Ya girl done goofed. This is what I should've posted for chapter 7, but for some reason I skipped over it and posted "The Sendoffs" instead. "The Sendoffs" is now chapter 8, as it should have been in the first place. I'm sorry for the confusion.

Albany

Exactly three days after the announcement of the Selected, a very crisp, official-looking lady knocks on the door of my house. I hop up from the dinner table and answer. "May I help you?"

"Hello," she says. "I am Ms. Penelope Wright, your official Palace coordinator. I'm here tonight to go over the rules and official paperwork with you. May I come in?"

"Oh," I say, "of course." I step aside to allow her inside.

"Palace?" Zoe questions, coming up behind me.

"This is the house of Albany Barnes, is it not?"

"It is, but what-" Keller starts.

"Yes, it is," I cut him off.

"Right then," Ms. Wright says. "Miss Barnes, I have some important paperwork for you that needs to be filled out prior to your participation in the Selection."

"Selection!?" Zoe practically screams. I think I see a brief flash of jealousy across her face, but it is quickly replaced with excitement. "Oh my God! You're going to be in the Selection!"

The moments of hurt on the faces of the rest of my family are not as short-lived. Eric gives me a look that can only really be called that look, and says, "You really want to be a princess?"

"Well-" I start, but I'm cut off by another question.

"How come you never told us?" Luke, my youngest brother, questions.

"I-" I start to answer, but I am cut off once again, this time by Ms. Wright, who has grown impatient with my family. "If you don't mind, " she says in a tone that communicates that I'd better not mind it, "we have some paperwork to get through."

I try my best to pay attention as she goes over the rules and tells me what I need to wear, what vitamins I need to take, etc, but I'm distracted by my guilt. I guess I shouldn't really feel guilty. I did this for them, after all. But I still feel horrible for keeping it a secret from them. And I can't quiet the voice in my head that tells me that it was never really about them, that all I am is selfish.

Luna

The fancy-looking Palace lady standing in front of me looks a little confused. "You are Luna Silverwood, correct?"

"Correct," I say simply.

"Do you have a place where we can sit and discuss some things?"

"This is all I got," I say, shrugging at the small booth I'm standing behind. "Sorry."

"Fine then," she says. "Ms. Silverwood, I have some important paperwork to go over with you." She continues, going over all the rules about what I can and can't do in the Palace, what will be done with my compensation money, what vitamins I need to take. There's one rule that sticks out to me, though. Perhaps because of the way the woman leans forward and lowers her voice as she says it, or perhaps because of the utterly vile nature of what she says. "Ms. Silverwood, while you are not to directly pursue the prince, it is strongly recommended that you not resist him, regardless of what he wants. Kissing, sex, anything in-between. You understand?"

I manage to keep myself together in front of Ms. Wright, but internally, I'm seething. I don't care whether he's a prince or not, he should be expected to uphold common decency as much as the rest of us. Besides, he's already taken my family. I'm not letting him anywhere near my dignity.