"Please?" my mother pleaded for the fifth time, "Don't you want the best for your family?" she asked, "You want us to live in-in poverty for the rest of our lives?!" she exclaimed, stomping over to the kitchen and sitting on the table with me,
"Mom, we're hardly living in poverty now" I pointed out. We weren't. My mother, father, my little sister, and I lived in a two-bed house just at the end of the street. Sure, we lived in the poorer end of the street, but I've never once complained. We had enough food to get us by and always enough shelter, clothes to keep us warm. In my mind, there was nothing to complain about. In my town, I was one of the lucky few to get a job at the theatre on the richer side of town, standing in for actresses who were taken sick on the night of performances. It didn't pay much, and it wasn't steady, but it helped my mother to buy clothing and things for my sister,
"Well, we might as well be!" she argued, "But you! You can put an end to all of this! You can supply us with money, a proper house, space for all of us, your father can start his business and Arabella can have more clothes and we can send her to school and you as well! And we can-"
"Except I won't be able to go to school, will I?" I asked, "Where you want to send me?"
Our Prince had just turned 18 and every girl in our city between the ages of 16 and 21 were eligible to put their name in the draw for The Selection. Ten girls out of the names submitted would be taken to the palace to live there for however long the prince sees fit to find his bride. I had no intention of putting my name in the draw. I was fine where I was, and I did not want to be sent away from home, away from Arabella or away from my mother and father to live with some guy I don't even know, and not ever sure I like...Heck, I haven't even seen the guy before! However, the families of the ten girls whose names were picked get fabulously rewarded for putting their daughters up for selection, which my mother was trying to persuade me to put my name forward,
"Sam, you'll be living in a slightly different place, that doesn't mean that you won't be able to get an education where you'll be"
"Slightly different place?" I asked, "You could say that..." I murmured,
"Sam, please" my mother pleaded, "You probably won't even get chosen, so what's the harm entering?" she asked,
"If I won't get chosen, what's the point in entering?!" I argued back,
"Why are you making such a big deal about this?!" she asked, "It's just your name on a sheet of paper"
"But it's not, is it?" I stood up from the chair, folding my arms, "It's the potential to throw away my future!"
"It's not throwing away your future! It's the potential to have a future!" she corrected, "What would your future be here?! What, be an actress? Sam, people like us don't make it anywhere, you know that" she said, softly. I shook my head,
"I'm not going, I'm not doing it" I told her, "I can't"
"Do it for Arabella" my mum pleaded. I turned away from her, thinking about it. She could have new clothes, an education; go on school trips with kids her own age...
"Fine" I mumbled, "For Arabella" I repeated.
"Your turn" I told Arabella who was sitting opposite me on the other side of a Snakes and Ladders board
"Girls! Would you please pay attention?!" my mother screeched. I rolled my eyes and Arabella giggled, taking her go and sending herself up a ladder, whereas my turn had sent me down a snake. Arabella and I were currently sitting on the floor of the sitting room, playing snakes and ladders whilst my mother watched the television anxiously for the results of The Selection. Arabella giggled at my counter being sent down the snake, "Girls! Please be quiet!" my mother exclaimed,
"Mom! Sam says she's not even gonna get picked so there's no point in even watching!" Arabella squealed. I narrowed my eyes at her. I'd also told her not to tell our mother I thought that. I gave her the benefit of the doubt seeing as she was only six,
"Sam!" my mother scolded, "Don't say that! You never know..." she trailed off I rolled my eyes and turned back to Arabella and the game,
"But I do" I mouthed to her, slightly whispering. She giggled,
"Here it is!" my mother rejoiced, grabbing the remote and turning up the television. I turned to the screen to see the royal family walking onto the small stage, including the King, Queen and... a boy who looked around the same age as me... and... quite...quite handsome. I narrowed my eyes at the television trying to get a closer look at him,
"Is that-Is that the prince?" I asked,
"Yes, it is" I could practically hear the smirk in her voice,
"Hm... he doesn't look like a pretentious ass-"
"Sam!" my mother scolded,
"What? I'm just saying for a pretentious y'know he doesn't look like one..." I trailed off, looking at him more closely as he sat down on one of the thrones, "He must hide it well"
"Sam, have you ever considered the fact that he's not a-"
"Ha, course he is" I waved her off, "I mean who takes ten girls off the streets to live with him so he can find his bride?" I asked, rhetorically, "asshole" I answered myself.
"Sam!" my mother yelled, "Listen" she pointed to the screen,
"Contestant number eight...Cleo Johnson" I heard the name in the background, despite not focusing on the television. I knew Cleo; she lived only a few streets away from me. Well, since there's already been one selected in our area maybe that would be it,
"Contestant number nine-" the presenter started pulling a card out of an envelope, "Ellen Sheffield" After every name that was called, a round of applause would follow. My glance shifted slightly from the presenter to the Prince's face. He had a small smile on his face and was clapping along with everyone, including the king and queen,
"Final contestant number ten..." the presenter started opening the envelope. I hated the way they called them contestants. It made us should like we were just pawns in a competition...which I guess we are. As soon as your name was called in The Selection, you lose your identity. You lose yourself.
"Samantha Puckett!" I snapped my head toward the television, eyes wide. I could faintly hear my mother rejoicing in the background and Arabella's disgusted voice saying I'd have to live with a boy. There must have been...thousands of girls who applied for The Selection...and ten got chosen, what were the chances that it would be...me? My mother started making preparations immediately. The day after the ten finalists were revealed, someone would come to your house or wherever you lived and run through the rules and regulations of the...competition with you.