"Wait, so you're joining the Selection?" Jordi asked as he and Holland walked along the edge of the woods behind their house.
"Yes." Holland nodded as she brought her hair into a ponytail.
It was hot today, people were milling around in shorts and light fitted shirts; some even went off to swim in the lake a few miles from base.
"But you hate it. You always make fun of the girls who compete in it." Jordi looked confused, his brown eyes looking up at her questioningly.
"I know," Holland sighed, "but I just have to do it. It'll help Dad and he's counting on me to go through with it."
"But you'll be around the people who killed your mom." Jordi countered.
Holland froze, her muscles tensing at the boy's words. She swallowed thickly and took a shallow breath.
Holland hadn't thought of that—well she had but never out loud. She would be near the people who murdered her mother. The people who took away her Dad's wife. The people who didn't bat an eyelash when Cora Evan's head was cut off.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to say that!" Jordi blurted, his hand on her forearm, "I know you don't like to talk about her."
Holland mentally shook herself, she looked down at Jordi, "No, it's okay. You're right, I will be near them. But that's the point." She took Jordi's hand off her arm and held it in hers. She pulled him along the path they'd been walking.
"And it's a good thing," She continued, "the closer I am to them, the more information I'll be getting."
Jordi nodded slowly, "Okay, I guess that's good."
Holland nodded in agreement.
"But . . . you're not gonna, like, kill anyone, right?"
"No!" Holland's voice was loud, almost defensive, "No way, Jordi. I'd never do that!"
Just the thought of drawing another person's blood made her lightheaded. She didn't have the stomach for violence. (Some Rebel she was).
"But what if Dad wanted you to?" He asked, "Or anyone else on the Assembly?"
"Then I'd guess I'd have too. But that won't happen." She answered, her voice calmer than before.
Hopefully she really wouldn't be asked by her father or anyone else to murder someone—especially a member of the Crown.
"Okay, but what if—"
"Hey!" Holland interrupted Jordi's question, "How about we go have a swim?"
"What?"
"Let's go to the lake and swim, get out of this heat. What do you say?" She made her voice bright and inviting. Anything to get him to stop talking about her killing people.
"Okay. Sure." Jordi answered, his face beaming with excitement.
"Great." She led him away from the path and toward the back of the house.
"But for the record," Jordi told her as they walked into the house, "I know you only suggested this to stop me from asking questions."
"Maybe; maybe not." Holland said nonchalantly as she closed the back door.
Jordi rolled his eyes at her before walking toward his bedroom.
Holland just hoped he'd forget the questions for the rest of the day.
"Wait, how'd you get these?" Holland asked as she pointed to the Selection forms that lay on the kitchen table.
It was later in the day, Darius sat across from her at the table and Jordi was in the living room working in his sketch book. Dinner—noodles with butter and salt—was cooking on the stove.
"I had Will go into town and take one from someone's mailbox when they weren't home." He explained, "All you have to do is fill it out and we'll get it to the Palace."
"How? It's not like we can just walk in there and hand it to them." She raised an eyebrow questioningly.
They'd get shot at before they even made it to the gates surrounding the place.
"One of us will go into the Palace, disguised as a Guard, put your form with the others and slip out. But we'll need to be quick about it, the deadline to send this is in two weeks." Darius picked up the pen that had been sitting next to the forms, "So, fill this out. Now."
Holland took the pen from him and looked down at the papers; they looked fancy. Thick, cream colored pages, with the Royal insignia stamped at the top in red wax. The instructions were written in cursive and done neatly with swooping letters.
"What should I put for a name?" Holland asked, her pen hovering over the paper.
"Anyone you want, it's your Mission." Darius said, his eyes on her face.
Holland took a deep breath and put the tip of the pen to the form; she tried to pick the first name that popped into her head. It had to be one that the Royals would like; that would catch their attention as they flipped through forms. A name that would be stuck in their minds till the moment they met her.
Name: Raven Whitelace
There, that was a name that would surly get the Prince's attention.
"Good?" Holland showed the name to her father.
"Yes, I like it." He answered, "Very . . . unique." He gave her a small smile.
"Only the best for the Royals." She teased.
From there she made up more information about her new alias. She put that Raven Whitelace was seventeen years old and lived in Sumner. She was a Four who worked at her father's restaurant as a waitress. Her skills included: cooking—though limited—self-defense; speaking Spanish, and organization. Holland had put down the skills she could actually do; no reason to have Raven do something Holland couldn't.
"What about the address?" Holland asked, her eyes going from the form to her dad's.
"Put down one-four-five Elmwood Road." He said.
"Does that house exist?"
"Of course, it's for rent right now so we'll use it when we need to."
"What if someone comes to look at it?"
"We'll be thorough, Holly." He gave her a reassuring smile, "Finish up." He gestured to the form.
Holland sighed and went back to answering the questions in front of her.
When she was done her father had told her to bring it to the Providence Office first thing in the morning. He'd also said she would be getting her picture taken so she should be prepared.
"So, I should look pretty?" Holland asked as she put the papers back in their envelope.
Darius chuckled, "Just look like you, Holly. So, yes, look pretty." He pinched her chin and got up from the table.
Holland rolled her eyes but a soft smile bloomed across her face.
"Jordi, dinner." Darius said as he put the noodles into a large bowl and started adding butter and salt.
Once they were all seated at the table, enjoying their meal, Holland pushed the Selection and the Mission to the back of her mind.
A/N: Did you like it? Tell me your thoughts in a review, i love hearing feedback! :) xx