The cold was almost too much to bare anymore; no coat or shirt or gloves or hat could keep the cold out. I was convinced I would die tonight, holding onto a child who needed me to stay alive to protect her. I couldn't help her anymore. There was nothing I could do to get her warmth. Food I could seal, but warmth was something we would never have.

My breath was visible, even in the dark. I held onto Lil as tight as I could, trying my best to keep her warm.

"It c-could be wor-rse," Lil mumbled into my arm. She even managed to smile up at me. She was always looking at the positive side of things, something I'd never understand about her.

"We will get through this," I assured her. "As soon as the market opens we can go hide out in someone's heated shop. Just wait till morning, okay?"

She shivered more when the wind blew on us. I pulled her hat down farther on her head and pressed our bodies against the building we hid behind.

"Don't fall asleep tonight," I warned. "It won't be good if we fall asleep."

She nodded understandingly. "We can keep each other awake."

"That's right."

I felt her shift in my hold several times, adjusting her grip on her stuffed blue bear. I remember when I had first found her. That bear was clutched in her hand even back then. It had been five years since we met, Lil was six and I was twelve. All I know about her is that she ran away from home for good reasons. I never pry into her past life, but she wakes at least once a night with nightmares from it. Whatever her life had been like, it permenantly scared her. At age eleven I can't say her life has improved much.

"What do you think it would be like to be rich?" Lil had a longing in her voice that made me ache for her. I wished with all that I was that I could give her more than shitty clothes and a few food scraps a day.

"What makes you want to be rich? You want to be pinned in with no freedom? Drinking tea with the queen and sitting up straight? Do you want to be told what to do and how to act? Cause I sure don't."

She sank deeper into my embrace. "Well, when you put it like that, it doesn't sound so nice. But it's still better than sitting here in the cold."

I rubbed my hand on her arm to create heat with friction. "We don't need their furnaces or fires. You and me, we're tough as nails."

She sighed and I was glad she was facing away from me so I couldn't see the disappointment that was surly on her face. "Tough as nails."

"Sh! We don't want to get caught in here."

I was pressed with Lil in a closet in one of the stores at the market. The market was the only place where two Eights like us could blend in with the crowd. And lucky for us we were able to sneak into a store with heat. The back storage closet was unoccupied once the store opened early in the morning.

"You can go to sleep now that we are nice and warm. I'll wake you when it's time to go."

She nodded and snuggled up with her teddy bear. I closed my own eyes but my mind was too restless.

How could I make money to get Lil a better life? She was my responsibility and I needed to provide for her. No one employs me anymore, not after I took an apple from a Five's kitchen. I always get accused of being a thief. Now that we are starving though, I am a thief, and a good one too. Me and Lil made a good team when it came to thieving. She would always go up to the counters and beg for scraps whilst getting scolded by the shop owner, while I sneaked around back and stole any type of food I could get my hands on. Lil's favorite is always the pears that I snatch. Some of them are bruised and ugly, but she gobbles them right down.

I looked at Lil sleeping in the corner. She was so peaceful looking and gentle. I hated that someone as beautiful as her didn't get all the nice things that she had talked about. I wanted her to have fancy dresses and I wanted her to be pampered like royalty. I wished more than anything that I could give her that; I wanted her to be rich. How could I make that happen?

If I couldn't earn my way to the top with getting more jobs, then I would have to cheat my way there. The gears in my mind started going at full speed. I could steal enough money to get her anything she wanted. But who would I take it from? The bank. There was a bank where all the Twos lived. I could think of a way to rob them.

My insides fluttered as I thought of a million ways to get into the bank and take enough money to last us a lifetime. This plan would take a long time to complete, but I was willing to be patient, and tomorrow night we would leave living on the streets with the Eights and live with the Twos.

My mind calmed down and I finally fell asleep, dreaming of the happiest Lil in a ballgown.

"Can't you just enter? If you think you won't win, then it's no big deal to enter, right?"

Lil was pulling at my sleeve as we weaved through the crowds in the Town Square. Every girl in the province was here to enter the Selection and hopefully be sent off to marry Prince Alexandr. I thought the entire situation was a big joke. Besides, I had never heard one good thing about Alexandr. He was a stuck up son of a bitch and I wouldn't be caught dead in his presence.

"Lil, I can't enter the Selection. What if I do get chosen, what will happen to you?"

She looked at me with sad eyes. "We can explain it to the Selection Officials. The families of the Selected get paid for having someone go to the palace. I will get the money and they can provide me with a home. A real home."

My stomach turned. I wish I could provide her with a real home and not the stupid Selection.

"And I can be looked after by someone until you get home. Even if you don't get to be the next queen, just you participating in the Selection can get us more money than we've ever seen. We don't have to break any rules to get this money."

I sighed. I new she didn't like to steal things, which is why she was so opposed to my robbing the bank idea. It took me hours to convince her that this was our best option, but it seems that she has found something to one up my idea.

"Fine. I'll enter. For you."

She jumped in the air and clapped her hands. "Oh, Anna! You will look so pretty with your hair curled. And a red dress will go great with your black hair, don't forget that."

"Lil, I'm entering. I can't make them choose me. Don't get your hopes up, okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled but her giant smile never left her face.

"Go get me a form so we can fill it out and get in this line for a picture."

Lil darted through the people to fetch me a form. She came back in a few minutes with a pen and paper. I made her turn around so I could use her back as a desk and I filled in my name, caste, age, and how many languages I spoke. Lil looked over my form for approval.

"You speak eight languages?"

I ginned at her. "Yeah, I got around a lot before I knew you. My parents were rich too, remember? I was four when I started learning. They kicked me out after I had learned Arabian, German, Chinese, Greek, and Finnish and I picked up on French, Spanish, and Italian from the Eights that took me in."

"What were your parents like?"

I scoffed. "They were assholes. The Eights I was with after them treated me better, not good, but better. They taught be how to take care of myself in that group of hobos. I learned to fight and steal and make things, and speak a few new languages which is useful when trading goods."

Lil was looking at me with adoration. It was like I was already a princess in her eyes. For a moment I forgot how poor we were and how I couldn't get her anything, and I saw a kid who loved me. I saw a kid who didn't need anything else in that moment but me, and that made me happy enough too that I wouldn't ever need anything.

Just then a flash went off in my face. I hadn't realized we were at the front of the picture line, and it was my turn. The photographer rolled his eyes at me for not paying a attention.

"Next. We got your picture."

I mumbled an apology and prayed that my eyes weren't closed in the photo that I hadn't been ready for.

"The announcements about the Selection will be made within the week."

Lil nodded. "So, we need to be around a TV to see the results."

"Betty's Diner?"

Her grin somehow managed to grow even wider. "You read my mind."

For the next few days we were always in Betty's Diner when the Report came on TV. I felt bad for not ordering something everytime, but the waitress, Carmen, understood.

"Nice seeing you ladies again," she greeted us the last day.

Lil beamed at her before turning her attention to the TV.

Carmen looked at the TV herself before looking at me curiously. "The Selection announcements are tonight. You enter?"

Before I could open my mouth Lil answered for me. "She did enter. She is gonna win. She can speak eight languages."

I smacked her arm playfully and shook my head. "She insisted I enter. It couldn't hurt to throw my name in the drawing."

Carmen counted the money in the cash register and shook her head. "It isn't a random drawing. They want you to think it is, but the Royal Family and their advisors hand pick the girls."

"So, I really don't stand a chance now."

Carmen grinned but didn't look at me. "You may be a filthy Eight, but you ain't ugly, sweetie. If the prince is looking for a trophy wife, you might be a good option."

I couldn't stop from grimacing. I would never be a trophy wife for anyone, especially not Prince Alexandr. He made my skin craw just looking at him. I didn't understand how all the girls in Illea swooned over him. He wasn't the ugliest person I'd seen, but he wasn't anything special to look at. No wonder he had to host a Selection to find a wife; no girl that really knew him would want to be with him. I started to pity the girl that would be his wife after this was over.

"With out any delay, we will begin the drawing of the girls who will be competing for the heart of Prince Alexandr this Selection. Price Alexandr..."

The prince thanked the host of the show whose name I couldn't remember, and took his place center stage. "The first Selected is... Cambria Waters."

People clapped in the TV, but the diner was silent with anticipation. I don't remember grabbing Lil's hand, but we were clutching onto each other. I could feel her hands sweating through her knitted gloves.

"...Reyna Ford..."

"...Glenna May..."

"...Sadie Boluse..."

Name after name was called and pictures of girl after girl were displayed on the screen. I had given up all hope after thirty names had been called.

"Four left," Lil muttered.

I grabbed my hat from the counter and tugged the toboggan onto my head. "Lil, give it up. I told you it couldn't happen. We need to start looking for some kind of shelter tonight."

"Stay warm, ladies," Carmen called to us from behind the counter.

I gave her a friendly wave before lifting Lil from her seat.

"Let's just stay till the end. Please, Anna."

I shook my head and zipped her coat up for her. "We need to get going."

She whined all the way to the door. I pushed the glass door open with my boot and pulled her through it.

"Two more," she complained. She was pressed to the glass door, forcing me to have to pull her away.

"Lil, I'm sorry but I wasn't chosen."

I wiped the beginning of tears form her eyes and made her face me. "We don't need a Selection to be happy, Lil."

"But it would be nice, right?"

I shook my head and smiled. "We can handle whatever comes at us, together. I could never be apart from you for that long anyway."

She nodded slowly and held up her fist to me. "Tough as nails?"

I tapped my fist to hers and rubbed her back. "Tough as nails."

Hello my beautiful readers! Sorry if there are a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes in this story. I am just experimenting with it and I'm not sure I will even continue it. I do have a few finished chapters that I will post later so please tell me if you liked them and if I am doing the Selection justice. I am open to any suggestions to the story and any constructive criticism that I can get. I hope you enjoy!

xoxo, jeweleethegeek