Chapter One
Maxon
"Mom, do I have to do this?" I ask, walking into my mother, the queen of Illea, Amberly, formerly a Four, now a One. All she does is just look up at me and laugh.
"Yes, Maxon. As the future king, you must find a wife. You refuse to marry any of the other royalty, so you must go through this Selection, whether you like it or not." She says fiercely. When she says it with that tone, I can't say no. Who knows how she will respond or act. She is normally very kind and considerate, but she can be very harsh when she wants to.
"Fine, but am I allowed to see who some of the candidates are?" I ask my mother, no longer in her office but making our ways to the dining hall.
"No, my dear. That is not how it works. No one else was allowed to see them and neither are you." She said, patting my cheek.
"Fine, whatever, mother." I say sitting down in front of a plate full of food.
"Good morning, Father. How are you this morning?" I ask, not even looking at him.
"I am well, son. Thank you." He replies coolly, like he doesn't even remember the countless times he has caused me pain. I flinch, just thinking about it.
"Maxon, are you alright?" I hear my mother ask. I quickly come up with a lie, swing the look my father is giving me.
"Yes mom. Just a little cold. That's all. No if you'll excuse me, there is a meeting I must attend to." I quickly get up and leave for my office. There isn't actually a meeting, I just needed to get away. I walk past my father's office and hear voices coming from the inside. What could be going on in there?
I begin to edge closer to the door, when a group of people come out of the door. I quickly jump behind one of the columns, hoping they don't see me.
"Breakfast break boys!" On of them yell. The two others flank around him, whooping.
"It is about time. We have been looking at pictures of girls for the Selection all night. I don't know about you boys, but I'm beat." The man on the left of the original said. There are pictures of some of the candidates in there.
"Well, I mean now we have finished. The Selection candidates are officially chosen. Before we go take our break, we should alright his Majesty." The Selected are picked. I could just walk in there and look.
The other boys nod in agreement. The other boy, who hasn't spoken a word yet moves to open his mouth, but before I could hear what he has to say they turn the corner. I slump back against the column letting out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. I step out from my hiding spot and look around. No one is around. I make my way towards my father's office and check the hallway again. Still no one so I push open the door and step inside.
In the center of the room, is a large table covered with photographs and the girls resumes. But on Clarkson's desk is a stack of them. I make my way over on look at the girl on the top. She's pretty with brown eyes and hair. I inspect all of the girls until I reach the bottom.
The very last picture shows a women about the age of sixteen with vibrant red hair. Her blue-gray eyes seem to pour through me, even though it's a picture. Her eyes are sparkling, as though she just heard something that made her very happy. She looks as though she is in love. She is truly beautiful.
"MAXON! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" I hear my father's voice boom. I drop the photo and turn to see my fathers figure in the doorway. His face is bright red and his hands in fists at his side. I put my head down, preparing myself for the worst. Clarkson
I look at my son cowering near my desk, hands in his lap.
"How dare you go against my wishes! You were specifically told NOT TO LOOK!" I say, my voice rising to a yell. I turn around and lock the doors behind me.
"I'm sorry, Father. I didn't think you'd be this upset." He all but whispers. At that, I almost feel bad for yelling. Almost.
"You didn't think! YOU DIDN'T THINK!" I shout at him, and get a flinch from him in return. "What would happen if someone other than me saw you in here snooping? You have shamed this family, Maxon." I walk over to my desk, where Maxon is still cowering. With every step closer to him, he would take a step backwards away from me. Soon he was out of space to back up and he fell into one of the chairs. I reached my desk and unlocked the top drawer. I reach into the drawer and pull out the object the object on the top.
Maxon immediately stands, a hurt and worried expression.
"Father, I'm sorry. Please. Please don't do this." He pleads but it doesn't stop me. He needs to learn to respect his own father's wishes.
"No, Maxon you need to respect me. You went behind my back and did something you knew you weren't supposed to do. Now get down." I say. He gets down on his knees and he removes his shirt. I unravel the whip and raise my hand.
Hello my lovely readers! So what did you think? So sorry to leave off on such an awful note. But please please please review. Tell me what you think! But until next time!
-XxoEmilyoxX