Ok so i'm skipping the quote because i have to give y'all ages for everyone.

Schreaves: Maxon: 40 / America: 38 / Twins: 18 / Winnifred: 16 / Khalil: 15 / Annie: 10

Rest of the Singers - Kenna: 44 / James: 44 / Astra: 19 / Kota: 41 / May: 35 / Beckner: 36 / Gerad: 28 / Kota's daughter: 16

Legers - Aspen: 40 / Lucy: 41 / Abigail: 17 / Attica: 12 / Adaline: 10

Woodworks - Carter: 42 / Marlee: 39 / Kile: 18 / Daylin: 16

Whitakers: Georgia: 39 / Shel: 20

These are the ones I felt were important to know!

America

I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door urgently. I rolled over to my stomach and pulled a pillow over my head to cover the sound as Maxon looked at the clock and groaned. "We still have another hour," he said into his own pillow.

The door cracked open and the voice of a young butler filtered in. "Your Majesties, Princess Amber would like to speak with you…"

He was cut off by the sound of the door flying open and someone stomping into the room rudely. "For the last time, they're my parents; I do not need to request an audience with them!" Amber exclaimed. I kept the pillow over my head even after the door closed and I knew my daughter was standing at the foot of our bed. "I know you both are awake."

"Amber, we don't have to leave for another four hours," Maxon said, sitting up and nudging me to make me do the same.

"But Daddy, it's college. The most important four years of my life. I want to have plenty of time to get settled in," she whined, collapsing backward on or bed.

I finally removed the pillow from my face and sat up. "And you'll also be getting significantly less sleep so you should go back to bed now."

She huffed. "I'm too excited. I mean, it's college. I'm the first Schreave ever to go. And come on, college guys? There's something about a Bachelor's degree that is just so, so…alluring," Amber said wistfully.

"Excuse me?" Maxon raised his eyebrows.

She sat up quickly. "Daddy, I'm eighteen-years-old. I'm not going to be single much longer."

"You're not dating anyone from your school until I meet them. And you know that they have to go through about twenty people before they get to me."

"Max, maybe we can discuss this later," I said quietly, putting a hand on his arm. He nodded and relented. "Since we have the extra time, why don't you go and get your siblings and we'll have a nice breakfast together down in the gardens?"

Amber sighed but left anyway. As soon as she was gone I looked over at Maxon. "What?" he asked defensively.

"College was your idea, remember?"

"Yes, I do unfortunately. It was my worst idea to date," he grumbled, getting out of bed and stretching out his back.

I laughed and followed him to the bathroom. "Worst than that time you decided to get Fitz a lady friend and we ended up with a four more Maltese?" I teased, pulling out my toothbrush.

"That was pretty bad," he admitted. "I only suggested it for, you know, the educational aspect. Not so she could go and meet boys." There was a slight measure of disgust in his voice.

I set my toothbrush down and wrapped my arms around his waist, looking at him through the mirror. "They weren't going to stay young forever, you know. I mean, at least Shalom moved out already so we don't have to lose them both at once. And it'll be easier for Win since she will surely be moving out to Kent with him for the ballet company."

He nodded. "That's true. We didn't do such a bad job with them after all, huh?"

I smiled as he leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Nope. Not a bad job at all."

Amber

My feet swung back and forth over the edge of the palace and I watched the tiny bits of flower petal float down toward the ground. I could hear the door to the roof swing open behind me and I looked over to see my little brother sit next to me. "If Shalom were here, he'd offered to smoke pot with you," Khalil said.

I laughed and nodded. "Probably. Shame you're only fifteen."

"What if I told you I had some weed on me right now?"

"I'd yell at you and take it with me to school," I told him honestly, nudging him lightly. "I can't believe I'm actually leaving," I whispered, looking out over the wall and seeing just the tops of some of the buildings in Angeles.

"It'll be weird without you two," he said. "I guess its up to Win and I to hold down the fort now, huh?"

I nodded again. "Yes, and preferably without pot." I held my hand out in front of expectantly and he sighed, setting the back of drugs in my waiting palm. "I knew you weren't looking for a book in Shalom's room the other day."

"Well, technically…"

I shook my head. "Dad will flip if he ever goes in there and finds it."

"Why do you think Shay and I have been giving Dad all those fancy copies of those books for Christmas and his birthday?" he asked conspiratorially. "Anyway, as long as Win doesn't catch on."

"Win definitely knows. She just knows that all of us would get pinned if she told Mom and Dad." I put the plastic bag in the inside pocket of my jacket. "Please don't do anything to get in trouble while I'm gone. You need to take care of Annie and the last thing I want is for her to tell me that you and Dad got in another fight."

He rolled his eyes. "Annie is such a tattle-tale."

"She's ten," I reminded him. "Anyway, I should probably head downstairs. Don't forget that you can text me at anytime, okay? Really, if you need me just talk to me."

"Got it, AC. Now go get out of here before Dad has a heart attack from pre-trip anxiety." I snuck a kiss on his cheek and swung my legs back over the edge of the building and went downstairs slowly, taking in the hallways. I grew up running up and down these long corridors with Shay. Now I was finally leaving this prison. I was finally getting the chance to be independent. I was Amber Celeste Schreave and I could be queen of Illéa someday. There was nothing I couldn't do.

America

Over the years, Maxon and I had numerous trips where we had to leave the kids behind. It never got easier, not even when they all got to the age where they didn't need a babysitter anymore. But that difficulty could have never compared to the pain of leaving Shalom in his first apartment.

Amber was already committed to a prestigious college in Whites when Shalom was offered the contract for the Angeles Royal Ballet Company. Amber came with us along with Khalil, both kids refusing to not be there to help their brother move into his apartment. It was by no means a small place like many of his friends in the ballet were living in but it gave both Maxon and I some peace of mind to know that he'd be living comfortably while keeping such a rigorous work schedule.

When we moved Amber into college, it was just Maxon and I helping her. Khalil and Win were starting school the next week so they were soaking up their last few days of freedom without their older sister which I knew probably consisted of smoking on the roof of the palace. They all thought that we had no idea but there were far worse things they could do than smoke.

"I think you'll be comfortable here," Maxon said as he looked around the kitchen of her apartment.

She rolled her eyes and lifted a few more plates from a box to put in the cabinets. "Yes, I think so. I'll be the only freshman living alone in an apartment large enough to house a family of six. But hey, all the more room to throw some ragers," she joked.

Maxon shot her a warning glance and she smiled timidly but didn't retract her statement. "We told you that we want you to have the real college experience but you still need to keep up with your studies," I told her, folding a blanket to drape over the back of her couch.

"I know, Mom," she sighed.

"And that means all A's. You were tutored by some of the best professors this country has to offer; there's no reason for you to be unprepared," Maxon said. "I'm going to check that all of your windows lock properly in your bedroom."

Amber sighed again and looked at me for help when he left the room. "He's just worried," I whispered to her, pushing her long red hair over her shoulder. "You're his little girl."

She nodded and lifted the rest of her china into the cabinets before shutting all of the doors. "And I appreciate it. I do. I am actually going to miss you guys. It'll be weird living here without anyone."

"Well your brother will have some time off next month after his show run. Speaking of which, we have a box for opening night and you can invite some new friends if you want," I offered.

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows, making a face that was exactly like Maxon's whenever he doubted something. "Even if you've never met them before?"

I smiled knowingly at her. "Your father snuck some background checks into your desk. Maybe filling them all out yourself and sending them to Aspen wouldn't be such a bad idea."

She laughed loudly as Maxon came back in to the kitchen and dining area. "Your bathroom door doesn't lock. I can call your super and have her fix it for you."

"Thanks, Dad, but I think I've got it."

I looked around, taking in the décor of my baby girl's first apartment. The walls were all white but she had some colorful abstract paintings from May to add pops of color. May had been indispensable as a decorator for this place, setting up the neutrals and yellow color scheme.

"We should probably head out to give you some time to yourself to get settled," I said to Amber as Maxon practically tipped the refrigerator over to make sure that it was plugged in and running correctly. "Or before your father breaks something," I added in a whisper.

She nodded gratefully and wiped her hands on the back of her shorts. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Last chance to ask for a maid to come here," I told her.

"No. I'm looking forward to being normal for a little while. Even if it is in a thousand-square-foot apartment," she joked.

Some guards came in to carry all of the empty boxes down to our cars and then it was just the three of us. I could probably count the number of times it had been just the three of us since the seven-minute window where she rested on my chest as I delivered her twin brother. To fill the awkward silence, Maxon pulled out his wallet and passed her several bills.

"Dad," she sighed.

"Take it," he insisted, holding the money out.

She blushed and set it on the counter and then hugged him tight. I could just barely see her eyes over his shoulder thanks to her above average height and it was obvious that she was trying hard to not cry. He kissed her on the head one last time and then pulled away.

Then it was my turn. I wrapped her in my arms and she lost all composure, sobbing into my shoulder. "You can call us at any time. And you can always talk to Shay or your other siblings. But I'm sure you'll be amazing. You always have been," I whispered in her ear. She just cried harder.

This was it. This was the moment she was going to be free. Finally I pulled away from her and looked into her deep brown eyes, looking so scared but still so excited at the same time. "Thanks Mom. For everything."

I kissed her cheek and quickly whispered, "Please don't drink too much."

She looked terrified for a few seconds and then nodded timidly. "Of course not."

Maxon reached over and he gave her a high-five, a gesture that had become their special thing over the years. As he turned away, I held out my hand and motioned to her jacket. "Hand it over. You're starting your college career clean."

Amber nodded and looked unsurprised as she reached into her jacket and retrieved the bag of drugs. "It's not mine," she quickly said.

"I know." I winked at her and hugged her from the side quickly. "I love you little girl."

"Love you too Mom." She followed us both as we walked out in the hallway. I kept moving until we were finally in our car where I basically collapsed into Maxon's arms and sobbed.

We didn't say anything until we were already on our plane, in our private bedroom cabin and soaring into the air.

"She'll be fine," he whispered, sliding one of my shoes off, taking the time kiss the tiny freckle on the top of my foot. "She's our daughter; how could she be anything but extraordinary?" I nodded and wiped some tears away, letting him kiss my hair and stroke my back, knowing that this was his way of coping.

I grabbed his hand to stop him as he twisted my hair into a messy braid. "I just worry about her. She always has been a little…wild. Borderline rebellious."

"She is a Singer," he reminded me. "Her grandfather would be proud."

I smiled wryly at him. Even after twenty years, I missed my dad as much as I did the year after he passed. Maxon and I still tried our best to preserve the memory of him though, as well as his parents. Sometimes it still seemed just like yesterday when we had lost them. It was difficult when the kids asked why they didn't have the abundance of grandparents that their friends had.

"This was the right thing to do though, right? Sending her off for an education?" Maxon asked, repeating a question he'd been asking me since the day she started applying to colleges.

"We agreed a long time ago that we wanted our kids to have as normal a childhood as possible. They may not be kids anymore but I still want them to have normal experiences, even the ones we missed out on." I threaded my fingers through his and used my other hand to brush it through the gray hair that had been growing at his temples. The years had been kind to him, his figure only softening at his hips and wrinkles appearing around his eyes from laughing.

He sighed. "It'll be strange without the twins."

"And then there were five," I said sadly.

He nodded and smiled crookedly. "And then there were five."

Amber

I walked down the long sidewalk to my next class. It was the third day of classes and I was starting to think that I was getting the hang of things. The first weekend was difficult, just trying to make friends. The good thing though about being royalty was that everyone wanted to be my friend so I really got to choose who I wanted. It was like I had my own Selection but instead of looking for a husband I was looking for a friend.

The weather in Whites was something I had to get used to since it was so different from Angeles. It was mid-October but there was already ice coating some of the sidewalks, the chill causing me to wear a coat and gloves every time I went outside.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket and I pulled it out, smiling when I read the contact's name. "Hey Shay," I greeted, ecstatic to be talking to my baby brother. Even though he was only seven minutes younger than me, I still joked that he was a baby to me.

"Hey AC. How's class going?" he asked. I could just hear some music in the background, a piano playing. He must have been standing outside a studio in rehearsal.

"Fine," I answered. "It's just syllabus week. Nothing too exciting is happening so far."

He laughed. "Any good parties?"

I shrugged, appreciating that I was able to tell my brother anything. "They're not that amazing either actually. Not that I was expecting a college fraternity to top Princess Andrea's sixteenth birthday this past summer. How about you?"

"We had one last big company party this weekend. These next few weeks are going to be pretty intense with rehearsals and it's best to just stay sober. Dancing with a hangover is a whole lot worse than it sounds," he informed me.

He was keeping the conversation light but I couldn't help noticing how he seemed a little preoccupied. Granted, he was at work but this seemed to go deeper. I always did have an uncanny ability of knowing when something was bothering my twin. "Shay, tell me what's wrong," I told him.

"Nothing's wrong."

I rolled my eyes. "Bullshit."

He sighed and was quiet for a few minutes while I knew he was working himself up to telling me what was going on. "Shel's boyfriend broke up with her," he finally confessed.

"What?" I exclaimed, drawing the attention of a couple students walking past me. I lowered my voice and continued, "Isn't that a good thing? Why aren't you happy?"

"She's pretty torn up over it. And…she texted me. She asked if she could come to one of my performances," he said slowly, apprehensively.

I nodded. "Oh. Well I'm sure Mom and Dad wouldn't mind if she tagged along with us when we come to your opening night."

"It's not even that. I just can't help but wonder if maybe…I'm the reason they split up."

I was quiet for a little while. Shay had always had a rocky relationship with Shel, ever since on his twelfth birthday she felt it necessary to bestow upon him his first kiss. Before that they were inseparable. After that they could barely look each other in the eye without there being some palpable sexual tension. "Shay, I think you're more the reason for her having a boyfriend in the first place. If I were her, I would much rather make out with a guy I didn't really like than think all day about the beautiful women the guy I really like spends all of his time with," I reasoned.

I could practically hear him shrug over the phone. "Yeah, I can see where she'd have a problem with me spending my days with my hand up a girl's ass," he said quietly but I could tell he was smiling. Someone yelled at him in the background, something vulgar from the sound of it. "I'll be right there, Justin. Let me finish talking to my sister first."

"No, I should go. I don't want to keep you from class."

"No, please distract me. Anything to keep me from thinking about this bum hip I'm having issues with again."

It hurt to hear that his hip was bothering him again. It was an injury that had been plaguing him since he was sixteen and pulled a muscle in that area while dancing. "Maybe after this show run you can have Dr. Ashlar check you out," I suggested.

"Hmm, I think I'll pass. Acupuncture is not nearly as gratifying as people make it out to be," he groused. "I probably should be going though. My next class starts in ten minutes and I need to stretch again."

"Okay. Dance pretty, Shay," I said sarcastically.

He laughed. "Please big sister, you know that I'm the prettiest ballerina in this damned company." And then the line cut out. Shalom always had this weird thing about him where he hated saying goodbye. There was a three-year period in time where instead of saying goodbye he would tell everyone 'good morning' instead. Just another prime example of my baby brother's perpetually sunny disposition.

I approached a set of concrete steps outside the chapel on campus and as I reached the third step from the bottom lost my footing and fell down, releasing the salad container that I had been holding in shock. Great, can't wait to see pictures of this in the tabloids, I thought to myself as I stood up and brushed off the back of my jeans. I felt a twinge in my bum where I already knew I'd have a huge bruise.

"Excuse me, are you okay?" someone asked me as I bent down to start picking up the scattered pieces of lettuce from my salad.

I looked up and saw a young man standing in front of me, looking concerned. He was wearing nothing but jeans and a flannel shirt. "Aren't you cold?" I asked without thinking.

He looked down at his outfit as if he was just noticing what he was wearing. "Nah. I've lived here my whole life," he told me with an easy smile. "But you are obviously not used to this weather."

"Angeles is pretty temperate." I huffed and looked at the countless pieces of lettuce in front of me.

"I think that salad is a lost cause," he joked. "Although this whole fiasco does give a whole new meaning to the name iceberg lettuce."

I smiled at his poor attempt for humor. "I guess I'll have to wait until my class is over to eat lunch now," I concluded.

He shrugged. "Worse things could happen. You could go through a whole lecture without coffee."

"I'm not a coffee drinker," I told him quickly, feeling like this was important for him to know. I was immediately overcome by a sense that he needed to know everything about me right then and there. I just wanted to tell him all there was to know but I also wanted to know everything about him.

The guy nodded and looked unsure of how to continue. "Well, you should get to class. Don't worry, I'll clean this all up."

I checked my watch and saw that I was, in fact, running much later for my class than I would have liked. "Oh, thank you so much!" I said. I stood there awkwardly for a few minutes. Everything in me was screaming to ask him for his name or his phone number but I couldn't actually form the words. Instead I just quickly walked past him to my class, deciding that I'd probably see him around campus more.

In class though, he was all I could think about. His incredible hazel eyes, blonde curls that flopped down over his forehead in a way that looked somewhat boyish but still mature at the same time. His tall physique, for once allowing my height to be somewhat normal looking. I smiled just at the casual way he stood there, looking totally comfortable to be talking to a perfect stranger who had completely humiliated herself. I instantly regretted not being more bold and asking him for his number or something but if I was being honest with myself, I had little to no experience with guys and flirting. How would I have known what to say? He seemed to have no problem at all. If he was actually flirting. I was so inexperienced that I couldn't even tell if he was flirting with me.

I left class feeling more defeated about the whole incident than when I had arrived. For once, I wasn't concerned about embarrassing tabloid pictures though. I was worried that I had missed my one chance at true love. The last thing I wanted was to end up like Shel and Shalom; always so close but always missing each other.

When I walked into the hallway after class though I saw the same guy sitting on one of the wooden benches, somehow not looking absolutely hideous under the fluorescent lights like everyone else. He caught my eye and waved to me and that's when I noticed the two containers of salad in his lap.

"Hey," I greeted awkwardly, playing with my key ring.

"Hey," he answered as he stood up, salads in hand. "So I felt awful about what happened earlier and figured that you probably were freaking out even more than me and I just wanted to make things easier on you."

I nodded. "I really hope you didn't just pick up the pieces of my salad and put them back in the container to give to me," I said, taking the container on top.

He laughed out loud, actually throwing his head back. "No. No, these are both fresh. Also, I figured I'd introduce myself since we're going to be seeing a lot of each other this semester."

"We are?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"We are, actually. You're in my psychology lecture and our professor posted the study groups online today and we're in one together. That is, assuming, you're the real Amber Schreave?" I opened my mouth to respond but then frowned, not quite used to hearing someone say my name without my title. "Shit, I meant Princess Amber Schreave. Shit, I just said shit in front of you…I'm just going to shut up now."

I laughed and shook my head. "Believe me, some colorful language sometimes gets tossed around the palace behind closed doors," I told him, not at all worried about telling this stranger such an intimate detail about my family. "And, actually, it's refreshing to not be called Princess for once. Or Your Royal Highness."

"So what should I call you?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. I noticed a scar running along his other brow and framing his eye in a perfect crescent shape.

"Amber is fine. What should I call you, He-Who-Doesn't-Have-A-Name?"

He smiled and locked his hazel eyes with my brown ones. "You can call me by my given name. Derrik."

So you've finally met the teenage Amber, as many of you have been excited for it! I'm still playing with how to do both POVs. I won't normally do four different splits like this chapter. I was really just trying to get everything set up for her story. It will typically be half America, half Amber. I could just do separate chapters for each but I feel like that'd be unfair to you guys because that would mean shorter chapters. Just let me know what y'all think in the comments!

Gummy Bear: look, i updated just two hours after your review!

Weatherbug02: See, i'm a poor college kid and don't own a DVD player so i bought it on iTunes. And Maxon and America both wanted big families. I know it was probably intense these last few chapters, I just sped it along so I could get to Amber's story.

keegs16: you're looking at maybe an ending in May. I really have to finish in May before i go to my internship because i just won't have time to write. i will be publishing other stuff over the summer. I have a bunch of Hunger Games one-shots written now I just need to edit and add to them. So even after this Fic ends, you'll be able to read my stuff this summer.

winterprincess: the part with her dad was completely improvised. i wasn't planning on that happening but i just suddenly wanted to make a sweet moment between her and someone besides Maxon.

Sci-FiGenius: thank you!

Val: the last few chapters of the Selection?...hm, interesting. I'll go read it soon and see if i can do anything. I am contemplating doing his POV for their first kiss so i'll see!

Mac: if you have anything you want in his POV you can tell me and I can see if i can do anything. and i'm trying to make the kids' personalities all different in their own ways but not so different so that one of them is a sociopath or something. they'll be alike in different ways but they'll still have their differences; they are siblings!

prnamber3909: it was stressful to write!

theselection98: thank you so much! i hope you enjoyed this one just as much!

haley: i'm confused...isn't that basically what happened in the last chapter? and they definitely stopped having kids at five.

Guest: THAAANK YOOOUU

thank you for all of the reviews! Until next time my loves!