Here's the next chapter guys! Sorry, it took a while for me to update! The Girls finally get to meet Payton! Yay!

Elle, Carys, Michelle, and Lindsay were created by Fanficmonster123

Aubrey was created by Cookiedoodles168

Asteria was created by me.

ALL RIGHTS OF THE SELECTION SERIES BELONGS TO KIERA CASS

Please review to help this story become better.

And I know that this VERY SOON but I promise that the ELITE won't be narrowed down until at least eight or fifteen chapters depending on how the story flows, but I want you to start sending me suggestions on who you want to be the Elite. I at least want ONE girl from each of the people who sent in OC's for Payton's Selection.

The Elites already chosen:

1. Eirelyn Leger created by MichaelXClaire1996 (me)

2. Vera Martinez created by Anastasia the Goddess of Drama

3. Catherine Zussledorf created by Smiley111

4. Alexandra Redmond by Fairytoto1

These girls were chosen because they are the only girls created by their respective authors. The six remaining slots for the Elite are open game for any of the OC girls. Just message me or leave a review on who you think should be an Elite.

If there is a particular girl you like and you think she should be in the Elite just message me or leave a review. Remember, look over ALL the girls, not just the ones from the newest chapters so you can meet them all before deciding who you want in the Elite.

Chapter 17- Meet The Prince

Payton POV

Payton stared at himself in the mirror, a frown on his face. After his encounter with Eirelyn last night, he was nervous to meet the rest of the girls. What if they all thought the same as her? That he was conceited and entitled? Why did what she says matter so much to him anyway? She was just a girl but he couldn't get her dark red hair or her incredible green eyes out of his mind. He had noticed up close that her eyes were almost the exact same green that General Leger's had been; they would have been if there hadn't been the undertone of blue in her eyes. Even he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. Plus, he actually still had her bracelet since she had stormed off before she could get it back.

"Payton," He looked up to see Sara standing at his door in. She was dressed in a navy blue dress that matched his suit; dress hugged her curves perfectly and the skirt of the dress flowed down her legs in cascading waves. "You look nice."

"So do you, Sis," He said, a smile on his face. "Ready for this?" He offered her his arm and they were out of his room before she could even say anything. He knew that they were both tense, but he felt like just getting it over with and meeting the boy and girl selected was better than waiting. Besides, the rest of their family was already there with the selected waiting for them.

Slowly the two of them made their way towards the back lawn and when they exited the palace doors Payton felt a smile pull at his lips as he took in the setting. There were white tents set up all over the lawn, with silvery lights hanging from them, and tables too. The tables that held the food and drinks which were sushi and gourmet finger sandwiches were set under the largest tent while tables for sitting were spread all around, some under tents and others not.

As he and Sara reached the four steps that would reach the lawn, he could see the people; Sara's Selected men were gathered to the left while his Selected girls were to the right. His Mom and Dad stood to the right of the stairs with Julia happily standing between them. Liam stood to the left side of the stairs with Evelyn Hayward, the British Princess, and his fiancee and Leandra.

When they reached the stairs, Payton could really feel all eyes fall on him and Sara, especially when they reached the end and ended up in the middle of his family and in front of the Selected, now it was showtime.

He watched as all the Selected curtsied or bowed to him and Sara before clearing his throat to gain everyone's attention, it was his turn to speak and he really hoped he didn't screw up. "First of all, we would like to thank you for taking time out of your lives to be here," Payton said, looking around at his girls and trying to take them all in. How was he supposed to find his One in this large group? "You don't understand how much this means to us, to find the one that we will be spending the rest of our lives with."

Sara took over from there, "Throughout this dinner, Payton and I will be going around and talking with our selected in the hopes of getting to know each of you. While you wait, please feel free to mingle with each other. Do not be afraid to make friends with each other. And with this, I hope that we all have a pleasant evening."

There was a pause and Payton looked around nervously when no one moved. Sara had said that last part to indicate that they all could start eating and talking but no one moved. All eyes were on him and Sara, causing him to fidget slightly. He was about to announce that they could mingle when Evelyn let out a soft laugh meeting Liam's beaming smile with a gentle one of her own as he escorted her away from the stairs and towards a group of girls.

"Come on Liam, I want to meet your potential sister-in-law," Evelyn teased, her British accent making her words longer and sharper in the slightest of ways. It also drew curious gazes from some of the selected.

Payton smirked at the act, leave it to Evelyn to get the ball rolling. Literally. The selected boys and girls took Evelyn's action as a que and started to talk to each other; some even headed towards the tables with food and refreshments. "Ready for this?" He asked again, glancing down at Sara. He hoped she answered this time, he didn't want to start interacting with the girls if she wasn't nervous too.

"Not really," Sara said, glancing up at him with uncertain blue eyes, "Are you?"

"Not at all," Payton smiled. He moved first, his light hazel eyes scanning the crowd of girls. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to a certain dark red-haired girl or not, so he avoided her and he searched for girls that seemed to be by themselves. He wasn't exactly brave enough to face more than one girl at a time yet.

All the girls looked extremely intimidating at the moment though. His eyes roved over his girls one more time before they eventually landed on a pretty girl with smooth rosy beige-colored skin, waves of light blonde hair and gentle green eyes. She was standing by herself with a glass of white wine in her hands. She looked nervous and there was a pink tinge to her cheeks and he didn't think it was the wine.

As calmly as possible, Payton made his way over to her and cleared his throat to gain her attention. Her light green eyes widened and she curtsied as quickly as she could while saying, "Your Highness,"

Aubrey POV

Aubrey felt her face redden when the Prince stopped right next to her. It took all her focus to not drop her wine glass as he looked her over. She fumbled into a clumsy curtsey, blushing. Why did she have to be such a klutz? "Your Highness," She said, her voice trembling slightly.

"How are you, Lady Aubrey?" The Prince asked and her head jerked up when she heard him say her name. She didn't even know that he knew it. Not with thirty-five other girls still there.

"G-good," Aubrey said, her green eyes going anywhere but the Prince, what was she supposed to say to him? Why was she the first girl he chose to talk to? "How are you, Your Highness?"

The Prince gently reached out and tilted her face up, a smile on his own lips. "I am doing well, Lady Aubrey, however, my day could only get better if you looked at me," His light hazel eyes seemed to glow as he looked at her and Aubrey found herself smiling back at him. "It would also make it much easier for us to get to know each other."

Honestly, he seemed just as nervous about this situation as she did and she couldn't blame him. He had to find his wife in this group of girls. She actually thought his situation was worse than hers. What if he couldn't find the one he loved most in this crowd of girls? He was anxious, that much was clear to her, but he was hiding it incredibly well. She'd guess that any other girl would think that he was completely fine.

"If that's what you want," Aubrey said, smiling back. "What do you want to know Your Highness?" She took in his features from his light hazel eyes to his honey blonde hair. She also noted that his arms were rather large and muscled but not overly so.

"Well, I'd like to know if you'd call me Payton instead of Your Highness," Payton said, leading around the perimeter of the lawn so that they were further away from the tents. "I'm supposed to get to know you girls and you're supposed to get to know me. I doubt it'll be that easy if there are titles in our way."

"Of course, Prince-" Aubrey immediately cut herself off and swallowed, "I mean Payton. So what do you want to know?"

Payton smiled, "Just tell me a little about yourself, your parents, what you like to do."

Abrey nodded, biting her lip, she wasn't sure what she wanted to say but her gut feeling told her that the Prince would appreciate honesty more than anything else and she always went with her gut or instincts; sometimes she thought that those were all she had. "Well… my Dad is a chemical engineer and my Mom is an English teacher, they're both pretty smart, but I barely scraped through school." She saw Payton's brows rise at that and even though she blushed again she continued on even if she was feeling flustered and embarrassed, she just wanted him to know what he'd get if he chose to keep her past the first day, "No matter how hard I tried, my grades were just mediocre."

She was expecting Payton to pull away when she admitted that she was nowhere as smart as her parents but instead he surprised her by smiling, "Just because your parents are good at one thing or do something that you don't doesn't mean that you're dumb. I'm sure that you're good at other things."

She smiled back at him, "Well, I have a really good intuition and people have told me that I'm empathic. But I love language, it's the one subject that I've ever been good at. I was actually a dual major in French literature and Italian language and culture."

"That's amazing," Payton said looking thoughtful, "I doubt a lot of people realize it, but languages of the world are one of the most important aspects of our lives, no matter what country you're in. Do you speak any language fluently?"

Aubrey nodded, "I speak six," She said, knowing that she sounded proud but didn't care. It was one of the things she could really take pride in, other people her age only spoke one or two languages. Not six. "I speak, English, French, Italian, Spanish, German and Finnish, all to varying degrees."

Payton nodded, his smile widening as he looked back down at her, "That's wonderful, I can speak English, French and Italian. Though I know some phrases in German and Russian. Perhaps we can talk about the dialects of romantic languages one day. I think it's interesting that all of the romantic languages share a common root in vulgar Latin."

Aubrey felt joy burst inside of her at his suggestion. She'd only spoken to him for a few minutes and already he had an idea for a date between them. Not only that, but he genuinely seemed to be interested in her topic of study while others would zone out at the mention of language; he even knew the specific Latin that the romantic languages came from. "I'd love that," She finally said, excitement bubbling in her voice.

Payton nodded and led her back to the tents. Once they reached a table he pulled away from her, the smile never leaving his face. "I suppose I'll leave you to enjoy the party. It's been a pleasure, Lady Aubrey."

"The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness," Aubrey said, curtseying to him once again before he took his leave. She felt giddy. Never in a million years did she think she would have been chosen for the Selection, but now that she was here, she was completely thankful that her name had been pulled. Time at the palace wouldn't be so bad after all. Now, maybe people would finally see that she wasn't a "dumb blonde" like they labeled her but someone who could win the Prince's heart.

She watched as he approached a beautiful girl with tanned skin and thick caramel hair, she just hoped she could shine a bit brighter than thirty-four other girls.

Carys POV

Carys looked up in time to see Prince Payton making his way to her, a small smile on his face. Quickly she made sure that her caramel-colored hair was in place and that her dress wasn't crooked as she dropped into a curtsey when he stopped in front of her. "Your Highness," she said, smiling up at him from her curtsied position.

Prince Payton immediately motioned for her to stand up and she did and she could practically feel his eyes on her as he took her in. She wondered how he thought of her tanned skin, caramel-colored hair and large hazel eyes. She hoped that he liked what he saw; people had always said that she had her Mom's beautiful features with her Dad's coloring.

"Lady..." Prince Payton's smile faltered a bit and she watched his face turn slightly red as he gazed intensely at her. "I apologize my Lady, but I cannot seem too…" He trailed off, looking around flustered.

Carys blinked in confusion before a sinking feeling filled her, "My name?" She asked, feeling disappointment. She had joined the Selection because she had really been hoping that the Prince would be different than all the other guys she had dated, but if he couldn't even remember her name, then maybe he wasn't.

Prince Payton looked at her and nodded his head guiltily. "I am deeply sorry My Lady. I've just drawn a blank, however, I do remember from your form that you are a gymnast and a model."

Carys smiled at that, he seemed to remember other things about her, if that was anything. "I am. And my name's Carys Woods, Your Highness,"

"Carys," She watched as Payton's brows furrowed as he tested out her name on his tongue, "It's a very beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He looked down as he said so, his eyes glowing. "How are you liking the palace so far?"

"It's more than I could have imagined," Carys admitted, meeting his hazel eyes with her own. "The palace is beautiful and the girls are nice," She quickly looked towards a blonde who was glaring at her and rolled her eyes. She had enemies already and it hadn't even been two days. "Well, most of the girls are nice," She amended.

Payton followed her gaze to the blonde before looking back at her, "I can't judge, you're only the second girl I've met."

Carys blinked in surprise, was he about to say that she was the third girl he had talked to? It must have been a slip of his tongue because the dinner had just started and he'd just finished talking to the first girl. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," She said, ignoring his slip. "If I may ask, will you tell me about yourself, Prince Payton?"

Payton looked surprised for a moment, his eyes going wide before he laughed, "I'm pretty sure that I'm supposed to say that," He chuckled, "Well, I want you and the other girls to just call me Payton, if I'm supposed to know you, then I don't want you to use my title when the `film crews and news cameras are gone."

"I suppose I can do that Payton," Carys said calmly, her eyes going to the camera crew around. They were filming, but thankfully, they stayed on the outskirts of the party and not in. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Do you do anything besides gymnastics and model? Payton asked, looking at her curiously. "Any siblings?"

Carys shook her head, "No. I'm an only child," She regretted that she didn't have any siblings though. It would have been nice to have siblings around in her opinion. She moved on to happier details, "I wish I had siblings, but I love to babysit because it makes me feel like I have siblings."

"I have four siblings," Payton said drily, but she saw the humor in his eyes, "I can't tell you how much I sometimes wish I was an only child. I remember one time Liam filled a bucket with whip cream and then threw it at my face when I was wearing my best suit. The suit still hasn't recovered."

Carys laughed at the mock remorse in Payton's voice as he spoke of the prank. "Well, your brother was a child. I doubt he knew what he was doing."

"This was six months ago," Payton said plainly, causing her to laugh even more, "You probably weren't his target," Carys said, trying to give the second Prince an excuse.

"He confessed," Payton said again, but there was a smile on his face as he thought back to the memory. "Liam never changes and it gets worse when the King of Britain visits because they are exactly the same. Sometimes I wonder how the palace stands."

Carys smirked, she had heard that the second Prince was a prankster, "He'll grow out of it."

"Doubtful." Payton snorted, amusement in his light hazel eyes, "Now if you would excuse me, my Lady." He looked over her shoulder before nodding to her and walking away.

Carys eyes followed him until he reached the blonde that had been glaring them and Carys winced. He was going to talk to her next? She knew that Payton had to talk to everyone, but she really hoped he didn't keep her around once he saw how she really was.

Elle POV

Elle felt a smile form on her face when she saw Prince Payton head towards her. Finally. Didn't he know who she was? Didn't he realize how special he should have felt that she had even applied for his Selection? He should have come talk to her first; before anyone else.

"Payton," She said, a smirk forming on her lips when she saw his eyes widen in surprise at the lack of title, but the surprise quickly faded to relief as a smile formed on his own face.

"All the other girls have used titles with me," Payton noted, a smile on his face "and I've had to tell them all to call me just Payton. I'm glad that you just used my name Lady Elle."

Elle smiled at her tactic, it had worked, "Of course, we're here to know you, Payton. It makes no sense to call you Your Highness. Especially when we go on dates." She took his arm effortlessly and led him away from the rest of the girls. She knew how to lead and she would not take a step back just because he was the Prince of Illéa.

"What do you do?" Payton asked as he glanced around at the lawn, he was clearly looking at the other girls and guys and probably trying to see how his Sister was doing.

"I'm a cheerleader," Elle said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder and tilting her head in a way that she knew the light would catch her crystal blue eyes. She also modeled and she knew how to position herself in a way that made her look good. As she did this, however, she caught sight of one of the girls eagerly trying out the sandwiches at a table with a group of others her age. "I also model and act. I also know how to show some decorum depending on the place I'm in." She knew that the last part must have sounded snobby and stuck-up, especially when she saw Payton raised his brows as he followed her line of sight. She couldn't help it though, she was a two and she was taught to only interact with people of the same caste. The lower caste didn't deserve to talk to her anyway; they weren't good enough to even be in her presence. Or the palace in her opinion.

Prince Payton should send everyone who was under a two back home immediately, there was no chance that they would become the next Queen of Illéa.

"I don't see what you mean by decorum," Payton said, a frown on his face when he turned back to look at her. "She's just eating and getting associated with the girls."

"Don't you think that she's almost shoving food into her face?" Elle asked, sounding completely innocent, "There are cameras all around, you don't want one of your selected caught on camera with a full mouth."

Payton's frown deepened and Elle wondered if she pushed her luck maybe a bit too far. She knew he wouldn't send her home for that though. He'd be a fool to send home a two like her right away.

"She's eating perfectly fine," Payton noted, giving her a look that she didn't like. "I understand that you're a two," He said, turning his attention back towards her.

"Only the best caste," Elle nodded a smile on her face, as she gazed back up at him.

"I wouldn't say that," Payton said, releasing her and stepping back, "You'll be spending plenty of time with these girls, so I suggest that you get to know them well, no matter their caste. Enjoy the rest of the party Lady Elle." He took his leave from her then, heading towards a girl with wavy dark brown hair and olive skin.

For a moment, Elle just stood there, stunned that he had left her before annoyance began to simmer under her skin, but she couldn't let that show on the cameras, so she took a deep breath and headed to a small table that wasn't occupied, grabbing a glass of red wine and two finger sandwiches before she sat down.

She glanced around the lawn and froze when she saw her ex-boyfriend sitting two tables down and across from her. Ben Taylor, the comedian, game show host was the boy selected from Angeles and one of the main reasons she had decided to apply for the Selection. Ben had broken up with her after only three months of dating, his reason being completely unreasonable; he didn't like how she had treated the lower caste.

She had been heartbroken that he had ended their relationship over such a stupid reason that she joined the Selection to get away from him but now here he was. What if she did something stupid with him? Not only would that ruin her career and caste standing, but she's also be committing treason against the Crown if she was caught doing anything intimate with Ben if she succumbed to her need to be with him again.

It also wasn't helping that he seemed to be perfectly fine with the fact that she was there. She swore that he hadn't even looked her way once. Instead, he was laughing with his cousin, Drystan, or Darren or whatever her name was, she just knew that his cousin's name was a boy's name for some reason. He was also talking to a girl with chestnut hair in an intricate bun and another girl with dark red hair.

It was infuriating that Ben could calmly interact with girls that weren't her so Elle made up her mind then and there that she'd do everything in her power to get Payton's love. It was the only way she'd ever be able to get over Ben.

Lindsay POV

Lindsay was leaning down over a push of pink roses in the garden, inspecting their color and the curve of their petals intensely. She loved gardening with a passion and could pride herself in knowing what each flower means. Technically it began and still is a chore that her Great-Aunt Belinda gave her to do every other day at home but it was the one chore that Lindsay loved. The openness of her Great-Aunt's garden had been the one place that she could escape, but now Lindsay had really escaped thanks to the Selection.

She didn't know if she'd ever be able to fall for the Prince, but the Selection had given her an opportunity to get away from her horrible Aunt, even for a bit. She shook her head and moved on to a different flower, this time she took in the beautiful white orange blossoms that dangled above her head.

"Do you like flowers?" A deep voice from behind her asked.

Lindsay jumped into the air and spun around, green eyes widening when she saw the Prince standing behind her, a look of amusement on his face. "I didn't mean to scare you," He said, "You look lovely this evening Lady Lindsay."

"Thank you, Your Highness, you do as well," Lindsay said, a blush forming on her face as a small smile appeared on her lips. He really did look good in his charcoal-colored suit and dark navy dress shirt. "How are the other girls?" She asked before wincing, she didn't know why she had said that, but it was the first thing that had popped to her mind.

Payton blinked in surprise before his smile got bigger. "They are fine. However, I'd like to talk about you. What do you like to do?"

"Well, I love to garden," Lindsay said, taking his arm as he led her deeper into the garden, she wondered if she was shaking or not against his hold, she was so nervous. "I almost know what every flower in your garden symbolizes, I love studying it."

"Really?" Payton raised his brows, thoughtful before stopping in front of a gathering of flowers, "What do these ones mean?" He asked, nodding at some beautiful purple flowers in the shape of a bell.

Lindsay smiled at the flowers he had chosen to stop in front of, what were the chances? Maybe he did know what they meant after all and was just testing her? Maybe it was a sign that they'd work out? "Those are campanulas are rather bellflowers. The campanula represents gratitude humility, but it also represents attractiveness and everlasting love."

Payton smiled at that, "That's nice, I really like that." He said with sincerity as he looked at her, his light hazel eyes glowing and Lindsay swore that she almost melted. "What about those ones?" He asked, looking at the flowers next to the campanulas. It was a flower with five petals, the very middle of the petals were white before they melted into a very light lavender-blue color.

Lindsay leaned down to take a closer look at them, they were extremely pretty and she loved how the white melted into the light lavender, "These are Nemophila flowers, otherwise known as baby blue-eyes. They mean victory and success."

"Everlasting love and success," Payton said, almost more to himself than her. "Hopefully that's a good omen."

"I'm sure it is," Lindsay said, she loved how he was interested in what she had to say, she could tell that he was paying attention to what she was saying. It was a nice change for once.

They continued to walk before Payton stopped again, this time at a bundle of flowers that were smaller, the petals of the flower a bright red and in Lindsay's opinion, the petals looked like full puckered lips. "What are these?"

"These flowers are the Euphorbia, also known as the spurge, they represent wisdom, protection, and purity," Lindsay said easily, a smile on her face. "Honestly, I think they look like puckered lips."

Payton tilted his head, "I think I can see that" He said as they moved on. He continued to question her on the flowers in the garden and she gladly went along, but slipped in a smart quip here and there about the flowers that made them both laugh, "What else do you like to do?" Payton asked as he led her out of the gardens.

"I also read and bake a bit, but I doubt I'm as good as some of the other girls here, I've talked to at least two professional cooks," Lindsay said.

"I think I've met one," Payton said, "Her name was Ebony, she works in her parents' hotel."

Linsday nodded, "Alyssa also seems to know what she's doing when she cooks. I don't think it's her job, but she said that she was the 'Mom' out of her siblings and friends."

"Do you have any siblings?" Payton asked.

"One, her name was Lucie," Lindsay said, unable to meet his eyes, there was no way she would tell him any more than that. At least, not at the moment, it still hurt her to think about it.

Payton seemed to sense her change in mood and nodded, "I'll leave you, for now, Lady Lindsay, perhaps you can teach me more about flowers next time."

That brought a smile to Lindsay's face, "Of course Payton." She smiled softly. She was usually shy and nervous when she was around new people, but somehow Payton had been able to bring out of her shell in only a matter of minutes. Maybe she could love him after all.

Michelle POV

Michelle was having the time of her life, she had never known that life could be so luxurious. She wished that she could live like this forever, but she knew that it was unlikely. Even though she was a four, her Mom and she had to struggle to make their living since her Dad left just because she wasn't born as a boy. They always had enough money to put food on the table, but without another parent to help pay the bills as a child, they had a hard time.

To help the financial situation for her Mom and her, Michelle had decided to join the Selection for the money and maybe gain a husband as well. She wanted to stay in the competition for as long as possible. She was a competitive person, so she'd try to win as best as she could. The Prince didn't seem like a bad person. She just needed to make an impression and now was her chance. "Your Highness," She curtsied as the Prince stopped in front of her.

"You may call me Payton," He said, giving her a kind smile as his eyes took her in. "You look very beautiful Lady Michelle."

"Thank you," Michelle said softly, gazing at him with her midnight blue eyes. "You also look very nice."

Payton laughed, "Thank you, have you eaten anything yet?" He looked around at the other girls and she noticed that many of the girls were crowded at tables eating.

"Not much," Michelle confessed, a blush appearing on her face. "I've never really had the chance to eat sushi before," She didn't mention that it was because the sushi was on the more expensive side of food and if it was lower cost then the seafood didn't look appealing.

Payton blinked, before smiling, "Then you're going to try it now," He said, he offered her his arm and she took it as confidently as possible before he led her to one of the food tables that held the sushi. He took a plate for himself before offering her a plate. "What should we start with?"

"I don't know," Michelle said, looking uncertain with all the choices that she had. How could she possibly choose? "What do you think is good Payton?"

"The shrimp and scallops are good. I also like the crystal shrimp roll is good as well as the fried yellowtail." Payton said, putting some of each on his plate and Michelle followed suit.

They went to a table that had no one sitting at it and Payton looked at her expectantly. "Try it, I promise you that it's good."

Michelle nodded and took a bite out of a piece of tuna, chewing and swallowing. The taste was alright and the soy sauce that she dipped it indefinitely helped. She then ate the scallops and those were significantly better. All in all, sushi wasn't her favorite but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. If there was something she didn't like, it was definitely the texture of the raw fish, but she loved the crystal shrimp. "It's good," She said. She watched as Payton popped a piece of sushi in his mouth before swallowing.

"I've heard that sushi is a taste that has to grow on people," Payton said, "I remember when I first had it, I spit it out." He laughed at the memory and Michelle laughed with him. His laugh was nice and deep and she could get used to it if he let her stay.

"But you're a fan of it now?" She asked before trying the shrimp roll that had jalapeno and cream cheese in it; to her surprise, it was sinfully good.

"Yeah," Payton said, "What about you? Is there anything you like to eat or do?"

"I like competition and sports," Michelle said, "I've played volleyball since I was eight. I'm pretty good at it, I was the captain of my high school volleyball team during my junior and senior year."

Payton looked impressed, "I enjoy sports myself. My brother and best friend always played baseball and football together. I'm sad to say that even though I was the Prince, my brother didn't let me win."

"They just don't want you to have too big a head," Michelle teased and Payton laughed.

"True," Payton chuckled, "But he never let me live it down either," He looked around the lawn, his eyes landing on a different girl. "Let's play a game some time." He said as he stood up taking his plate with him.

Michelle stood with him, "I can't promise that you'll win though," She warned a smile on her face, her competitive nature just wouldn't let others win.

"I'm counting on it," Payton agreed before taking off and leaving her alone.

Michelle bit her lip and smiled, this was a better experience than she could have ever hoped for. She could get used to this.

Asteria POV

Asteria laughed when Eirelyn took a rather too large gulp of wine and started coughing "Why'd you do that?" She asked, looking at her best friend.

"What do you mean why?" Eirelyn gave her a glare and frowned, "You purposely tilted my glass up when I was taking a sip."

Asteria laughed again, "My bad," This was an extremely fun party but she couldn't resist teasing Eirelyn a bit, she looked so beautiful tonight. She then calmed down when she saw a young-looking guard look their way. "So, when is your brother going to show up in the palace?"

"In a week or so," Eirelyn said calmly, taking a small bite out of a sandwich. "I can't wait to see him. It's been less than a day here and I'm already overwhelmed, I kinda already screwed up."

Asteria was curious at that but pushed her curiosity aside for now, "I'm surprised that your Mom still let him. I know your Dad and General Avery had already set him up to be a palace guard to slowly come into the military, but your Dad just died a few weeks ago in this palace. Why'd she allow him to be a guard?"

"Well, honestly, there's no way Mom could have stopped him. He's already enlisted and everything was set up before Dad died. Lyndon also wants to still be a guard and even Mom can't stop him." Eirelyn said.

"It's just dangerous," Asteria said, she felt fearful for Lyndon. The palace was a dangerous place.

Eirelyn nodded, "I-" She began to say but she froze and her bright emerald green eyes went wide as she looked pass Asteria. "I have to go," She said hurriedly, she grabbed her glass and plate and walked away as fast as her heels could carry her from Asteria.

Asteria blinked in confusion before looking behind her to see Prince Payton walking towards her. "Your Highness," She said curtsying to him even though she was still completely confused as to why Eirelyn had suddenly left. Why had she run? They were here to meet the Prince. "How is your evening going?" She smiled up at him.

"Fine, Lady Asteria, and please call me Payton," Prince Payton said, he even looked confused by Eirelyn's hasty retreat. "Is…. your friend alright?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Asteria said, taking him by the arm and smiling up at him. "This is a wonderful party Payton, who's idea was it?"

"Well, Sara planned the decorations and decided on the finger sandwiches, I chose the sushi." Payton said, "Which do you prefer?"

Asteria shook her head, "Sadly, I've had to stick with sandwiches, I'm allergic to all types of seafood."

Payton's eyes widened and he looked around nervously, "I apologize, I know I've seen your form Lady Asteria, I didn't think."

Asteria shook her head, "It's fine, it's not the most serious allergy. As long as I don't consume it directly I'll be fine."

Payton nodded, but he still looked apologetic, "What do you like to do Lady Asteria? I know you model and you enjoy it, but is there anything else?"

"I like to spend time with Eirelyn's family, I'm always in Carolina whenever I can be. I also like taking pictures and filming." Asteria said.

"My Father likes photography as well." Payton said, a smile on his face, "There are times when I think he takes too many pictures."

"There are never too many pictures. Pictures capture the moment and are everlasting," Asteria said she loved taking photos perhaps even more than being in front of the camera for photo-shoots. Film was even better because it captures even more moments and the sound.

"I've never thought about it like that," Payton confessed, "It's just that we spend every Friday night doing the Report and then when there are events the film crews and photographers are always around, like now. Sometimes I just can't stand it or think that's an invasion of privacy."

Asteria nodded, able to understand his view as well, she'd been under the lens of a camera for most of her life too, but she loved doing photo-shoots. "I bet, especially now when you want to know the girls and you'd want privacy."

Payton sighed, "I guess you do understand, it's just weird that you and my Dad have a love for photography. Maybe being on the other side of the camera gives control back in some way."

"You definitely get to choose what and who gets photographed," Asteria laughed, "I have a picture of Eirelyn's sister, Fran after she just woke up. Complete nightmare with the drool and bedhead, this was also when she was screaming at her brother. It's a very bad picture to be in existence for an aspiring model."

Payton laughed too, "Why was she screaming?"

"Her brother helped me, he jumped out at her just when she opened the door to her room to scare her, so I guess it's more of a scared look on her face? Along with no make-up, drool and bed-head hair." Asteria said. "I use it to have Fran do anything I want with the threat of me mailing that picture to every single news and magazine outlet."

"That's cruel," Payton chuckled. "So you're a good friend to the Leger family?" He asked, looking at her curiously.

"Eirey's my best friend," Asteria said sincerely, "I'm so glad that we're in the Selection together."

"Even though you're competing for the same thing?" Payton asked, looking at her.

"Honestly, I doubt either of us will end up married to you." Asteria said, "Eirey's probably going to ask to go home and I want to give us a chance, but I'm not sure that we'd click once we get to really know each other."

"As long as you're willing to give me a chance," Payton said, but she noticed that he winced when she mentioned Eirelyn and leaving. Had the two of them already met? Is that why Eirey said she'd already screwed up? She hadn't seen them together tonight.

"Have you already talked to Eirey? Is that why she walked away as soon as you showed up?" Asteria asked she blinked when she saw the Prince blush.

Payton looked embarrassed for a moment before he chuckled lightly, "You're her best friend so I trust you won't tell anyone." He then told her about his meeting with Eirey last night and Asteria was left gaping at him in shock.

"She called you a conceited pig?" Asteria whispered, appalled, leave it to Eirelyn Leger to offend the Prince so soon. "Are you going to do something?"

"I've decided to scrap that meeting." Payton said sheepishly, "She was in an emotional state and no offense to you Lady Asteria, but she was actually the one I had come to talk to. I worked up the courage to talk to her but she ran away."

Asteria laughed, "I should be offended, but I'm not. Just catch her when she's least expecting it."

Payton nodded, "Thank you for the advise Lady Asteria," He said, kissing her knuckles.

Asteria bid him farewell too and smiled, this Selection was going to be much more interesting than she had thought.

Aubrey Risley Character Sheet:

Name: Aubrey Rose Risley

Caste: 3

Age: 17

Province: Dakota

Personality: Aubrey is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Truth be told, she's quite a clumsy ditz, but she is genuinely caring and means well. She's easily nervous, flustered, and embarrassed, and she's not the best at hiding her emotions. However, what Aubrey lacks in general intelligence, she makes up for in the emotions department. She is better at reading people and situations than people give her credit for, and because of her ditzy personality, people often immediately dismiss her as a "dumb blonde", but she's very perceptive. She's usually one of the first to notice a change in someone's mood and is a very capable empath. I would say that Aubrey is a bit dumb, but not oblivious by any means. She cherishes other people's kindness towards her, and she gets very emotional if she upsets someone. She may be a bit of a crybaby and a ditz, but she is incredibly compassionate and loves with all her heart. People often underestimate her

Hobbies: Knitting (it's very calming for her), Baking, Drawing, Learning Languages

History: Aubrey Risley grew up decently well-off, as her father was a chemical engineer and her mother was an English teacher. However, despite her parents being "smart", Aubrey barely scraped through school with mediocre grades, but the one thing she always managed to excel in was language courses (that's the only thing she could pick up really easily, and her parents recognize that and pushed her in that direction). She is the "dumb but cute sidekick" of Dakota's resident mean girl, Jessica Brier, but she doesn't really like Jessica but stays by her side because they've known one another since they were little and she doesn't really know anyone else. She doesn't really know what she wants to do in life yet, but she's studying French and Italian at university (or else she would become a social pariah as a three if she doesn't do anything academic).

Job: University Student Double Majoring in French Literature and Italian Language and Culture

Hair Color: Light Blonde

Eye Color: Light Green

Skin Color: Rose Beige

Height: 5'5

Motive: Her mom told her the selection would be good for her-No one actually thought Aubrey would get in, much less Aubrey herself

Other Info:

-She is fluent or at least has native speaker fluency in six languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Finnish)

-Aubrey loves marshmallows and drinking tea (especially rose tea)

-She has a stuffed bunny plushie, which she keeps in her bedroom during the selection

Carys Woods Character Sheet:

Name: Carys Woods

Age: 18

Caste: 2

Province: Belcourt

Personality: sweet, caring, and hardworking

Hobbies: gymnastics, babysitting, photography, and modeling

History: Carys was raised to be kind to everyone no matter what. She is grateful for her life as she has a lot of money and can do anything she wants. Her dad was born a 3, but after one of his inventions went famous, he was made a 2. Her mom is a model and was also born a 3 but became a 2 when she married Carys' dad. She has dated boys before but broke up with them because they only cared about her looks, her money, and not her personality. She is hoping the prince will love her for her personality even though she inherited her mom's beautiful features with her dad's coloring.

Job: professional gymnast and a model for petite clothing lines

Hair color: Caramel

Eye color: hazel

Skin tone: tan

Height: 5' 1"

Weight: 100 lbs

Fluent in English, French, and Spanish

Elle Winters Character Sheet:

Name: Elle Winters

Age: 18

Caste: 2

Province: Angeles

Personality: She is a very stuck up, snobby person. She and her friends are known for making fun of lower caste citizens and treating them like dirt.

Hobbies: Makeup, cheer-leading, and acting

History: She once dated the famous game show comedian Ben Taylor, but they broke up after 3 months because Ben didn't like how she treated lower caste people. Her parents Dan and Jane have always taught her and her younger sister Evelyn to only associate themselves with 2's and nobody else.

Job: Professional cheerleader for the Illea football team and a part-time model/actress

Hair color: Honey blonde

Eye color: Crystal blue

Skin color: Sand

Height: 5' 8"

Weight: 52 kg (115 lbs)

She entered the selection because she was still heartbroken over her breakup from Ben. But when Ben gets chosen for the male selected she is horrified because she thinks she might do something against the rules because of him.

Fluent in English and French

Lindsay Sullivan Character Sheet:

Name: Lindsay Sullivan

Age: 17

Caste: 3

Province: Allens

Personality: Ladylike, reserved, and shy, but very rarely she lets her other side show which is funny, caring, and brave.

Hobbies: reading, gardening, and baking

History: Until Lindsay was 10, she had the "perfect" life. Her parents had a happy marriage, their family had more than enough money, and Lindsay and her older sister Lucie had the perfect sisterly relationship. Then when Lindsay was 10 and Lucie was 15 their parents died at work after an experiment went wrong. They were sent to live with their great aunt Belinda. Belinda mistreated them and made them clean around the house and refused to send the girls to school. Then, Lucie ran off with her boyfriend at 18 leaving Lindsay alone for the past 4 years and hasn't even contacted Lindsay once.

Job: Cleans for her great aunt

Hair color: Light Auburn

Eye color: green

skin tone: Peach

height: 5' 4"

Weight: 57 kg (125 lbs)

She entered the selection to escape the torture of her great aunt and to see her sister again.

Fluent in English and Spanish

Michelle Banks Character Sheet

Name: Michelle Banks

Age: 19

Caste: 4

Province: Colombia

Personality: smart, competitive, and ambitious

Hobbies: reading, writing, and volleyball

History: When Michelle's parents were expecting her, her dad wanted a boy to carry on the last name. However, when Michelle was born a girl, her dad left and Michelle's mom was forced to raise Michelle alone as a single mom. Michelle has seen her mom work long hours just to make sure they have food, housing, electricity, water, and clothes, which motivated her to do her best in school along with volleyball, a sport she's been playing since she was 8.

Job: Works as a waitress at a local diner

Hair color: chocolate brown

Eye color: midnight blue

Skin tone: Beige

Height: 5' 6"

Weight: 58 kg (127 lbs)

She entered the selection to help her mom's financial situation.

Fluent in English and Spanish

Asteria Newsome Character Sheet:

First and Last name (Middle name optional): Asteria Isabelle Newsome

Caste: 2

Age: 18

Province: Clermont

Personality: Asteria as a very larger-than-life personality, she is an extremely extroverted person and is always willing to spend time around others. She loves her Mom and her friends and sees the Leger family as her own family. She doesn't care about the caste system at all and tries to teach everyone equally; this being because her Mom learned her lesson from her own Selection and her relationship with America. She is able to befriend anyone and treats them all like they've been friends for years. However, if she's really pushed, she can snap and be very hot-tempered, especially when she sees mistreatment.

Hobbies (Optional): She loves to model, but she also loves photography and filmography

History (At least a slight background): Asteria's Father left her Mom when he realized that she wanted to interact with the lower caste freely and he was someone who only wanted to associate with twos. He left their daughter with Celeste willingly and didn't even try to fight for custody. Even without a father, however, Asteria found a better family that accepted her and her Mom, the Legers and she loves them all so much. She modeled from a very young and loves to do it. She gave to charities whenever she could.

Job (Optional): She's a model and part-time actress

Hair color: butterscotch colored hair

Skin Color: fair

Eye Color: sapphire blue

Height: 5 ft 8 in

Any Other Information (Optional):

-She loves tea, especially cinnamon tea, but she isn't very fond of coffee because she doesn't like caffeine.

-Her favorite color is the exact shade of her eyes

-Her best friends are Eirelyn Leger and Corrine Lowe

- She has someone that she is in love with but never confessed to him and the fall-out that would occur

Motivation: She wanted to do the Selection because she was hoping to get in with Eirelyn because they do every big moment of their lives together. The next chapter will be up by Friday! Hopefully!

Please leave a review and remember to tell me who you think the last six elite should be!