Chapter Five
"Hello Illéa!" Laurel greets the audience giving a charming smile. I don't know how she looks so at ease, all of my sisters do. I wish I felt at ease like them. Tonight we are announcing the Selected live on the Report. My sisters are the one announcing them, and for the first time in a while my parents aren't on the Report. It's all about me and my Selection tonight. " I am Princess Laurel and these are my sisters Princess Paris and Princess Venus. We will be your hosts to tonight." They all smile into the camera, they are doing as well as Flynn!
"In front of us, we hold the names of the lucky thirty five girls" Paris says "but first we want to know how Prince Chase is feeling tonight? I know I do, I've been asking him all week!" A couple people in the room chuckle, I don't doubt that Paris has all of Illéa under her charm right now. Especially the young men, with her dress that came in from the city of Paris, they made it especially for her. It's a blush pink dress that sparkles all the way down and has something that looks like a cape attached on the shoulders but makes the dress look elegant.
The cameras pan to me and I put on a smooth smile, I'm well practiced in the art of looking calm even when I am not. Something that right now I am incredibly grateful for. "I am really excited to see the young ladies and get to know them. I think this will be an amazing experience." Something one of my public speaking teachers taught me is to never give them too much, always leave them wondering.
"Thank you Prince Chase" Vee says "now I know I'm dying to see which one of these girls is going to be my sister in law, but first we have to meet them!" I smile at Vee, she doesn't look like sixteen, she looks at least eighteen with her long sleeved silver dress that when the light reflects it shows a pattern. She looks regal tonight, a true princess.
"From our hometown Angeles, Miss Cydney Naomi Clark, 19 year old, Five." They are going in no particular order when announcing them so it's cool that our hometown happened to be first. A girl with dirty blonde hair appeared on a screen in front of me. I wonder how this looks being broadcasted? How did they get it to pop up a picture so quickly? Before I even have time to see Miss Cydney she is gone and the cards are being passed to Paris. Who raises her chin and reads the next name clearly.
"Miss Maia Maryse Campos of Waverly, 18 year old, Two." A beautiful brunette appears and I stare for a moment too long. Maybe it's the mystery in her hazel eyes but I'm starting to feel better, like maybe this won't be so hard. I put on the smile that Collette instructed me to have on the whole time. I hope it doesn't look nervous to the outside. Miss Maia looks like one of Paris's model friends, I will have to look at her forum to see if that is true.
"From Sonage" Vee announces proudly "Miss Roselyn Louise Wellington, 20 year old. Three." I know her. I can't remember where but she looks so familiar. Maybe she's the daughter of a noble, but she's a three. Normally three's aren't nobles. I look to Laurel who I can tell is having the same internal conflict as I am. I definitely know her, but I cannot place where I know her from.
I don't catch the next couple of girls because I'm still thinking of where I know Miss Roselyn from. But when Laurel clears her throat it clears my mind and it reminds me to focus on the other girls. "Next, Miss Blanche Milkhalov from St. George, 17 years old, a four." A picture of a girl with short brown hair and a cute grin comes on the screen. I know I can't judge a person from their picture but she looks very . . . Naive. She kind of reminds me of how Vee looked in pictures when she was younger, just so full of life and innocent.
Paris picks up a card "Miss Louise June Bristol of Kent. 21 years old, a Five." A redhead comes onto the screen with a bright smile but with eyes that tell a story. I don't know what it is about her but I want to know more. She has something different about her, maybe it's the red hair. There hasn't been any red hair girls so far, but I don't think that's it.
A couple more girls go by but none that leave a lasting impression. They are either two's with lots of makeup or some who look like they don't want to even be there. Which kind of annoys me, why sign up if you don't want to be here?
Vee smiles to the camera before picking up the next card "Miss Adena Raven Crawford from Baffin. 21 years old, a Three." A girl with wavy brown hair comes onto the screen with a lively smile. I don't need to fake a smile for the Report right now, the smile is real. I think I'm getting more comfortable with this, I was nervous for no reason. It's girls for God's sake, and I am well experienced with girls.
"Miss India Lucille May, of Zuni. 19 years old and a Five." A picture of a girl who looked more like a doll that Paris used to collect. Her curly hair was in a ponytail and she had as good posture as Laurel. And Laurels posture is one of the best in Illéa's. She was a five so maybe she was a dancer. She looked like a ballerina that i've seen at the performance center but she's not from Angeles, I'll have to check her form later to see if I'm correct.
Paris pauses before reading her card "Miss Penthesilea Narcissa Onasis, Likely, 18 years old, Caste Four." Her name was certainly a mouthful but from her picture she was beautiful. Her smile brighten the room and made me relax and little more. I was excited to meet her.
"Next we have, Miss Montgomery Fa Zhang, from Fennely, 20 years old and a Four." A girl with two piercings on her right ear and three on her right. Some people backstage actually gasp at her picture, probably because of her piercings. She looks like she has New Asian roots and unlike the other girls she isn't smiling, instead she's more smirking. Almost like she's challenging me.
Laurel fixes her already perfect posture before reading "Miss Gwen Nora York, Allens, 19 year old and a Five." Her one hazel eye and one brown eye stood out against her caramel skin with a smile that showed two rows of perfectly straight white teeth.
The girl from Bonita, I think her name was Alexandria or Alessandra. Most of the twos who were selected did a seductive smile or sexy pout. But she was actually licking her lips in her picture. Licking. Her. Lips. It took everything in Paris not to roll her eyes.
"From Atlin, Miss Jenevive Bowman, 19 years old, a five." We seem to have a lot of fives this year. Not that there's anything wrong with it but it's just something I've noticed. Lady Jenevive's has cute smile, she isn't showing her teeth but it brings out the pink in her cheeks making her look youthful and radiant.
"From Belcourt" Vee paused, and I took a deep breath. For the sake of the girls safety I hoped it was a girl from a lower caste. That might appease the radicals "Miss Harper Lexington. 20 years old, a Two." I pushed the smile on my face harder. A two. Not to mind that she's a Lexington. Rumors about the Lexington Foundation for injured ex athletes about corruption and nepotism. I don't judge Miss Harper off her parents, because that's unfair but I am worried for her safety for her send off party. Especially because she's a two and her family name.
I almost miss the next girl Miss Delaney Eden O'Callaghan. Who has long red hair that is the wildest hair I've ever seen. Red ringlets that can't seem to be controlled, I find it cute. She reminds me of an old cartoon character.
"Miss Sophia Carmela Rosa, of Clermont. 20 year old, a four" a girl with lots of makeup, which is weird because she's a four, and has her face in a sexy pout. And something seductive in her eyes. Mostly Twos do a seductive look, rarely threes. But it was totally weird to see a Four doing it. It made me wonder what she was like in person.
"Miss Kinsley Mirai Sullivan, from Yukon, 19 years old, a Two." A tall girl with high cheekbones stares at me with a grin playing on her face. Something about the way she holds herself makes me think that she isn't like the typical Two girl.
"From Whites, Miss Caroline Doreward, 18 years old, a Three." A cute blonde headed girl comes on the screen. Like Miss Jenevive, she doesn't smile with her teeth. But she has her head tilted to the side and the light reflects her blue eyes just right.
"Miss July Everston, Bankston, 16 years old, a Six" she was the first six of this competition. She had red hair like Miss Louise and Delaney, but hers wasn't as wild as Delaney's and not as calm as Louises. Her energy practically radiated through the screen.
A couple more went by that didn't really make a lasting impression. "Miss Lorelie Marie Summers, Lakedon, 19 years old, a Three." Her grey eyes pierce into my own, a smirk playing softly on her lips. I can't get her out of my head and miss the next couple girls.
"Our last Selected" Paris pauses dramatically "Miss Priscilla Balfour, Panoma, 21 years old, Caste Four." The picture of her cuts off almost immediately, I didn't even get a good look at her. I figured it was just a malfunction in the system. But I can see the producers looking as confused as I feel. The screen turns on and off and is making those fuzzy sounds.
I look to my sisters, I can tell Laurel is trying to remain calm but I can see the fear in her eyes. Paris and Vee look alarmed.
The screen flips not onto Miss Priscilla or any of the Selected girls for that matter but to a group of three men and one girl. They look like warriors, They have their faces painted with red in a warrior look and have matching red outfits. They stand there still as the screen flips from them to a blank screen. This isn't apart of the report.
I feel my heart rate increase and my hands start shaking. "Rebels" Vee whispers just loud enough for me to hear.
"We are what you call the radicals" the man in the middle speaks up. I see producers taking pictures of the screen to track down these peoples identity. "Don't bother tracking us, we will die tonight after we are done." He seems to have read our minds.
"We come as a warning" the girl says "call off the Selection and no royal blood will be spilled."
"We have a reason for our actions" another starts talking. What's the reason? I ask in my head but the man doesn't elaborate. "And it would do Illea well to comply to our demands. What we-"
And everything goes black.
Hello everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't posted in awhile, my laptop broke :( but it is all fixed now! Since it's the holidays my schedule will be busy along with school and extracurricular activities. But I promise I will update, I can't promise every week but definitely soon.
I'm sorry of the poor quality of this chapter. I know it was really repetitive but we will be getting to know the girls soon so it won't be as repetitive. If I got anything about your girl wrong please tell me, constructive criticism is welcomed but please don't be mean about it.
I think that's all for now! XOXO