When I got home my mom rushed over and hugged me. She didn't even let me take my shoes off, and I hate wearing shoes. She let me go and started jumping up and down. I stared at her.
"Hads! The announcement came! You have a week to submit your entry. I am so excited for you!" She screeched. At least she stopped jumping.
"Wow! It came? That's so great." I grab the letter and march off to my room. I slam the door and look down at the elaborate envelope. I take a deep breath before I rip open one side without any care and pull out the thick papers that were addressed to me. I see the form I'm supposed to fill out and put it to the side while I read the letter.
To the House of Pennington,
The recent census has confirmed that a single woman between the ages of sixteen and twenty currently resides in your home. We would like to make you aware of an upcoming opportunity to honor the great nation of Illea. Our Prince Liam Schreave is coming of age this month. As he ventures into this new part of his life, he hopes to move forward with a partner, to marry a true Daughter of Illea. If your eligible daughter, sister or charge is interested in possibly becoming the bride of Prince Liam and the adored princess of Illea, please fill out the enclosed form and return it to your local Province Services Office.
I scan over the questions on the form, and am surprised to see so many questions. Why was I so mad? I was so excited yesterday, but now I'm not sure if I even want to enter.
"I guess that this is a one-time opportunity. I'll fill it out and turn it in tomorrow after class." I muttered to myself, looking around to see if anyone was secretly watching me from the window or door.
I walked over to my desk and started filling out the many questions on the form. I am 5'6", weigh 150 lbs, and have black hair, brown eyes, and light brown skin? Some of the questions were easier than others. Languages I speak? I smiled at this one because Aunt Natalie and Uncle Todd own a jewelry store and have to learn many different languages so they don't lose any customers. They have taught me and Kara since we were little. Growing up knowing more than 6 languages can be confusing, but now I'm thinking that is was worth it. I write down English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Italian, and Portuguese. I wrote that I finished my basic education, and that I was learning beyond what a Six would say is 12th grade. There was a special skills section, which I put down singing, piano, guitar, and all the types of dance I knew. I hesitated because I also learned a lot from Natalie and Todd on the business side of things. I don't want them to know that I'm learning about a different caste before I'm in it so I don't put it down. I look over it carefully making sure that everything is spelled correctly and that I didn't leave anything out.
Still scanning the answers I walk to my parent's room to show my mom the finished letter when I bump into Levi. He is holding a girls hand and trying to sneak into his shared room. The girl looks younger than Levi and I, her youth is apparent in her long, straight, blonde hair that almost reaches her feet. Even in the dark I can see that her eyes are a light blue. Standing next to Levi I remember that we are like twins. He has black, curly hair too, but he got dad's green eyes which I'm extremely jealous of. He is tall, especially compared to the girl, which is to be expected because both he and Quinton are 6'2. I remember that it is almost midnight and he should be asleep, and definitely not sneaking around with a girl.
"What is going on Levi?" I ask him as quiet as possible.
"I know this looks bad, but Abby and I are just hanging out upstairs. We can't be together during the day because her father hates me. He says that I'm too old for her even though I'm only 2 years older than her. Please Hadley, don't tell mom and dad. They will tell her parents and we will never be able to see each other again. Please." He begs. It is hard to say no to him, especially because he can sell anything he wants with his acting background.
"Ok, I won't tell mom and dad, but you better get yourself together. You two shouldn't be sneaking around at midnight. Make up an extracurricular class that you have to go to after classes and hang out then. Does Quinton know about this? Never mind. I don't care." I shake away thoughts of Quinton trying to sleep while Levi and Abby make out.
"Hurry up, I'm going to show mom my entry form, so unless you want to get caught, go!" I say waving them up the stairs. They hurry up them while trying to be as quiet as possible. I think about it and decide that I should wait until the morning to show mom. I don't want to wake her up because she'd hear Abby leaving. I turn around to go to my room.
"It makes sense to go to sleep now because I have a presentation in class tomorrow." I whisper as I get in bed, turn off my lamp and go to sleep.