Hi everyone! It has been a month. yikes! I feel so bad for not posting, so here's a sort of filler chapter, if you will. My plans for writing and publishing my next chapters are in the A/N at the bottom. Thanks!
I just wanted to say that Michaela-Squared are two awesome writers and they have a good story about the Selection up on here and I urge you to check it out if you have time. I think they are very talented writers, and hopefully after you read their stories, you will too. :)
All rights to Kiera Cass.
Chapter Twelve
We didn't have any time for the make-over or a decent bath. I simply had enough time to hop in, scrub as much dirt as I could from my body and face, shave my legs, and get out of the tub. Once I was completely dry, my maids took over in a frenzy; one taking my hair and pinning different parts up here and there, one putting makeup on my face in a way that I could only describe as expertly, and one steaming different parts of my new day gown that was mint green and flowing with jewels encrusted throughout the bodice.
After about twenty-five minutes, I was in my gown and dressed, in my opinion, to kill. I didn't understand it. How had they made me look so... different in such little time? I stared in the mirror in awe. Lucy had gone above and beyond with my hair, styling it in a very elegant sock bun with my curly hair encircling it like waves in an ocean; Jess made me look like a completely different person with her skilled hands. She put a light layer of brown ink eyeliner, a touch of mascara, misty green eye shadow, a hint of blush, and a pale pink lip gloss on me, and I swear it changed the way I looked completely. My eyes looked even larger than before- and trust me, that's hard to believe possible-, she made my lips look fuller than they actually were, and she hid any blemishes I had with the swipe of her concealer wand that just happened to be the perfect shade for my skin tone. Mary had steamed all the wrinkles out of my dress and zipped me into it without touching my face or making me feel uncomfortable at all. It flowed from the ribs down, and paired with the silver peep-toed heels she put on my feet, I felt more alive than ever. The heels were hard to walk in, but they added three inches to my tiny legs, and I vowed to take advantage of my "tallness" and ignore the pain from wearing heels for the first time in what seemed like forever. I glowed, and as I stared at myself, I kept thinking about how I never wanted this moment to end. I felt pretty- truly and utterly pretty, and I saw in the mirror something that I hadn't been able to see before. I saw a contender. I saw someone who could win it all.
Big brown and small green eyes, dark and light hair, small and tall statures, dark and light skin tones. Every girl in this room was different and unique in their own ways. How could I compete?
Before I entered the room, I thought I had a chance at winning this thing, but the make-overs that I missed had changed these girls. The ones that weren't noticeable before looked stunning now, and the beautiful and exotic girls looked even more vibrant than before.
They were all used to the palace by now, and they were all in groups of friends talking quietly. When I walked out of the shadows of the door, some of the girls turned to stare. I could pick out a few faces- Carson Jameson, a two from Angeles and what looked to be her posse of new friends: Courtney Jenkins, Joy Hornstead, Mallory Gomez, and- I should have seen this coming- Fallon. They stared at me with mixed looks of disgust.
'Well I guess Fallon has gotten to them, then.' I thought, shaking my head, 'Turn away and focus. No need to cause drama the day you meet the prince.'
I looked around at the rest of the tables and found that Clover, the other Six; Valentine, a five from Labrador; and Lyli, a tall girl from Zuni were all trying to call me over to their table. I smiled, relieved. At least there were a few decent people around here. I started over, when a hand tapped me on the shoulder.
"You're late, Miss...?" a high voice sounded behind me.
I turned around slowly and looked up at one of the most lovely- looking people I had ever seen.
"I'm Mailey Reed of Kent," I started, "I am so sorry, but I just returned from the hosp-"
"Stop." she interrupted me, "Unlike the other workers here in the palace, I am not lenient. I used to be, and all that got me was tears and no pay raise." she said derisively, "Now, I must tell you my number one rule: To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is to be greedy and ill-mannered. I want you to remember that rule from now on, no matter your circumstances. If you are to become princess of Illea in the future, you must know how the be polite and cordial, and you weren't today."
I bowed my head. "I am sorry, Miss..." I trailed off. She had never stated her name.
"You seem to make a fair point. I certainly cannot teach you manners if I forget to use my own. I am Lucy, your new etiquette instructor and adviser for the Selection. " she stated in a punctual voice, "I will be teaching you lessons four times a week in the Women's Room, giving you challenges every so often, and helping you in any way I can so that you may be a great princess if you are chosen in the end. I know that you have been comatose for a few days, so I will debrief you on what is expected and what is about to happen. Firstly, today, in about two minutes, the prince - Prince Gerad, of course- will enter this room and take you one by one to the couch. You will have five to ten minutes to talk and get to know each other. This is the first time he will see you and get to talk to you, so I suggest you make a good impression. After that, if you are lucky enough to make it through that conversation, you will head to the dining room, where you will meet the royal family and enjoy a nice luncheon prepared by the palace's chefs. You are expected to know the proper way to sit, eat, and carry on a conversation. You do know proper etiquette for dining, right?" she asked quizzically.
I nodded my head and smiled, "Of course."
"Good. Make sure you don't forget it. Remember to curtsey to the royals when you walk in, and you should be okay for the rest of the day. Do not speak to the royal family unless addressed personally, and if you are not addressed, you may only speak at whisper levels to the other Selected girls. Be kind, and remember: if you start a fight with any of the other girls, it is grounds for elimination." she said seriously, "I hope that helps; now you must go sit at a table. The prince will be here at any moment."
I bowed my head and looked back up at her, "Thank you." I said sincerely, before turning towards the group of girls that had acknowledged me earlier.
"Oh, and Lady Mailey?"
I turned around and saw a small smile on Lucy's face.
"Good luck."
I'm going to stop there because I want to make sure the meeting with the prince is just right. I don't want grammatical errors or clichés or anything, so I am going to think some things up during school tomorrow and I will write more on May 2nd for both stories. I have the day off, so I am devoting it completely to fan fiction because I feel like I have unintentionally abandoned you amazing people and I want that to stop before I do something stupid, like stop writing at all (NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!). I have this idea where I am going to end my other story a few days/weeks after The One is out and have it sort of tie into this story, so their lives continue and its around 20 years or so later in Maxon and America's life and this story will be part two of the other one (if that makes sense?). The next chapter for both of my stories is extremely important, so I will be writing in my handy- dandy journal all day tomorrow and hopefully all will go well and you will get to read one new chapter for both stories! Yay. :)
The next chapter for this story is probably going to be in Prince Gerad's POV for at least half of it, and for the other story... well its hanging on a cliff right now (HAHAHAHA), so you'll just have to wait and see what I have planned for you! Mwahahahahaha!
Alrighty then.
Remember, the best way to get in touch with me is to review or PM. I love it when people follow me, because it makes me want to write more chapters. I adore you guys when you favorite me and my stories because it shows me who cares about my stories and wants me to continue writing. :)
I also am beta reading now, so send stuff in if you want me to beta you.
Okay, Thanks for reading, you guys!
-Property of Illea
