DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own The Selection nor The Elite.

Chapter One

[Sophia POV]

"'To the House of Tanner',"

I sat quietly as Addison, my sister-in-law, read aloud the palace notice we'd found in the mail this morning. Everyone in the household—my nieces Charlotte and Melissa, Addison, and my older brother Christopher—gathered in the living room for this moment, and I nearly couldn't contain the urge to express my excitement.

"'Illea's very own prince, David Schreave, has come of age this month and is looking for eligible women interested in becoming his bride, and being the next princess of Illea.'"

I quickly snuck a glance at everyone around me. Charlotte and Melissa sat beside me, their fraternal faces bright with excitement as they listened to their Mother, Addison just had a look of plain disbelief, and Christopher surprisingly looked as calm and collected as ever as he read over his wife's shoulder from where they sat on the nearby sofa. But something in me knew it was all a facade.

"Oh my goodness," Addison's shocked voice awoke me from my thoughts and I looked at her, watching as she placed her free hand, which was formerly rubbing her eight-month belly, onto her chest which I bet was heart-racing. "It says that we will be 'generously compensated'!" Her soft blue eyes shot to me, shimmering in pure delight. I couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corners of my lips by then.

"This is great, Sophia! This is really perfect," Addison cheered before kissing my brother's cheek. I let out a short laugh, knowing that what she said was true. Signing this form could be the best thing that has ever happened to my family. You see, it was only a few short years ago when my Mother passed, leaving me to move in with Christopher and his family of Fives. Before then, he and Addison had to keep up with two jobs to pay for well over-due bills, and food for the family.

But since I moved in, and since Addison has been relived from work because of her pregnancy, Christopher's been working overtime now that there's a few extra mouths to feed. So, to hear that my family will be given the money they've worked so hard to earn is, like, a miracle sent from heaven itself. "What does generously compinated mean, Aunt Sophia?" Charlotte wondered, completely oblivious to the fact that she just mispronounced a word.

"Generously compensated," I replied correctively, watching as the twins gave me looks of understanding. "And it means that we will get paid if Sophia gets in the Selection." Christopher added in a rather dry tone. I looked at him in slight concern, but my gaze was averted back to the girls as they began to squeal and jump around happily by my sides.

"We're gonna get paid to meet the prince?!" Melissa asked, an ear-to-ear smile forming on her face. Addison giggled from her seat. "No dear, Sophia's going to meet the prince. We are going to be at home, cheering her on," Addison explained to her daughters as she walked over to me. I made sure to stand clear of her large belly as she pulled me in for a tight hug; one that I could say was rather rib-crushing.

"Ah, this is so exciting!" Addison's cheery voice had me smiling so brightly, but it all went away when I looked at Christopher. He muttered something under his breath, something I didn't catch, but it was then when I noticed a sudden disapproving glint in his eyes as he re-read the form. "What did you say, Christopher?" I asked him, pulling away from my sister-in-law for the moment.

"I said you're not going." Christopher snapped at me sternly, his tone of voice wasn't too happy either. I was as if all the excitement had left the room that instant. The twins, Addison and I shared a look of confusion as Christopher stood from his seat, arms folded and eyes slightly narrowed. Oh no, I knew this overprotective look of his. This was the same look he used give me when we were kids, and, quite frankly, I didn't miss it not a single bit. So he'd better have a good reason for this.

"..What do you mean I'm not going?" I ask slowly.

"I mean you're not going halfway across the world, where the rebels are running wild, for some ridiculous contest."

"Christopher," Addison chimed in, taking a few steps closer to her husband. "Think about this for a second. If Sophia does this, we could get enough money to pay off the bills. This could benefit us a lot and—" Christopher cut her off before she had a chance to finish.

"No, Addison. I do not want my little sister anywhere near the Selection. That is final." His voice was loud and demanding. Charlotte and Melissa grasped my hands fearfully, and I knew we all thought the same thing. Why was he acting this way? Addison turned to me, her face calm but I could clearly see the anger flashing in her eyes. "Sophia, would you mind taking the girls upstairs to their room, please?.."

I nodded, taking one last glance at Christopher before walking Charlotte and Melissa out of the living room and up the stairs. And as soon as we'd reached the top, the bickering between the two began.

"Addison, how many times do I have to say it?"

"You can say it as many times as you want to, Christopher, but you know we need this money. Why must you be so stubborn?"

I tried my best to tune out their voices as I walked my five-year-old nieces down the hall and into the room we bunked in, thankful that the yelling had gradually gotten out of ear shot as I shut the door. "Are mommy and daddy gonna be okay?" Melissa asked as she and her sister sat beside each other on the bed. I sat with them, sighing as Christopher's voice still buzzed in my ears. "Yes Melissa, they're going to be fine. They're just..having a little discussion right now.." I assured them, trying to give them a genuine smile, but it wouldn't happen. I was too disappointed to smile.

I was sure Christopher had grown out of this overprotective thing. I mean, ever since Mother died, I've practically been put into a cage! It's almost as if every time I see a chance at helping my family in anyway possible, I'm forced to disregard it and let Christopher take care of things. Not that it's new to me or anything; he's been doing this since we were kids. But he's my only brother and I love him, I don't want to see him work himself to death.

"Aunt Sophia," I blinked my eyes furiously at the girls, who stared back at me with looks of worry, after snapping out of my thoughts. "..Yes?" I looked back and forth between the two. "Are you okay?" Charlotte wondered. My head screamed no, but I couldn't bring myself to tell them that. "Yes, yes, I'm fine," I said dismissively, ignoring the incessant bickering from downstairs and picking up one of the many coloring books that lay sprawled around the room.

"Now, how about we have some fun?" I smirked, watching as their eyes lit up happily.

Hello readers! I've been contemplating whether I should have done this for a while, but after seeing a few new reviews that have reminded me that this story is still out there, I finally came to the conclusion. I will be re-writing the first two chapters and continuing this story. Please comment and tell me what you think and stuff, I'm going to get started on the other chapters now. Thanks for reading!

Oh, wait! I almost forgot. When you type your comment, if you want, please put whether your Team Aspen or Team Maxon. My friend's trying to start this whole "this team's better than that team" thing… It's too much for me to explain right now..