First off, this story is an AU. In my story, every district has an 'Institution'. The concept of the Institution will be further explained in the story.

At this moment, I'm writing chapter 5. I'm also in the middle of my exams so updates will be a bit slow now because I don't have all the time of the world to write. Once school is over, I hope to have more time but my family is staring a new business so I have to help there as well. All of that means updating will be slow, it doesn't mean that it will just stop after a while. I will update, just slow. Please have respect for that.

Also, there may be grammar mistakes because English isn't my first language. So, forgive me for that.

I don't like long Author Notes, so I'll end mind here and I hope you enjoy the first chapter.

APOV

My life had changed when I was thirteen. I had been at a job with my mother and we were walking home when I realised I had forgotten something at the place we had performed at. I told mom I would get it and that she could go on. It was still light but when I was walking back home, alone, it was dark. I was walking past an alley when I was attacked. All the person could do was punch me a few times and touch my breasts but that was all because a guy names Niklaus came to my rescue. He was already 26 and leader of the Institution of Carolina. I had known him, we all knew him.

The Institution wasn't a loved concept at the time. People believed it was full of delinquents putting on a cover but no one actually knew what it really was like. Even I believed it but when Nik saved me, I didn't know what to believe. If he was a delinquent, why did he save me? Why did he bring me home?

But the most important question came the day after.

Why did my parents insist on me being trained by Niklaus?

The day after Niklaus saved me, I woke up later than usual. I was grateful that my mother allowed me to do so. When I came downstairs, I was shocked though. At my dinnertable was sitting Niklaus, my savior. My parents told me to sit and they told me that they had talked to Niklaus to get him to train me, to which he agreed. He told me he would pick me up the next day to start my training.

Ever since then, I went to the Institution every day to train. I had friends there and I was loved just like I loved everyone else. There were no delinquents, there were no troublemakers. There were no problems.

The institution was exactly that, an institution. It was divided in four. You had the people who fought. Then there were the smart people, who did all the stuff for the schools and sometimes even allowed the eights to get some form of study. You also had the workers who made the food for the people of the institution, who cleaned and stuff like that. And then there were the ICT'ers. They did everything including computers and stuff like that. They would keep an eye out on the streets through camera's and report to the fighters if something seemed off. The fighters were sort of a Police.

I went to the Instutution every morning with Niklaus and Nik also dropped me off at home every evening. That lasted until I was sixteen. By then, I was known and people knew what I was capable of. When the old leader of the fighters retired I was volunteered as a candidate. Eventually, I won and I became leader. It was something I loved doing and the pay helped me greatly to take care of my family, something my brother Kota didn't do when he had the chance to. But taking the job, meant moving to the Institution. I was lucky the Institution wasn't that far from my house, so I still visited my family every week.

It was a year after that the news of the Royals visiting us came round. It wasn't a surprise, they often visited the Institutions, it would just be the first time they visited the Institution while I was there.

We, the leaders, had heard of it in a meeting called together right before the announcement was made to everyone in the Institution.

Me and my best friend, Aspen- who was the leader of the ICT'ers- were already sitting in the boardroom when the rest of the leaders trippled in. Finally, Nik came in.

Over the years, he and I grew closer. Nik was now the big brother I always wanted but never got. I mean, yeah I have Kota but he was never really a brother to me and that was something I found in Nik. We even shared an appartment in the Institution because we were so close.

"Hello, everyone. I have called this meeting because I got word from Angeles."

"The Royals?" I asked with a frown.

Nik nodded. "Yes, the Royals. They will be visiting Carolina in a week and with visiting Caroline comes visiting us."

Aspen spoke up. "What do expect from us?"

"I expect you to be on your best behavior and not to let your opinions cloud your judgement." The last part was pointed at me. It wasn't a secret to Nik that I thought of Prince Maxon as boring, stiff, rigid and a distant person.

I winked at Nik with a smirk. He knew I wouldn't do that but apparently he felt it was needed to tell me, us.

After that, there was a public anouncement in each of the different departments. Aspen and I decided to do it together.

"Hello, everyone!" Aspen yelled, getting everyone attention. We had all come together in the biggest training room I had. "Everyone, quiet up! There is some major news!"

"Everyone, please calm down. Just this morning we have heard that the Royals are visiting Caroline." I anounced.

"So?" We heard above all the murmurs.

"So, we will do our best to make sure they're safe." Aspen shot back.

I nodded in agreement. "Indeed. That means, more people on the street to blend in! More Officers on the street as well. They will also visit the public market, we need to have extra's there. Aspen and I will be there ourselves as well."

"They will also visit us here. America and I agreed to show them how we train you." Aspen added.

"Those who do not agree to it, don't have to come into training that day."

Aspen and I saw that some people would take advantage of that so Aspen and I had a silent conversation. We had known each other long enough to have silent conversations.

"If you don't turn up for training that day, you are expected in the kitchens or you will have to go to Mateo so he can give you a job for the day." With that, we could see certain faces changing and we knew we had them.

"Okay guys! That's it! You can go!" I yelled before walking out.

I wasn't worried about 'protecting' the Royals but I wasn't sure how to handle being around people like that when I was a Five before I came to the Institution. In the Institution, you don't feel the castes but I was still a Five and I had no idea how to handle being around Ones all the time.

With a made up mind, I took my jacket when I went to my aparment and went out.

~Time Skip~ ~Time Skip~

Today was the only day in the month I had off. It's also the only night I actually spend at home. The night before that day I always go home to spend the night there with my family. Normally, I'd share a bed with my sister May and my smallest brother Gerad. Also the previous night I had done that.

This day I had decided to go to the Sqaure, where there would be a public market. I had asked my parent if I could take May and Gared. Father had agreed as had my mother, although a bit begrudgely.

So, my sister and I got ready for the day with my sister. I sat on our bed in a purple top with ripped jeans and a jean jacket. My hair had their natural waves and was pulled out of my face, though it wasn't in any updo. While other girls, like my sister, enjoyed wearing heels, I prefered to wear sneakers just like the purple ones I was wearing at the moment.

My sister was sitting in front of the small mirror in our room, braiding her hair. She had already applied some make-up but not too much. The difference between us was that she was up to date with the latest fashion trends and that she followed them while I just wore what I thought was comfortable but still looked okay. I did allow my sister to give me some advice if we would go to the market like we would now.

When my sister told me she was ready, I said goodbye to Mom and Dad before leaving with my two younger siblings.

Instead of taking the car I owned- curtesy of being a leader in the Institution- we walked to the Square. May was walking at my right side while Gerad was walking on my left side with his hand in mine.

"'Merica?" My younger brother said.

I looked down at him with a smile. "Yes, darling?"

"Why did you join uncle Nik at the Institution?" He asked.

Over the past four years, Niklaus had become close with my whole family and to my younger siblings, he had become 'uncle Nik'. Sometimes I even thought May had a crush on him but I would always brush it off. She couldn't have a crush on a man more than twice her age, could she?

"I joined Nik at the Institution because I needed it." I explained. "When I was working with Mom one night, something bad happened and that made Mom and Dad decide I needed to know how to defend myself and uncle Nik volunteered to train me. After a while, people knew me and knew how good I was and they made me leader of the fighters when the old one retired. Why do you want to know?"

"When I'm older-" Here it comes, the words I have been waiting on and Mom have been dreading. "-I want to join the Institution as well. I want to get trained as well and protect people like you do and uncle Nik."

I smiled down at him. "Does Mom know you want to do that?" I asked as we rounded a corner and walked onto the market.

Instantly I heard May squeeling. "Mer! Look at that top!"

I looked over to where she was pointing and nodded. It was a black top with a mesh neckline and it was long sleeved.

"That's a nice top, May, but it's a bit too old for you, sorry." I apologized.

She sighed, accompanied by an eye roll. "Not for me, for you! It's perfect for you! Please buy it!"

I looked again before walking over to the top and looking at it close while May immediately started looking for my size. I had to admit that it was indeed beautiful and it looked comfortable enough to train and work in. The price wasn't too high either. Even though I didn't have to worry for that anymore, I did still look at the price.

I handed May the money so she could buy it while I walked over to some T-shirts with Soccerballs on for Gerad with him. We started looking for his size when I brought up the earlier subject again.

"So, did you tell Mom yet?" I asked, looking at the shirt. It was a size too small.

"No, I did tell Dad though. He told me that if I wanted to do that, I could. I'm afraid to tell Mom though." Gerad admitted.

With a smile, I assured him. "Don't be. Mom wants us to be happy, she just isn't too fond of the Institution, definitely after what happened a few months ago."

I had been out with a few other, parolling the streets when a fight broke out. We immediately went in to break up the fight. We hadn't seen that some fighters had knives though so I had been surprised when I was stabbed in the stomach. I was lucky the guy had missed any vital organs but I was still in for a recovery time of at least six weeks. Until this day, it still bugs me sometime.

I finally found Gerads size and went to pay for it. I left him with May who was still gushing over the blouse she had bought me. It wasn't long until I was recognized and children came to swarm around us.

I'm not going to say I was a famous person around that area, because I wasn't but people- especially children- knew I could sing and would often ask me to play an instrument from the Music Stand and sing a song or two and I always agreed.

It had all started a few months before I was chosen leader of the fighters when I was on the market to get some stuff for Mom when there was a child in pain. The child had been an Eight and it's parents had left the child. It hadn't eaten in days and was in pain because of it. I kneeled down next to it after contacting Nik. I placed her head in my lap and started singing a lullaby. Some surrounding children had heard and came closer to listen. Now it was some sort of tradition that I would sing for them.

I followed the children to the Music Stand and placed myself behind the Piano. Marcel, the owner of the stand, had smiled at me when I saw him and leaned against the made up counter to listen to me.

I smiled at the youngest child in front of me before asking which song he wanted me to sing. "Something happy!" He said with a huge smile. Now,even adults were joining the children.

I smiled before starting the song.

I was nearly done with the song I was singing. I took a deep breath as I played the last key and looked as the small crowd around me errupted into cheers and applause. Even after years of performing, the feeling I got when I received applause intensified every time.

I smiled at the young child again before looking further. I frowned when I saw Nik. What was he doing here? I didn't know he was coming. I had missed a call from him earlier but when he didn't call again, I figured it wasn't important. I should've thought again because I saw why he called when I looked next to him.

The Royals had arrived. Early.

The song I picked will be revealed in the next chapter. I didn't really know which song to pick so I'll put in the lyrics