"Please don't do this," Lil said into my shoulder. "We can get money without taking it."

I held her tighter into a hug and breathed in the scent of her hair. She smelled like sweat. "Listen, if anything happens to me or I get caught, I want you to-"

"Find Dante in the ally behind Betty's Diner. It's a two days travel, but less if I run all the way. I know what to do, but I don't like it."

"I will be fine. Don't worry, okay? Dante is a good friend of mine too."

"You have a lot of friends and I don't like any of them."

I shook my head at her and knitted my brows together with concern. "I know a lot of people and you have not met any of my actual friends. Dante is a good man. He will take care of you. Trust me."

She still seemed skeptical but she agreed to let me go.

I watched her run away behind a building before I turned my focus to the task before me. I was about to rob a bank.

I wanted to be nervous, but I forced myself to calm down. I spotted all ten guards outside of the bank. I could feel the weight of my gun tucked in the back of my pants. I didn't plan on using it on anyone unless they brought me to it. I was no killer, just an actress who liked to scare people with a gun. I took another deep breath and crept around to the back of the building with my hands deep in my jacket pockets.

The roof was my best route in. The guards switched shifts at noon so the guards would be switching at any time. I had three minutes before the next guard would show up; I had three minutes to scale the ten story building. I might've been more confident in myself if I had climbed something other than a tree in my lifetime.

I sat on a bench at a bus stop waiting for my time frame to open. When the guard finally moved from his spot I stood up to cross the street. I looked around me innocently and once the guard disappeared around the corner of the building I gripped the loose brick of the building and pulled myself up. I wedged my feet into any open space. My hands started to ache after the first minute of climbing. The muscles in my arms and legs burned and my lungs filled with the chilling air.

The watch on my wrist told me I had less than a minute. I needed to go faster. I started climbing at double speed, leaving room for mistakes as my boot slipped from the brick. My body weight threw me off balance and I was only holding onto the building with one hand. I bit down on my tongue to keep from yelling out.

Getting my other hand back on the wall and pulling myself back into a climbing rhythm was harder than I'd ever imagined. I was out of time. I needed to get to the top. When my fingers finally closed on the edge of the roofing I though I wouldn't be able to yank myself onto it. It had to have taken me forever to flop onto the roof and out of sight, but as soon as I was in the clear the new guard had stepped around the corner and into position. I was safe, for the moment.

I couldn't allow myself the time I needed to lay down and catch my breath. I had to gather my thoughts quickly and make my way inside. The hatch on the door that led down into the building was locked, or course. But I wasn't worried about this, I quickly took out a wire from my backpack and took my time picking the lock.

With the joyful sound of it unlocking I yanked it off and threw the hatch open. Down the ladder I went into a dark room. I dropped onto the floor with a thud that was louder than I wanted it to be. I was too afraid to move for what felt life forever.

My breathing was shaky when I finally got up the courage to open the door. The hallway I was in was dimly lit, but good enough for me to see where I needed to be. I assumed the money was kept low under ground so that it could be protected more easily. I would have to locate some stairs.

Before I could take another step, sirens started blaring throughout the entire building. I could hear men running down hallways, their footsteps getting closer and closer. I was caught. I was caught and Lil would have to live with Dante forever. I hadn't exactly stolen anything yet, but I am sure that the authorities would jump on a chance for an execution. I was dead-unless I ran?

My feet made the decision to take off down the hall. My hands reached back and took my gun out. I had no intention to use it, it was for show. I had to tell myself this over an over again.

"She is heading down the west wing."

My feet started moving faster on the wooden floors. Guards were shouting things to one another and yelling directions. All I could think about was getting away. How was I supposed to escape this situation?

I let out a scream when more guards started pouring towards me from the side hallway. I immediately kicked in a door closest to me and didn't think before I smashed the window with the butt of my gun.

The guards were running towards me. I looked at them in fear and pushed myself out of the window. I was back to hanging onto the bricks of the building. I shivered at the wind that was picking up speed. I couldn't stay in the wall forever. Where could I go now?

I started to climb down and before my fingers gave out I kicked in another window and threw myself inside of a room. I opened the door to the hall to see one guard was present. He spotted me and took out his own gun to mirror my position.

The poor guard looked very young and just as scared as I was.

"Put down the weapon," he said in a shaky voice.

I smiled at him to show him I wasn't afraid, even though I thought I might piss myself any second.

"I don't want to hurt you," I admitted with a cautious step towards him. "Let me get by, please. I don't want anymore trouble."

"It's too late for that, I'm afraid. You've broken into a bank. Not much more you could do."

I shook my head and couldn't believe what I was about to do. "I could cause much more destruction," I assured him. "It's my specialty."

With that I fired the gun at the ceiling and put out the hallway light. I knew the loud sound and sudden loss of light would scare the wits out of him. He didn't try to stop me as I ran by, probably thought he got shot.

I didn't look back until I got to the stairwell. I saw him laying on the floor in shock still, and the sight of him made me snicker a little. Some royal guard he is.

I ran down so many flights of stairs I couldn't keep track of them. The mucky smell of the area made my nose itch. I jumped down another flight and opened up the random door. In I went and thank God there was no guards waiting for me this time.

I got out from the hallways and saw the door that led out into the main area where it should've been open to the public. My hope of running out there and blending in with the busy crowd were crushed once I remembered that a siren had gone off to warn people that there was an intruder, so everyone had been evacuated as soon as there was a sign of danger.

I rolled my neck to help with it's stiffness and turned on my heel. This was hopeless; I would never see Lil again.

"Dante protect her," I muttered to myself and took off running again at the sound of guards yelling.

I ran down the next corner and hit something so hard that it sent me down on my back. The air was pushed form my lungs and I rolled onto my side in agony.

"Hey, again."

I looked up enough to see the guard I had shot at earlier standing above me with twenty other guards behind him.

Hands were around me in a second to make sure I didn't get away again. I slouched in their grip and let them drag me away. My head flopped back and I starred at the ceiling thinking of how wrong I had been about this. Lil needed me more than she needed anything else in the world, and I had let her down.

"Tell them we found the thirty-fourth girl."

I looked up at one of the guards who had spoken into a device. "What did you say?"

He snarled at me and yanked on my arm to make me stand on my own. "I said we have the thirty-fourth girl. You were one of the Selected."

I blinked at him stupidly. This couldn't be true. I had a chance to give Lil so much money but now that I broke into a bank I would never be allowed to compete.

"Too busy robbing a bank to watch the news?"

I shook my head and tried to yank my arm free. "Lil," I mumbled. "Lil." What had I done? I thrashed around and more guards came to hold onto me. "I need to help Lil. I could've helped her, please!" I had had a chance to give her so much, but I had blown my chances in the Selection with a stupid stunt.

I didn't stop screaming until I was thrown in a lone jail cell, isolated from anyone else. I felt so stupid that I curled into a ball in the corner and fell asleep to my own sobbing.

"Annalise Mallory."

My eyes fluttered open to see a man in a nice suit standing outside of my cell. My head throbbed when I sat up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The man had a pleasant smile, but my vision was too blurry from sleep to see who he was.

"What do you want?" I pressed my palms into my eyes and tried not to start crying again.

"Perhaps this is new to you, but you are now part of the Selection."

I looked up at the man with a confused look.

"You were chosen," he continued. "The other girls have been at the palace for a day now, but you were never found to help prep you for your journey. I can see now that you have been very busy." His cruel snicker made my skin crawl.

I shook my head and said a little more bitter than intended, "Who are you?"

He was silent for a long time before he uncomfortably cleared his throat. "Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed you would recognize me. I am Prince Alexandr McQuay."

I swallowed hard and stood up. "I need your help," I squeaked stupidly.

He motioned to the cell and scoffed. "I'd say you need a lot more help than I can give you."

"No. There is this girl. She is twelve years old and she will be on her way to the Eights by now. You must find her." I ran to the bars that separated me from him and held them tight. "She is just a kid. I was trying to get money for her. I know it was stupid but you should've seen how she shivers at night. I can't stand it anymore. I want to give her more. Please, before my execution, find her and make her safe."

"Miss Mallory I-"

"I know I don't deserve anything from you but she is all I care about. She is all I have ever cared about and I have let her down. She is too young to live this way, I beg of you, help her."

He took a deep breath and looked into my pleading eyes. "I will see what I can do."

Relief filled me. "Thank you so much." I reached through the bars and grabbed his hand. "Maybe you won't be a shitty king after all."

He did a double take. "You think I'll make a shitty king?"

I shrugged innocently. "I'm poor. All the poor have bad opinions of the royals."

He squinted at me. "Which is why I am glad to say you aren't going to be executed."

"What? How?"

"I came myself so I could meet you and hear your story. Now that I know you only tried to rob a bank to help some kid, I know you had good intentions. You were chosen for the Selection because you are an Eight. My ratings with the lower castes need to go up."

"And I was supposed to make the lower castes like the rich bitches more?"

"Well, yes."

I nodded slowly. I didn't not like where this was going.

"I get to stay in the Selection, then. I am supposed to help your ratings."

"Exactly. After your stunt last night it will show people that I am forgiving towards those who break the law out of desperation. The higher castes won't be too thrilled, but my ratings will rocket with the others."

"Won't that just encourage more people to steal?"

"Maybe," he admitted. "But people won't get the same pardon that you are getting. They will be caught and punished, I can assure you."

"This is a sick act. Your'e blinding your own people. Lives could be lost. I was wrong, you will be a shitty king."

He didn't seemed bothered by my tone or the fact that he was lying to everyone. He only cared about his image on TV. The real him didn't matter.

"We need to get you out of here and to the palace before dinner. The others will be dying to meet their outlaw."

I couldn't stop my hands from shaking as I saw the crowd of people there to see me at the airport. I looked out the car window to see thousands of people holding signs with my name on them.

"You are our hero!"

"Outlaw Princess!"

All the signs were nicely decorated; I couldn't believe they were all for me.

I hadn't had time to be put into other clothes so I was to arrive at the palace in my ripped t-shirt and muddy jeans. I would look very much like an Eight and not at all like the One I was supposed to be.

The car came to a stop and the door was opened for me. The sound of the crowd erupted in my ears. They loved me. Chills ran down my back and I walked on a carpet that parted the crowd.

I stopped and took pictures with people, even though I looked like a homeless person; they adored me. I waved and put on the biggest smile I had ever worn. This was just what Prince Alexandr had wanted- people to love me. I was helping his image by being here. Part of me wanted to refuse to go inside the airport and continue with the Selection, but I remembered that Prince Alexandr had told me he would find Lil. She would get the compensation money for me being here, so I would stay as long as he would let me, only for her sake.

After the pictures and signing papers for the crowd, I was ushered onto a private plane that was nicer than any house I had ever been in. I was amazed at the velvet flooring and the cozy chairs. It was all available for me to roam, and me alone.

I grinned and started running around to every seat to test them out like I was a child. I leaped over the seats and found a speaker in the back of the plane with a list of songs to play. I scrolled through them and made my playlist for the ride. I jumped around from seat to seat and danced like I was already a queen of the world.

There were two guards standing by the door, probably to watch over me since I was a criminal. I reached out and grabbed one of their wrists. They both tensed up but relaxed when they saw I was just trying to get them to dance around too. I had no one to enjoy this moment with, the least these stiff men could do was sway to the music. They were very reluctant but by the time the plane was in the air the two of them were at least tapping their toes.

I never wanted the plane ride to end. I longed for Lil to be with me, but I was assured that she would be found and safe within time. However, I did not want to be in company of the swarm of girls that were awaiting me. I was perfectly content with the company of two guards who never talked. It was a lot better than thirty-three screaming girls, I can assure you. But eventually the plane hit down on land and I was ushered to the palace and inside a room with a dozen maids.

"Start the bath she needs scrubbed!"

Maids yelled orders to one another. I was yanked in every direction and before I could protest the ladies were stripping me of my clothes and pushing me into a bath.

I was scrubbed and scrubbed again, waxed in every place imaginable, lathered in lotion, and nails cut perfectly. They told me we had no time for nail polish and I didn't argue with them. I was already an inconvenience by being a day late, I didn't want to upset anyone any further.

My hair was brushed and cut into cute layers rather than being all choppy like it usually was. My makeup was done lightly and I was allowed to have an opinion on what dress to wear.

"We have several colors that we think will be good for first impressions." They held up many shades of greens and blues and pinks.

I looked through the beautiful dresses and sighed. I wanted Lil to be here. Thinking of Lil, I remembered what she had told me about a dress. "Have any red? I've been told that would go good with my dark hair."

The maids smiled sweetly and scurried away to throw something together for me.

The dress they brought out was breathtaking. The strap went up on one shoulder and didn't have one for the other shoulder. It was tight fitting on the bust and dropped down long and elegantly at the bottom. The red swirls fell at my ankles around my silver heels.

"Tell the photographers to meet down in the Women's Room. There is no time for pictures here, she needs to meet the other girls before dinner."

I was pushed down a hallway, stumbling many times in my new heels. I ignored my growling stomach as best I could.

A maid pushed me through a door and into the Women's Room. The herd of glaring girls and evil eyes I faced was only the beginning of the nightmare to come.

HEEEEYYY! It's the author here! Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think of this chapter and leave a review. If you have any questions I will do my best to answer them. Again, i am open to suggestions for this story, I am just winging it, after all. Thanks again for reading!

xoxo

jeweleethegeek