Now, Chapter 2!

Cinder POV

I rolled my eyes. Why did I have to enter this stupid selection?

Well, duh. Because of Adri.

Obviously, my stepmother wanted one more chance at getting money and becoming royalty. And she had signed me up without telling me, then shoved in front of the cameras.

Which might have explained my glaring face that showed up on the screen when they freaking called my name.

Peony squealed. "Cinder, you're going to be in the selection! And meet Prince Kai…." she enthused. Peony had a huge crush on Prince Kai, who I admit is very handsome, but who I personally do not swoon over. Unlike someone who is fainting next to me.

Pearl, my other not-so-sweet stepsister, growled. "Why Cinder? She doesn't deserve to be in the selection. My face is supposed to be up there, not her!" she whined.

Adri shushed her. "Pearl, dear, I do agree, however we are lucky we got at least one girl in. She'll earn us some money until she gets kicked out."

She turned on me. "Now, Cinder, hurry and fix the hovercraft! You're too lazy; go to work or something! We're running low on univs!"

Ugh. My loving family.

Cress POV

I saw the glaring girl on the screen. Cinder Linh, it said.

I flopped onto my back in my small room. I knew I would never make it into the selection, and even if I did, Sybil would never ever let me actually go to the palace.

So why did I sneak out of the palace to enter the selection?

Good question. Because I had a huge, huge crush on Prince Carswell Thorne. Oh my stars, was he handsome. I sighed and flipped back over, staring dreamily at the computer screen. I had already thought up our first meeting, our first kiss, our children... what? A girl could dream!

And it wasn't like I had anything better to do. I was taken from my parents at birth, for some reason I'd never figured out, and then given to a lady named Sybil. Sybil took me and until I was about twelve, we lived in a city. I went to school, had a normal life. Except for twice a month, Sybil would take my blood samples for some crazy experiments she did. It was the very definition of torture, and I hated it.

So one day, I tried to run away. But before I could get very far, Sybil found me and locked me up in this room. I've never gone out until recently, when I used my hairpin to unlock the door and sneak out to enter the selection.

And I wouldn't ever try running away again; I was too timid.

I filled up my free time by learning about computers and technology on my small laptop. I could hack into almost anything, including the feeds from The Report.

And the other hours, when I got bored of technology? I dreamed. Dreamed of grass and blue skies and trees and deserts and sunrises and Prince Carswell Thorne and freedom.

Like I said, a girl could dream, especially if those dreams were all she had left in life.

Scarlet POV

A/N Scarlet's grandmother does not go missing in this, nor does she die.

I cut up some tomatoes, put them on a plate, wiped my hands off, and then took them to my grandmother so we could watch together.

I desperately wanted to get into the selection. Because the truth was, as a four, I needed the money. My grandmother was getting old, and I was still very young. We didn't have a lot of money coming in other than from the produce we sold.

And if I was still being truthful, I also wanted to meet Prince Ze'ev Kesley Schreave. He was intriguing, and fine, handsome. Yes. I admit it.

I sat down with my grandmother and smiled. "Here we go," I commented nervously.

"Don't worry, honey," my grandmother reassured me, "even if you don't make it in, everything will still be ok."

"I don't know," I admitted, "we really do need the money." Still, I was glad for the love and support of my grandmother. She and I only had each other left in life.

Adam Fadaye called out name after name. I watched the prince's reactions. Prince Kai seemed a little jittery, but he lit up when he saw a picture of Cinder Linh, who happened to be glaring. I laughed. And Prince Carswell Thorne, he seemed complacent and flirtatious. Ugh. A picture of a girl with tons of tangled blonde hair showed up, and he scrunched up his face. "Aces," he muttered, "is that all hair?"

Finally, I watched Prince Ze'ev. He looked kind of miserable, not reacting to any of the girls. Suddenly, a look of interest crossed his face and he smiled. I looked to see who he was grinning at. Who was this girl that could make Ze'ev Kesley smile?

I gasped. It was me.

Winter POV

Hmm. I watched Jacin on the screen. He looked bored, too bored. He didn't have any happiness in his life, did he?

I wondered if I would be chosen. If I did, I was certain I could have Jacin fall in love with me again. And that would make me the happiest girl on earth, because I loved Jacin. And I could give him happiness, too.

I knew he liked me. Jacin I were best friends, maybe more. Until my stepmother Queen Levana kicked me out and banished me from France because I was more beautiful than her. She hated me for that. Levana had even forced me to scar my own face, hoping it would mar my beauty.

It didn't. It made me even more beautiful.

So then, I had been forced to move to Illea, the only other country I'd ever been too. It welcomed me with open arms, hailing me as the most beautiful woman on earth and the most talented actress too...I wondered what Levana made of that.

I am a girl of icicles, ready to shatter at any moment. I am slowly losing my mind, becoming a bit crazier every day. I don't know what's causing it, perhaps the stress of being famous or the trauma of my past or my awful boyfriend Aimery Park or the fact that no one in the world wants me, truly me Winter Hayle, except Jacin, who is far away and who I haven't seen in forever...

I start crying, and I break, shattering into a million pieces….

And then they call my name, Winter Hayle, and Jacin is staring at my picture and I start laughing and crying at the same time, because...because…

I'll finally see my Jacin again.

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