I was bent over my paper, my eyes glued to it. I could feel the pen making imprints in my hand, but I ignored it. I wrote faster, all to aware of the time flying by.

I heard a knock at the door, but ignored it. There was another knock, and then the door opened. My twin, Adam, stood in the doorframe.

"Nico?" he asked. "It's time. The guests will be here any time now."

"Just a minute."

I got back to writing furiously. Adam leaned against the door, his hazel eyes rolling slightly. "W-we're going to be late."

"Don't worry, I'm almost done."

"You're never almost done," a feminine voice said. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ella, in an autumn-orange gown. "Come on, you can always finish later. It would suck if you were late for your own birthday ball."

I huffed dramatically, and dropped my pen. Rolling my eyes, I got out of my chair. "Fine, I'll work on it later."

Ella quickly looked me up and down. "Good, you're ready. Lets go."

The three of us walked down the hall. Ella lived on the same floor as my family, even though she and her family technically wasn't "royal." Ella's mom was Brynn Ackerman-Holt, one of my dad's former Selected and now one of his two advisors. She had been my and my twin's best friend for as long as we could remember. And, of course, our sister's too. They were the same age.

"Where's Astrid?" Adam asked. We hadn't seen our little sister all day, but that wasn't really a surprise. Astrid had always preferred nature and animals over humans, unlike me. Adam was also kind of like that, except with books. You could say I'm the extrovert of the Schreave children.

"She's getting ready," Ella answered, flicking her brown hair out of her face. "She'll be down in a few minutes."

We walked down the polished marble stairs. I could see the guests coming into the ballroom from here, which made me swear under my breath. We were late.

"Do you think we can sneak in?" Adam whispered.

"Um, our faces have been all over T.V since we were born. No," I said. "We'll have to go for the dramatic entrance."

I grabbed Ella's arm, and hooked it in Adam's. They both blushed and looked away from each other. I pushed them toward the staircase, and then stepped in front of them. Everyone's heads turned, and I smiled.

"Good evening," I addressed everyone.

We descended the stairs, the room so silent it was creepy. The crowds parted as we entered the ballroom, and thankfully I could hear a sound again.

The ballroom was lavishly decorated. Candles adorned the chandeliers, and the fountain had been polished till it shone. Tables covered in white tablecloths surrounded the dance floor, and politicians in suits stood drinking punch. I grinned. Atmospheres like this had always been my forte.

I scanned everyone in the room, and quickly singled out my parents. They turned around, and met my eyes. I started to walk toward them, and beckoned for Adam and Ella to follow. They had unlinked their arms, and red in the face.

"Hey," I said.

"Nicholas. You're late," my mother chided softly, and she fixed my tie. Time hadn't made Merideth Schreave any less beautiful. She was adored by the people for her kindness and positivity, and her smile right now showed both characteristics. She held my baby brother Henry close to her with one arm.

"I was doing paperwork."

"Don't work to hard," my dad said, with a proud smile. Leopold Schreave was also loved by the citizens of Illea, for being a smart and gracious ruler. With one hand he held a glass of punch, and the other rested on my mom's waist.

"Is everyone here?"

"No, so we won't be officially starting the ball yet. You can go mingle," my dad answered.

"Got it."

I turned around to see Adam lightly glaring at me. I threw up my arms.

"What did I do?"

"Did you really have to make it look like Ella and I were dating?" Adam whispered, his face turning a shade of pink.

"What? All the gossip magazines think one of us is dating her anyways. I'll apologize, if that makes you feel better," I said. I looked around quickly. "Where'd Ella go?"

Adam pointed toward the entrance. Ella and Astrid were walking back toward us. I could see everyone looking toward the two women.

"Hey," Astrid said, smiling. I could practically see the hearts in every man's (and some women's) eyes from here.

"Hi," Adam said.

"You look pretty," I commented. "I can almost see everyone falling in love."

Astrid turned red, and a nervous giggle escaped her pink lips. She tucked one blonde curl behind her ear.

"Spin for me," Ella said. Astrid did a little twirl, her blue gown poofing out and almost engulfing her. I heard a whistle from behind me.

"Dang Astrid. You look especially gorgeous tonight," Zane Ashbaugh said, slinging one arm around Astrid's shoulder. She respectfully pushed it off.

"Thanks."

"Where's Eliza?" Adam asked Zane. Eliza was Zane's little sister, and another friend of ours. She loved books, like Adam, so they were pretty close.

"She went to get snacks. She told me to tell you that she finished Six of Crows," he told my twin. Adam's eyes lit up, and he trailed of to find her.

I glanced around, looking for the rest of my family. I quickly found Aunt Kalliope and Uncle Conner coming toward us. She quickly engulfed me and Zane in a hug.

"Awww, my favorite boys!" she squealed. She pulled us closer, we could barely breathe.

Aunt Kalliope let us go, and Zane and I both took a deep breath. My aunt looked over our little group. "Where's Adam?"

"Talking to Eliza," Zane said. "Where's Bree?"

"Behind you, hotshot," Bree announced. She slapped Zane's butt with a mischievous giggle, and smiled coyly. Her mother laughed, throwing her head back.

"Happy birthday cuz," Bree added, hugging me.

I hugge the petite girl back, smiling. Bree could get everyone in a good mood. "Thanks. How you been?"

"Good. Where's Adam?"

"I'm o-over here," my twin stuttered, popping out from thin air. Eliza stood behind him, smiling nervously. She tugged on a strand of her dark brown hair.

"Oh, hey! Happy birthday, sweet cakes!" Bree said, lightly punching Adam on the arm. He laughed awkwardly, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hi."

Bree saw the other three girls, and her smile grew. "Hey babes! I've missed you, how's life?"

The four girls hugged, giggling happily.

"Where are Julie and Lena?" Ella thought aloud. Juliette and Lena were our other cousins, but saw them less then our other family. They did live in France.

"Oh, they're getting ready. Overslept. Jet lag, ya know?" Bree mentioned.

Suddenly, the music started. I saw the guests start to dance, and Zane grabbed Bree.

"Wanna dance?"

Bree grinned. "What do you think?"

The two started to dance. Adam and Eliza mysteriously disappeared (I still don't know how they do that). I started to circle the dance floor, lost in thought. There was a announcement coming that night, and I couldn't get my mind of it.

After a few seconds, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and was quickly pulled on the dance floor. My cousin Lena stared back at me, grinning.

"Lena? What are you doing?"

She bumped my hip affectionately. "Nice to see you too. And I'm dancing with you. You looked a little worried."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"Okay. We should still dance though."

I smiled, and nodded. I twirled my cousin, and she laughed.

"How's France?" I asked.

"Great. Illea?"

"Getting better. We're getting rid of the last of the rebels, so that's good. Oh, and Columbia has a new representative, but she's very capable. And kind. Also-"

"Whoa," Lena said, interrupting me. "Not to be rude, but remember I'm awful with the politic stuff. My sister is becoming Queen, not me."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I get carried away."

"It's no problem."

The song ended, and Lena and I ended up at the champagne table. She poured herself and me a glass, and handed me mine.

"Bottom's up," she said, and we both gulped down the drink. She poured herself another shot, and my eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you taking another shot?"

She gave me a look. "Hey, alcohol is nice. And, I can blame it on jet lag tomorrow. Just make sure Julie doesn't see me."

I'd forgotten how nice it was to have Lena around.

"Lena!"

Crap.

Lena quickly disappeared under the table, the tablecloth hiding her from prying eyes. Juliette marched up to me, her brown eyes narrowing. I stumbled backward, my heart skipping a beat.

"Have you seen my sister? She disappeared, and I don't want her to get in some kind of trouble," she asked, well, more like demanded. Julie was scary.

"U-um, no. I haven't seen her at all. Not at all," I rambled on. I quickly picked up my glass, and began to start pouring punch in it.

Julie frowned. "Okay. But if you see her, please tell me."

"Gotcha."

Julie walked off, and I stuck my hand under the tablecloth. I felt a small hand grip it, and Lena crawled out from under the table. She stood up, smoothing out her yellow dress.

"Thanks. You saved my butt."

"No problem."

The two of us walked back to the rest of our friends and family. Before I could say anything, I saw my father lightly tapping on a glass with a knife. Everyone looked toward our little group (and my parents), and I saw Adam and Eliza slowly hiding behind Zane.

"Good evening everyone," my father began. "As you know, tonight we are celebrating the birthday of my two sons, Nicholas and Adam."

I glanced at Adam, and he nodded. We both stepped into the spotlight. Everyone cheered, our friends and family being the loudest. Adam's face turned pink.

"Today, they both turned nineteen," my mom said, smiling proudly at us. "Our family has agreed that they both should meet someone they are going to be together for the rest of their lives. We have decided we are going to host a Selection."

The crowd gasped immediately, and started to whisper. Some of my friends did to.

"Forms have been sent out to every illegible female in Illea. Hopefully, they will be getting theirs tonight. We will stop taking forms in one week, which is when we will announce the Selected. Thank you for listening, and have a good evening!"

Hello everyone! I'm back! If you didn't know, this fanfic is the sequel to A New Selection, so some things might not make sense if you haven't read that. This is also a SYOC, and there are twenty spots! The form is on my profile, and the rules are below!

1. Diversity! Illea is where North America is today, and North America is filled with different races and sexualities. Also, please don't make your character your typical kind and sweet heroine. Nice characters are great, but other traits are great too!

2. No Mary Sues! Everyone has their flaws, and your characters should too.

3. Detail! Please make your character detailed, so I can write them correctly.

4. I am taking reservations, but please get them in quickly.

5. You can submit up to two characters.

6. You can submit children of the former Selected. However, you'd have to ask me if you could first, because there can only be one. Also, it would be preferred if the child could be the child of your own character.

Also, this isn't really a rule, but if you have a Pinterest account, please make a board for them and share it with me. My account name is the same as my fanfiction name (ArmaduraStar7). Please label it; Character name||Meant For You. Also, labeling the Pm thread with the name, age, and caste of your character would be helpful, but not required.

Just a disclaimer, I do not own the Selection! I also don't own Six of Crows, it's a real book that you should totally read (it's so good). This SYOC is officially open, so please submit! Thanks for reading!