Fallout
In the last chapter, the siblings began selecting the Selected. However, as usual with the royal siblings, Louis and Ernest fought about half of them. Louis had to explain why he heads a strong dislike towards the lower castes, and they ended up taking a break to calm down. As usual, the Selected's POV aren't set at the same time.
This chapter includes spoilers for the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard.
Chapter 09
»Maybe Helena would offer refuge? «
Meeting room in the Illéa Palace, Los Angeles, Angeles
Prince Louis of Illéa
The meeting continued twenty minutes later. Minutes that Louis spent on one of the balconies of the palace, smoking one of the "cancer sticks", as Sophia liked to call them. Knowing all too well that Sophia would look at him disapprovingly if she smelled them, he returned to the room. They still had a long way to go—they weren't going to end before dinner, and the plan was to send this out by tomorrow…
"As for Carolina, I would recommend Princilla Chamberlain." Xander began immediately once all four were sitting. "Her family is a family of Twos focusing on popular media. I've been thinking about this for a while. She doesn't have many qualities that we necessarily need, but as pointed out before, we need variety. If we have thirty girls that are the same—good academic career and dedication—then people will notice that something is wrong. Her family isn't amazingly popular, but from what can be said about her personality, I am confident to say that she would be a good choice. There are no issues coming from her background either."
"What does she work as?" Ernest asked curious.
"Country singer-songwriter," Louis read out from the file. "It's written here, you know. She lives on a farm, cares for the animals there including chicken and horses, is described as a sweet person, and has her parents who work in Hollywood and a news reporter as sister."
"Sounds decent, I guess. Who listens to country nowadays, though?"
"I presume we will," Sophia replied. "I don't have anything to oppose either. Going by the intelligence, she prefers Cilla, though," she added. "But otherwise, sure. We have another Selected."
"On a similar site, I wouldn't want too many celebrities," Xander explained. "The next choice is Tessera "Evans from St. George. She isn't employed at the moment, but essentially helps out at a farm close to her home. She comes from a village, which made me think that she probably would be a good representation for the countryside and people from less large cities. No problems in the background, except possibly her parents' divorce, but she doesn't have contact with her father."
"Sounds cool," Ernest nodded. "I got the hang of it by now; she's got a preferred name too—Tessa."
Louis rose his eyebrow, but didn't say anything just yet. He understood Cilla Chamberlain. The name rung a bell; the Chamberlains probably were friends of their mother, but this random Four? Xander hadn't even mentioned her caste. Going by the file he was holding, she loved horses, and with Cilla, Louis could see a pattern.
These girls had something in common, and it almost felt like Sophia had spoken to Xander to make sure that they came up now. She probably had. Tessa Evans was placed on the pile, and by the time Sophia finished with introducing the next girl, Louis was rolling his eyes.
"Then there's Rowan Johannson, from Kent. A Seven working as farmer who is taking care of her siblings due to the lack of parental presence. This one comes from dad a bit. He said that we should look at the situations of the girls, since a researcher or scientist would probably not be able to handle the pressure of royal life as good as someone who is used to helping their family survive on the brink of survival. Rowan sounds like such a type. She works on a farm owned by Fours that are close friends, and stated that she wants to allow her younger brother to study at college; she's saving money for him to become a Three, essentially."
"Hm," Louis nodded, "probably. What else? Any interesting skills?"
"Another horse lover, but not really."
"You're shoving in people who like horses because I do enjoy riding, don't you?" Louis deadpanned.
"I—Uh..." Sophia looked to Xander.
"It's not a major criterion, but among the cases of such women who showed the criteria Sophia mentioned, yes, Rowan Johannson was chosen because of that," Xander replied serious. He looked as if it wasn't a mean thing to do—they were manipulating him, weren't they?
But what had he to complain about? Maybe this Rowan and he could get along? She seemed like a decent person who accepted the system…
"Alright, then this Rowan it is," Ernest shrugged disinterested. "Which province is next?"
"There's another similar case from Sumner. I think she's actually a good choice, but some things cause me a bit worry," Sophia replied. She handed the brothers a folder. "Isla Woodley. Seven, Mechanic."
"Okay?" Ernest nodded. "And?"
"She is the legal guardian of a young child, and I am a bit worried that she might be in the Selection for the money only, but then again…"
"I think she is a decent choice," Xander replied. "She is from one of the Sumner cities that were given up on; she'd be a good reminder to the people that we are giving our best to restore the city. Plus, if she can survive there, then she probably has some good abilities. She has an interesting background as well, but these things were prior the Unrest."
"Alright," Ernest nodded. "What about the kid? Why is she the legal guardian?"
"The child is her niece," Sophia replied. "Her sister left her with Isla. She requested guardianship since the child otherwise would have become an Eight. The child is a born Two though, and has retained her status, if that matters."
"Who'll care for her?"
"I presume that Isla Woodley would probably ask to bring her along. She'll be told about the lady-in-waiting programme, so it wouldn't look like a big deal to her…"
"She's not her daughter," Louis pointed out. "There wouldn't be any possible disputes about the line of succession—if anyone would come up with such a stupid idea."
"It wouldn't at all," Xander reminded him. "My heir needs to be my child."
Louis chuckled. "You know that the press likes to spread confusion sometimes."
"Would it be an issue, though? I mean, Rowan also cares for two children—then we'd have three kids running around. And? As long as they don't destroy anything…" Ernest suggested.
"Money," Xander replied. "We'd need to employ staff to care for them."
"We could take that money away from the girls' pay for the Selection. Neither of them seems to have particularly much family to care for otherwise," Louis proposes.
"That sounds mean, though," Sophia insisted.
"We could give them a choice. They are given the numbers, we could have the messenger add the note for them."
"We'd need someone to calculate the exact numbers," Xander replied. "You need clothes, food, accommodation…"
"It'll be fine, Xander," Sophia insisted. "If it's so bad, then they can sleep in my rooms. I like kids."
"We don't need a governess for them," Ernest added. "It's literally just someone to make sure they don't hurt themselves, clothes, food. We have the room space. If you want to be fair to everyone, I'm sure we could rearrange these two girls room, too. Also, everyone loves kids. The public's gonna love it."
"I agree," Louis replied bitter. "Let's go for them."
Xander sighed. "Alright. But this is a negative for them right now."
"We got it," Sophia nodded quickly. "You want to save money, Xander, it's nothing new…"
To make sure that Xander wasn't going to complain anymore about costs, she smashed Isla Woodley's file onto the Selected pile. Louis couldn't help a grin; Xander was being ridiculous. They were in a good plus, Illéa was recovering and people would cope if the healthcare wasn't supported by even more money.
"The next one is Zarah Blaine, who apparently prefers Zare, from Paloma" Sophia replied. "A Six with some characteristic questions, but she's got an interesting background. She isn't perfectly off herself, but she is active in various charity organisations. She seems to be decent with handling stress as well, and yeah, she's another one of the cases based on dad's advice. Her aunt and uncle are from a good standard too, so I think she'd be a good example. She's the legal guardian of her sister, but this isn't a case like Isla and Rowan; her aunt and uncle probably can take care of them. Parents died in an accident."
"What do you mean with characteristic questions?" Louis asked.
"It's maybe weirdly phrased a little bit," Sophia replied with hesitation, "but there's a bit of worry on her personality. She's more of the rebellious type, but wasn't involved with the uprising. We have no trace that she supported the rebels either; she is active in charities helping people to deal with the consequences of the Great Unrest."
Louis nodded. "I understand. She sounds good, if it wasn't for that…"
"Come on," Ernest leaned back, "where's the problem with someone not following every single rule that exists? We survived with me, we'll cope with one more."
"Yeah, this might be a case that is slightly directed to Ernest…" Sophia added.
Ernest grinned. "I don't mind."
"I guessed," Sophia smiled awkwardly, and looked to Xander. "Any comments?"
Xander didn't reply immediately; he was thinking. "I agree with Louis' worries, but I also understand your point. I would say to accept her as well, but to keep an eye on her and whenever she fits in."
"Alright," Sophia nodded. "Then let's take her, and watch out how she does. Next?"
Everyone nodded.
"Then, from Panama, Deylin Reyes. She's a Five who makes pottery. Her family lost her father, and going by the people who know them, she alongside her mother holds the family together. She is an artist, and has a pretty normal family for Fives. She isn't too popular, but has close friends. I think she is a good choice since she doesn't have anything 'special' sticking out, but she's an artist, and I think that artists are great people."
"Such as?" Louis questioned.
"Your grandmother?"
She's a special case, Louis wanted to replied, but he didn't. This was just going to start yet another fight.
"Alright," Ernest nodded. "I don't see a problem. Xander?"
"I agree with Sophia's judgement. She isn't the ideal candidate, but she might bring in a few skills that are helpful."
"Great," Sophia smiled. "Then, from another point completely, there is Alex Valentino. Alessandra Valentino. She's a Two from Columbia, and her parents bought her up. Her father owns an oil company; they're upper class. I know her family, and they are good people. Alex applied on her own as well, but she works as a model. I think she'd be a good visual catcher and someone to get the attention from the general public, since Cilla isn't an A-list singer. She knows how the world works and all."
"She's probably the exact opposite of the other girls though," Ernest replied. "Like, she probably has no idea with how the war works, how the government works and all. She's just a model."
"You've slept with enough models to not be in a position to complain," Louis muttered.
"That's not my point," Ernest sighed. "She probably has no idea of life."
"You don't know her," Xander replied. "We do need someone who can deal with the upper class. I agree with her, she's in."
"I mean," Louis shrugged at his brother, "she looks good. Do you need anything else?"
The only answer he gained was a cold, annoyed glare. Louis didn't see a point in it; Alex Valentino was exactly what Ernest liked, wasn't she? He had no idea who she was, but if she was a model, she probably was also into partying and all."
"The next two choices are fairly set," Xander continued on. "From Labrador, Leda Conner. A Four, stockbroker, with a noticeable resumé and background. She has connections to some former government workers as well, and—"
"She submitted a résumé rather than a self-introduction," Sophia interrupted, leaning towards her brothers. "The next one, too."
"Sophia," Xander warned. "As well as Irina Cavanah from Ottaro. She is a former soldier and currently a construction management trainee. Both have a decent background on their own, and I selected them."
Louis skimmed through the file of both girls. Leda Conner had connections to a finance advisor from the early days of Adrian's reign (something that Louis didn't know enough about to judge, but he had negative connotations to the name…) and another young woman who described to have lost her brother who had been conscripted. She volunteered herself. In general, she sounded like the type of person Xander would like.
"Whatever," Ernest shrugged. "I don't have anything against them."
"I don't either… who is that Larchen person though?"
"Former government advisor," Xander replied briefly. "Not exactly the best there was, but it proves that she knows people with background. Larchen was involved into Project Omega."
And that meant a lot, Louis concluded. He nodded soundlessly while the two wandered on to the pile of Selected. He had agreed with Larchen when he had studied the economic crisis years ago, but he, apparently, was no in position to talk. Apparently.
"Then there's this young woman, Blair Willow, Seven, Lifeguard," Sophia replied. "I have to be honest—I did want to draw one province at random. I did a few tries on all of them, but I didn't get anyone interesting. When I got to Clermont, I got her, and I think she sounds good. She is currently aiming to become a beach manager, and I think as lifeguard, she must have good view on risks and so on." Sophia paused, looking at her brothers.
All of them seemed to have the same mindset; selecting at random didn't sound like the ideal answer… Sure, Sophia probably had waited for the security checks and all, but still… Leaving such an important matter to chance? Louis shook his head.
"If anyone complains, we can be honest for one province?" Sophia suggested with a slight smile. "Okay?"
Xander sighed. "Alright. She's in."
He didn't even bother to read the file, but looking back, Louis had nothing to complain about this aspect; he hadn't read it either. He missed the intelligence's warning about the mysterious breakup with her boyfriend, or the background of caste change that Blair Willow had.
"Then, I was considering Ami Kennedy. A Two from Baffin and snowboarder. Her father is a CEO, her mother a former model-turned-socialite, and her sister is an acclaimed skier. She stayed in different provinces during the Unrest, and I think that she would be an interesting case to include," Xander introduced.
"Why?" Louis questioned.
"Most Twos are either politicians, state-employed officers such as military, police or firefighters, or celebrities who bought their way up as far as possible. Her father is a Three, but bought his wife who was a model and his daughters up. Now, I think that Ami Kennedy is an interesting case since she is more of a mediocre snowboarder. She isn't an Olympic athlete and not intending to inherit her father's position either; she is fairly normal."
"I don't know her," Sophia remarked. "So, no socialite either. I agree. It'd show that Twos aren't always either soldiers or celebrities."
"Any objections?" Xander looked to Ernest and Louis.
Obviously, there wasn't anything. Even though it should be common knowledge that Twos were more than just celebrities and soldiers, most lower classes probably didn't perceive them as such. Louis nodded bitter; it was sad that Xander's point was so true.
"I mean, sure, but wasn't there anyone more interesting from Baffin?" Ernest questioned. "She looks good but…"
Sophia eyed him. "It's not about appearance, Ernest."
"Yeah, and that's why you totally don't have a walk-in closet."
"That is not the point!"
"Well, theoretically, it is," Ernest debated. "You claim that 'It's not about appearance!" but here you are, sitting in a designer dress made for you with some random brand pumps while some poor girls in Sumner dream about looking like a princess, but can't because the whole province is destroyed. And knowing teenage kids, they probably spend money they should use on food on clothes to look like celebrities."
Sophia looked down. "I—" She broke off.
Louis leaned back. "And what? Then they are so stupid. That is what natural selection is, Ernest."
"Are you comparing poverty and destruction from a war and wrong role models to biology, Louis?!" Ernest exclaimed.
"Yes," Louis nodded. "I am. If they're so stupid to care more about how they look, then it's their own problem. Sophia really shouldn't feel guilty about her clothes and taste. If you're complaining about finances, I'm sorry but Xander is already taking away so much money from our private household. Stop complaining."
Xander nodded. "Yes, we can discuss this another time. There are still over ten provinces to go." He opened another file. "Another scientist." He pushed the file towards Louis.
"Euphrosyne Antiope Tillings, Three, from Sota," Louis read out.
"Euro what?" Ernest repeated. "What illness is that?"
"It's a name," Louis replied. "To be exact, it's Greek. If you actually ever picked up a book, you would know."
"I do read," Ernest insisted with furrowed brows. "How else would I have spent ten years in the middle of nowhere."
"It wasn't the middle of nowhere," Xander pointed out.
"Please, people didn't even recognise me when I pointed out that people thought I looked similar to Prince Ernest."
"You've extragerating," Sophia laughed out.
"Where's Jonathan, by the way?" Ernest added bitter.
"At work," Xander replied. "He doesn't have much to do with the Selection. I need him in the military."
"As you do."
"I consider making sure that the country is safe and working on more important than the Selection," Xander replied.
Louis harrumphed. "Would you mind to pay attention?" he asked, trying to be polite as much as he could. There wasn't much patience left. "What are Euphorosyne's strengths?"
"Another prodigy. She's eighteen, but next to studying also working at a laboratory. Similar to Collins and Phillips."
"Also I-TEC?"
"No, not this one."
"Anything else?"
"Likes books, again, and excellent grades. Good family as well, I suppose. Sister of some dead model."
"Sounds boring to me," Ernest complained.
"Sounds good to me," Louis spoke, ignoring Ernest. "I wouldn't add any more scientists though. It'll look too similar."
"I agree," Sophia nodded. "What about Angeles? Most upper class has left Angeles during the Unrest—you looked at Angeles, didn't you, Xander?"
"Before we do the next," Ernest spoke up, "can we go and eat something? I'm sorry, but I am freaking hungry. I don't know about you all, but… yeah. Food."
"I'm in," Sophia nodded. "We all need to eat. It's about time either way, I'll have the staff prepare it in fifteen minutes," she decided. "I'll see you all in the dining room?"
All of them agreed. Fortunately. Louis sighed, and eyed the folders one more time. With all these horse lovers, he wasn't going to be able to just hide in the stalls. With the book lovers, the library was a dangerous territory, too.
So he really was caught in his own home…
Maybe Helena would offer refuge?
/ / /
Some mountain nearby Woodsten, Baffin
Ami Kennedy
"Woooh!"
Ami's snowboard edged, and in a matter of seconds, she turned from one side to the other. She put pressure onto her left food, and the black board stopped completely in the white, almost untouched snow.
It was cold. Like, very, very cold, and Ami definitely wasn't that much of a fan of that, but in exchange for the snow? She absolutely didn't mind it. The whole route she was going down (well, it wasn't an official route…) was empty, save for the occasional tree or wildlife.
It wasn't winter enough anymore for the whole day to be night time, but there was enough time spent in darkness that Ami was forced to use the few hours of light to practise. Going by the time, it was probably a good idea to move to Whites or so for more time of practise…
"The sun is setting…" Ami muttered, and pouted. The day had been good but freaking short. Maybe she was going to take her mother's offer to go to a province that had actual days… Her little sister was doing well outside Baffin, and her father worked abroad but…
"This is home," she muttered, before glancing at her watch. Yeah. She definitely should be back before everything was dark. She had a tent on her but… coldness. Nothing she wanted to deal with particularly…
With a sigh, Ami let the snowboard slowly move. Within seconds though, she sped up—her red hair waving behind her—and began going down the slope. She lived nearby, but it still took her the whole time of the setting sun to reach the apartment she lived in.
She briefly greeted her neighbours before dumping the Snowboard into the shower to dry off the wet snow (followed by the whole rest of the mountain of clothes she had been wearing), before realising that that was actually a pretty stupid idea since she had to take a shower too.
"A bath then…" she decided, and opened the tab of the bathtub next to the shower.
The bath didn't last very long, though, because she knew that there was a skype call to take care of, and her mother would probably complain a bit about how she shouldn't sit in the living room with dripping wet hair.
Therefore, with freshly washed hair, a pyjama that didn't look too much like a pyjama and an apple in her hand, she sat down in front of her laptop and opened Skype. The last brief messages between her mother and Ami herself had been brief and fast. She was going to call her mother around right now.
So, Ami started the call.
"Hello," she waved into the camera of her laptop, recognising her stunning mother on the other side. She was a model coming from a family of Twos who married a successful CEO and re-bought herself the way up because why not? The same had happened with Ami and her younger sister, but neither of them did modelling.
Both of them were athletes, and pretty happy with that.
Also, both would probably run their father's company to death if tasked with running it. Too much energy and impulse was behind both of them.
"Good evening, darling," her mother greeted her. "How has your day been?"
"A few hours long," Ami joked, "But yeah, cool. I spent it snowboarding and reading."
"Has there been any news? Your dear sister went to her first training with the national junior team today."
Yeah, Ami thought bitter, her oh-so-perfect sister who just had won around about the double of competitions she had even participated in or so was in the national team. Juniors for now, but the rising star, and absolutely able to get further.
"Awesome," Ami muttered.
"And, have you thought about yesterday's Report?"
"The Report?" Ami repeated. "Oh, I didn't watch it."
Her mother sighed. Not particularly disappointed anymore, she was just used to it. "Of course, you didn't…"
The light on her side of the skype call changed, and Ami recognised her younger sister next to her mother. "Hey Ami!" she hummed, absolutely oblivious of the fact that she was, as always, overshadowing Ami in around about everything. Damn it, there really couldn't be anything she was good in, huh?
"Hey."
"So, are you going to sign up? Please tell me! I just read a magazine talking about Princess Sophia—the Vogue with Alex Valentino? Did you read it? Oh, oh, and did you see the newest posts of Veira Schreave? She signed up too! Isn't that awesome? You could meet them!" she squealed.
Ami doubted that the Vogue was even sold in Baffin. "Sure. Whoever that is." At least the name 'Schreave' rung a bell, even though she couldn't say why. Okay, and yeah, she knew who Sophia Illéa was.
"Sign up for what? A subscription of the Vogue? There's better stuff to put your money on, kiddo."
"Noooo! I mean, yeah, definitely, the Vogue is awesome, but I mean the Selection!"
"Selection? What's that?"
Yeah, that was where her history knowledge ended. At least the term rung a bell as well, but really, so many S-words? Terrible! Absolutely terrible, how in the world was she going to learn that by heart? No way!
"Oh my gosh, Ami!" Her sister sighed extravagantly, but as happy as always. Little damn sunshine who was better than her, again. "That's basic history! The Crown Prince is looking for a wife."
"… Oh, that thing? Yeah, sure, why not? How do I sign up? Online?"
Her sister shook her head. "All eligible women were sent letters."
"Okay, yeah, then it'll probably arrive on Monday or so. You know that the post isn't daily here. Way too cold and all."
"Oh, right… Wait, I send you a photo. Maybe there is a copy online… or you could go to the Province Services Office. They probably have some too."
"I'll google it. Anything else?"
"Well, I had my first training with the team today, and the coach said that I aced it! Isn't that awesome?"
"Yeah, absolutely," Ami replied dry. "Anything not skiing related?"
"Well, there is the new Vogue and…"
"Honey, go and do your homework. I need to talk to Ami."
Thank god that her mother knew that she wasn't that interested in some random models. Too bad that 'I need to talk to Ami' also sounded way too serious for her taste as well. Okay, yeah, she probably knew what was coming—she needed to do something with her career, or she'd end up as snowboard coach which wasn't particularly what she wanted.
"Are you sure that you want to sign up for the Selection? Baffin isn't particularly populated and you might be the only Two applying, Ami," her mother reminded her. "I think that if you came to Whites, or maybe went abroad, you'd have much better chances to get somewhere. I see that the media attention might be helpful… but are you sure? You've done impulsive things before…"
Yeah, and her mother didn't even know how impulsive, but hey, stuff had been fun until it hadn't.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Ami replied with a shrug.
"What do you even know about the royal family?"
A lot. "I mean, it's really cool that Prince Ernest and Princess Sophia are so engaged in philanthropy work, and I guess the country isn't falling apart under the Crown Prince's rule? Prince Ernest sounds fun, going by what my dearest sister has told me." Her mother missed the sarcasm.
"It is," her mother agreed. "I'm sure that it'll be fine…"
"You sound pretty, uh, unconvinced."
"Honey, I know that you aren't too happy with the royal family's government."
"They're fine, kinda."
"Just make sure no one suddenly thinks you're a rebel, alright? I heard about how they still find people… I'm just worried about you, love, because you sometimes say things before you think. Also, please don't swear so much, okay?"
"How's dad?"
"He is still in Beijing."
"When is he coming back?"
"Not until he has been to Berlin as well."
"Oh. Why Berlin and Beijing?"
"I'm not so sure about Beijing, but Germany is Europe's strongest economy. He has powerful friends there."
"Ah," Ami nodded disinterested. Whatever. She had no idea of economy. She knew as much as she knew Chinese. Which was zero.
"But, about the Selection, if you'll be selected, please make sure not to do anything impulsive, okay? I read the form's legal outline, and it states something along the lines of 'the Selected will not engage in any romantic relationship with anyone besides His Royal Highness', and this worries me a bit."
"… I thought the Selection was dating the Crown Prince?"
"There are three people in Illéa that would fit to that description, and a friend of mine who knows someone who knows someone believes that this is in connection to Prince Ernest. Just… you know, don't do anything illegal. I don't want you to get into trouble."
"Oh, yeah, sure, I won't. I promise."
Her mother sighed in disbelief.
/ / /
Ingrid "Kate" Katheryn Blanchard
Blanchard's Home, Vale, Belcourt
For mere seconds, Kate's eyes flew towards the timer on the edge of the screen before her eyes darted back to her Microsoft Word document that had been opened for at least three hours. Just that one sentence, she thought, while the spaghetti in the background were probably overcooking.
In her defence, this scene was important.
Or so.
It really was just fluff, so whatever.
"Kate, what's going on in the kitchen?" her mother called.
The word kitchen was relative—Kate hadn't exactly left the bunker beneath their house a lot, even when officially, the country was safe since months. Kate had seen it in the Report, and therefore, it had to be true. Plus, she had seen the letter that her mother had horridly hidden between Twilight and Divergent.
Ridiculous, Kate thought before her eyes darted back to the fluffy fanfiction on her screen. "Her head sunk on his chest. She could hear his strong, steady, quiet heartbeat. Dumb dumb dumb. I smiled. Yes, Jacob was mine, and I, Catherine Chardard, was his."
"Honey, please make sure you're not overcooking the food," her mother called from the stairs.
Kate sighed. The timer began beeping either way—her twenty minutes sprint was over and she probably had to eat either way. "Yes, yes," she muttered while saving (twice, just to be safe) the Twilight fanfiction featuring Jacob and a character created by herself. She took the spaghetti from the stove (they really weren't that bad) and mixed them with the tomato sauce next to it.
Her dear mother appeared in the door to the apartment studio beneath their home. "Okay, are you good for the evening?" she worried.
Kate gave her a bright smile, "I am!" she hummed.
Her mother didn't question why, for once, her daughter begged to be allowed to just go out and all. It had been months. While her mother disappeared upstairs (some work meeting or so…), Kate grinned. The spaghetti disappeared quickly in her stomach, and she fished the letter from the palace from between her mother's favourite books.
An hour later (Kate had to look up some information… What even was a social security number?), she proudly looked at her form. She, Ingrid Katheryn Blanchard was going to sign up for the Selection!
Well, if she found her way to the Province Service Office, that was…
But for that, Kate had used Google Maps when her mother hadn't looked (which was rare enough; usually, almost everything but the fanfiction website Kate had begged for was blocked for her) to figure out how she was going to get there. She grabbed her shoes (the only pair she had, it came from her mum—she hadn't been out in ages, not even for her father's and brother's funeral (if it hadn't been for that, maybe she would be allowed to go out?), maybe they were just her mum's shoes, but they did fit here!) and headed out up the stairs.
The closest Province Service Office was, going by Google Maps, thirty-two minutes of car ride away. Surely, she'd be able to make it that quickly!
… Thirty-two minutes later, Kate realised that she couldn't run on the speed of a car for even a minute.
… Two hours later, she reached the Province Services Office just mere seconds before its closing time.
"Gosh, girl, are you alright?" the worker (who was about to close the door) asked.
"This… is… the… province… service… office… isn't…it?" Kate asked, forcing a smile.
"Uh, yes?" The worker blinked in confusion. "We're closing though…"
"Nooo!" Kate called out. "Can you please, please, please just give me five minutes? I've run all the way from home and that was two hours ago!"
"Two… kiddo, you know that there is a bus, don't you?" the worker asked stunned. "… Alright. Okay. Come in. Five minutes, nothing more. I don't want to be at fault if you get hurt…"
"Thank you!" Kate proceeded to hug the stranger, like she always did with her mum who most certainly encouraged her. The stranger seemed dumbfounded, for some strange reason. "What do you need?"
"Your form, I guess," the worker muttered, already regretting his decision. "Just sign here… and here… read this and write your name here."
She did as told (although she didn't read the two pages of text, too much for her exhausted mind), and smiled. "Awesome!" Kate cheered. "Anything else?"
"No… but, where do you live? Maybe one of us can take you closer home…" Kate named her address, but the worker shook his head. "That's way too upper class for me," the Six laughed. "Sorry, but I don't think any of us poor Sixes could afford to live there."
Kate nodded, not processing the information. "So, when does the Selection happen?"
"Not until April, I think," the worker replied. "You'll see it on the Report."
And with that, after running here for two hours, she was pushed out five minutes after arriving. Back on the street, Kate sighed. Oh welp. She was going to need to run back the whole way. A brief glance onto her Google Maps print out reminded her that this was already the shortest way, but bus?
Sounded like a good idea.
But there was none, since Kate had no money on her.
"Young madam," someone suddenly said. An elderly man, in front of his car. "Can I help you? Do you need a ride?"
"Oh, that would be awesome!" Kate cheered. She repeated her address. "That's where I gotta go."
The old man smiled. "Of course, jump in."
The older man (whose name was never mentioned) turned out to be a pleasant conversation partner (well, he listened to Kate ranting about how Bella from Twilight should have chosen Jacob over Edward, so passable) and drove her up to her house. Once she could see it (wow… it really had changed in these seven years…), she smiled and opened the door. As the car was driving.
"Hey, you can't just—"
She didn't listen; Kate just jumped out of the car (somewhat clumsily, but hey, she didn't fall!), and ran over the street (ignoring the cars passing by) to get to her home, and for a few seconds, she waved to the car.
"Thank you, mister!"
She overheard the taxi driver's demand for payment and quickly rushed through the door she had left open and since her mum wasn't going to be back until later and—
"Ingrid Katheryn Blanchard!" Her mother sounded like she had just left a burning house while still reading a book. "Where in the world have you been, honey?!"
"… Uh, out—"
"Don't you know how dangerous it is? There are still rebels outside, honey, you could have been killed and I wouldn't even have known where you were, and think of your father and brother, and—"
As much as Kate didn't like her mother for her protectiveness, she sighed. The argument that the Great Unrest was over since months didn't work. The fact that she was eighteen didn't either. There she stood, listening to half an hour-long rant about how there were still rebel sightings in Belcourt.
There were, but there were also burglars and robbers, and any other people. See Twilight—the amazing Bella Swan had to be saved by good old Edward (really, why had she chosen him? Why? Jacob was such a better choice!) so if it went by her mother's theory, there was no way she'd ever be safe to go out!
Besides, she was going to be fine.
Her Knight in Shining Armour would come and save her.
Thinking of it, she thought back to the Report. Who would be the two love interests fighting for her? She didn't know. The Crown Prince probably was one of them, going by the logic. Maybe, despite his dedication to the country, he secretly didn't want the heritage he had? Oh, that'd be an interesting plot, but nah.
Maybe he did want it, but didn't know what to do? Maybe he needed something—someone!—else in his life? But who would be the other choice? One of his brothers? Prince Ernest and Prince Louis both didn't look bad, and Prince Ernest did, just like Princess Sophia (definitely the best friend, by the way), some charity work and all, but neither seemed like a good choice. Besides, this wasn't Red Queen… or was it?
Did that mean that Prince Ernest intended to take over the throne from Crown Prince Xander? She personally had been Team Maven… Well, until Cal turned out to be actually cool. But still, he hadn't been as good as Jacob. He'd always have her heart.
Thinking of that, she really wanted to work on her fanfiction…
"Are you listening Katy?"
"Yes, of course!" Kate forced a smile.
"Where have you even been? You've never done that, love."
"The Province Service Office. I applied for the Selection!"
Cue yet another discussion by helicopter parent number one. But hey, at least she still was an absolutely normal cool girl who everyone would love if they had just the chance to meet her. She was ready for the Selection! Absolutely! She totally had an idea of how the world outside the family's bunker worked!
Or so.
/ / /
Author's Note
There's the second part of the mega chapter. I'm trying to update every week from now on, but in exchange, the chapters will be shorter. The general census appears to be 3k 6k, hence the decision.
I needed some foreign economic powerhouse, and my decision to go with Germany is merely based on the fact that it is, as of now, Europe's largest economy, and I know most about it, so I'll be able to write German people visiting Illéa for politics best. Hi foreshadow, I'm a very good writer am I not.
Next Chapter: »Just a few memes on Instagram«
Now, importantly:
Please do refer to my profile for this; you'll find a link to the project there.
In connection to the plot, there is an interactive opportunity where I hope that you'd be interested in joining for the story: planning one of four events. It's set when the girls arrive at the Palace (after the training month), and essentially, the girls are organizing the visit of Italian royals. Following is part (but not all!) of the brief. There are three possible projects: reception, sightseeing with the two Italian princes, charity work with the Italian Queen and a final ball.
Early on, the Selected are to be split into four groups and each given a task / event to organise. If you decide that you would like to contribute, you and your group are free to plan the event you are assigned (you all get to list your preferences, and I'll assign based on them). What you do it completely up to you, as long as it's within the range of reason. If you have no time to contribute, please just tell me so I can take that into concern. To some degree, I'd like to see who has stayed with the story until now and to check if people have become inactive, since I will need a bit more contribution later on, and don't particularly want to chase after everyone and get no response.
I hope you all will enjoy this idea-I stole it from a German SYOC and when we did it there, it was really fun to plan together! I recommend joining our Discord server as always, it's linked on my profile. If you have problems getting in, feel free to message me!
