Chapter 1

Life as a Card Number 3

My new story was inspired by the book 'Selection'.

I've seen some writers do the same thing with USUK x Selection and I just wanted to try it out for fun and it ended in something much longer than I thought it'd be.

I hope you enjoy my take on it.

Alfred never believed in destiny, there's never been a reason to believe in it but there was one moment in his life where he was sure destiny had its hands in play. More specifically their hands in a roaring machine about to explode.

The massive machine was getting out of control, shaking and vibrating, ready to let out all the gas and steam with one blow through the roof. Alfred frantically ran up the narrow stairs alongside the machine, who were shaking and getting more unstable than they already were. His coworkers have probably already seen him run up the 5 story tall machine at their own stations in the giant hall factory but minded their own business. After all this machine was under Alfred's care and it was his mistake. They didn't want to be involved in his mess.

He'd just oiled and maintained the gears and all shifts of the whole machinery and was in disbelief that it started to rampage on the inside. There must have been something he overlooked. It shouldn't have happened, he's not that careless about a dangerous machine and knew better than to push or misplace something by accident.

Reaching the top of the machine he swiftly tried to get to the levers and the control section of the machine's head but the buckets full of oil, towels and other tools he'd used were in his way on the narrow platform. He could hardly find a free place to step on and didn't bother to be careful. In his rush, he kicked the buckets and tools away and had no time to care for them falling over the platform.

The only thing that mattered was to pull the levers in various directions, pumping out the pressure and pushing the needed buttons while the machine got louder and started to pinch in Alfred's ears. The steam blew into his face from the slits of the combined metal, covering his view and his goggles in a thick fog but he kept on going.

Finally the machine started to calm down, the roaring and the shaking quiet down and Alfred breathed out. It would've been a mess if the machine had exploded, not only for him but for most of his coworkers, too. He pulled his goggles on top of his head to have a better look at the machine and sighed relieved. The machine only roared slightly just as it was supposed to do. One more time he took a look over the control station and pulled one lever with his thick gloved hand before noticing the missing buckets. He hoped no one would comment on this small accident and went down the stairs to get the buckets and the tools that fell down.

Upon arriving at the bottom floor he stopped in his tracks, seeing his boss, Mr. Johnson, waiting for him with the most furious gaze he'd ever seen, and coming towards him.

"Everything is still intact, I swear, nothing broke down," Alfred quickly said to soothe his boss.

It was just a problem of seconds and the production went on smoothly without a stop. He hoped his boss would understand that but Mr. Johnson grabbed him by his dirty white shirt and pulled him to the side.

"Look what you've done!" Mr. Johnson pointed out to his son standing not so far away with his suit covered in black machinery oil.

Alfred's eyes widened and he quickly tried to explain his situation but Mr. Johnson didn't want to hear any excuses from him and let go of him, pushing him away. "You have embarrassed my son in front of my new business partner and ruined his suit!"

"I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"This is outrageous! For the next six months your paycheck will pay off my son's suit."

Alfred's mouth went agape. "I-I can't go this long without a paycheck."

"You should've thought of your actions before you attacked the future King of Spades," said Mr. Johnson.

"It was an accident!" Alfred tried to save himself but looking into his boss' eyes he knew it was impossible to change his mind.

"Don't you dare to speak back to me. You are nothing but a lowborn. Perhaps you should look more into the mirror to remind yourself where you belong to," he said in a hostile manner.

Alfred knew what he meant and his gaze shifted at the left side of his boss' neck where a black number 8 was showing out of his collar. The number of the low upper class and owners of big corporations and industries like Mr. Johnson does. Their status' in society is miles apart from another and Alfred's number 3 on his neck showed the difference.

"I hope there are no troubles?" said the alpha who had stood by the son while the son still waited for his father to move so he could change his clothes.

Mr. Johnson told him that there are none and accidents like that rarely happen. The alpha only told him not to worry and that he'll let the boy work more properly under his rule when he takes over the industry.

Alfred could only stand in shock as they walked away. He made only one mistake and that let loose a reaction that turned his life upside down.

-

Alfred cuddled himself into his worn out jacket but the cold wind still went through it as he left the factory over a skywalk bridge high above the ground. The factory behind him stood in a mist of fumes and the wind was blowing them his way. He put a dirty old scarf around his nose and mouth to protect himself from it. The scarf was thin and had already a few holes in it, the fabric loosened and got stuck between the gaps of his prosthetic copper fingers. Alfred pulled his left arm away from him to lose the small threat but it only got longer and tore on the scarf.

He sighed, not able to work out this problem as well. It was hard enough to get any food with the little money he made and now it seemed that his situation got worse.

He passed over tall buildings, some 50 stories others up 120 stories high, and walked over bridges made out of cheap metal that were connected to the buildings. Some kids were playing on top of the rooftops and others would walk on the bridges below him. The buildings were brown-gray and crumbling while being cramped together with little room for the skywalks. Underneath the bridges the fumes collected, searching a way out of this maze.

Everyday he would look up the mountains and up the hill, able to make out the first houses of the middle class. He imagined how it would be like to live up there without the worry of getting sick of the fumes that never reached them up there. Or the worry of not being able to feed your family. Sometimes life seemed to be unfair only because he was born into Card Level 3.

He went down a spiral staircase attached to one of the buildings and into the fumes. He had to walk some stories down before he finally got out of them and pulled the scarf off his face. A perforated metal platform stretched out along the walls of the buildings on every story for the people to walk along without the need to walk through the buildings and change from one skywalk bridge to the next one. Alfred walked on one of these and looked over the poor made rusted railing until he was met with a very enthusiastic little sister hobbling down the platform his way.

She walked up to him as well as she could with her small selfmade crutch out of metal. She beamed as she told him that their mother got hands on some bread and made him follow her to a balcony platform where they would mostly eat their meals with other people. Eat or doing anything other than to sleep in their tiny room with no electricity or windows was rather depressing.

"Where did you get that bread?" Alfred asked his mom when she gave him a piece.

The balcony was small but large enough for ten people to sit on it if needed. It was used to hang clothes but people stole others' clothes a lot and everyone stopped hanging them outside. The fumes made it also hard for the clothes to dry.

"I made a good deal at the market tonight," she told him.

"I hope it wasn't expensive." Alfred mustered the small piece of bread and his stomach groaned.

She gave another piece of the same loaf to Alfred's sister and younger brother. "Just a little but we had nothing left and I wanted to give you a treat. Why are you asking?"

"Nothing," Alfred said quickly and smiled and sat down by the railing, letting his feet dangle over the platform. He wasn't sure how to tell her that she shouldn't spend her money on expensive things and that he won't be able to take care of them for the next six months. After all he's the oldest and it's his duty.

His sister and brother were also working in the same factory as Alfred but they're not adults yet and have other work than Alfred. His mother worked in a textile factory and sadly it paid even less than Alfred's job.

He looked at his bread and how special that certain food was for them but for someone like Mr. Johnson it's an everyday meal.

They sat there and ate, watching the fumes above them move and listening to other people talk on the balcony who also used this place to eat. Below him was nothing but darkness and mist between the buildings. They were on the 80th floor and the people who lived down there, mostly those with the number 2 and 1 on their neck, had it even worse than Alfred and his family.

Alfred got out of his thoughts when his mother turned her attention back to him. "When are you going to find yourself a mate?" she asked him over the heads of his siblings while she also sat at the railing with them.

Alfred just laughed and turned to her. "My 14 hour shift doesn't give me any time to meet someone."

"I knew you'd say that and I actually have an omega for you in mind. He's wonderful and works with me. A little younger than you but would fit you."

He hummed while listening to her. "But if I mate, there's not gonna be any room for him in our tiny room. I'm already sleeping on the floor because someone keeps pushing me off the mattress." He looked at his sister with raised eyebrows who giggled sheepishly.

"You're 19, find a mate, move out and start a family," she told him pleadingly, "You need to have a life."

"I have a life, thanks." It wasn't a good life but Alfred knew it wouldn't change with a mate. It would give him even more problems and first of all he had to find a solution to this one. He needed to find another job to be able to support his family.

-

Alfred has been looking for a side job for days. It has been small jobs like selling, delivering or building but no one wanted to take him in for only four hours a day. The more days went by the more his mother started to suspect something and he just couldn't tell her the truth. It was his problem to deal with and he didn't want to worry her.

At work Alfred began his day by going to the keymaster to take the general key for his station and machinery but the keymaster told him the boss had taken it when he showed their future new boss around their quarter and hasn't returned it yet.

Alfred had no fun in facing Mr. Johnson again but had to walk up to his office and ask him personally. Mr. Johnson seemed to leave his office when he caught up to him but gave him the key nonetheless with a stern and annoyed expression towards Alfred. When Alfred came back to his station he noticed that it was the wrong key and went back to the office. Mr. Johnson wasn't there and Alfred decided to sneak in and take the right key, hoping no one would notice him.

It was a rather small room with worn down furniture but clean with no dust in sight. The radio on the table still played and he heard the host of the radio show talking with a static sound when Alfred found a wall with keys beside the office table. Alfred looked through the various golden and silver keys in all sizes and picked some up for a closer look.

The sound of the radio was weak and would constantly turn off and on again. "-at the start of the next month we'll finally see and hear from the candidates of the Royal Selection and I can speak for all of us how excited we are for this event and in anticipation to see whom Prince Arthur will choose as-" the radio turned off again and only a static sound was crackling through the room while the voice of the host would sound through on some occasion.

One of the keys fell down from his hand and he bent over to get it when suddenly a bright flash crossed his sight and a scene played in front of his eyes. He saw himself opening a painting like a door, the scene blurry and unstable like in a dream and a blue shimmer followed his movements. It showed him using a key to open up a safe, and before it could reveal what was inside the vision vanished.

Alfred blinked, feeling a headache creep up and was confused for a moment before he straightened up with the key in his hand. It wasn't new for him to have these sorts of visions that would come to him at random times but there was something odd about this one. Normally he'd see scenes in front of him about people or places he knew but it was his first time in Mr. Johnson's office. These visions would often show him the things that are about to happen and he was curious if what he saw was true. The painting in his vision existed. It was behind the chair on a wall and indeed, Alfred was able to open it and inside was a gray safe.

For a few seconds Alfred stood there, not able to understand how he was able to know that. Something like that had not happened to him before. He looked down at the key in his hand and that it'd be funny if it would fit. To Alfred's surprise it did fit and he turned it around. When he opened the safe a stash of money laid around with two boxes full of coins.

A very bad idea came into Alfred's mind that could lead him into more trouble but in that moment he only thought of a solution. Without thinking too much, he took two silver coins from one of the boxes, hoping that his boss wouldn't miss two little coins in his safe. Alfred closed the safe and the painting, hung the key back and immediately found his key beside it. He took it and carefully went out and back to his work.

He told himself he won't do it again and that it was enough for the month but his mother got sick and he took more coins for medicine. They had no more food and Alfred took three more coins. His brother needed proper winter shoes and Alfred got more money, taking a risk every time. Alfred thought he was safe as long as there were no rumors about stealing in their factory. This assumption led him to take another coin for himself and fall for the trap.

He stood with his back to the door in the office and heard someone clear their throat behind him. In that second it dawned on him how careless he got and expected to look into Mr. Johnson's furious gaze but when he turned around, his son Alexander stood there instead.

"Throwing oil on me isn't enough for you, you also have to steal from my father as well?" he asked rhetorically and looked through his round shady glasses at Alfred who could only stand and gulp for what was to come.

-

Alfred sat on the single couch beside the office desk and Alexander leaned against it and crossed his arms. Alexander didn't seem distressed or angry and took this rather casual but serious at the same time. Something about him was different, at least he seemed different than his father.

"How did you find the money?" he asked.

"I don't know," Alfred answered.

"I don't believe you. No one knows of that hiding place. Tell me how did you find it?'' He was persistent but his voice stayed soft.

Alfred thought of the worst if he wouldn't tell him the truth, even if he might not believe him. For some reason his gut told him he'll believe unlike his father would. "I saw how I would find it. I know it sounds ridiculous but it's the truth."

"You saw it? How?"

"It's like a vision that came to my mind."

There was a moment of hesitation and realization in Alexander's brown eyes. "Does your family have those visions too?"

"Is that important?" he asked and Alexander's gaze met his which made Alfred feel uneasy. "No, I'm the only one who has that."

"Your visions can show you how to find things?" he asked and stood up from his place to walk up to the window with his hands behind his back.

"Not really, they show me what'll happen." Alfred tucked on his shirt and was fixated on a dirty spot.

Alexander was silent for a moment before speaking again and turning back to Alfred. "I'm intrigued. I'll offer you a deal."

"A deal?"

"Your visions can be useful for my plan. Do you know what the Royal Selection is?" Alfred shook his head and Alexander moved in front of him. "It's a game, a competition to win the Prince's heart and become King Consort. I am participating in it and determined to become King."

"And what should I do?"

"You have to replace someone and find something for me?"

"Who am I supposed to replace?" Alfred asked but Alexander waved his hand in a dismissive way.

"That should not be of your concern. Just replace the alpha and find a magical item for me."

"Wait, magic?" Alfred wanted to laugh because magic didn't exist. Only the alpha's stern eyes that looked down on him prevented him from disrespecting a number 8.

Alexander walked around the office desk and sat down on the chair. "Exactly. It exists but it's hidden in the palace and with your visions you might be able to find it. I can't look for it myself while I'm there. I don't want to be suspicious."

That was pure nonsense for Alfred. Magic didn't exist unless in a fairytale, but not even fairytales were true and his visions didn't work like that.

"It's your choice. You can go to prison and be exiled to Card Level 1 to live with all the other criminals at the very bottom of the town or come with me, find the item and you'll be free."

"But if I'll get caught I'll end up in prison anyways," Alfred said thoughtfully.

"Indeed, it's high treason to take on someone else's identity and lie to the Royal Family." Alexander leaned forward and took a long look at Alfred. "But there's a chance for you to get out of this and come back to your family."

Alexander was right, there might be a slim chance for him to get out of this situation and no matter what he takes it can lead him to prison and the loss of all his human rights. This slim chance is hope and he had to take it and try his best.

"I take the deal."