Hey guys! How's everything going? It's probably super busy for those of you in America with finals and end-of-the-year stuff. I finished school last week so I was able to get this chapter out pretty fast. Hope you like it.

HUGE thanks to my one and only reviewer TheUlimateFireRose and in response to your review: YOU are awesome!

This chapter is dates for two of the supporting characters. They're really good characters and I love both of them but unfortunately couldn't give them Main character status because I had too many. They're great characters and their creators are consistent reviewers so they got the dates. Thanks to SolarisEclipse77 and ApolloSerenity for their characters.

...

"Oh my gosh, Callista, congratulations!" Zinnia gushed to her friend.

Callista's tan cheeks colored a bit and she smiled, "Thanks."

Last night after dinner, Brandon had approached Callista and asked her if she'd like to go horseback riding in the morning. Of course Callista had said yes. She'd just now told her friends about it while they were sitting in the Women's Room.

Callista felt a bit awkward since none of her friends had gone on dates yet, but she couldn't help but be excited. She had the second date in the Selection!

She still thought about Tiller quite a lot, especially about the kiss he gave her before she left. It had been the most romantic moment of her life, but here at the palace it was treason even to think about. All hope for her and Tiller had been dashed the moment her name was announced on the Report. Now, she was with Brandon.

"Are you excited?" Miami asked her.

"Yeah," Callista said, "but I'm also nervous. I've never ridden a horse before and I'm sure Brandon is an expert at it."

"I'm sure Brandon will help you out and go slow," Vivian told her.

"Ooh, what if you rode the same horse?!" Zinnia exclaimed, "That would be so romantic."

Callista laughed, "I seriously doubt that."

"Besides, nobody does that in real life," Aria pointed out, "That's just in movies."

"Well it's romantic in the movies," Zinnia said.

Everyone laughed, causing Amelia to look over to their corner with a disapproving gaze. She caught site of Callista and had an epiphany.

"Lady Callista, if I recall correctly, you have a date with Prince Brandon fairly soon."

"Yes, Miss Amelia, that's correct," Callista said. She heard other girls around the room muttering, her date wasn't common knowledge and some people didn't like that she had the second date.

"If I'm not mistaken, you'll be leaving fairly soon. If you'd like, you may leave now to go get ready."

Callista wasn't sure if Amelia was being nice or if she just wanted Callista gone.

"Thank you," Callista said and she made her way out of the Women's Room and up to the second floor. When she got to her room she realized that she only had thirty minutes until Brandon would be there to pick her up. That was not enough time to get ready! It was a good thing her maids were miracle workers.

Thirty minutes later, Callista was dressed in long cream riding gown with flower embellishments on it. It was very similar to her dress from the Report the previous night, but Callista loved it anyway. She was a bit nervous because it was strapless, but her maids assured her it would be fine. Since she'd never ridden before, they thought she would be going slow and only worried about making her look pretty, not the practicality of her outfit. Her makeup was kept natural, the way she liked it, and her long caramel hair was curled then pulled back in a braided low ponytail.

Brandon knocked on the door just as her maids finished spraying her hair so that it would stay. Callista's head maid, Leighton, raced over to the door, opened it, and swept into a dramatic curtsy.

Brandon stood on the other side of the door and he took Callista's breath away. He was dressed much more causally than usual, it made Callista feel as if they were two normal people on a date, not a Prince and a Selected.

"You look beautiful," Brandon told her shyly.

Callista beamed, "Thank you."

He offered her his arm, "Are you ready to go?"

Callista took his arm and nodded. The two made their way down the stairs and outside.

At the stables, Callista was overwhelmed by the gigantic, majestic horses in front of her. She knew they were gentle, but they were so big she felt the pull of anxiety in her stomach.

She turned to Brandon, "Okay, confession time, I've never done this before."

"Oh," Brandon said then was quiet for a minute, his ears turned red when he finally answered, "I didn't know that. I'm sorry, we can do something else if you want, I just thought you might like this."

"No, I still want to do it," she explained, "I was just letting you know so that you're prepared to be working with an amateur."

"That's okay," Brandon told her, leading her over to a small gray mare, "This is Gypsy, she's the gentlest horse we have."

"Hi, Gyspsy," Callista said as she stroked the mare's long nose.

Brandon led Gypsy out of the stall and to a waiting groom who saddled her. A large black stallion was already saddled and Callista assumed it was Brandon's mount.

"Do I just. . . get on?" Callista asked, sticking a foot into the stirrup.

"Yep," Brandon said then turned and looked at her, "but not on that side, come over here."

Callista walked to Gypsy's other side and attempted to climb up. Brandon put a hand on her waist and helped her into the saddle, instructing her on how to sit and where best to put her hands. Then he skillfully climbed onto his horse and turned to Callista.

"You ready?" he asked.

"I think so," she responded, keeping a death grip on Gypsy's reins.

"Okay then, let's go."

Brandon was very patient when he instructed Callista on how to ride. He taught her how to turn, how to make Gypsy go, and, most importantly, how to stop. They slowly made their way out of the stables and onto the path that would take them into the forest. Brandon was leading her and Callista felt a little guilty for how slow she was making him go. She was sure he could gallop down these trails if he wanted, but Brandon didn't seem to mind the slow pace. He dropped back even more so that they were riding side by side.

"Everything is so pretty here," Callista said, gesturing to the lush trees and bright flowers on either side of the trail, "I bet you never get tired of living here, I know I wouldn't."

Brandon smiled at her, "Well it's all I've ever known. It is pretty, but I'd love to experience something different. Having all of you girls here has let me see so many different paths of life, and that's been great."

"I didn't really think of it like that," Callista said, "but you're right. This is the first time I've ever interacted with girls of all castes; I was always told Eights are awful and to stay away from them, but Anya was an Eight and now she's one of my best friends."

"That's definitely one of the best parts of the Selection," Brandon agreed, "if I was the crown prince I'd definitely try to get more caste interaction. They divide us too much, people need to see that being a Two and being a Six isn't that different, when it comes down to it, we're all people."

Callista smiled, feeling a but shy and unlike herself, "I think you'd make a great king."

"Thanks," Brandon replied, his ears turning red. He then looked down at his horse, "I think you're ready to try trotting now. Just hold on tight and don't lose your balance."

Yeah, Callista thought as she grabbed on tighter, keeping her balance was going to be difficult. Not just on the horse, but with her emotions as well.

...

That afternoon in the Women's Room had been pretty uneventful. Amelia was helping the Queen prepare for their foreign guests and the Selected were all hanging out in the Women's Room, like they usually did on Saturdays. Callista had returned from her date and was immediately ambushed, everyone wanted to know how it had gone and what had happened. She was currently sitting with Taylor and a few others. Taylor wanted to know every detail, even after hearing the story several times. It shocked Everly how nice the blonde was being, but maybe there really was good in everyone.

Everly was drinking tea in a corner of the room, surrounded by her friends Yorra, Sage, Flara, Priya, and Azura when a maid walked up to them. Everly thought she was just coming to clear their dishes or bring them fresh tea, but in her hands was a tray with a note on it. And the note had her name on it.

Everly accepted the note and quickly scanned its contents. She was aware of twenty nine pairs of eyes on her as she put the note down.

"What did it say?" Yorra asked.

Everly collapsed in on herself, her shyness manifesting as her shoulders hunched. She remained silent. Sage, who was closest to her, leaned over her shoulder and read the note. Her eyebrows raised.

"What?" Taylor demanded, "Did he finally decide to kick her out? Honestly, I'm surprised she's lasted this long."

Sage immediately jumped to Everly's defense, "It did not! As a matter of fact, Everly has a date."

"What?!" Taylor shrieked, "Out of everyone he picks her! I mean, Cosmina's a Two and Callista's at least pretty. Why would he choose a fat, nerdy Three?"

Everly felt tears spike in her eyes, but she tried to keep them in. All her life she'd been teased by kids because of her fuller figure. She'd matured early and kids had always made fun of her for being bigger. Now that she was older, she'd finally grown into her looks and was quite pretty, the only thing that still had baby fat was her cheeks and there was nothing she could do about that.

"Would you just be quiet?" Priya said, "Don't take it out on her because you're mad you don't have a date yet. I know the prince, and he's a great judge of character, I'm sure that's why he hasn't asked you out yet."

A wicked glint entered Taylor's eyes, "Well have fun on your date, Everly," she said sweetly, "We'll just see how long he keeps you around afterward," then she turned and left the Women's Room, silence in her wake.

Everly was too shocked to say anything. Her friends all quickly reassured her that Taylor was just jealous and that Everly was gorgeous and would have a great time on her date, but Everly had a hard time believing them. She quickly excused herself and went to her room, still not feeling quite like herself.

...

About an hour later, Everly was feeling much better. She'd gone to her room and lost herself in a book for as long as she could. All too soon her maids were rousing her, telling her it was time to get ready. She'd mechanically stood there as they dressed her and did her hair, not registering what was going on around her. Everly finally snapped back to reality when they finished touching up her makeup and sprayed her with her signature scent- tropical breeze. She inhaled deeply and couldn't help but smile. The scent was so relaxing she felt as if she were truly on a beach.

Everly walked over to her full-length mirror and twirled around, looking at herself for the first time. She was dressed in a pretty black day dress with red and pink flowers all over it. It had a high neckline but left her legs exposed. Her makeup was light, just a bit of foundation, blush, and mascara and Everly could still smell her signature scent in the room. Her strawberry blonde hair was curled with the top part of it pulled back and a few strands framing her face. She smiled at her reflection.

"Thank you so much, it's amazing," she told her maids, beaming.

"You're welcome, miss," her maid, Libby, said, "now go, or you'll be late."

With one more smile Everly left them, headed down to the small parlor on the second floor where Brandon had instructed her to meet him.

She reached the room and a guard was standing outside, when he saw Everly he opened the door.

Inside the room, Brandon was standing, looking handsome as always in his suit. But instead of the promised tea, the table was bare.

"Hi, Everly," Brandon said shyly, not meeting her gaze.

"Hi, Prince Brandon," she responded, just as shyly, then said, "I thought we were having tea."

"Just Brandon is fine," he said, "and that was a ruse, I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?" Everly asked.

"Just wait," he told her, offering his arm.

She took it and the two made their way down the hallway, the opposite direction from where Everly had come from.

They walked for a while down the hallway before Brandon stopped her in front of two ornate wooden doors.

"Where are we?" Everly asked, but she had a guess as to where they were, and she hoped she was right.

Brandon turned to her, grinning, "Well, I know you're a librarian."

"Yeah," she said, her smile widening. She definitely knew where they were.

"And so I thought, the best place to take a librarian," he gave a dramatic pause and put his hand on the doorknob, "was a library," he threw the double doors open and Everly caught her breath. It was beautiful. Towering shelves surrounded her, all packed with books. Her fingers itched to reach up and pull them off the shelves to read them. She inhaled deeply, the smell of old books filling her nose and she loved it. There were side tables all throughout the room, all covered with books, some left open as if whoever had been reading it would reappear any moment. The ceiling was several stories high and the shelves stretched all the way up to it with ladders every so often so people could get the books. Gorgeous chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lighting up the room and giving it a homey feel. Everly could have happily stayed there forever.

"This is amazing," she breathed in awe.

"I'm glad you like it," Brandon said, shy again.

"I love it," she said looking around her, "I don't even know where to begin."

"Come on," Brandon said, "I'll show you around."

He led her to a big shelf in the middle of the library, ladders leading up to the top shelves that were way over Everly's head.

"These are all of the books pre-Illéa. They've been around for hundreds, some of them even thousands, of years."

"Wow," Everly said in awe.

"These ones," he ran his hand along some books with the author Shakespeare written on the side, "supposedly used to be classics, but I can't make heads or tails of them. It's like reading New Asian."

Everly grabbed one called Romeo and Juliet and opened it. Brandon was right, it was total gibberish, as if she was reading a different language. She closed the book and carefully reshelved it.

She caught sight of another book in that row, "Macbeth," she said, "I've heard of this but I don't know anyone who has it. It's super rare," she ran her fingers over the spine with reverence.

"Well you're welcome to read it if you want," Brandon offered, "I think Brook tried to read it once but I'm not sure if she finished it," Brandon led her along the shelf some more, "These ones are old but at least understandable. They were classics once upon a time too."

Everly saw a few familiar titles on the shelves. Books like The Catcher in the Rye and Little Women.

"Have you read all of these?" Everly asked, staring at the thousands of books surrounding her.

He chuckled, "Hardly. I don't have much time for reading and what free time I do have I usually spend outside or drawing in my room."

"Oh," Everly's happiness dimmed a bit, she didn't know if she could be with somebody who didn't love reading like she did.

"I have read a few of these however," Brandon said, picking up some books and handing them to her.

The two of them spent the next half hour looking through books and giving each other recommendations and reviews. By the time they were finished looking at books, Everly's arms were loaded down. She could hardly hold all of the books, so Brandon gallantly offered to carry them for her, along with his two that he'd taken.

Because his arms were so full, Everly didn't take one as they walked back to her room. They walked side by side in companionable silence, each one lost in their own thoughts.

Before Everly realized it, they were back at her door. She opened it and Brandon followed her in, putting the books down on her desk.

Everly turned and smiled at him, "Thanks for today."

He grinned bashfully, "I know it wasn't much, but I'm glad you liked it."

Brandon walked over to her and bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

Everly's cheeks turned red but she smiled anyway.

Brandon walked to the door and Everly watched him go. When he got there he turned around and faced her.

"Bye, Everly."

She smiled even bigger, "Bye, Brandon."

When he left, Everly sat on her bed, still smiling. While deep in her heart she still believed that she'd never be over her first boyfriend, Duke; now there was something in her heart she'd never felt before. Part of her would always love Duke, but maybe, just maybe, she was ready to move on. She reached up and touched her cheek, where Brandon's lips had been just moments before. Yeah, it was finally time to move on.

...

Alright, so let me know what you thought of Callista and Everly. The next few chapters will probably be devoted to dates so that Brandon can get through most of the girls before the second Report. Next chapter will be the fan favorite date, so if you haven't voted yet make sure you do!

Leave me a review and let me know what you thought of these two girls and their interactions with Brandon. Who's your favorite character so far? Even if you already voted, just let me know who you want to see next. I just love hearing from you guys so let me know.

~Jen