in the water. They nearly had to tie her down to the post of her mothers bed, but in the end she didn't go outside. That night she got a new baby sister, her mother said that she was her birthday present, but Amity didn't like that she had to share her birthday with this new baby.

Amity's other present was an upright bass, and she was very lucky that the people who owned the work camp would let her keep it. When she wasn'tworking she was playing, her hands would become blistered and raw from all her work, but it never stopped her from play her bass. The passion she reserved for it almost took over the passion that she had for swimming, but that passion would always be there no matter how much Amity wished that it wouldn't be.

As of now she was working with the hot sun burning the parts of her back and legs that her t-shirt and shorts left uncovered, her hair was pulled up into a huge sloppy bun to keep her from getting overly hot. The dark brown lock would usually rest against her mid back, but as of recently thay had become a pain to keep track of. She was digging the shovel into the dirt as she heard the gaurd yell for the attention of all females.

"As you all are aware of Prince River is now of Selection age, and each every one of you females must come in for your picture to be taken. You'll will be given a pain of new clithes and a shower before your picture is taken" The gaurd yelled, wiping her hand against the front of her face she frowned when her arm came away with a darker tan than she already was. A shower would be greaty appreciated, especially if it was cold.

The water was an iceberg compared to the summer heat of the Yukon, and Amity praised god for that, she still wasn;t able to wash all the dirt from her under her nails, but she had gotten the majorrity off and she no longer looked laike a homeless eight, she looked like a five, her hands had gotten long and rough over her years, her legs were long and lean, her stomach laid flat against her backbone, and despite what her fellow co workers had said would happen, she actually grew a decent pair of boobs. She was handed a black dress, it cut off at her knees and had a very scooped neck, her cleavledge was more noticable than her face.

But yet she didn't care, because she had the possibilty of meeting the prince. She didn't even know that Illea still had a prince, none of the girl or boys did. They ad no televisons or news papers, just books and the things they had brought with them when they were younger.

"Smile!" The photographer said as a blinded light nearly startled Amity half to death.

"It's all blurry we have to take another one," the phtotgrapher spoke, she didn't want to take another picture because the flash of light scared her but she sat still for the second Photo.

"Perfect!" The photographer yelled as he looked at her image.

After her picture was taken she was told that she could head over to the dining hall to grab lunch and then she could either go back to work or play with her friends. Amity's only friend was Paris, which was the name she had given her Bass. But today was different, the dining hall had red covers over their seats, and it actually smelled like something good was being made, like hamburgers instead of their usual twice a day serving of oatmeal. Amity was estatic that dinner was something that you had to chew.

"Who do you think is going to be selected?" A girl asked, she was sitting to the left of Amity talking to some red head who shrugged her shoulders.

"Who do you think it'll be?" The girl asked her.

"I don't know," Amity replied, her vioced cracked a little from not being used all day and the parchness of her throat.

"Nobody knows!" The girl groaned. Amity finished up her meal and went into her room, the polished oak of her Bass starred at her as she entered the room, she was glad that here neighbor wasn't at her compartment to complain about the noise as Amity played.

"That sounds beautiful." The words nearly made Amity drop the Bass to the floor, but thank god that she had caught it.

"Um, thanks." Amity said as fast as she could, fixing up her stuff and resting the bass against it's stand as she looked up at the intruding stranger.

Her first thought was that he was beautiful. His black hair was cropped against the side of his head that suggested that it would be curly if he grew it out more, and he had the brightest blue eyes Amity had ever seen. In a royal gaurds uniform he looked like a knight right out of a fable.

"You're Amity Richards correct?" The gaurd then asked, she nodded her head yes, and she could have sworn that she saw his eyes soften with sadness.

"Congratulations," His voice was deep and soft.

"You've been selected," Amity looked outside, she was surprised when she say that the sun risen outside.

"How long have I been playing?" She asked herself, the gaurd laughed at this.

"Nearly a week, at least thats what the girl next to you said." It made sense to her though, she had saved up enough sick time that people wouldn't check on her for weeks if she had died.

"Hah," she said aimlessly, pushing a piece of her hair out of her face.

"What do I do?" She asked, and there was a twinkle in his eyes.

"Follow me," he said. And so she did.