A/N: Hey guys! Long time no see! I'm sorry I've been so distant; this is the curse of homework! But I hope you enjoy this chapter about the makeovers!

*DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE SELECTION!*

Madelyn Lockhart's POV:

My first thought when I get to the palace?

Woah.

Seriously, though, this place is HUGE! It's got to be at least 5 times the size of my house. A gigantic smile stretches across my face as I take in the rest of the palace. The foyer itself is sprawling, with ancient mosaics and pastel designs decorating the walls. It's bright, but not tacky. Each hallway is the length of a basketball court, and the chamber called the Great Room is seriously spectacular. Plush sofas line the side two walls, and tiny tea tables are lined up in the back. Tall, crystal clear windows let the glare of the midday sun into the room, illuminating every nook and cranny. I gasped when I saw the television. The flat-screen TV hung on the wall in all of its 65" glory. Back at home, we rarely even had functioning TV, let alone a large screen to watch our single channel on.

A middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense look escorted us to the Woman's Room. She introduced herself as Silvia.

"Before you go off to the makeup crews, let me set some ground rules," she said. "You may not go outside, not even to the gardens, without permission from authority and a guard. The third floor is off-limits, as that's where the royal family resides, however anywhere else in the palace is open, except for the King's office. Ladies, you must ALWAYS treat the royal family with high respect; in this competition, it is vital. Sabotaging another girl or any physical altercations will not be tolerated and will result in immediate elimination. That said, off you go! Good luck, girls." And with that, Silvia swept away in a dramatic flourish.

"Dramatic much?" the girl named Fauve muttered. I frowned at her negative tone, but my smile was soon replaced when I was swept up by the makeover crew at Station 1.

"OMG! Look at her hair! It's sooo long!" one of the girls, around 14 years old, I assumed, whispered excitedly. I grinned widely at her enthusiasm.

"Thank you," I replied politely. The girl gasped, surprised that I heard her, and maybe a bit embarrassed. I giggled and sat down on the barbershop chair obediently. The crew got to work, scrubbing my body and snipping at my hair. I sat as still as I could.

By the end of the makeover, I was practically glimmering with cleanliness and smelled of jasmine, courtesy of the palace. I loved it. Then the crew brought me over to a rack of colorful dresses.

I must've made a face, because a man with spiky black hair said, "I know, honey, but you have to. Dresses are a MUST in this competition. What fun would trousers be in such a palace like this? Especially around the prince!"I sighed at the mention of Prince Ryder. He was so handsome and charismatic.

After five long minutes of pulling, yanking, and adjusting, the raven-haired man, who introduced himself as Leo, brought me over to a full-length mirror glittering with freshly Windex-ed glass. I gasped. My long hair had been layered and curled delicately, and while it used to reach my waist, the clean, neat tips of my hair barely reached my elbows. Thin caramel highlights were added, and not a hair was out of place. Leo and his crew used bronze/gold eye shadow to bring out my brown eyes, and my tiny pink lips now looked like plump, soft, fuchsia princess lips. Oh, and the dress! The day dress, as Leo called it, reached above my knees and was my favorite light green color. The top was fitted, but plumed out at the waist in bursts of wispy tulle and strands of silk. My trademark silver necklace hung lightly on my neck, the perfect accessory for any outfit. I truly looked breathtaking.

"T-thank you so much, Leo," I stuttered. He simply smiled widely and pulled me in for a tearful hug, as if I was leaving forever. Gosh, I hoped not. Pulling away, I surveyed the other girls' makeovers, and suddenly, my appearance didn't seem so special when I took in Coral's baby pink glossed lips, or Aeluna's jet-black locks.

I shook my head. No. I had to stop thinking like that. If I was going to win over Prince Ryder's heart, I couldn't be intimidated that easily. I took a deep breath and strode over to the couches, chin held high.

Ebonee Wilson's POV:

A luxury life at a massive palace? Yes, please! Especially if that life does not include bias and aggressive Grandma Nellie, or that snappy sister of mine, Alice Jane. I know that 4 isn't a bad caste, but being a One would be, well... unbelievable. I wouldn't have to take Alice Jane's insults, or Grandma Nellie's rudeness. If they came to stay with me, there's no way they could force me to sleep on the couch. Not anymore. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Besides, I haven't even met the prince yet. But if he follows suit of all the other boys I've met, he'll be smitten quite soon.

After an uptight woman named Silvia explained the ground rules and procedures, we were whisked away to a room called the Woman's Room, where all the Selected girls were made up with various powders and creams. Row upon row of bright sparkling day dresses lined the walls, hanging on silver metal racks. Large crates filled to the brim with makeup adorned each station, complete with a vanity, full-length mirror, and a handful of stylists, makeup artists, and hairdressers. I was led towards Station 2, where three eager faces awaited me. They introduced themselves as Cassandra, Rose, and Willa, my makeup crew. Immediately, they attacked my face with brushes and strange silver contraptions that did various things to beautify my face. By the time they were done, my ash brown hair had been trimmed to reach just below my shoulder blades, and my natural golden highlights had been accentuated. I looked... cute. Stylish. Hot, even. Then I saw the dresses.

"Oh, I know, dear! Aren't they just fabulous?" A short man with gelled black hair and a suave button-up shirt came up behind me, making me jump. "Sorry if I startled you, darling. I'm Leo, the official palace stylist. Now these day dresses are for the week, just in case... you know... you leave within the next 7 days. But I'm sure that's not going to be an issue! Look at you! Now, now... what dress for today?" I stared as he spoke. He didn't even take a breath. How?

"Ah! Here we are!" Leo pulled a silver figure-hugging dress out of the rack. I pulled it on right then and there, and Leo gasped.

"Perfect!" he cried. I looked at myself in the long mirror to my right. I gaped. I didn't even recognize myself. My hair was is a long bob, and my face looked striking. My eyes popped, and my cheeks were flushed a light pink shade. The dress made my physique look feminine and seductive, instead of shapeless. Three-inch bejeweled heels made me as tall as a supermodel. I could've been mistaken as a glamorous 2, with these clothes. I thanked Leo graciously, and he responded with a strangling embrace. Once untangled, I headed over to a plush couch in a corner, where some girls had already congregated. I sighed happily. I could get used to this.

Fauve Allison's POV:

As the other girls oohed and aahed at the palace, I simply yawned. Honestly? This was just a glorified version of The Bachelor, which was already a much worse program than my parents' television shows. Or mine, for that matter. After some old lady named Silver or something blubbered on about rules, we got to go to The Woman's Room, where we would get makeovers. Finally, something useful! A trio of women awaited my arrival at Station 7.

"Hello, Lady Fauve! My name is Cassandra, and these two are Rose and Willa. Today we will be giving you a makeover for the Selection. Please, take a seat!" the shortest one exclaimed all in one breath. I rolled my eyes. Lower-caste bottom feeders could be so annoying sometimes.

"It's Beverly to you," I snapped, sitting down. Their smiles wavered. That's right. I'm not your everyday 5 here to make friends and make goo-goo eyes with the prince. Get used to it.

They warily applied makeup to my delicate face, using all the wrong techniques, I was sure. The palace should've hired my movie makeup artists. They would've done such a better job. But, alas, some people just had no taste whatsoever.

"My lady, please follow me to retrieve your day dress for today," the one named Willa said timidly. I reluctantly rose and strided over to the gleaming rack of dresses, secretly slightly impressed. An overly flamboyant man named Leo introduced himself and started to pick out today's dress.

"Allow me." I confidently walked up to the rack of dresses and picked one of the more sparkly ones up. Slipping it on, I noticed that it was the slightest bit itchy on the arms. They must've used cheap material, the idiots. I turned to Leo, putting my hands on my hips.

"Do I meet your standards now, Rio?" I snapped. He huffed.

"It's L-E-O, not Rio. And yes, Lady Fauve, that dress looks stunning on you. Take a look at yourself." He motioned towards a full-length mirror. I peered into the looking glass. I looked... It was...

Nothing special at all. My hair was longer, thanks to some extensions, and was highlighted with darker blonde strands. My face was made up sloppily, in my opinion, and the dress was silver and nude pink, reached just past my butt, and was adorned with sparkles all over. The neckline was low-cut, but not dangerously so. The sleeves went down to my elbows, and honestly? It was all borderline gaudy. I laughed bitterly.

"Is that really the best you could do, Teo? The makeup artists and stylists for my show are much more adept at this than all of you combined." I gestured towards the makeup crew. They sat in a stunned silence. Before they could make some feeble response, I turned on my very high nude heels and clacked away steadily. I was the last to finish. Good. That way, my entrance would be more pronounced to the other girls. I put on a radiant but menacing smile and sashayed towards the crowd of girls.

Oh, this will be fun.

A/N: Ah, yeah... so, I kind of sort of forgot to mention makeovers in the application form. So, since I didn't want to change any of your characters in major ways, I didn't. Nobody was changed that much: just slight haircuts, cleaning, dressing, makeup, etc. Nothing too big.

Also, I plan to use this format from now on: around 2-3 perspectives per chapter, unless there's a special event such as a date or something. Prince Ryder will also narrate from time to time.

Thank you guys so much for being so patient and supportive, your reviews and follows really make my day! :)

I'll try to update soon, so bye for now! x

~Cel