Chapter 4

Lily nearly killed me on her way out of the plane. I myself was feeling a little sick after the decent and took my time standing up, but Lily booked it straight down the aisle and out the door. I heard cheers and clapping coming from the door, and my hands nervously picked at the hem of my shirt. Caeli was out the door right after Lily, and I knew I couldn't be the last one off the plane. Ataline rose from the seat behind me, but I jumped up in front of her and half-jogged half-walked to the door. Now or never. I squeezed my eyes shut, said goodbye to the old Kahlen Faye, and stepped out into the hot Angeles sun a Three.

The crowd erupted. I was blinded momentarily by cameras and sunlight, but I threw my shoulders back and marched onward. The doors were about one hundred feet away, and I had to fight the urge to run to them. My hands began to sweat and I felt sick to my stomach. My smile dropped from my face.

"Lady Kahlen!" shouted a girl. I whirled around, searching for the voice that sounded eerily like my sister's. It didn't belong to my Sophie to my disappointment, but instead to a girl about her age. She was dressed in work boots, ratty jeans, and a dirty T-shirt, but her smile was dazzling. "Can I have your autograph?" She held out a piece of paper and a pen, hope in her eyes.

"Of course," I agreed, and signed my name on the paper. The crowd roared around me, but if I focused on this little girl, I could block it out and stay calm.

"I'm a Seven too," she shouted over the noise, taking the paper back. "My mom said you better win. If not for you, then for us." Her older brother smiled apologetically and pulled her back from the chain that separated us.

I waved and made my way onwards, by head so full of thoughts that I almost couldn't hear the noise. That was the second time I'd heard that I should win for my people. All I really thought about was winning for my family, but there were thousands of families just like mine, and even more that had it worse. If you thought about it logistically, there are more Eights than Sevens, more Sevens than Sixes and so on. I am much more likely to win over the people than someone like Lily or even Caeli. However, winning the people over is not winning the crown.

I continued down the red pathway, waving, smiling, and signing my name. I tried to channel my inner princess, even though I was pretty sure I didn't have one. I reached the doors after what felt like forever, and was relieved to finally be out of the way of the cameras.

The palace was absolutely beautiful, and although of course I knew it would be, it still blew me away. I entered the foyer, which had a ceiling that must have been fifty feet off the ground. The walls were etched with sculpted swirling designs and a larger-than-life photo of the royal family hung on the far wall, to the left of a staircase. The girls filed in around me, all different and all beautiful. It was terrifying standing in that big, cold room knowing that we were all fighting for the same thing. Or maybe two things. There were the girls that wanted the romantic prince, and then the girls that wanted the crown and all the wealth. Me? I wanted what was best best for my family, which is so much money that we never go hungry again.

We moved like cattle into another large room with dressers and light up mirrors with stacks of makeup. I felt a sigh move through most of the girls as they took in the bright lights and the many tubes of lipstick. A sharp looking woman approached us, her body as straight as a toothpick and just as thin.

"I am Angela. I will be your teacher and guide through your time at the palace. I manage most things around here, so you all better listen when I talk to you."

There were a couple snickers in the group, and a couple Twos rolled their eyes.

Angela was pissed. "You may not think much of me, but I'll have you know that I report directly to the prince. If I see one of you breaking any of the rules of the Selection I will tell him immediately, and it will certainly not help you in this competition to cross me. Now, pay attention."

At the mention of the Prince, the laughter stopped and the girls focused on Angela like a pack of hyenas on wounded zebra.

"Tonight is the Report, as you all know, so our job is to get you ready. Each of you will get a makeover and a short interview to get the basics about you. Each of one you will have five minutes to talk with the interviewer, but we cannot air five minutes of interview for all 35 of you. If you want a lot of time on air, or any at all, which I suggest if you want Illéa to fall in love with you, you better make those five minutes count." With that nice note, she clapped her hands and a team of stylists filed out from behind a door.

We all rushed to the chairs and sat, excitement and tension immediately filling the room. We all know that the Selection isn't completely the prince's choice. Girls with political backing and public support always seem to last longer in the competition even if they aren't the Prince's favorites. This interview, whether you get five seconds or five minutes on air, is vitally important.

A stylist rushed up to me, beaming with excitement. "Good afternoon Lady Kahlen. I'm going to start off with a quick wash." She spun me around in my chair and began to clean my hair. The smell of products and perfume filled my nose, and I shut my eyes in enjoyment. She scrubbed my scalp and moisurized my hair, probably giving it the best cleaning it's ever gotten.

"How do you typically style your hair, Miss?" she asked, while another girl began to clip my nails.

"I just brush it and tie it up in a ponytail," I explain, blushing at my lack of expertise.

"Would you like a cut? I can dye it too if you like. You would be a beautiful blond. Or a redhead! Or-"

"No thanks!" I interrupted quickly, before she suggested that I could make a dashing hairless princess. "Just give it a trim and keep the length."

She looked so disappointed that I almost changed my mind, but the image of me with orange hair kept my mouth shut. She let out a sigh and began to trim my hair, smoothing products that smelled like coconuts into it. My other stylist painted my nails simply per my instruction, although she too seemed to want to go bigger and bolder. I began to question myself, wondering if I was going to simple, but a quick glance at Amy Tatum getting purple streaks in her hair kept me on track. I was here to be a princess, not a popstar.

My stylists eventually got the idea that I didn't want to go crazy, and they put makeup on me to enhance my features, not change them. Finally all that was left was the dress, and I was nervous, but excited. The girl who did my hair brought over a rack of dresses that was labeled "Lady Kahlen".

"Green," said my nail stylist, taking my eyes into account.

"I don't know," argued the other girl. "Green isn't really her color. Orange might suit her better?"

"Hush," she said, and pulled a green dress out. It was beautiful emerald green chiffon that hugged by waist fell just above my knees. It had beautiful capped sleeves with small shimmering gems embedded in them, and a square neck that showed my collar bones. She pinned a little gold pin engraved with "Lady Kahlen" over my breast, and instructed me to wear it for the first few weeks at the palace.

"I love it" I breathed, spinning once and watching the fabric dance around me.

They put me in some small beige kitten heels because they didn't want me to fall in bigger ones, and draped a thin silver chain around my neck. I took a quick look in the mirror before my interview, and I was stunned. My black hair fell in waves past my shoulders and my eyes were a startling green. The dress accented my body in a way I'd never seen before, and I felt like a girl. Not a Seven girl that is invisible to the world in dusty boots and grungy clothes, but a Seven girl that is going to become the princess of Illéa.

"Thank you," I shook the hand of each girl in gratitude before heading to my interview.

As I stood in line, I absentmindedly ran my fingers through my hair. Some of the girls talked, and others stayed silent. Suddenly, like the idiot I am, my bracelet caught in my hair as I played with it. I swore under my breath and attempted to detangle it, only managing to make it worse.

"Here. Let me help," came a voice. A brunette behind me was the speaker, and she deftly got the bracelet free.

"Thank you," I said, and I meant it of course, but why would this girl help me?

"I'm Karrie," she said, smiling kindly.

"Kahlen," I held out a hand, and she shook it.

"Are you nervous too?" she asked, clearly feeling the pressure herself.

"Of course. Who in their right mind isn't?" I was so scared to get in front of the cameras that I considered dropping out of the whole thing, but she didn't need to know that I was that far gone.

"Olivia isn't. She said that she does this all the time because she's in movies." Karrie gestured over to the girl, who appeared to be bored. Her auburn hair was curled to perfection, and she had her lips painted dark red.

"Everyone's going to see how fake she is in no time. This isn't an acting job, she has to be herself, which she probably doesn't have much practice doing." Two more people to go before my turn.

Karrie shrugged, seemingly unconvinced. "Maybe."

I turned back to the front, tapping my foot in a very unladylike manner. The girl in front of me went behind the curtain, and all that was left were me, Karrie, and about twenty others.

"Lady Kahlen." My turn. I froze for a second, then shook myself and marched in. I sat in a small chair and daintily crossed my legs and folded my hands on my lap. A woman rolled a camera close to me and sat next to me, a smile already on her face. I quickly copied her expression and smiled contentedly like Yes, I do this everyday as a Seven.

"Roll cameras. Hi Lady Kahlen, I'm Michelle Miles. I have a couple questions for you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Michelle."

Michelle then proceeded to ask me various questions about my hair, nails, and overall look, which I answered fairly easily. Then she came to the big question.

"Why do you think Prince Gabriel should chose you as his princess?"

Uhh. I was drawing a blank. Michelle kept on smiling at me, and I couldn't form a coherent thought. Why should he chose me? "Well if you look at from a political perspective, I am very useful to the crown because I'm a Seven and marrying someone like me allows for Illéa to have exposure to our living conditions. However, the prince should not marry just because it is politically beneficial. He should find a girl that he can love and who can stand beside him as an equal for their entire lives. I believe that I can fulfill this role, but so do 34 other girls." And it terrified me to death. I smiled lightly at Michelle, who appeared to be pleased enough.

"Thank you, Lady Kahlen. Best of luck!"

I thanked her and left, glad that it was over. Was it good enough? Would I leave tomorrow when we met the prince? Was this already my last day here?

Hi! Thanks so much for reading! As you can see, I added in one of the characters that someone created in a review. Feel free to keep adding them, and the more details the better because it helps me decide how Kahlen will react to them.

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Also, let me know if you have any questions/concerns! Thanks and see ya soon :)