I'm back! Wow, it's been almost a month since I updated. Sorry! I've been really busy with school and stuff.

I still need characters. I really need some mean(or mean-ish) characters. The characters I have so far are: Albany Barnes, 4, from TieDieTruth, Luna Silverwood, 8, from Nithya, Amber Forrest, 3, from MysteryGal5, and Floretta May Havynn, 6 (Palace maid, not Selected) from Fryllabrille201.

I'm accepting 2-3 more Selected characters and 2 more non-Selected characters.

I'm wondering if this story would be better in 3rd person . . . Hmm . . . let me know what you think in reviews!

Reviews:

TieDieTrith: Yay! And hugs are awesome, no need to apologize.

Fryllabrille201: Well, I can't take credit for Luna's and Albany's personalities, but I'm glad you like them! I love Freya's and Lake's friendship, too.

MysteryGal5: I'm glad you're excited!

Amber's POV

I walk slowly down the street towards the Province Office, trying to distract myself from the envelope heavy in my hand by turning my attention to the world in my head. The writing prompt I worked on this morning, about how Romeo and Juliet might have ended had the characters not committed suicide, has grown in my mind from a simple story to an entire universe. There are so many possible outcomes, and so many words that could express them. It's a shame that the majority of the ideas will have to remain in my head. After all, there is only so much time in a day that I can dedicate to writing.

I'm so absorbed in my thoughts that I nearly run into someone as I near the Province Office. I blush and trip over my feet trying to avoid her. "Sorry." She rolls her eyes and continues her conversation with her friend.

Looking around, I notice that they're not the only ones standing here. A line almost half a mile long stretches from here to the Province Office. The range of castes in the line is obvious. Several Twos are here, many of them in extravagant outfits and full makeup. On the oppposite end of the spectrum, there are Sevens and even some Eights in sturdy and (for the most part) dirty work clothes. I can't help picking out some of the girls and morphing them into characters in my mind.

The pretty girl with the denim overalls and messy ponytail is a Seven, and a middle child. She works just as hard as her older brother does for the family, but without the leadership or recognition that he gets. It's been ages since she's truly been happy. She doesn't hope to find love in the Selection, just a way to bring her family out of poverty.

Or maybe she doesn't want her family to benefit from this. Maybe she's angry at them for not giving her the life she feels she deserves. Perhaps her entering the Selection is a statement to her family: I don't need you and I don't want you.

I think about the possibilities. The first is far more likely; families in lower castes tend to stick close together. But the second possibility is much more interesting, maybe good enough to incorporate into a story. I wonder if either of my theories are true in real life.

When the girl goes inside the Office, I turn my attention to another girl in the line. She looks like she could be a Two or maybe a Three. She has expensive clothes and lots of makeup, but not so much that she looks like a clown. She greets people around her with a smile that seems plastered on. Maybe she wants power or money in the Selection, but I think maybe she wants an escape. Not that being in the nation's spotlight is a very good place to hide from life.

A girl in my mind emerges, loosely based on what little I know of this stranger who is entering the Selection. She's a Two, a singer, successful in her field but not really famous. She loves singing but not the attention. She feels like she'd be better as a Five than as a Two, but she's not ready to leave the money and security of being a Two.

I continue like this, making up stories about the girls I see in the line, wondering what of it is true, until there is no line left in front of me and it's my turn to step into the Province Office. What happens inside is a blur in my memory. I hand my paper to someone, someone else takes a picture, and then it's over.

Floretta's POV

"Lilibeth!" I greet my friend. "Did you hear about the Selection?"

"Everyone's heard about the Selection, Flo," she says. "Aren't you so excited?"

I grin at her. "Yeah, I am. It'll be really cool to meet some new people. Of course, I'm a Six, so who knows if they'll even pay attention to me." I quickly rap a wall three times, hoping I didn't jinx myself. "Some of them will probably be friendly, though." I knock on wood again. "But . . ."

"But what?" Lilibeth presses.

"Well, you know how I feel about the Selection," I say.

"It works every year," she says.

"How do you know? That's what everyone says, but we weren't for any of the previous Selections. Surely, not every prince got a perfect happily ever after."

"Or maybe they all did," Lilibeth says. "Like you said, we weren't there. We don't know. Maybe the Selection is fate."

"I don't think fate is that organized," I counter. "The universe is full of chaos, why shouldn't love be the same way?"

"There's a lot of order in the Universe, too," Lilibeth says. "The planets, the laws of nature, human anatomy . . ."

"Order comes from chaos," I say simply.

Please submit a character if you haven't already! Keep reading, keep reviewing, and have a fabulous day!