We got the letter today, the letter we heard about in rumor something I hoped wouldn't come. But here it is along with our usual bills we struggle to pay. My mom has tossed them aside though. The second she spotted the royal Ivashkov symbol stamped on it she opened it up like she'd received the best gift in the world.
Receiving this especially as I'm an alchemist is the highest honor you can get for us. So naturally she treated it that way reading through it so quickly and so excitedly. I don't see it that way.
I don't like being rude or disrespectful to my mother, but in this case there was no way not to be, I have no interest in taking part in this silly game. I also most importantly had no intention of being a royal or marrying Lord Ivashkov. That to me is the biggest horror life could bring.
I hid away in my bedroom for most of the rest of that afternoon, though it was impossible to hide for long as it was my day to cook and clean. I knew my mother would be watching me like a hawk trying everything in her power to convince me of doing this. Nothing would change my mind though, nothing.
I finish cooking the dinner potato pasta salad and crispy apple slices for desert, it isn't anything special but currently we are low in budget so what we had had to do. As I'm serving the food out on the plates I noticed her opening her mouth ready to say something, mentally chastise herself, shut her mouth again and make a loud huffed sigh.
We are all gathered around the table eating our food quietly none of us saying a thing to each other. She puts her fork down on her plate making everyone look up at her.
"Can't you at least fill it out Sydney?" She says as though it is easy to do. "Would it really hurt you to fill it in? The royal selection is such an honor and we got given a form Sydney we got one." She says pleading with me.
I could read everything she was saying to me, she needed me to do this it wasn't for her and it wasn't just because of the honor it would bring. It was because dad had been let go from his job, mom was the only parent earning and it wasn't enough for all of us to live on. Zoe, Carly and I had done jobs that we could get, well any that would give us decent money; generally that money went on the bills. I didn't want her upset, but this to me wasn't an honor it wasn't worth it, it was worse than death to me and I didn't want to experience that.
"What is all this about?" My father says his fork scraping over his plate, now wanting to know what it was my mother was talking about.
"Ivashkov's Royal Selection. We received our letter today. I keep telling Sydney that she should apply for it. It would be such a great honor for our family and for the alchemist community." She says so excitedly it was like she was holding a puppy. She was gleaming with so much joy, I had never seen her so happy before in my life.
"Oh Deborah, we don't want her to be involved with all those evil creatures of the night. She can find a perfectly nice alchemist boy right here. There is no need to be selling our daughter out to marry that absurd royal brat." He says his anger inside boiling, he has a tendency to have a wrinkle form at the side of his face when his anger is building.
"Zoe, Carly what do you think of this?" Mom asks wanting to get some back up in her plans to get me to be part of this.
"Well I think he is a very handsome man, I wish I were old enough to enter the royal selection." Zoe says until she looks at father and sees his evil glare at her for what she just said.
"However, he is an evil creature of the night and no matter what he looks like he isn't to be trusted. So I don't think she should do it. We don't need to be getting involved with these people." She tilts her head down so she is staring at the floor now, scared of what might happen after what she just said.
"Carly?" He says sternly holding in his anger now wanting to get the opinion from Carly on this matter. She puts her fork down on the plate and turns to look him square in the eyes not loosing eye contact with him.
"I think it's a fantastic opportunity for Sydney. It is the highest honor she will be given in her life and I think that she should take it. If she decides to fill in the paperwork and apply for this I will support her one hundred percent. You should too. If I were an alchemist I would be applying for this too." She stands up and walks away from the table feeling satisfied with expressing her opinion. At that point father stormed off into the living room slamming himself down Into his reclining chair so loud you would think he broke it. This is a usual thing for us father and Carly always butting heads especially since she refused to become an alchemist due to it being horrific to hate people just because blood was their main substance for food.
"Jared, don't you dare be angry over this. You asked for this by forcefully asking Carly to answer that question, knowing for well that she wouldn't ever agree with your opinions. You are entitled to yours as she is entitled to hers. You hear me?" Mom says bringing in a beer for father hoping it would shut him up and stop his anger from escalating further.
"Sydney" Zoe says in an almost whisper coming up to me while I was cleaning the dishes from dinner and putting away the leftovers ready for another meal. "I do wish I were old enough to enter this, I know that I'm two years too young though. If you do it we will get money, a better place to live and dad would get his old job back. You know that only a few alchemists get submitted for this and most don't get letters, you should consider at least applying for it you might not even get through. But it certainly wouldn't hurt you to have entered." She says still in her hushed tones not wanting father to hear anything she said.
THE FIRST AIRING OF THE IVASHKOV ROYAL SELECTION WILL BE WITH YOU ALL IN NO MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES, PLEASE ALL TUNE IN FOR THIS SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
I hear the TV blasting away as I finish up my final dish, we very rarely have the TV on but due to receiving the letter mom insists on watching the royal network from here on in; due to me getting a letter and becoming an applicant. I was dreading all the excessive royal madness that was now about to begin.
Dad stays in his recliner his beer still in his hand, Zoe sits on the floor right in front of him. Carly and mom sit huddled together on the sofa. I decide to grab a book from the shelf not having much interest in watching the show. I choose a favourite one I have read many times one on architecture around the world. I place myself on the centre of the floor right In front of the TV and start reading.
The royal music starts playing to signify that the show was now beginning. "Welcome everyone, welcome. This is a very special broadcast, as you all must know by now our Lord Adrian Ivashkov is looking for a suitable lady to become his wife. We have sent out hundreds of letters to many eligible young ladies out there in the hopes that the true Lady is out there. Do you think you are the perfect bride for Lord Ivashkov?" He asks while the camera panned over to him showing Lord Ivashkov's reaction to the whole thing. He honestly looked nervous, though the queen and his parents maintain their posture and grace sitting there in the centre of the room.
"All ladies who wish to participate must fill in the application form and head towards their local town hall. Each area is fully equipped and prepared for your arrival as of tomorrow morning. The closing date for applications is the 24th so you all have no more than two weeks to send in your applications. Good luck ladies and I look forward to meeting with the lucky 24 that will be joining us shortly. I am Lucian Badica and this has been a Royal Broadcast." The music comes back on and the channel fades out closing again for the night.
We all gradually go off to bed, though I'm unable to get any form of sleep. My mind going around in circles between my hatred for the whole pageantry for finding a wife, to how important it is to my mom and sisters and back round to how much I hate the evil blood sucking monsters.
I lay there hopelessly stuck in these thoughts it takes me a moment to realise that there was a light shining in through my bed room window. I walk over to it and see Eddie standing with a torch a little farther out. I climb out my window as carefully and quietly as I could not wanting to wake anyone else up. I'm so excited to receive this break from my nightmare thoughts that I practically knock him over when I approach him.
"I didn't think you were coming" I said breathlessly still trying to settle my breathing down from running out towards him.
"It's not been easy to get out recently, but I had to come and see you again. I missed you Sydney." He says walking closer to me now as we go to our secret hide out. When we finally get there he holds his torch up so that I can see the small open space that is supposed to hold a window in it, but it no longer does. I climb myself up hitching in through the open window space and crawl to a free open space in the room. He throws the torch up and I illuminate the room with it as he climbs his way in and practically falls on me as he gets in. He shuffles back away from me and finds a bit of space for himself though we are still squashed together.
"Eight years and we still haven't been caught." He says I could feel the smug smile he had plastered over his face for that achievement. He moves closer to me so we are touching with our arms.
"I know. Except that one time when we were twelve and we had planned our escape that night. We got it all planned out perfectly apart from that neither of us checked that it was guard night. The dog practically bit the entirety of your lower left leg off, luckily you had me to come to your rescue or you'd've been dead meat." I say my smile so huge I wish he could've seen it, though it knew In the darkness he couldn't.
"I can still never repay you enough for that night." He pauses himself and shifts his position so that he was facing me now, not that there was a great deal of room for him to move Into.
I remember when we first met my mom took me to a Dhampirs group secretly, I had no clue and it didn't effect me. I met Eddie and somehow we became friends. I remember we got bored one day and decided to find somewhere better to go to so we snook off exploring the woods.
We found this old abandoned building it was beautiful, I hadn't ever seen anything quite like it before. Though we ended up that neither of us were brave enough to enter it incase a Strigoi attacked us. Eddie had left me without me being aware and had found a tree house out back, half of it's structure was missing but one room still remained there. It was so old but never once showed a sign it would fall, so I climbed up to it and ever since then it has been our sanctuary.
We would sneak out at night past curfew and meet each other and then he would always walk me to the tree house, to make sure no Strigoi could get me. Though recently he hadn't been coming around at night as all Dhampirs have been given a heavier work load. He hasn't been able to come see me.
"I brought you something." He says handing me a small handkerchief , I unwrapped it slowly and found some delicate chocolates wrapped in it.
"Oh Eddie, that is so sweet of you. How could you even?" I stopped myself choosing against asking how he managed to afford them.
"Mom brought loads earlier to celebrate that both Ella and Emma received letters for the Ivashkov Royal Selection. It cost a fair bit of moms savings and I pitched in what I could but it was worth it to see the excitement on their faces." I take one of the chocolates and bite into it but being conscious not to eat too much of it.
"Did you get a letter?" He asks his voice wavering a little showing how unsure he was about asking that question.
"Yes I did" I stop not saying anything further looking round the room, my eyes stare at the ragged old rug that I moved here from my room a few years ago. "I'm not planning on applying though. I don't want to be part of that family nor do I want to become a wife to an evil creature of the night. My mom and sisters are going crazy over this whole thing and it is all just so absurd."
"You should apply" he says as he picks up one of the chocolates and places the whole thing in his mouth.
"Did you honestly not hear what I just said?" My voice raised angry at him for what he just said, out of all the people in my life he was the one consistent to be on my side. To help support me no matter what.
"Yeah I heard you Sydney, but think about it this way hundreds of girls from all over are going to be applying. They will choose 24 girls in total out of those hundred to go further. So the chances are that your application won't get considered and you will have lost nothing at all by trying." He shoves another two chocolates into his mouth as he finished speaking finally realising that I'm not going to eat them.
We stay there for a few hours just talking but not ever talking about the royal selection again. The thoughts all running through my head again plus with the added Input from Eddie.
The next morning I wake up to my favourite smell in the world and a smell I used to have waft into my room every morning until recently. A smell that I missed more than anything else in the world.
"Good morning Sydney. I thought you'd love a cup of coffee this morning. I made it especially for you."
I sit down at the table the coffee cup in my hand, I see a pen placed on top of the application form. I look up from it glancing over at my mom now fully understanding what she was wanting by making me coffee. I make a huge sigh and put my coffee on the table. She leaves the room so I pick the pen up just holding it at first dreading what I was about to do. This would ruin my life if I got selected.
Name: Sydney Katherine Sage, Age: 18 years old, Species: Alchemist/Human
Languages you speak: English, Greek, Latin, Russian, French and Spanish
Hobbies/ Interests: Reading, Architecture, Chemistry, Learning and Cars including car mechanics.
The questions continue on and I fill them all in, putting as much detail as I can in them. The questions throughout the four remaining pages consisted of educational information, more about my skills, hobbies and interests, my family including family background and questions regarding relationships.
I was so relived when I finally finished filling in the forms I thought It would never end and would be continuous.
"You're done? Oh wonderful go get changed and we will head down towards town hall. I took today off work so we could go down there. I doubt that anyone else will be there today as everyone got the forms only yesterday." I stay seated and drink my coffee, not ready to make this official. Just wanting to stay in the divine taste from drinking my coffee.
"Come on Sydney, the quicker the better."
I get up reluctantly and put on my favourite blouse and skirt. I have a quick look in the mirror and decide to pull my hair down so it covers the lily tattoo on my cheek.
We leave the house together and my mom constantly starts talking about Lord Ivashkov and how handsome he was, how any girl that gets chosen by him is so lucky. That I'm in for a great chance of being selected as I'm so beautiful and smart that he'd be a fool not to choose me.
As we turned the final corner before we reach the town hall we see a line of girls and their mothers all queuing and waiting to be seen.
"Mom, I thought you said no one else was going to be here today?" I ask feeling slightly anxious at how many girls had actually arrived to do this. It was also terrifying for me being enclosed with this many Dhampirs and Moroi, I hadn't realised that there were this many where I lived.
"Mrs. Castile" I says as we approach her, who waved us over to join her when she spotted us.
"How are you Sydney? You look so beautiful." She says as she brings me in for a hug.
"I'm okay and thank you. How is Eddie doing?" I say as though I haven't seen him in a long time.
"He's good, but so very tired as of late. They are over working the younger Dhampirs. It isn't fair treatment at all." She says shaking her head in disappointment.
"Sydney" Ella and Emma say in unison as they turn around from talking to a girl just In front of them.
"You two look beautiful." My mom says seeing them both all dressed up. "Everyone here seems to be a bit overly dressed. It didn't state that there was a dress code for coming down to town hall. Did I miss something in the letter?" She says sounding incredibly confused as she sees all the other girls wearing dresses, and slathered in make-up.
"No there was no dress code stated. Though Ella had heard from that Badica girl, oh what is her name? Ah Cressida yes Cressida Badica that they are taking pictures of each girl that applies. They are letting The Lord choose which girls get taken as the 24. It's all very hush,hush though so you didn't hear it from me." She says looking around to make sure no one heard her gossiping.
"Oh my I wish we had've known about this sooner. Though I doubt we will have any problems being chosen with how beautiful and intelligent Sydney is. We don't have to worry." My mom says over confidently as though I have already been chosen as the winner.
We all stand there moving slowly as each girl goes in and the line starts getting smaller and smaller. It isn't until Ella and Emma get taken in that it hits me that I'm next in line.
"Remember you are beautiful and the smartest girl I know, any guy would be counting his lucky stars if he got you."
"Next" I jump hearing a man In front of me yelling. "Next" he says more agitated this time as he repeats himself. This time my mind connects to what he wanted and I move forward going In to the room.
"Tell me your name, give me your application form and then please take a seat in front of the camera over there." He says as he points over to the small circular seat that is placed directly opposite the camera.
"Sydney" I say without really thinking, he looks at me expecting more I hesitate for a second then try again. "Sydney Sage" he types it into his computer I place my form on the table just In front of him and take a seat in front of the camera.
"Look straight at the camera and imagine that ducklings are walking together in a line out of a pond."
Without even intentionally smiling I do as I get a memory with Eddie. My face get so big I didn't think it was possible to find something so incredible to smile about. I remember Eddie and I were down by a pond one day and he had his camera with him, though I protested against him taking pictures of me he wouldn't give up. Though he couldn't get me to smile and eventually gave up trying to get me to. However a family of ducklings came out from the water and they were so cute I couldn't stop smiling, he took that opportunity and took a photo of me while I was smiling. He kept that photo with him ever since, to remind me of the beautiful things in life.
"Thank you Sydney, you may go now." The guy says startling me out from my daydream.
"Thank you so much." I say and then leave the premises planning on not thinking about it again.
The days go by and life carries on as normal again as though nothing had happened. Not one person in my family brought up the royal selection or Lord Ivashkov which was perfect to me, I didn't want to hear any of it.
"Mom, Sydney. You're gonna wanna come in here and see this." Carly yells from the living room. I come rushing in to her wondering what was wrong with her.
"What's is it Carly? What's wrong?" I say really concerned by her yelling. She nods to the TV so I turn to look at it.
UNEXPECTED BROADCAST AIRING AT 7PM TONIGHT. ALL APPLICANTS WILL WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE WATCHING.
"What is this? Why is there a broadcast tonight? The applications deadline was yesterday so there shouldn't be anything to broadcast until next week." I say really confused by the whole situation.
"I don't know but it's gonna be huge news I'm sure of it."
Seven o'clock rolls around and the whole family come together in the living room to see the mysterious broadcast. Dad sitting in his recliner again with Zoe on the floor in front of him. Carly on the sofa huddled up with mom, both being too excited to sit still though. And I go and sit on the floor In front of the TV again.
"Welcome all to our very special, very important broadcast. We are sorry to have surprised you all with the abrupt annunciation of this however I think you will all be very pleased with this as it follows on. We all at royal court would like to thank each and every one of you eligible girls that submitted their application to us. We didn't even need our deadline date as each one of you submitted them within the first couple of days. Thus far we the royals have reviewed each one of your application forms." He stops allowing the camera to show Queen Tatiana who graciously nods in response to him. Then it moves over to Lord Ivashkov who looked like he didn't really know what was happening either. This gave me my first real look at him and he really was handsome, he looked human. I couldn't even tell that he was a vampire.
"We have our final 24 folks" Lucian says though I had missed most of what he had said by looking at Lord Ivashkov.
"That is preposterous they can't have chose yet." Carly says banging her fists on the sofa.
"Well they have so be quiet so we can hear when they announce Sydney." My mom says annoyed at Carly's out burst.
The screen moved into a split screen on one side it showed Lord Ivashkov who's confusion had turned into curiosity at who he was going to be seeing. The other side consisted of a purple screen that said The Selected.
Then a photo appeared on the screen of a girl who had pure blonde ringlets, very pale blue eyes and puffy cheeks her profile said her name was Zyla Szlesky she was seventeen years old and belonged to the royal Moroi's.
The second photo comes onto the screen this time it was a girl with light red hair and dark green eyes, her profile stated she was Veronikah Popescu who was also seventeen but was not of royal status but was still a Moroi.
After those two I decided to only watch Lord Ivashkov's reaction and to listen to the information told by Lucian.
As the names run off one after another and each face being added to the screen. Some of the girls get a bigger reaction from him and some got nothing, some girls simply received a smile from him. For each girl though it was different.
Everything goes silent on the screen for a few seconds and then Lucian speaks up again "We have our final girl and she is Sydney Sage, she is eighteen years old and is an alchemist."
I freeze my whole body frozen up at hearing my name, my face appearing on TV for the world to see. My smile that was at a treasured memory of me and Eddie. I kept looking not believing this was right but there I was still there. It felt like I was being swallowed by a huge black hole.