Hey guys! thanks for coming here! =)

the first two or three chapters are a little slow, but we get to know the caracters... please read on for tense twists and turns ;-) You'll love it, I guarantee it ;-)

Chapter One

The last Selection was twenty-two years ago, when Princess Eadlyn chose Kile Woodwork. Eadlyn did not become a Woodwork, Kile became a Schreave, so the Royal line would be continued. They married a few months after the end of the Selection, but didn't have children before three or four years. Princess Eadlyn wasn't ready for them. But I remember my mother telling me how much pressure the whole of Illéa put on them to produce an Heir. And they finally did. Prince Adam was born just two years before me. And Prince Tristan one year after me, and then the twin Princesses Lou Ann and Mary Ann, 7 years later.

When the prince was born, they prepared a ginormous ceremony for his christening, and at the same time, Eadlyn and Kile's Coronation as Queen and Prince Consort, because no title could be more powerful than Eadlyn's. But "Prince Consort" is childish and to long to say, so everyone calls him King. Even the Queen herself!

Even though the old King Maxon and Queen Amercia tried not to have a Selection for Princess Eadlyn, They still had to, for political reasons. And now, the royal family can not back away from another Selection. The entire country is wainting on the next one. And I have to say that I am one of those. Since I am olny two years younger than Prince Adam, I know I am going to be in the eligible Daughters of Illéa. I've tried so hard not to fall in love with anybody before the next Selection, because I knew I had a chance to be selected. Maybe.

And know, I find myself in front of The Selection Letter I knew would come anytime soon, since Prince Adam just turned nineteen. I can't believe it is finally happening. And I know it would be a great help for my family if I went. I heard they pay good for going there. Even a few days as a Selected could help my family for the next year or two.

My mother is a seamstress in a big factory on the other side of town, the pay is not good, but with my father a bricklayer, we definitaly need the money. My older brother works with my dad, and I work at the shop were the clothes my mother makes are sold. We really need all the money we can get. My two little sisters are still at school, so no money there, and school is mandatory (Thanks to Queen America) for everyone. We pay school based on what we earn, so the richer citizens pay more than the poorer. Thank God. We wouldn't be able to put even one of them in school.

Everybody is looking at me, and I open the Letter. I read out loud:

" 'To the House of Parkher,

The recent census has confirmed that a single woman between the ages of sixteen and twenty currently resides in your home. We would like to make you aware of an upcoming opportunity to honour the great nation of Illéa.' " I pause. I know what's coming next, but I cannot bring myself to read it. Ben, my older brother, takes the letter from my hands and continues reading. " 'Our beloved Prince, Adam Schreave, has just comme of age this month. As he ventures into this new part of his life, he hopes to move forward with a partner, to marry a true Daughter of Illéa. If your eligilble daughter, sister or charge …That's you, Aby! Is interested in possibly becoming the bride of Prince Adam and the adored princess of Illéa, please fill out the enclosed form and return it to your local Province Services Office. One Woman from eache province will be drawn at ramdom to meet the prince.' "

"I remember the letter from the last Selection, says Mom. It's exactly the same! What a bunch of lazy people…"

I stare at Mom for a few seconds.

"What? I never told My brother put his name in?"

A chorus of nos answer her.

"The letter's not finished, says Ben. 'Participants will be housed at the lovely Illéa Palace in Angeles for the duration of their stay. The families of each participant will be generously compensated for their service to the royal family. You will have a week to bring your forms in. Long live Queen Eadlyn!' There, you have it."

I've been waiting for this day all my life, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid I'll bring my hopes up for nothing. There are thousands of girls dreaming of becoming the next princess. Not me. Than why do I want this so bad? I think on it for a minute, deaf to the others talking around me. I'll do this for the money, stay as long as I can. IF I'm even selected. I get up, look for a pen that works and come back to my seat. Kate and Sue my little sisters are jumping around in the kitchen, dancing and already making plans, as if I'm already the princess. Ugh. That's never going to happen. Prince Adam is such a snob! At least that's what I see on TV. And so stiff! It's like he has a woodenplank fixed in his underwear that goes all the way to his neck. His father's a Woodwork, so I guess it makes sense!

Name: Abigael Parkher

Age: 17

Pronvince: Midston

Height: 5'4

Weight: 132 lbs

Hair: Black

Eyes: Blue

Skin: White

Special Skills: Bake cinamon rolls, Speak French, Sing

"Aby, you better make yourself pretty when you go give your form."

"Why, Mom? I'me just giving an envelope…"

"They'll take a picture of you. That's what they did last time, and Max didn't know. He was in his work overalls and all muddy."

I make a mental note to dress good when I go tomorrow. But then again, I don't want to look different from myself. If I'm ever going in the Selection, I want to be myself from start to finish. And that's that.

The next morning, I dress up for the picture, but stay as much natural as I dare, beacause I know Mom is going to make a comment on something. It's June and the weather is already like midsummer down here. I put on my favorite skirt, it's dark gray and goes to the knees. When I turn really fast on myself, the skirts goes almost all the way up. Then I choose a light blue shirt, the same colour of my eyes. I put my hair in a messy bun, slip in very confortable black flats, put a tiny bit of lipstick, take an apple and a chunk of left over bread, and head to the local Province Services Office before going to work. When I arrive there, there is already a long line of girls waiting to put their name in the selection. I wave to one or two of my friends in the line. Most of my friends are guys anyway. After thirty minutes, I finally arrive at the window to give my enveloppe. They make me sign a form that states that everything in there is true. And then they bring me in a photo studio, make me sit on the stool, smile and snap a picture of me.