It's been a week since I applied for The Selection and I am exhausted beyond belief. Not only have I had to work overtime with nearly every single employer, but they also had special requests that required my, and only my, assistance. This caused me to have to go out of my way to find things for Odelina to do, than I had to spend even more energy to make everything look fine, so Odelina wouldn't worry. I had little to no sleep and on top of everything we ran out of sunscreen. So that leaves me here, at the doorstep to the nearest store, a mile and a half away, that I had to walk to, in the scorching heat.
Okay, maybe I was exaggerating, maybe it was a pleasant afternoon with clouds blocking out most of the sun's heat, and maybe I had Odelia with me on this long walk, and maybe all the extra work meant extra pay. And maybe, just maybe we would have had to be here anyways since The Selection will be announced over TV, which the store has on, available for anyone to watch. Though that still doesn't mean I have sleep or sunscreen. I take a deep breath as I walk into the store and feel the cool air conditioning surround me as I walk into the store and I realize that maybe coming here wasn't so bad, at least it was festive.
All around the store were flags and pictures and bows and ribbons all sporting the Illéa colors and exclaiming phrases like, 'join The Selection today' or 'Will you be the next Empress?" Or even the standard participation award sign saying that 'Everyone is a princess on the inside!" Odelia seemed in awe of all the color and immediately ran for the rack of plastic empress crowns and started pretending she had been picked for this years Selection. Smiling I made a mental note to myself to draw this in my journal, with O's regal expression as she greeted each of her imaginary subjects and waved with the stereotypical princess wave.
Suddenly the fanfare sounded through the television and I knew that The Selection's thirty five princesses were about to be announced. I looked to the TV and found that the pre shows, ads and gossip sites were all abandoned for the moment, for this is the moment that will start it all. The camera zoomed up on the red, velvet and gold thrones that would soon seat Empress Henrietta and Emperor Ricciardo. Then it zoomed out to show the entire chaotic scene, with the stage being the single solitary object. Everyone in the crowd was moving, fidgeting, talking or speculating but everyone there doing the same thing, waiting in suspense.
The trumpets sounded once more and Emperor Ricciardo walked in soon followed by Empress Henrietta. They were both dressed like the Ones that they were. Emperor Ricciardo wore a red shirt with a single gold star in the upper left corner surrounded by four smaller gold stars on its right side to symbolize the Chinese flag from which our great country Illéa came. Empress Henriette also symbolized the Chinese through the gold stars that lined the seams of her ballroom style, red dress, though it was the capes that truly signified our birth land as the United States of America. Both the Emperor and the Empress wore long, blue velvet capes that had small white stars on it and, if someone were to count, I could almost guarantee that there would be fifty stars.
Adaleene once told me that Illéa was once the great and land of America, though it was indebted far beyond belief to China, a land across the sea. Soon China had had enough of the borrowing and demanded payment, when The U.S. couldn't pay China took over. Causing the new United States of China to be born. Though this new name was merely a facade as the Chinese pulled all the strings for the once so great country. In the U.S.'s infancy Russia decided to attack in hopes of expanding their borders, though failed terribly as a rebel group, lead by Gregory Illéa, guided the U.S. in a victory over Russia. So we once again renamed our beloved country, though this time it was named Illéa, in honor of the war hero who saved our great country.
When I was little David, Odelia and I used to play Illéa vs Russia where David would speak in a bad Russian accent and try to attack the new, innocent country, and I would be Gregory Illéa, saving the world from disaster. Odelia couldn't even walk yet but I can remember all three of our laughter echo from the thin walled confines of our home. Odelia shakes my arm and pulls me out of my revelry,
"Nadia?" she questions, "Is that guy the Prince?" I chuckle at her question as a fat old man is on stage, apparently a descendent of Gregory himself. This old man is giving the annual speech telling of Illéa's greatness.
"No" I tell her, "that man is a..." I search my memory for who this man could be but, thankfully, the television beats me too it as that fat man walks off camera and the Emperor thanks Duke Gerard Illéa for his moving speech. "...duke." I finish for my sister.
"You just heard the Emperor say it." She accuses putting her hands on her hips, putting on her endearing eight year old angry face.
"You caught me." I reply as innocently as I could, "guilty as charged."
The fanfare blows a third time and Odelia and I both look back to the screen and I see Prince Alexius enter onscreen wearing a million dollar smile that could break any girls heart. He, unlike his parents, isn't wearing any Chinese or American colors, he was simply dressed as he was. Sure he was dressed up, and the colors he wore signified Illéa's flag but he came as himself, and I think that this is the perfect way to start of The Selection. Seeing what the chosen thirty five girls will be really getting, and my is it dazzling. I stare for too long before looking down from the screen blushing. I shouldn't have allowed myself to dream, I know that everything ends here. I know that as soon as the Prince reads that paper in his hand I will be heartbroken, so I save myself the trouble and start taking as long as I can searching for the sunscreen.
"Madelyn Jessamine Marsena. Caste Two!" Prince Alexius exclaims and I realize that he's starting with the higher caste and going down.
Let's play a game. I tell myself. How long can I pretend to look for sunscreen before anyone gets suspicious as to why I'm not watching The Selection and starts to get worried about my sanity. No, I think, too long a game. By the time I'm finished saying the name Odelia will have noticed my absence and come get me. I prolong the inevitable as long as I can by reading the labels between two of the cheaper sunscreens, trying to decide which one is best.
"Bonnie Adara" Alexius cries out, "caste five."
'Wow!' I think, 'they really must be pulling out all the stops if they are inviting a five into The Selection two years in a row. First Georgiana, then Bonnie.' I immerse myself back into the sunscreen labels when suddenly a name draws my attention
"Nadia Karison" Prince Alexius cries with the punctuation of the last name on his list, "cast seven!"
Suddenly sunscreen was the last thing on my mind.
NADIAS FINALLY IN THE SELECTION! I know it got a little slow in the middle but I had to do some character set up and stuff so, TADA! If you guys have any suggestions for my story feel free to review! I can always take constructive critisism... Or a compliment. Actually I'd love a compliment! If you guys also want to give any suggestions for any of the other 35 girls I'm all ears. Also, I changed the format a little bit and I'd love to know what you guys think. Do you like the extra spaces I between paragraphs, or hate it. Or did you not even notice, if so, just forget I said anything about formatting. Thanks for reading ?.
