Rosella glanced up at the clock above the door as she packed her client's pastries into a small box.
Where is she? She said she'd be here around four o'clock, but it's almost 4:30...
"That would be 6.80, please."
The customer handed Rosella a 10-dollar bill, and the register pinged as she slid open the drawer and dug around for change.
"Thank you, and have a nice day!"
A brush of warm air flowed into the room as the customer pushed open the door and the little bell jingled in farewell. Rosella searched the marble counter for the air conditioner remote, lifting the tip jar and nudging the tiered serving dish to the side. No remote, but the macarons clicked softly as she dragged the dish back into place. Leaning over the counter to check the floor, Rosella felt a rectangular shape pressing against her leg. Digging a hand into her apron pocket, she located the remote and switched the air-con to 75˚.
Where is she?
Cold wind cut into warm air, and Rosella slouched, the ends of her long brown hair grazing the countertop. She put her elbows on the counter to steady herself and yawned
"Tired of me already, Ro?"
Rosella's eyes flew open to see Lexie standing in the bakery corner beside the door. Lexie walked forward to set her large green tote bag on one of the metal chairs and nearly fell over as a Rosella-sized mass ran the length of the bakery and seized her for a hug. The girls untangled themselves after a while and Rosella took a moment to give Lexie a once-over. Noticing her gaze, Lexie whipped her hands up in an elaborate pose, rocking a white romper with vertical tie-dyed stripes and beige strapped sandals. Her blonde hair fell in small waves just past her shoulders, and she looked a bit flushed.
"You're here!" Rosella exclaimed, a grin so wide it threatened to split her cheeks.
"I'm here!" Lexie squealed, equally ecstatic
Rosella's attitude switched from sunny to annoyed in seconds as she wagged an accusing finger in Lexie's direction. "You're late!"
"I'm…late…Sorry Ro, I was— Eek!" The mumbled apology was cut off by a shriek as Rosella ambushed her with another hug, letting Lexie know she was forgiven.
The girls were a happy mess as they headed over to one of the booths on the bakery's left side, but not before Rosella flipped over the sign by the door to read, 'Sorry, we're closed!'
They couldn't stop grinning as they settled in the booth. Taking off her apron and setting it beside her, Rosella initiated the conversation before her cheeks muscles could go numb.
"Did you get my letters?"
"Of course, I did!" Lexie replied. Rosella was confused when Lexie quickly stepped out of the booth but she nodded in understanding when she noticed the green bag still by the door.
Lexie called over her shoulder. "And you got mine?"
"I did. Although a few of the postcards went missing a couple days later…"
Rosella and Lexie grinned at each other as Lexie returned, bag in hand.
"The twins!" they said in unison.
The girls chuckled, and Lexie shifted, getting comfortable against the booth's small velvet cushions. She cast her gaze around the bakery, taking a moment to fully appreciate her surroundings. The bakery's intended vibes were comfortable and cozy, with a modern touch. Outside sat two matching sets of tables, and roses dotted the flowerpots hanging from the little canopy. The bakery's ceilings were high, and pale wooden boards constructed the floor.
The walls were painted a light blue because Rosella had mentioned reading somewhere that blue enhanced creativity and her father shrugged and obliged. Cream-colored pendant lights hung from the ceiling while strings of fairy lights lined the walls.
Beside the glass door rested a long bar table with six high chairs, and the middle of the bakery held several round tables with matching chairs, each table sitting about 2-3 people. The long counter that stretched the bakery's width stood near the back, with its well-worn cash register and a half-full tip jar. A coffee machine and a rack with some bread rolls and bagels stood on the counter as well. The back wall held wooden shelves with few longer loaves of bread scattered here and there, and the brown door that Lexie knew lead to the kitchens. The bakery's left side was home to four cushioned booths, capable of holding up to six people – where the girls were sitting. Lining the right wall was a large glass display case with most of the bakery's goods in neat little rows.
Rosella was patiently waiting as Lexie took in the bakery, even though not much had changed since the last time she came home, almost 10 months ago. Following her best friend's gaze, Rosella saw that Lexie had spied the doughnuts, dozen or so cookies, Victorian sponge cake, and a couple cupcakes, the leftovers from a hard day's work resting in the glass display. Rosella giggled as Lexie's stomach rumbled, and the latter licked her lips and gave a rueful smile. Craving the crunch of a cookie and chocolate flavors swirling onto her tongue herself, Rosella laughed and got up from the booth. She opened the sliding door and took out one gingersnap and one chocolate chip, folding both into a tissue she had grabbed from the top of the case.
Lexie blanched as Rosella set the gingersnap down in front of her and slid back into the booth, holding onto the chocolate chip cookie.
"Sorry, Ro, I don't have money to pay. I literally spent my last dollar getting a taxi from the airport to my house and I power-walked here as quickly as I could right after I put down my bags at home—"
"Breathe, Lexie, breathe. It's okay, this is on the house." Rosella cut Lexie off. "You can pay me back by telling me everything about the winter and spring season this year! You got promoted to junior soloist! How exciting!"
Lexie took a bite out of the cookie and set it down before turning to Rosella, placing her elbows on the table to match her best friend's posture.
"The winter season was intense! I was still the coryphée then, which means I had to dance corps de ballet. There was one time I thought Madame Hoffman was going to whip all our butts because Megan kept messing up the second chassé en arrière before one of the big performances– but by then, it was already after noontime, and we were all hungry and tired so I guess I can't blame her. I got promoted after our final winter performance in Calgary – Monsieur Louis standing in the wings as we performed his new ballet – he introduced it only weeks before the final night. He said my learning rate and superb performance were sure signs that I could progress far as a ballerina! So, starting the spring season, I got—"
Rosella put up a hand to stop Lexie because her head was whirling with all this new information.
"Sorry Lexie, I stopped processing after sha-…shazi-… I can't. I faintly remember you saying something about Calgary and street signs?"
Lexie sighed and repeated chassé en arrière slowly. "SHA…SEE…UN…AH…REE…AIR. It's French – for what, I don't know. But it's the move where the dancer shifts back from the audience through a series of quick steps."
Ro slowly nodded, the image of Lexie, wavy hair smoothed into a bun, shuffling backward in a tutu with other dancers making her smile. She nibbled on the cookie and cocked her head as she thought a bit more.
"So basically, you got promoted because some Mr. Louis threw a surprise choreo at you, and you did well?"
Lexie took another bite and pouted. "Don't say it like that! It sounds easy when you say it like that."
"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm sure it was your fabulous plates and jetties that convinced him of your talent," Rosella teased, completely butchering the French names for ballet movements.
"It's plié, Ro, plié, and jeté." Lexie pronounced 'plee-AY' and 'zhuh-TAY' in a dry voice, the names rolling smoothly off her tongue regardless. Rosella nodded and gestured for her to continue. Lexie huffed and gave a shortened version of what she was initially going to say.
"Spring season was amazing. The years I had spent in corps de ballet—" Lexie stopped to glance at Rosella, making sure she understood.
Rosella rolled her eyes. "It's not like it's the first time I've heard you talk about ballet," she said.
"Can't hurt to be sure. Anyway, I'm grateful for years of corps de ballet, because without Madame Hoffman and her intense training sessions, I would be a limp, depressed elephant by the third morning of lessons.
Rosella let out a laugh, and Lexie shot her an I'm serious look. "I'll spare you the grisly details, but the shows were the best. Single spotlight, empty stage, curtains rising…" Lexie clapped her hands in glee, lost in the memory, and Rosella smiled at her best friend while finishing the cookie in her hand.
"But enough about me. How about you? How's university? How are the twins? Benji? The bakery?" Lexie tapped her chin, glancing around the space. "Come to think of it, no one's walked in since I've been in here.
"That's because I flipped the sign from Open to Closed," Rosella remarked dryly.
Lexie giggled nervously and Rosella leaned back in the booth, arms crossed, ready to tear apart any weak defense Lexie came up with.
"I…um… haven't seen anybody pass by outside, let alone look in."
"That's because I'm facing the door, and you're facing the back wall, genius," Rosella said in the same tone, a hint of a smirk dancing on her lips. She took a second to glance around, and immediately noticed it was dark outside.
"Crap!"
She turned her head around to check the clock above the counter. The hands read 5:38.
"I didn't realize it had gotten so late!" Rosella turned back to Lexie, who grabbed the remains of her cookie as they exited the booth.
"Wow, it is getting dark," Lexie said, glancing at the sky through the bakery's floor-to-ceiling front windows. "Off we go then."
After she swiped a cupcake from the display, Rosella did a quick mental calculation while Lexie adjusted her bag and grabbed a magazine off the rack by the counter.
If it takes 15 minutes to walk back home– man, I regret not biking, then I'll have about seven minutes to shower before dinner. Not ideal, but doable.
Lexie glanced at the cupcake as she opened the door, and Rosella held it higher for her to see. "For Aiden."
Lexie smiled. "Thanks."
Locking the door behind her, Rosella held the cupcake in one hand and linked arms with Lexie. The pair began walking in the direction of home, the hot air of summer mixing with cool breezes that tossed the ends of their hair around gently.
"Have I ever mentioned that I love that your house is super close to mine?" Rosella asked Lexie, who snorted.
"Dozens of times, Ro. An immeasurable amount that matches the number of times I've agreed with you."
Rosella smiled, and the pair continued in comfortable silence. The shoes tapping on the stone road and the crunch of Lexie's gingersnap were the only sounds for miles. Lexie broke the silence when she finished her biscuit.
"You haven't told me about university yet! How is it? Still in that awful Business major?"
"Rosella sighed and nodded. "With another 2 years to go too. Dad still thinks this is the best path for me. Why doesn't he get that I want to do more than just work at the bakery?"
Rosella suddenly broke contact with Lexie, hunched her shoulders, and spoke in a deep voice. "Ella, a business and entrepreneurship degree will get you far in life. Especially if you run the bakery after me – then you're guaranteed a good income." She shook an accusing hand at the shrub in front of her. "When you get over your writing phase, you'll realize I'm right."
"Lexie grimaced. "That sucks. Spot-on impression through."
Letting out a frustrating harrumph, Rosella wrung her hands in front of her. "What should I do, Lexie? What can I do? I know the bakery is everything to him and Mom, but… I want to do my own thing too. I want to follow my passion," Rosella gestured in Lexie's direction, "Like you did."
"Oh, Ro." Careful not to crush the cupcake, Lexie folded Rosella into a gentle embrace, a wild contrast to their earlier hug in the bakery. They broke apart but stayed close, shoulders brushing as they continued walking.
Glancing sideways, Rosella noticed Lexie had on a frown and was tapping her chin.
"I hate your thinking face, you know? What crazy idea are you coming up with now?" Rosella got no answer from her companion, so she tried to think of the last plan that Lexie came up with that got them into trouble.
Suddenly, Lexie clapped her hands, making Rosella yelp.
"Yes! I've got a brilliant idea!"
"Please, no."
"Rude. Hear me out!"
Rosella folded her arms, waiting. Eyes shining, Lexie beamed at Rosella. "What you need, Ro, is a boyfriend!" Lexie accompanied the last word with jazz hands, as if doing so would automatically convince Rosella.
Rosella sighed and continued walking. Lexie huffed and jogged a few steps to walk backward in front of Rosella. "You're stressed, tired, lonely, moody –"
"Rosella cut Lexie off. "Sounds like every other 20-year-old. And wow, way to make me feel good about myself."
"But you don't have to be! Err… the negative stuff, I mean."
"And I'm not lonely or moody or those other things at all," Rosella interrupted again. "I've got Dad and the twins."
Lexie wasn't listening, too caught up in her own idea. "Things are going great with Marcus and me, so–"
"Lexie be careful!"
Not being careful, Lexie had tripped over a large rock, falling backward and scattering her bag's contents all over the road.
"Dammit." Lexie rubbed her aching backside and Rosella bent down to help Lexie up. Together, they hurried over to the bag and started stuffing the items back inside.
"The last time you had one of your brilliant ideas, it went terribly, remember? Your mom's dresses were ruined and Benji's fur stunk for a week." Rosella fought a smile as she thought about how many showers it took for Benji to smell normal again.
Rosella picked up a tube of lip balm, a Swiss army knife, and… a ketchup bottle keychain? She glanced at Lexie with a question in her eyes, but Lexie wasn't looking at her.
"Hello? Did you hear what I just said?"
Rosella followed Lexie's line of sight and saw the bakery magazine sprawled on the street face-up, opened to the page with Princess Eadlyn's photo and giant letters that spelled out LATEST SELECTION GOSSIP – PRINCESS EADLYN ELIMINATES AFTER HER GARDEN TEA PARTY.
"No, no, no," Rosella groaned as Lexie chanted, "Yes, yes, yes!" Lexie grabbed the magazine and shoved the page into Rosella's face. Lilac chiffon was all Rosella could see until Lexie had the grace to end Rosella's pain. She pointed excitedly at the photo, where Princess Eadlyn's pearl white teeth gleamed at Rosella, and the silver tiara blinded her.
"A Selection Ro! That's how we can find you a boyfriend!"
"You must be joking, Lexie," Rosella laughed as she hoisted the bag onto Lexie's right shoulder and pushed her slightly to propel the excited dancer into walking.
"I'm not, Ro. This is an amazing opportunity for you – and since I've got the next 3 weeks off, I'm going to plan it!" Lexie pumped her fist in the air, beaming. "A semi-selection, Ro! You can find love just like Princess Eadlyn and at the same time too!"
Rosella tried to get a word in. "Lexie, really, this isn't—"
Lexie pointed to a two-story house half-hidden behind trees, almost invisible in the dark. Beside the thin wooden door were four multicolored bikes, propped up against the various bushes that dotted the small stone path.
"Looks like you're home, Ro. Don't worry about the selection, I'll deal with all of it."
"Lexie, wait you—"
"I'll see you tomorrow, Ro! Love you!"
Rosella sighed as Lexie ran off with a wave. "You forgot the cupcake for Aiden," she called half-heartedly to Lexie's fading figure. Lexie gave no indication she heard, and Rosella sighed again, a feeling that this won't be dropped anytime soon, settling in her belly. At least there'd be a cupcake to join it soon. She walked up the front steps and turned the key.
Hello, readers and writers of fanfiction! I present to you, another SYOC based on Kiera Cass's phenomenal Selection Series! And as my first ever piece, no less. Am I ambitious? Or am I foolish? We shall see…
Welcome Rosella, the product of my Selection-influenced brain splart, who isn't a preppy princess with time on her hands to host a Selection that millions enter, but a struggling 20-year-old trying to pursue her dreams of writing while maintaining the family business. Her best friend Lexie is back from ballerina season and Rosella must navigate the ups and downs of her unwanted common Selection, the cherry on top of a mountain of troubles. This takes place during Princess Eadlyn's Selection, after Maxon-America ascended the throne - the season is never directly mentioned, but all the hints I've found in the books and online point to summer season.
I'm currently in school in one of the busiest months of my life so I'll be taking this slowly. I understand many others have extremely busy lives right now, but honestly I couldn't wait. If you would like to submit a character (I'm expecting around 6-8 submissions but more are welcome), PM me a reservation with the basic information section of the main form and a bit about him (some backstory+personality), and when/if I give you the go-ahead, you've got 2 weeks to fill and send me the full submission form. You can ask for extensions, but as long as I know you're serious about this.
Rules for Submissions
1. DIVERSITY PLEASE
Diversity is forever on the top of the list for a reason. A SYOC is genius because of the amazing characters only your unique mind can envision, and where's the fun if all the Selected are tame Elises or scheming Celestes (repeat after me: one is great, eight is overkill)? Give me diversity in appearance, personality, caste, upbringing, nationality, motivations, goals, fears, outlook on life etc. No Mary Sues por favor, a person's imperfections are what makes them the perfect character. Also names! First names like Optimus, Tigerclaw, and Kermit are obviously not okay, but names like Norman, Jack, and Edward are quite okay
2. We like being realistic!
This story is set in Columbia (where it's pretty cold despite it being summer, think fall weather), and the submitted must be 19-22 years old, with a job/school and a faceclaim to match. That said, a lesser-known faceclaim would be preferable over someone like Liam Hemsworth or Selena Gomez. No, your character's not going to be the genius that solved the mystery of the universe's origin when he was 12, and he's not some hot-shot film directer with fourteen Oscars on his shelf. He's supposed to be young, normalish. No, he doesn't have purple irises and he can't fly. Keep it realistic.
3. Feel free to mess with my characters' relationships
With one exception - no old flames of Rosella. Not a boyfriend, not a crush. I think it would be great fun to explore the dynamics of the central family when an acquaintance has the potential to be something more. Give me someone with a non-romantic relationship to Rosella, the twins, Randel, Lexie, Aiden, etc. However, totally unknown dudes can totally pop out and surprise everybody, so ultimately it's up to you. I'm just letting you know that a past relationship (be it school, business, friend groups, etc) with any of my characters is an option.
4. Talk to me (please)
I know everything's super busy right now with COVID-19 mixed with some semblance of normal life, but if you submit a character, read the chapters and come back once in a while to leave me a review or shoot me a PM. I want to know what you think of the direction the plot moves, how well (or not) you think I'm portraying your character, etc. All opinions, tips, ideas, theories, whatever, are welcome. I feel obliged to keep the characters who's submitter has kept up with the story, so you know, come back and talk to me or there might be a in-story funeral. Just saying.
5. The form…
The form is posted on my profile page (kinda hard to miss). I know it's long, but all I want to do is write your character as best I can. in order to do that, I need you to fill it out all the way, being as detailed as possible. The optional parts are optional yes, but some extra zing never hurt nobody. Again, I'm vetoing generic Mary Sues and superhuman geniuses. Currently, it's one character per submitter, but in the event that I don't have enough submissions, check my profile page for more info.
6. Reservations
Since this is all happening in Columbia, I'm not exactly reserving provinces (do let me know if your character is from another town or province beforehand in the reservation). If you PM me the reservation and I accept your character, I'll update my profile to show someone has submitted. Send me your reservations with this title: [Full Name], [Age], [Caste], Reservation. Then in the same thread, send me your full form (when I've said okay).
7. Finally,
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, want some help or advice on character construction, or just to talk about the most trivial things. Remember, the goal of all of this, is just to have fun.