Anson sat in his room, packing his bong, when suddenly there was a knock at his door. Shit he thought. He quickly hid his bong behind his armchair, the last time his parents had caught him smoking weed they had threatened to send him to rehab, sure he was fifteen at the time, but there were some things it was better that they didn't know about. He straightened and walked towards the door and opened it, only to reveal Alessia.
"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" Alessia asked as she walked past her brother and stepped into the room. "It's a Selection, not a death sentence, you'll be fine."
"Come talk to me when mom and dad are shoving potential suitors down your throat." Anson retorted as he crossed his arms.
A smirk played on Alessia's lips before it disappeared. She strode further into the room and ran her hand along her brother's dresser. "I just came to warn you not to make a mockery of this, like you do everything else."
Anson rolled his bluish-grey eyes, he hated being lectured, especially by his younger sister.
"I mean it," Alessia said sharply. "You treat everything like it's a joke, don't waste everyone's time, or I'll tell mom and dad about your little…habit." She said as she made her way to the armchair and picked up the bong, holding it out for him to see.
Anson glared at her. "Who said I'm going to waste everyone's time?"
"Please, I know you. You're just going to see these girls as your newest toys to play with and discard when you get sick of them." Alessia said as she set down the bong.
"So, what, you care about their feelings?" Anson asked skeptically. He knew that wasn't the case, but he didn't see why Alessia cared if he took this whole Selection thing seriously or not.
Alessia chuckled and shook her head. "I couldn't care less about their feelings, but what you do reflects on me, don't you think you've opened up our family to enough embarrassment?"
Anson pursed his lips in thought. "Did mom send you to talk to me?"
Alessia shrugged. "Does it matter?"
"I suppose not." Anson admitted as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "But I don't want this, I never wanted any of this!"
"That's too bad, because it's yours, the crown, the country, the Selection, all of it." Alessia said harshly as she walked towards her brother. "Don't screw it up, because if you think mom and dad will get mad over a little weed, it's nothing compared to what they'll do to you if you mess this up. It's time to grow up, Anson, you can throw a fit if you want to, no one cares about that, but when the time comes, you'll put yourself together and play the prince the people expect you to be. Because that's what we do."
Anson hardened his gaze and looked away, he knew his sister was right, that his parents had tolerated his antics for far too long, that he was letting down his parents, his sister, and most importantly his people. But he felt nowhere near prepared to host a Selection or to start shadowing his father. He ran a hand through his dark brown hair then crossed his arms.
"Fine," he relented. "I'll take it seriously."
"For your sake, I hope you do," Alessia said. She then turned on her heel and disappeared from the room.
Anson let out a sigh and returned to his armchair, which he immediately slumped into. He continued to pack his bong as he thought over everything his sister said. This was the time to prove himself. He just didn't know how.
Wow, thanks for all the support so far guys! I'm surprised by how many people are interested in this story and it really means a lot to me. I thought I'd give you guys a little update to show my gratitude for getting forms in so quickly.
So, feel free to leave a review if you liked it. The next chapter will focus on Alessia, so look forward to that.