#Theia Huntley

[calistapledger]

The Story Of Calista: A Masterlist

If you are observant enough you’ll see that all the titles are song titles so I’ll make a playlist for Cal soon with all these songs and link it here soon. [Also I got lazy with chronological timeline order when posting so in this list it’s all in order]

Cal’s Playlist

Illea’s Daughter [Cal’s Newsletter]

Issue #1

Issue #2

Issue #3

Issue #4

Pre-Selection

About Me/Cal

Practice Challenge 1: What I Was Born To Do

Practice Challenge 2: Legally Blind

The Selection

First Interview/Impression: A Very Nice Prince

Challenge 1/The Ball: Something Bad Is Happening 

Challenge 2/ First Dates: Chip On My Shoulder 

Elimination: Goodbye Love 

Post Selection 

When Will My Life Begin 

The Thrill of First Love 

Days Like This 

Moving To Mars 

Results Reaction: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun 

Forever and Always 

[theiahuntley-blog]

Life After the Selection

14.Feb

“Morning, my la- I mean, Theia.”

I look up to see Sydney and Adelaide caught in a half bow and I giggle.

“Morning, Syd. Morning, Ade” I greet. When I left the Palace, my maids and I have become great friends and they even joked about coming to help me with my family’s farm. I said I would hire them after I helped my family expand the farm. And in these few months, I did succeed in helping expand my family’s farm by using the money I earn and the fame I got. A month ago, I wrote to the three of them to tell them about the news and asking them to come and help. Sydney and Ade agreed instantly while Mel declined. Sydney, always the wilder one, feels working in our farm will give her more freedom. Ade thinks since the selection is over, the chances of her being a lady’s maid is slim and so why not try something new? Mel, on the other hand, prefers making dresses and a birdy told me she’s really close with a guard.

A guard.

I sigh as I shake that thought away. As the three of us walk downstairs, I see Lucas giving Ade a smile while Sydney growls at Matt, my brother. Lucas and Adelaide will be a great match, Ade is quiet and sweet while Lucas is smart and nice. Sydney and Matt, though, will be a hilarious pair, both hot-headed and not afraid to tell everyone what they feel. I smile at all of them and we sit down and have breakfast.

After breakfast, all of them go out to farm except for my parents, Matt and I. I don’t need to help out with the farm now as we’ve hired more helpers, but I did reserve a piece of small land of potatoes for myself, near the trees. I can’t go out today though as I’m having a photoshoot a few days later and am specifically told ‘not to get tan’.

I am a writer now though because of being part of the selection, I still get invited to do photo shoots or commercials. I usually accept them as they come with good money and I’ve always enjoyed them.

“I’ll be in my room!” I call to my parents as I go back to my room to work on the book I’m writing. I like writing fiction, more specifically, teen fiction. I haven’t published any actual book but I’ve released a few short stories online and they’ve been a great hit.

One of the most powerful thing in the world. Something that everyone needs and wants, something so precious that even money cannot buy it. Love is just a word, but sometimes, it’s more than a word, it’s a feeling of affection, a promise that the person will always be there for you. But promises are meant to be broken. And love? It saves you, yet at times, it kills you.

It almost killed me.

I stare at the piece of paper, why-

“THEIA!” Matt yells, I sigh and open the door.

“What?”

“There’s a boy at the door for you.” He says. I sigh. Since I’ve been back home, I’ve gotten boys at the door for me. I accepted the first boy who looked nice and cute. It didn’t work out. I accepted one or two more guys afterwards but none of them worked out and I just gave up.

Because none of them was Theo.

And none of them made me feel what I feel when I'm with Theo.

None of them was Theo Hart.

He said he’d be here in January and it’s now February and I’ve given up.

“Tell him I’m not interested.” I say.

“I did. Told him you’re not looking for a boyfriend right now. But he insisted.” He replies. I sigh and run my fingers through my hair.

“How do I look?” I ask.

“You’re in your pyjamas.” He deadpans. I giggle and push him out of my room and quickly change into the nearest piece of clothing I can get my hands on - a simple sundress. I open the door and follow Matt down.

“Just say no and I can do the rest.” He says seriously, ever the over-protective brother.

“I know. I wi-” The words die down as we reach the front door.

“Thei-” Matt begins but his words are drowned as I run to the boy and hug him.

“Theo.” I breathe as we pull away.

“Am I too late?” He asks worriedly.

“A bit. But that’s okay.” I whisper. He smiles and pulls me in for a kiss.

“Okay. That’s enough. I’m leaving.” I hear Matt say. I giggle and pull away.

“Took you long enough.” I say as I pull away to take a good look at him. He hasn't changed in the past few months except now he's wearing casual clothes instead of uniform.

“I'm sorry.” He whispers. “I didn't know should I come… I read all those news about you and Connor Kels and I…”

I sigh at that memory. Connor was the third guy I dated. He was an A-list celebrity and we met during a photo shoot. But I soon realized he was more into my body and fame instead of me. And the media sucked up on that. They followed us on our first date and took tons of pics and the next day most of the gossip magazines had similar headlines. We broke up a week after that when I refused to um have sex with him.

“We lasted an unhappy week.” I answer, rolling my eyes. “I'm glad you decided to come.”

“I'm glad too.”

“Come on, let's go somewhere else where my family can't eavesdrop on us.” I say, loud enough for everyone to hear. I hear a groan, some scolding and muttering. I laugh and lead Theo to a gazebo.

“So what are you doing now that you’re not a guard?” I ask, sitting down and gesturing him to do so as well.

“Well, for the past few weeks, I’m mostly meeting my family and old friends and you know, trying to spend more time with them to make up the lost time.” He replies, wrapping an arm around my waist. “But I might consider being an athlete? But I don’t know. For now, I guess I’m just resting a bit, and maybe be a part-time model.”

“Model, eh?” I tease. “Have you gotten any jobs yet?”

“No, I haven���t. Not really.” He replies. “But one of my friends is an agent and when we were talking about careers for me, he said I should considering modelling.” He pauses and turns to me. “Said I had the looks and the body.” He finishes with a wink. I roll my eyes at him.

“So, you’ve mostly got your life the way you want, haven’t you?” I say with a smile.

“Not all… There’s a part that hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

“What part?” I ask with a frown.

“Well, there is this girl… We’ve kissed, but we never made anything official yet.”

“Yeah? So what are you going to do about her?”

“What do you think? Should I ask to be her boyfriend?”

“Um… it depends on how you feel about her.” I say carefully.

“Well, I love her and I’m pretty sure she likes me.”

What.

“What?” I whisper, peering at him through my eyelashes.

“I love you, Theia Huntley. Will you- will you be my girlfriend?” He asks, sincerity in his eyes.

“Yes.” I laugh. “Yes yes yes!” His face breaks into a huge smile and he hugs me tightly before kissing me again and again.

“By the way, happy Valentine’s day.” He whispers as we pull away to breathe.

“Oh, Theo. Haha. Happy Valentine’s day.” I laugh. He smiles and then proceeds to pull something out of his pocket.

“A small box of chocolates for my girlfriend.” He says, holding them out to me. I giggle, thank and hug him.

“I love you too, Theo Hart.” I whisper as we pull away.

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Hey, hope you guys enjoy this lol. Oh n that story that The is writing about is actually a story I’m writing! Click here to check it out! Thank! (Shameless promo smh)

[hyacinth-pierce]

The Report Ep 2 (7/7)

We’re almost done with this episode of the Report, but we need to hear from Prince Dom what the answers to his riddles are.

Dom Schreave: Well, I’m not going to answer each riddle, because most of them were pretty simple. But to be fair, I didn’t have a lot of time to come up with them. Anyway, here’s the actual list:

Top:

Melody Nolan Isabella Faulkner Annelise Newstone Jyn Song Evadne Leventhorpe

Middle:

Devon Muerner Aricia East Berklee Boyer Emmalyn Atwood

Bottom:

Kat Dempsey Debbie Varker Finley Gansey Fiona Rossi Theia Huntley

Well that was certainly a fun episode, don’t you think? Let us know what you think, and I’ll see you all next time on The Report! I’m Hyacinth Pierce, signing off!

[jynsongxvii-blog]

oc & ooc  + spreading love

i feel like this selections has been pretty stressful for a lot of us, so maybe this will help! I tried to at least find something to say about all of you even if i don’t know you or your ocs that much... i’ve been busy and haven’t been able to keep up with all, but i tried! 

~bye★ﾟ':*.::'ﾟ☆｡  ↬   is for the girls [possibly] leaving soon for their own health. we will miss you even if we didn’t know you well! sending all the hugs.

ღ Theia Nina Huntley  ↠  i wanna read your fics, they look promising! i’m sorry i haven’t had time, but i still think you’re nice. wish we could see more of you on the gc ღ Melody Aurelia Nolan ↠ great separation of oc rudeness and ooc friendlyness. from what i’ve seen, also open to talk out ideas for plot-lines with others! has given thought to her backstory.   ღ Annette Victoria Rose Martel ↠ have you seen her fc? gorgeous. also crazy but beautiful pasta queen we all love. supportive, funny and GR92894839282. amazing fics cause she’s poetic af (i will fight you on this Net).  ღ Emmalyn Atwood ↠ cutest bean. super sweet in & out of character. oc family is also cute. conclusion is emmalyn = cute.  ღ Isabella Faulkner ↠ pretty reblogs of dresses, space and nature. i’ve been told you’re super nice and sweet ooc!  ღ Charlotte Elara Bane ↠ i’m also in love with her fc. adorable fics. cute oc that just wants to know the world. whoop whoop bts is rocking. adorable bean. (char-low ajshdfjgkhl i get it right sometimes)  ღ Calista Persephone Ledger ↠ sweetest bean. spreads all the love too. so positive. has a disabled oc which no one has done before! newsletters are cute and pretty.   ღ Aiko Rosette Ellis ↠ fc is so cute. pretty edits. aesthetic blog. nice ooc too.  ღ Seraphine Regina Chamberlaine ↠ fc is so pretty. we didn’t get to see much of you but still. watch out with that poison of yours ;)  ~bye★ﾟ':*.::'ﾟ☆｡  ღ Nina Ivanenko ↠ crazy bean. always nice ooc. pretty edits. aesthetic blog MOUSE SPARKLES WHEN I MOVE ASDFGHJKL. (i will always be your hot taquito)  ~bye★ﾟ':*.::'ﾟ☆｡  ღ  Ruby Stones ↠ do i even have to mention how asdfghjk your fc looks? so much effort into your fics! i love your descriptions that make everything sound so pretty. just wow. also pretty edits. 

ღ Jyn Song ↠ me. the basic hoe. fc is amazing because arden cho. i’m okayish. but i’m nice ooc i think. tries to love everyone. what is anon hate, leave me. i like being aesthetic too much because i have issues. too stubborn to drop out.   ღ Madalena Cruz ↠ fun while it lasted. pretty fc. best 2nd practice challenge tbh. 42/10 for sure. go back to being a power ranger now. sending love, Alex. ~bye★ﾟ':*.::'ﾟ☆｡ ღ Stacey Marie Barret ↠ always nice ooc in the gc the few times i’ve seen you there! ღ Cameron Muirgen Nicholls ↠ nice bean. i wanna hug your oc. your oc’s family is also so nice. except her mom. we don’t talk about her. really liked your first fic i read. real good. don’t drop out just yet!! ღ Margarita Camilla Acosta-Cruz ↠ friendly! active with edits that have nice quotes. fc’s eyebrows on point. ~bye★ﾟ':*.::'ﾟ☆｡ ღ Evadne Regine Leventhorpe ↠ you seem so nice ooc i swear i wanna be friends. i will give your oc all the HONOR. can’t wait to catch up with your fics once i’m done with tests. so much effort into your fics too! all the edits! just your commitment. ღ Madelyn Jean Knight ↠ friendly & nice as oc and ooc. also commitment and so active! your fc looks so cute. ღ Finley Reagan Gansey ↠ i’ve noticed a lot of girls think you’re friendly so hurray for friendly-ness! nice fc too. ღ Aricia East ↠ you’re laughing all the time in your posts/reblogs! so enthusiastic. also, always nice & friendly, be it as oc or ooc.  ღ Maria Fernanda Rivera ↠ haven’t seen much of you, but you seem really nice and approachable both in & out of character. your oc’s background is interesting! ღ Fiona Aliya Rossi ↠ probably one of the sweetest oc. lots of commitment. i know you’ve planned out your character a lot too! blog theme is so pink and fluffy i love it THE MOUSE ALSO THROWS BUBBLES WHEN I MOVE AJSDJG  ღ Katherine Geraldine Dempsey ↠ the cat to my gin. pretty edits. very active! super nice and friendly ooc. funny in & out of character. love her writing style too. good at trying to keep oc rudeness away from ooc! ღ Deborah Varker ↠ sweet and enthusiastic in & out of character. cute blog. very active and approachable! super nice in general.  ღ Annelise Catherina Newstone ↠ don’t see much of you, but i’m sure you’re nice ooc ;)  ღ Berklee Boyer ↠ so, so, so nice. it’s actually surprising how nice. sweet as honey. like bees. very active. super friendly. funny and adorable in & out of character. amazing all around. shares love with everyone. ღ Devon Lea Muerner ↠ fc is so pretty and cute. nice ooc. haven’t seen much of her lately but hopefully we will again!

ღ Même Tanneur Antoineen ↠ pfft, must i mention the fc? amazing. i love your ostriches and their language! thanks for all the jokes and nicknames. you always hoped to bring some levity to this selection and i think we all appreciate you for that. ~bye★ﾟ':*.::'ﾟ☆｡ ღ Ingrid Liljedahl ↠ sweet / friendly in & out of character, even if i didn’t get to know you well. (thanks for giving jyn that present. she loved it) ~bye★ﾟ':*.::'ﾟ☆｡ ღ Olivia Christina Palacio ↠ pretty edits from what i could see once! friendly with everyone both as oc and ooc. ~bye★ﾟ':*.::'ﾟ☆｡ 

ღ also some girls that left before they got to be really active:

~Felicity Jessica Broussard  ~Giselle Clara Langford  ~Crystal Tomlinson  ~Thea Philippa Silver 

ღ And also Alex ↠ for being so organized and active with all of the princes and royals! and rping with a lot of people now and in the future. ღ that goes for you too Livi ↠ aka Alina. you were the first prince we got after all! glad to see you still involved :)

@domschreave @alinaschreave @theiahuntley @melodynolan @annette-martel @emmalynatwood @isabellafaulkner @charlotte-bane @calistapledger @aikoellis @sera-chamberlaine @ninaivanenko @ruby-stones @cameronnicholls @margarita-acosta-cruz @evadne-leventhorpe @madelynknightoftheselection @finleygansey @ariciaeast @marifer-rivera @lady-fiona-rossi @ladykatdempsey @debbieker @annelise-newstone @berklee-boyer @devonmuerner @meme-antoineen @ingrid-liljedahl @oliviapalacio @stacey-bar

[domschreave]

Practice Challenge 2 Results

Sorry they took so long again, but it’s still on the correct day, so...

 Ruby Stones: 9

Calista Ledger: 9.5

Melody Nolan: 9

Aiko Ellis: 6.5

Nina Ivanenko: 6.5

Emmalyn Atwood: 8.5

Finley Gansey: 7

Olivia Palacio: 7.5

Stacey Barret: 7.5

Annette Martel: 9

Madalena Cruz: 42

Theia Huntley: 8.5

Margarita Acosta: 8.5

Meme Antoineen: 5.5

Evadne Leventhorpe: 9.5

Debbie Varker: 7.5

Aricia East: 7.5

Kat Dempsey: 8.5

Isabella Faulkner: 9

Charlotte Bane: 8.5

Fiona Rossi: 8.5

Madelyn Knight: 9

Berklee Boyer: 8

Ingrid Liljedahl: 7

So since I know you all will ask, the winners of this challenge are Calista and Evadne, which you could’ve figured out since they have the top score. The next challenge prompt should be up in the next few minutes.

[debbieker-blog]

PRACTICE CHALLENGE 2 ( Part 1)

(( Mentions in this fic: @aikoellis @theiahuntley @devonmuerner @madelynknightoftheselection ))

Our carriage Awaits

I had heard that entering the selection was a life changing experience, but I didn’t know that the change started since the moment you see your awkward picture on the screen of the TV. That night, we were only Keelan and me sitting on the big brown couch of the living room, focused on every single detail happening on The Report, because my father and I were still mad at each other, and he has been avoiding me all this weeks. Suddenly my face popped out on the screen. I looked awful, my face was ruined by all the tears and drama of the fight I had had with my dad earlier that day, when he forbade me to apply to the selection, without any logic explanation. But my face didn’t bother me in that moment, I was shocked, shouting and jumping around the house of emotion of being officially one of the 35 selected girls. My brother was as excited as I was, he never doubted that my name was going to be on the list of the selected. He gave me one of those long hugs he uses to give when he wants you to feel all his support and proudness.

That night Keelan organized a small private reunion to celebrate. Our closest friends, neighbors and business partners came to our house, we had snacks, little chats about how his sisters, daughters, nieces were disappointed for not being selected. I felt sorry for them for a while, but there wasn’t anything that could ruined my happiness that warmth night full of stars.

The next morning, I woke up early, a weak ray of sunlight filtered through the crack of the window illuminating a little part of the room. I wanted to stay in bed a little more, but I remembered last night I received a called from the palace to let me know that they will be visiting the house to update some of my information, talk about The Selection rules, security measures at the palace, and all that kind of information. It sounded kind of tedious, but if that’s what it takes to start this experience I would do everything they asked me to do… well, not really everything. I leave the bed to take a warm shower and get ready for the hard day that just started. When I walked down the old wooden stairs to enter to the kitchen there was nobody there. I was sure my dad was already working at the farm like he always does, but I wondered if Keelan was there with him or he was still sleeping. As soon as I had just finished my breakfast when the doorbell rang. I checked my watch. 9:00 am. They do are punctual. I walked out the kitchen and trough the living room and before I reach the door latch I took a deep breathe to prepare myself for all the new things coming on my way. Las night’s euphoria was gone, now I was feeling the nerves, excitement and uncertainty all over my body. After a few seconds, I put a wide smile on my face and opened the door.

“Hello” I said, surprised to see all the people standing at my door, there were people that work at the palace, journalist, cameras, maids, guards … The woman, that seems to lead the palace workers, looked neat from head to toes. “Good morning, are you Lady Deborah?” she asked looking at me as she was studying my face. I smirked at the “Lady” title. “Yes, I am. Please, come in” I said extending my arm to show them the way to the living room. They told me about all the rules and explained me the time schedule of the day I will travel to Angeles. After that the interviews started, they asked me all kind of questions about my life, my family, the selection, the prince, even questions about the selected girls. Even when some of their questions, made me feel uncomfortable, I had fun trying to them all.

I passed the next week memorizing the names of the selected and reading magazine articles to learn more about them. I tried not to make any early judgments, because I wanted to have my own opinion about all the girls as soon as I get to meet them. When the day of the departure finally came I was standing in front of the mirror in my room, feeling more anxious and energetic than ever, the weather seemed perfect to make 4 hours length flight trip to get to the royal palace. The sun was shining bright, there were no clouds in the sky and my head was full of good expectations. I put on my black pants and white shirt, like I was told and put a small, delicate, Blue Violet flower in my hair to represent my province. I opened the only drawer of my night table to take out a white and smooth paper with my itinerary of the day and the names of the 4 girls that were going to be in the same plane as me: Aiko Ellis, Theia Huntley, Devon Muerner and Madelyn Knight. I hold the paper on my hands to reading the names one more time and hoping we all can get along, then I folded it and kept it on the pocket of my pants.

A car was waiting outside of the house for Keelan and me, to take us to the big game fair in town that my province had organized to bid farewell the daughter of Sota. I was allowed to be there a couple of hours to enjoy the games, give a little speech to say goodbye and then the car would take me to the airport. The idea of having a big event in my honor was exciting and overwhelming at the same time. All those people, rooting for me, expecting me to win, made me feel happy and warm inside but they were also a reminder to me that this is more than just a game. That thought made me feel pressured and heavyhearted.

I took a deep breathe to take the stress away, put my little bag pack on my shoulder and a smile on my face. There will be time to worry about all the responsibilities the selection brings, when the time comes. “See you, Latte” I muttered, sending a kiss to the little bunny, eating on his cage.

Downstairs my brother was sitting on a chair in the kitchen, reading a magazine while he waited for me to be ready.

“Ready!” I said stretching my both arms

“Finally, we still have some time, though” he exclaimed putting down the magazine to look at his watch

“I …” I made a pause to clear my throat “I want to say goodbye to my dad before we go”

Keelan sighed in relief “Sure, you will find him in the stables”

I got out of the house and walked through our big garden to get to the stables, but when I was about to enter I heard that my father was arguing with someone. They were whispering and the voices weren’t clear, but I’m almost sure I heard my name. That intrigued me, I wanted to know what was it all about. I was about to open the door when I listen to an unknown voice behind me.

“I heard you are leaving today” he said with a strong voice

I turned around to face him and I saw two bright blue eyes closed to me, I took a step backwards to recognize his face “Are you talking to me?” I asked surprised

He stood straighter “Yes” I was feeling confused; Reed Dent had never even looked at me. And now for some reason he’s in my farm trying to start a conversation.

“I’m sorry, I know who you are, because your father is my teacher, but we have never talked” I gave him a strange look

“I know, and this is going to sound strange, but I want to ask you to stay” he said that with such normality that it made me drop a small laugh

“You can’t be serious, you don’t even know me”

“I knew you were going to say that, but I know you more than you think” He tried to reach my hand, but I didn’t let him touch me. In his eyes, I could see sadness and desperation, but I can’t help to be scared and confused. He knows me more than I think? What does that supposed to mean? This guy is a lunatic. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I can stay to figure it out, ok? I have things to do and a schedule to follow” I said scowling. He opened his mouth to say something but he changed his mind and gave up. I turned my back on him and walked away trough the garden to meet my brother at the car. He saw my face and asked me what was happening but I didn’t answer him. He didn’t insist, maybe because he thought I had another fight with our dad… I wish I could say goodbye to him, I wish I could tell him I will miss him no matter our differences. A guard opened the door for us and we got into the car. I was quiet all the way through downtown. I rolled my window down to feel the air against my face.  I was thinking about Reed, I have never seen him like that before, he had always been that quiet, well-dressed guy at the bus station, focused on his books and in his profession. Why did he look desperate and sad? What made him think that I was going to drop this opportunity just because he asked me to? The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that he has serious mental problems and that was not my problem. I won’t bother myself thinking about that anymore.  

When we were getting close to the town I started listening to a crowd shouting my name and clapping. Almost instantly, my worries ran away and my face changed. A few groups of people were standing under the sun rays, at both sides of the way, cheering for me, holding signs with my name even they had made t-shirts with my face! There also were cameras filming the whole thing. I was shocked and my heart was bursting with excitement. That was exactly what I needed to forget about weird and sad events that I just experienced.  My brother grabbed my hand for a few seconds and I turned to face him “That’s the smile I wanted to see” He exclaimed. “I’m sure I’m going to keep it all day” I said waving at all the people shouting outside.

We get off the car and I start greeting all the people around me, I’ve already met most of them, cause our town wasn’t that big, and I could at least recognize their faces from the mini market or the stores. When the fair officially began I was glad that everyone went to participate at the activities and left me to enjoy them too. The town square looked like a big carnival, full of tents, some with games and some with food. All the smell of fried chicken and homemade apple pie invaded the air. I founded Jimmy and Trisha and we played all kind of games like target shoot, bingo, duck pond, darts, but the horse races were my favorite. People wanted me to participate on them but now that I was part of the selection I had to be more responsible of my body, that was one of the conditions that well-groomed woman told me about the first day she visited me. I don’t want any scratches or bruises on my legs, besides I was secretly scared to make a bad roll in front of the cameras.

An hour passed and it was time for me to made my speech. I get on the big wooden platform, decorated with tons of blue violet flowers. I could see everyone’s faces from up there, and I could see that not everyone looked happy to see me up here, about to represent Sota in the selection, it made me realized there were going to be some people out there, waiting to see me fail. I got chills all over my body but I shake my head to get rid of those thoughts and put a big smile on my face focusing in the people rooting for me. The mayor said a few words first to present me, when I heard him saying my name I knew that it was my turn to start my monologue. I was tensed at first, but then I started to feel more comfortable. I thank them all for their support and enthusiasm, I share with them part of the story of how I end up applying for the selection and to finish it I promise to be myself and do my best to represent my province properly. Everyone clapped, whistled and cheer at the end of my speech, and I bet that my face was reflecting the relief I felt when I get off the platform.

Two guards, gently made some space through the crowd for me to walk towards the car. The people were still shouting and waving at me, I waved back to them not being able to stop smiling. When I finally got to the car, Keelan, Jimmy and Trisha were standing outside it to give me a goodbye hug. When I hug my brother, I heard him sobbing and when we broke the hug there where some tears running through his cheeks. “Don’t cry, Kee. Remember you are the big brother” I said giving him a painless punch in his arm “I will see you soon” I continued. “You better not come back soon” he said pointing at my face with a finger. “Here” he gave me another blue violet flower to put in my hair, because the one I was wearing before was all ruined by the fair activities. “Thank you, for everything” I said standing on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on his forehead, then I waved at the crowd again and got in the car.

It took us only 45 min to get to the airport. I got off the car with my back pack on my shoulder. The airport looked bigger than I remembered, there has been 4 years since I made my last flight trip. I looked up in amazement to see the whole building, the crystal windows shined reflecting the sun rays, blinding me for a while. I looked away to protect my eyes and a familiar face was getting out of a car. A group of faces and names passed fast through my head. Madelyn Knight. I hope I’m not mistaken, because then it will be an embarrassing moment

“Hello! You are Madelyn, right?” I asked making an uncertain face.

“Yes, I am, and you are…? Sorry, I forgot” she apologized

“Sorry, I didn’t mind scaring you. I’m Deborah, I’m one of the selected too, we will be in the same plane together”

“Oh no, you didn’t scare me. I’m so happy you are here! I had no idea what I was doing” he laughed

I smiled at her “I’m glad to see you as well, because I thought I was late and everybody was already waiting for me.”

“Hopefully not. I really do hate being late. At least if we are, we can be late together” she exclaimed smiling back at me.

“I haven’t seen the hour, to be honest” I chuckled showing her my nude wrist to her, realizing that I had forgotten my watch. “Let’s get in then” I suggested

We walked into the building together. When we were inside, I felt a little lost. There were so many buildings and the place was full of people, all I could do is look around trying to guess which one was the correct building “Do you see the rest of the girls somewhere?” I asked Maddie

“Hmm… They must be there” She said pointing to one of the enormous buildings

As soon as we entered the building I instantly recognized the two girls standing at the waiting room talking to each other. One of them has bronzed skinned and long hair, I identified her as Theia Huntley and the other one was paled-skinned and short dark hair, I was sure her name was Aiko Ellis.

“There they are! I shouted running towards them relieved. I was so glad to finally find them, because I thought we were going to get lost. If I hadn’t found Maddie

“Hello, girls! I’m sorry for interrupting you” I apologized with rapid breathing. Maddie came in behind me “Hi”. Aiko talked first “Hello! It’s fine. We were just talking about food”.   “Hello, I’m Theia” “Hello, I’m Deborah  We all presented ourselves and talked about where were we from. I asked them if they have been waiting long for us but they didn’t seem to be bother about that. We keep talking about food for several minutes, until the last lady arrived. “Greetings, girls!” he pointed to each one of us saying our names “Aiko, Theia, Debbie, Madelyn. Correct?” Yes! Hello. And you are? Madelyn asked with a smile We all spoke at the same time before she could answer “That was correct. Hello Devon” I said “You are really good with names, Devon!” Theia exclaimed. I guess she’s easy to impress “Lady Devon Muerner at your service” she made a funny sarcastic curtsey “I’d apologize for being late but I’m not actually sorry”  I laughed inside at her little show, letting them see my sarcastic smile. Was it really necessary to say that? In that moment, a tall, blonde guard appeared and ask us to follow him. It was time to aboard the plane. Theia started jumping up and down eagerly

“I’m so excited for the plane!” “I can’t believe we are doing this” Madelyn added Aiko joined them “I know, I feel kind of nervous” “Aww, the children are excited” Devon mocked   I have forgotten that not all of us have had the opportunity to travel to another province not to mention other countries. That was another reminder that this competition could be more than a game for some us, it can be an opportunity to improve their lives. Aiko and Theia hadn’t been in a plane before, they looked nervous about doing it now, but we all tried to calm them down by telling them it was not a big deal. “Well it’s nothing extraordinary to be honest” I said putting down my backpack and taking my sit “From what I remembered, it wasn’t too bad” Maddie agreed “It’s just as boring as driving places, just faster” Devon scoffed I suggested to play some poker with the cards I have brought from home to make the flight less tedious, Devon double my offer with strip poker. I was surprised when she suggested it, but I was willing to play if everyone else would agree, but the rest of the girls felt uncomfortable with it. After 4 hours, we finally arrived in Angeles. When I got off the plane I stand by the plane’s door a few seconds, closing my eyes with my face facing the sky, I could feel the fresh air of the province against my face. I inhale and exhale a few times letting my lungs get use to this new air. I had heard that Angeles had the most perfect weather of all Illéa, and it was true, it wasn’t hot but it wasn’t cold either, it seems to have the perfect balance. I joined the others greeting all the people. We stay there with them a lot of time, taking selfies with them and shaking hands. I think we would stay more time with them if it weren’t for the guards that tell us we had to stick to a strict schedule. We left the airport and got on the car that would take us to the palace.

When I got off the car at the palace I couldn’t believe my eyes. You don’t have to be an expert on architecture to realize that the building was perfectly made, it has an ancient design but also with modern touches that make it look unique; and it dimensions! The place is enormous! I couldn’t wait to discover everything it holds inside. I covered my mouth with my both hands in amazement, I have never seen a building as beautiful as this one. I walked inside with the group and the inside was even more impressive than the outside. I have seen pictures of the palace before in magazines, but being in here felts surreal. It wasn’t much time to appreciate the interiors in that moment, because suddenly a woman took us to a big room full of mirrors, tables with tons of colorful cosmetics and beauty products; people were running from one station to another with hairdryers, hair straighteners, combs, etc. 

A sweet blonde woman standing by a station saw me and made a movement with her hand for me to approach.

“Hello, Lady Deborah. My name is Alison and I’m in charge of your makeover, today” I was gazing at all the colorful shades and lipsticks in the small table in front of me. I’ve been in a place like this before, every time my best friend Sophia asks me to go with her to makeover tests back in Sota, but those times I just have to sit there and watch how the experts transform her; this time I was the one who were going to get a big look change

“… yeah, sure. Hi! I’m sorry. I’m just feeling a little overwhelming. Nice to meet you, Alison” I greeted her extending my hand for her to shake

“Don’t worry, I understand and you don’t have to worry about anything, I promise you will look even more beautiful when we have finished with this.” She said shaking my hand. Then she examined me carefully from head to toe, front and back. She touched my hair, looked into my eyes, my lips, my nose… If I hadn’t have known how these things are done I would have felt uncomfortable.

“… mmhmm, ok, so, we will start with a complete exfoliation, then moisturizing, makeup and finally the dress, ok?” I just nodded “Put on this bathrobe and follow my girls” I obeyed what she said, I followed two ladies to a big beautiful bathroom where they made what they called “the cleaning phase” This part was the most uncomfortable moment of my whole life, but they told me I will used to it, because 3 maids would be assigned to my personal care, and apparently, that includes baths and dress up. The second phase came with lots of creams and oils, all over my body, face and even my hair. I run my hand over my arms, and legs and I’m sure they haven’t been that soft, not even when I was born. And the smell was a combination of sweet fruits and vanilla.

The next step was my hair, Alison told me she will have to changed its color to make it look slightly darker and in that way the traits of my face and the color of my eyes will stand out. I had never dyed my hair, for that reason her words made me tight my jaw and press my lips together.

“Is something wrong?” Alison asked watching my face in the mirror

“… No, it’s okay… it’s just that I have never dyed my hair before, but I trust you, you are the expert”

She laughs “It will be just a tone, I promise you will love it”

The makeup was easy and fast, mascara, eyeliner and eye shadows on my eyes, lipstick on my lips and done. The dress was made of an almost white silk, kind of pearly with a black ribbon on the waist of the same fabric as the dress. When I looked at myself on the mirror I felt like a real princess. I put a wide smile on my face, then I turned to Alison and thank her and her helpers with a hug. “You were right, I look more beautiful now, … and I didn’t even know it was possible!” We all laughed at my sarcastic comment.

Alison walked with me to the same side of the room where a photographer took me a “before” picture when I came in the room, but now it was time for the “after” picture. He took 4 or 5 pictures from different angles. Then, Alison hug me again “Good luck, Debbie.” “Thank you… for everything” I said.

[madelynknightoftheselection]

Practice Challenge 2: Madelyn Knight

Butterflies. That’s all I could feel right now. Thousands and thousands of butterflies swarming in my stomach, persistent and not giving up. They were stubborn. I’m fine. I had to be fine.

Today I am boarding my plane and heading to Angeles to compete for the prince’s heart. I would be fine. Right?

It had already been a week since the selected had been announced. A week since my life went from normal to crazy.

Everyone was over for dinner. Dad was cooking dinner, Karina was working on a sculpting project that was due to her client tomorrow, and Indie and Wesley were at the table playing with my niece, Anna. I watched as Wes continuously poked Anna’s nose, each time her face exploding with a smile. It made me sad. Indie had gotten so lucky. Wes is such a great guy. He’s a hard worker, selfless, cute with kids. I wondered if I would ever have someone like that.

The Report was on our small TV in the living room, but only as background noise. No one was paying attention, except me of course. How could I not? I sent in an application and had been waiting anxiously for weeks to find out the results. Even if I wasn’t chosen, maybe I would know the girl that was.

“Are you actually paying attention to that?” Indie asked me.

“Yeah, I want to see who the Selected are,” I replied.

I hadn’t told Indiana I had sent in an application. Unlike the rest of my siblings, Indie was the only one against the Selection. My entire life my siblings were obsessed with the idea of me being in the next Selection, but Indie thought the entire process was demeaning. She hated the idea of it.

“Ugh. Yep, we finally get to see who a spoiled little prince is going to marry. Wipee.” She said.

I ignored the comment. I didn’t think the prince was spoiled, but I did think he was lucky. Lucky he was born into a powerful family. There’s nothing he could change about that.

“I don’t know. Maybe Maddie will make him fall in love with her,” Karina piped up from across the room.

Indie turned to me in shock.

“Please tell me you didn’t turn in an  application.” I only stared at her with a guilty look. “Oh no, you did. Have I not taught you anything as your older sister? Why the hell would you want to compete for a boy’s heart? That’s not how life works.”

She was right. That’s not how life works. But, how was I supposed to be okay with just settling down as a five and continuing to struggle through life with an OK guy? Sure, what Indie did works. But, maybe there’s more than one method.

I was about to reply when Karina shushed her and said, “Listen! They are announcing them!”

“Theia Huntley, Allens,” I heard as picture of the girl popped up on the screen. More and more names were announced, accompanied by their picture and a small profile. I wasn’t reading any of them, just waiting.

“Evadne Leventhorpe, Hudson.”

My heart started pounding. Our province was next.

“Madelyn Knight, Kent.”

Everything from there was a blur. I think Karina screamed with joy, Indie with unhappiness. My dad came into the room to see what the commotion was about, and when he realized what was going on, he came over to me and gave me a huge hug.

“I’m so proud of you, Tulip.”

Tulip.

That’s what my mother used to call me. She loved tulip flowers.

I started crying after that. Karina was next for a hug followed by Wes and then grudgingly, Indie.

“I know you know that I don’t like the Selection. But, if you are excited then I’m happy for you.” Indie said. “And if that prince breaks my little sister’s heart, he’s going through me.”

I laughed and I was so, so happy. The phone for the rest of the night was ringing off the hook. Edmund and Ethan both called, as well as Jaynie, saying their “Congratulations” and “I told you so’s.” Friends, neighbors, clients, and acquaintances were calling from all over the province.

To get away from all the overwhelming calls and visits, I left and went to an old hangout spot that me and my best friend Brooklyn used to meet. It was in a little park that no one goes to. It that had a creek and there’s one giant rock the sits in the middle. I was surprised to see Brooklyn already there as if she had known I would end up there sometime throughout the night.

She didn’t say anything as I approached her a sat down next to her. She only stared at the sunset through the trees. Finally, when we had both been sitting in silence for at least a minute, she spoke up.

“Angeles, huh?” She said.

“Yep. I guess.” I replied.

“Are you nervous?”

“A little.”

She shifted so that she was facing me.

“Listen, Maddie, I’m going to preface this by saying, I’m happy for you, because I really truly am. Just promise me one thing.” She said in a cautious tone.

“Okay, shoot,” I intrigued.

“Don’t change, please,” she pleaded.

Brooklyn didn’t send in an application. Like my sister Indie, Brooklyn’s family, who were sevens, thought the Selection was just another way for the Royal family to flaunt their wealth.

“Brooklyn, you know I would never-”

“I know, but this kind of stuff changes a person,” she interjected. “I’ve lost enough. I can’t lose you too.”

“You won’t, I promise. BFFLs remember?” I smiled at her.

That was the last time I saw Brooklyn all week. I was swamped with packing, preparing, and press. A representative from Angeles came and gave me the rundown on everything that was happening. He gave me vitamins, and basically just gave general information. I was now a three…which was weird.

My real final goodbyes were at my house, everyone came to see me off. Even Ethan, Edmund, and Jaynie came with their families. They wished me luck and gave me something small to take with me.

Ethan and his wife gave me a photo album so I can keep the photos I get from the selection there. Edmund and his wife got me a necklace with the letter ‘M’ on it. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Jaynie gave me a book. Not just any book though, it was some sort of fancy version of an etiquette book. It was bound in fancy leather and you can definitely tell I received it from Jaynie.

“You are going to need to know how to act like a lady now,” she boasted.

Karina gave me a scarlet envelope and inside was a beautiful letter. It started off with ‘I know I couldn’t get you anything special, but I hope this letter will suffice for now, since I’m horrible at telling people how I feel.’ She told me to wait until later to read the rest. I promised I would and gave her hug. Gosh, I was going to miss her.

Lastly, my dad. He walked over to me with his hands behind his back, and then slowly, he brought a beautiful journal around to the front. It was brown leather and each page was line with simple, but pretty designs. In the bottom right-hand corner, my name was elegantly engraved.

“Dad, this is….beautiful.” I whispered. “Thank you so much.”

He gave me a hug and I cried some more. When we were all done shedding tears we got in the cars that the province provided and headed to the going away ceremony. It was nothing special, but I was completely shocked to see how many people came. Hundreds, maybe thousands, it was hard to tell. Little girls were dressed in princess gowns and other held signs with my name on it. It wasn’t special, but it was special to me.

Then, I made my “public” goodbyes to my family and waved to my province, before getting in my assigned car, and driving to the airport. In that moment, with that much support, I felt fearless.

But, now, as I approach the airport, I was not fearless. My hands were shaking and I had a sweat going across my forehead. I felt like I was going to collapse any second.

Luckily, my car pulled up at the same time as another. A girl with a large smile on her face popped her head out the car. I opened the car door cautiously and took a step out. The girl quickly made her way over to me and introduced herself.

“Hello, you are Madelyn, right?” she asked.

I was so surprised she knew my name. I could recognize most of the girls, but the only names I knew were the girls I had written letters to in the past week.

“Yes! I am, and you are? Sorry, I forgot,” I chuckled.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m Deborah. I’m one of the selected too, I think we are in the same plane,” She smiled.

Thank god.

“Oh no, you didn’t scare me. I’m so happy you are here! I had no idea what I was doing,”

“I’m glad to see you, cause I thought I was late and everybody was already there waiting for me”

“Hopefully not. I really do hate being late. At least if we are we can be late together” We smiled at each other.

After that we decided to head inside to look for the rest of our group. We found two girls that were talking about their favorite foods. From their introductions I learned that their names were Theia and Aiko and they were both very sweet. We continued to talk about how we looked forward to all the food at the palace, when a girl walked in.

Her name was Devon and she was very direct and showed that by walking up and stating our names for us. We were all quite impressed that she had memorized everyone’s names already.

Since everyone had arrived, we boarded the plane and played poker, talked about our lives, and what we were looking forward to at the palace. It was a 4 and half hour plane ride and pretty soon we were all just sitting by ourselves. I very quickly fell asleep in the gorgeous private plane. The seats were so comfortable that I couldn’t resist.

–

I woke up to cheers. That’s right, cheers. I was confused, because we had landed and there were tons of people outside the terminal. Paparazzi and citizens of Angeles crowded the gateway to get the chance to talk to us. And suddenly, once again, I was nervous. There were hundreds of people.

Everyone separated, some going to the paps and some to the fans…and then we would switch.

There was a little girl in a princess crown that called my name. I smiled and walked over to her. She was so adorable, she had beautiful blue eyes and blond hair.

“You are so pretty!” She exclaimed to me.

“Aw thank you, but I do think you are prettier.”

She asked for a picture and I obliged, and then continued to take pictures down the line until I was ushered into the car to drive to the palace.

When we got to the palace we were brought into the makeovers room. There were a lot of people already here, but no one had finished their makeover yet.

I was directed to sit in a chair in front of a mirror all the way in the back of the room. Soon a lady with ginger hair came up to me and smiled.

“Hello! My names Amara and I will be your stylist today. Oh wow! Look at you, you’re gorgeous!” She exclaimed.

“Aw thank you, my name is Madelyn.” I blushed at the compliment.

“Okay, trust me girl, some of these ladies will walk in one way, and then leave looking completely different. No, I don’t want that for you. I have a vision!” She pronounced dramatically and I giggled. “Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to trim your hair, give you some natural makeup, put you in a cute dress and make you look super sweet and innocent! Yes! That’s what I’ll do. I’ll make you the sweetie from caste five. I’m a genius.

She talked so fast I could barely keep up. So I nodded and smiled and finally said, “Sounds good to me.”

Very quickly she got to work, arranging the table to the way she wanted and pulling out tools she needed.

“Excuse me, do you mind if I read something why you are working?” I asked politely.

“Oh, no problem sweetie! You go right ahead!”

I pulled out the letter I received from Karina and prepared myself to not cry.

Mazzy,

I know I couldn’t get you anything special, but I hope this letter will suffice for now, since I’m horrible at telling people how I feel. I hope you aren’t reading this in front of me because I’ll probably die…or just cry.

You are the most important person in my entire life. I know, I know, cheesy, bare with me. I’ve had boyfriend after boyfriend and they’ve come and gone, but you have ALWAYS been there for me. And here you are, moving on to bigger and better things in life. Do you remember when me and Ethan and Edmund would say one day you’d be in the selection? Well, I told you so.

Anyways, I want to get deep with you in this letter. I don’t care what anyone says, I’m the closest person to you and I know you. Yes yes, Brooklyn is great, but there’s nothing like a sisterly bond, am I right? Okay, here we go.

Maz, you gotta loosen up. Your entire life all you have done is talked about wanting an experience of a lifetime, to have fun, and go on an adventure. Here you are! But… you are, well, you.

You are shy and nervous around people when you meet them, but as soon as you get comfortable you become this AMAZING person. What I want you to do on this adventure is try to be that person from the beginning. Make big moves, flirt with boys, eat all the food you can eat, learn about politics and culture and history, and soak it all in.

Don’t let your fear of what might happen affect your experience. Don’t hold back, for better or worse. Stand up for who you are and for others. Don’t let anyone treat you bad.

 Make some bold strokes sis.

Love you,

Karina

Oh, I was crying alright, but Karina was right. This is what I’ve been waiting for my entire life. Why should I hold anything back?

“Oh dear, why are you crying?” Amara asked with a look of concern. “Was it something I did?”

“No, no. You’ve been absolutely fantastic. I was just reading a letter from my sister and got emotional.” I responded sincerely.

“Of course, I understand. Anyways, are you ready to begin?”

“Absolutely.”

Amara did exactly what she said she was going to do. She trimmed my hair and gave me a natural look for my make up. I’ve never really worn makeup, so even this makes me feel beautiful. And then she gave me a gorgeous pinky red dress with a black strap around the waist.

I actually loved it, I felt empowered.

When I was all done, I was told I could roam around until our next instructions arrived. I was going to just stand to the side of the room, but then I remembered what Karina said.

All of my fears went away however when I saw a girl who had just finished her make over. It was Emmalyn. Me and her had written a letter to each other throughout the last week. I went up to her, a little nervous, but she ended up being really sweet. It was so odd how similar we are. We are both 17 (our birthdays are in a week of each other), Libras, and photographers. I was so excited I had found someone to hang out with.

Soon, a girl with fiery red hair bounced over and said hello and started passing out flower crowns. I remember her writing and asking what flowers were my favorite… I had told her miniature roses and they sure are beautiful. I had made Fiona a gift as well, but decided to wait to give her a gift because it was in my bag.

Two more girls soon joined us, Debbie and Berklee, and we chatted for awhile, becoming friends very quickly. I had an overwhelming appreciation for these girls, because for once in my life I finally felt accepted.

Afterwards we all went on a tour of the palace (minus Berklee, she had made previous arrangements). It was so incredibly beautiful. Everything from the walls to the ceilings, to the furniture, all of it was mesmerizing.We saw the ballroom, the kitchens, the dining hall, the pool (which I avoided), and the gardens. I couldn’t take my eyes off of everything and couldn’t wait to take pictures.

The tour was quick, which meant we had the afternoon to ourselves. Me and Emma decided to stick together and go take pictures of everything. By this point I was shaking with the excitement of getting to take pictures at the palace.

We took so many pictures of each other, and of the palace decorations. We practically used up all of our film and polaroid film. It was crazy, but so much fun.

By late afternoon, we both decided to settle back into our rooms. It had been a wild day so far and we both wanted to see what are rooms looked like and actually find where they were. Emma’s was right across the hall from mine, and the other two were Fiona and Charlotte. I hadn’t talked to Charlotte yet, but I was excited to eventually.

I grabbed the doorknob to my room and stepped inside. I was immediately greeted by three smiling faces.

“Oh, hello,” I said, a little startle.

“Hello, Miss. My name is Geneva, but please call me Ginny. We are your maids throughout the course of the selection.”

“I’m Bailee,” the shorter one spoke up with a smile.

“And I’m Delia, sorry if we startled you, Lady Madelyn,”

“It’s okay. It’s nice to meet you,” I smile appreciatively.

I couldn’t believe I would have three maids. They all seemed really sweet and I was excited to get to know them.

“How old are you guys?” I asked.

“I’m sixteen, Bailee is also sixteen, and Delia is thirteen, Lady Madelyn,” Ginny said.

“Oh, please, call me Maddie. I’m seventeen years old,”

We chatted for awhile, getting to know each other. They expressed their relief that they got assigned to me, because they had heard horrors from some of the other maids. Later, once they made sure that I was completely fine and that I didn’t need anything, they left to head to their own sleeping quarters.

I decided I would go find somewhere nice to journal in my new one that my dad bought me. I went downstairs and found a cute window sill that was big enough for me to sit on. I grabbed my pen and my journal and started writing.

It wasn’t long, however, until I saw someone round the corner into my hallway. They were farther down, and at first I couldn’t tell who it was. But, as they got closer and closer, I knew exactly who it was.

It was Prince Percy Schreave.

I’m not going to lie… I panicked. I didn’t know what to do, what if he spoke to me?

Make some bold strokes sis. I heard Karina speaking in the back of my mind. It’s now or never I guess.

When he got close to the window I said, “Oh, hi!” as if I hadn’t seen him before.

“Hello, there,” He responded cooly.

“Hello, I’m Maddie, and you are?” Oh my god. Why did I say that? Of course I know who he was. He was the prince for gosh sakes!

He looked at me weirdly.

“I’m Prince Perseus Schreave, obviously.”

YEAH DUH MADDIE.

“Oh, right, sorry.” I’m so awkward. Just kill me.

I gave a little curtsy, but it was odd since I was sitting down and Percy just looked at me strange again.

“That’s unnecessary. Just… did you really not recognize me?” He asked, curious.

“No, I did. I just didn’t want to be impolite.” I laughed awkwardly. Get your crap together Maddie. Karina would be so disappointed in you.

“I just wanted to introduce myself. It’s nice to meet you,” I added quickly.

He picked up my hand and kissed it. I tried to cover my epic blush that was forming, but it decided to be stubborn. And then, I was embarrassed because I was blushing, which just made me blush ever more.

Dude, he kissed your HAND. Chill.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Maddie,”

“And I, you. Where are you off to this evening?” I grabbed my journal and placed it next to me, so I could sit up a little.

“Back to my room. Just got done being scolded for spying, so…” He responded.

Spying? What could he have been spying on?

“Interesting. Do you mind me asking what you were spying on?” I laughed to try to keep it light hearted. I didn’t want to ask too many questions.

Be bold, I heard my sister whisper in my head. I couldn’t believe I was about to say this.

“Don’t know who scolded you, but I wouldn’t mind you spying on me,” I spoke…confidently?

Oh my gosh. I just said that.

His eyebrows rose in shock like he wasn’t expecting me to say that. Yeah me too, buddy.

“I was just… keeping an eye on the Selected and their makeovers. And really? You’d want me to spy on you?”

I giggled at his response to show that I was being sarcastic.

“Nah, just a joke. The makeovers were fun. I like my “look”. They didn’t change me too drastically.” I said, trying to change the topic a little.

“So you were always this gorgeous?” He said giving me a flirty look.

“And they call you prince charming I imagine?” I replied with a smile.

“Nah, I’m his cousin,”

Dom? I was excited to meet Dom and get to know him too. It was weird, almost. Percy was my age, and here we were having a decreasingly awkward conversation (sorta) but in the rest of the castle was a soon to be wed prince, a complete royal family, hundreds of servants, and a puppy (or so I had heard). It’s hard to explain. I wondered if anyone had asked him how he was doing.

“Funny,” I said while fiddling with the pages of my journal in a nervous habit. “How are you dealing with all of this by the way? 35 girls kind of just took over your home.”

“Oh, I think it’s great. How would you feel if 35 hot guys all came into your home just looking for love?”

Okay, so he was fine, anyways. And it does make sense.

“Fair enough. I guess that point goes to you,” I laughed.

“I think I’ve already won my prize for the point.” He replied.

I eyed him curiously.

“Oh, have you?” I asked.

“Of course, I mean I get to talk to you, don’t I?” He flirted.

Oh, okay, two can play at this.

“I guess that means I also won a prize,” I said with a smirk.

“Oh, really?” He asked, returning the small smile.

“Of course, I get to talk to you, don’t I?” I applauded myself in my head for that return.

“Yes, you have been blessed with my presence,” He responded.

Ha. Okay.

“Yes, and you’ve been blessed with mine,” I said sassily and even stood up to add in a little curtsy, trying (and probably failing) to be funny.

“Yes, I have.”

After that he asked if I needed anything else before we said our goodbyes and he headed off to his room. I continued writing contently in my journal for awhile before I decided to head back to my room for awhile.

Sure enough however, as I entered the hallway that my room was in, Fiona came up behind me and gave me a hug.

“Maddie!” I heard her squeal.

“Fiona! It’s nice to see you again!”

I turned so I could hug her properly and Fiona continued her strong hug.

“Oh! Hey!” I remembered. “I finally get to give YOU a present. I know you’ve been running around handing out gifts.”

“Oh my goodness! You shouldn’t have! I’m so excited to see what it is!” She pulled back from the hug.

I had tucked the piece of paper and picture in my journal in case I saw her. I pulled it out and handed the picture to her.

“Okay! I wrote you a poem… naturally. I based it off of this picture of your favorite flowers.” I smiled.

“Aw, it’s peonies! Thank you so much! I can’t wait to hear it!” She replied happily.

“Okay. Here it is, it’s about the Selection:

Could we be a cluster? or should one stand out? to test the time of all those pink hearts, sad faces, mad faces, Could this be a time to stand alone? Or shall we stay together? And wonder forever if this could really be our home. Flowering out one by one some by some. Lives. changed. Perspectives. changed. But, no matter what, we have each other. we have our friends. And in the end, if something was gained, did any of us lose?”

I could’ve written it better, but for now, it was the best I could do.

“It’s so wonderful Maddie! You really are so talented!”

After that, we decided to head over to the sleepover Berklee and Evadne were hosting. When we arrived, Fiona was already making her rounds saying hello to everyone. Luckily, I saw Emma standing over at the side of the room. I sighed with relief seeing her there. I set my sugar cream pie on the table and got a plate of food before going over to her. I was with her for almost the whole night.

Things got pretty crazy, really fast. The alcohol showed up and people started getting drunk. Since I wasn’t a big drinker, Annette suggested an apple-ly drink, which just tasted like apple juice that had been sitting in the sun for thirty years. After a taste, I stopped.

The rest of the night only got crazier. We had to hide the alcohol because it was getting so intense. And then we started playing truth or dare, which only resulted in annoying the royals all night. I even had to say to Percy “Hey handsome hunk of meat, wanna take me for a ride?” which was actually so embarrassing, but by then he had already caught on that we were playing truth or dare and actually came to join us.

Me and Emma were there for a long time, but eventually headed back to her room just to talk about what a crazy day we had. We ended up coming to this stupid inside joke where I pretend that Baffin isn’t a real place and that Emma was here on accident. It was so funny, to us at least, who were slap happy because it was so late at night.

The conversation took a turn when Emma started talking about Sera and how she was so annoyed at her. I was utterly confused because I didn’t remember anything happening between them two.

“So, you really didn’t hear what happened with Sera?” Emma asked while flopping down on the bed.

I flopped down right next to her and said “No, I was getting pie… what happened?!”

“Well…” She spoke while fiddling with her hands, “She was being so rude and snobby to everyone, so I may have talked back to her and she may have threatened me.”

I sat up really fast in shock.

“She threatened you?!” I asked a little loudly.

She only nodded and looked down. I looked at her for an explanation.

“She said I should watch my back and my bed, whatever that means,” She replied off handedly.

Watch her bed, but we were-……wait.

“Bro…we are on your bed…” I responded eerily.

We both became a little more alert and on edge. We began to cautiously look around for any signs of suspicion.

“Do you see anything?” I asked. Just then, I picked up her pillow and was completely shocked at what I found underneath.

“Oh my gosh, Emma!” I shrieked in terror.

“What?”

“There’s glass everywhere!” I continued to scream.

We moved back the covers to find even more glass, all over her bed. Who the heck is this crazy? Who puts glass in people’s beds? I was so livid I couldn’t even see straight. I was fuming.

“Great,” Emma said sarcastically while she began to pick up the glass. I, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth completely upset. It was the first night. The first!

“What the actual heck?! This is not freaking okay.” I huffed angrily, while continuously pacing.

Emma was just calmly cleaning up the glass. “I know, I know.” How was she so calm? I was seeing red.

“We have to do something!” I turned and told her.

She turned to me quickly and said, “What? No, definitely not.”

I was back to my angry pacing.

“We could tell Dom, or get her back. This is NOT OKAY. I’m about to go wake everyone up in this palace. Who does she think she is?” I was extremely fired up.

She stopped picking up the glass and walked over to me.

“We are NOT telling Dom. I didn’t come here to make enemies, I probably shouldn’t have said anything anyways. It’s my stupid temper.”

I wasn’t going to let her blame herself. Sure, I wasn’t there when it happened, but in the one day I had gotten to know Emma, I knew she would not do something unprovoked. And she most definitely would not stoop so low as to put glass in someone’s bed.

“Are you kidding me? You are not the one with the temper. You are NOT THE ONE PUTTING FREAKING GLASS IN PEOPLE’S BEDS,” I shouted.

I felt bad for yelling, but Emma understood that I wasn’t angry at her. I was angry at Sera.

Emma just sighed and said, “I know that’s… excessive. But look, if I just ignore it and her, she’ll back off.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed her, but I decided to let her have control of what happens. It was her fight, and as much as I wanted Sera to pay, I knew it was up to Emma really.

“Look, I’ll do whatever you tell me to do…It is your fight. BUT. If this happens again…I’m telling someone. I’ve officially known you for like what? A day? And I already can tell you are pretty much the best person here and you don’t deserve this,” I said to her.

She grinned at me and with a small smirk said, “Aw, love me that much already? I’m touched. But seriously, it’ll be fine.”

I laughed and said, “I’m just telling you that so you trust me and I can use your weaknesses against you” followed by a wink so she knew I was just joking.

She rolled her eyes sarcastically and responded with “So, strategic.”

“Oh yes, I know.” I dramatically flipped my hair and then added, “But, seriously if this happens again…”

“Trust me Maddie, if something happens again I’ll let you loose,” She smiled.

It got quiet, not an awkward quiet, but a peaceful quiet. Emma was the first to break the silence. “You got pretty intense there,” she spoke with a small laugh.

I sighed and looked at her. Was I ready to tell her all about my childhood when I only knew her for a day?

Yes, I decided.

If I got that upset with how someone treated her, I was for sure that I could trust her. Maybe I was wrong, and maybe Karina’s be bold thing was stupid. But, just like in my poem, if I don’t walk out of this selection with at least one friend, then I did something wrong. And if I want a friend, well, that means opening up a little.

“Sorry, it’s just that back home I only had friends that were fives and sixes and sevens and since none of us went to school, we got picked on by the upper castes. People can pick on me all they want, but mess with my friends? That’s another story.”

It was so dumb. As a five, I was homeschooled along with the rest of my siblings and a lot of my friends were too. Education is definitely the breaking point in the caste system. It’s the reason that there is such a big difference between a four and a five. People never understand why fives and down were the “low castes”…why not six and down? It’s all because of education opportunities. And the kids and the upper castes thought that was funny for some reason.

“Which is why you’re such a great friend! But trust me, I know exactly what you mean about being picked on,” she smiled at me.

“Thanks! You are a really great friend. I’m going to have to find a way to get more Polaroid film since we’ve used like all of it on the first day,” I laughed.

“Right?” She laughed back, but then added, “But you know… I also feel bad about what happened with Sera. Who knows, maybe she’s like that for a reason?”

“Still, that definitely doesn’t give her a reason to do…” I paused and pointed at the mess on the bed, “this. How did we miss this when we sat down anyways?”

She looked curiously at the bed and then back at me and let out a laugh “I have no idea. She’s good, that one,”

“More like evil,” I snarled with a scoff.

After that we both decided to move on and focus on the positives of today. We went through some of our pictures and edited them. It was a lot of fun to just chill with another photographer and talk about our pictures. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was that there was someone so similar to me here.

When we had gone through a couple, I could barely keep my eyes open, so I headed back to my room. Today had been one heck of a first day, and to be honest, I have no idea how to feel about it. The nerves were still there, but I also had this sense of calming relief over me. All I knew now was that I needed to sleep, because tomorrow I would meet Prince Dominic, which meant this whole thing was about to get rolling.

After all this time of my siblings messing with me and saying that I would be one of the selected, here I was. And boy is it so much more complicated than I thought.

[thea-silver-blog]

Hi. I'm going to call you Silver! Theia:)

That’s fair

I love your name by the way. At least yours is a goddess. Mine is after my grandmother, Althea

Can I call you Huntley?

[calistapledger]

The Breakfast Club [I recently got into the habit of making name edits; inspired by @escallus she isn't making anymore but feel free to ask me @skylars-selection and it would be better to IM me about it. Anyways I made this for the little group Cal had while she was in the Palace. I placed the names in order of when she met them; Dev was the first and so on. I hope y'all like it: @devonmuerner @theiahuntley @madelynknightoftheselection @ariciaeast @debbieker @emmalynatwood @isabellafaulkner @aikoellis]

[hyacinth-pierce]

The Report Ep 2 (5/7)

We’re back! Now it’s time to find out where the ladies think they stand in this Selection: the top, the middle, or the bottom. Let’s just go down the line and see where everyone thinks they belong.

Berklee Boyer: I'm thinking I'll be in the middle or towards the top.

Fiona Rossi: Bottom.

Finley Gansey: I think I'll be somewhere in the middle. I haven't really stood out much, so I'm not really expecting anything major to happen on either end.

Devon Muerner: Probably in the middle.

Jyn Song: Oh, I don't know... *laughs* "Somewhere in the middle" maybe.

Aricia East: Ooh, I dont know... I, like all the other girls, am hoping to be in the top 5, but all will be revealed on the report, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Melody Nolan: I’m always on top, of course.

Evadne Leventhorpe: If I were to be honest, I think I'd put myself somewhere in the middle, I could never be too confident with my place in the rankings. But here's to wishful thinking that I still stay in the top! *laughs*

Kat Dempsey: Oh damn, haven't really thought about it. Middle or something.

Annelise Newstone: Well, I can't know for sure, but I think I am in the top.

Isabella Faulkner: Of course I hope to be in the top group. But I have heard other girls talk about their dates and their ideas and if I take that into consideration I might not make the cut and be in the middle group. But who knows? I'll just wait and let Prince Dom surprise me again.

Debbie Varker: Hmm... top 5! Why not? *chuckles*

Emmalyn Atwood: I don't think I'll be in the top 5, either in the middle or bottom. I'm just not sure which.

Alright, so let’s have you all come out and stand in groups based on where you think you belong. So on the left we’ll have the top group, on the right is the bottom, and then in the middle we have the middle. So let’s see where everyone thinks they belong:

Top:

Melody Nolan Annelise Newstone Debbie Varker Aricia East

Middle:

Berklee Boyer Finley Gansey Devon Muerner Jyn Song Evadne Leventhorpe Kat Dempsey Isabella Faulkner Emmalyn Atwood

Bottom:

Fiona Rossi Theia Huntley

Well, clearly some of you must be wrong, since there should be 5 in the top and bottom and only 4 in the middle. But we’ll wait for after the commercial break, when we’ll bring out Dom himself to confirm or deny your placements!

[hyacinth-pierce]

The Report Ep 2 (6/7)

Alright let’s finally bring out our special guest star! Prince Dom! It’s so good to see you again.

Dom Schreave: It’s good to see you again, too, Hyacinth.

So we were wondering if you could let us know who’s right and who’s wrong about their placement here. Just a reminder to you and our fans, this is where everyone believed themselves to be:

Top:

Melody Nolan Annelise Newstone Debbie Varker Aricia East

Middle:

Berklee Boyer Finley Gansey Devon Muerner Jyn Song Evadne Leventhorpe Kat Dempsey Isabella Faulkner Emmalyn Atwood

Bottom:

Fiona Rossi Theia Huntley

So can you tell us what the placements really are?

Dom Schreave: Well, I haven’t done any puzzles for the girls in a while, so I think I’ll do the placements by a series of riddles, and then after the next commercial break we can show the answers. How does that sound?

I’d say that sounds very “you”, Your Highness. So what are your riddles?

Dom Schreave: Here they are. 

1. They say seeing life through a lens is distorted, but the photographer knows where she’s supposed to be.

2. There’s no honor in being wrong. If honor is your “thing”, take a step to your left.

3. If your initials (including first, middle, or last name) include  the 7th letter of the alphabet, step all the way to the right.

4. Whether or not they’ve won awards for acting, both actresses deserve an award for knowing their correct group.

5. If your province begins with a letter that is after “S”, stay exactly where you are.

6. There are two farm girls left in this Selection, and unfortunately they’re both going to have to plow their way out of the bottom group to stay in this Selection.

7. The Selected with the shortest full name belongs in the top group.

8. Your initials make it sound like you’ve got far to go, but in reality, you should stay exactly where you are.

9. (This one applies to several girls, so this riddle should be done last) Two girls whose last names begin with letters next to each other in the alphabet should switch places.

Thank you Prince Dom for those fun riddles. Well, let’s have a bit of a longer commercial break to give you all some time to figure it out. Post your guesses about who the riddles are about and tag the Report! We’ll reblog your guesses and be back in 15 minutes so Dom can reveal the answers! I know I can’t wait to see!

[hyacinth-pierce]

Welcome back! Let’s start out with a few more for our game. Stacey Barret, how would you describe Prince Dom in three words?

Stacey: Confident, intriguing, and kind.

Okay, and Emmalyn Atwood?

Emmalyn: Unsettling, funny, and polite.

How can someone be unsettling and polite at the same time? Oh well. Hmm... who to talk to next. Melody! I almost didn’t see you there. Ah, Melody, my dear, it’s so good to see you again. I haven’t seen you since what, Thanksgiving?

Melody: Yeah, something like that. It’s so good to see you, too.

My question for you, and I know a lot of people have had the same question, is: why did you call your group the Bitch Squad? You all seem like lovely girls.

Melody: I honestly chose it because I was mad at Diana, sorry. She was just forcing this whole Selection thing on me and aggravating me, and telling me to form a group of girls as an alliance, so I just did it. Also I knew most of the girls in the group would be labelled as bitches whether we acted like it or not, so why not brand ourselves as such and show that we don’t care what people call us, we just care about what we think of ourselves.

Brilliant darling, absolutely astounding as always. Even before this Selection thing, you’ve always seemed like a Queen in my mind. Anyway, how about Theia Huntley? So Theia, word on the street is you’re the resident expert on potatoes. What do you think of that title?

Theia: I’m proud of it. Queen of Illea or not, I’ll definitely be Queen of Potatoes.

Well, there you have it, folks. All hail the Queen of Potatoes! Alright one more, and this one I’ve been pretty excited about lately. Annette Martel! There you are. One of my viewers sent these in to me saying I had to give them to you on the show. They’re castanets with pasta on them--pastanets. Apparently the viewer thought you would appreciate them.

Annette: I do appreciate them very much, tell them thank you. I’m extremely grateful for it.

When we get back, let’s hear from some of the quiet girls of the Selection! Just because they’re quiet doesn’t mean they’re boring. Well... not necessarily.

[hyacinth-pierce]

Alright we’re back! Now we heard some of the girls describe Prince Dom already, but let’s take a break from that. I want to talk specifically to some of our lovely ladies. Let’s see... who to start with? Ruby Stones! Ruby, you’ve often been in the spotlight for your gymnastics, is it different being in the spotlight for the Selection?

Ruby: Definitely. As a gymnast the judges and the people behind the scenes are keeping track of every move I make and hundreds of little athletes around the country are looking up at me, which puts a lot of pressure on me during my performances. So the lack of “spotlight” being direct at me in the Selection is kind of a relieve, I can adapt to life at the palace without being as closely watched as the other girls.

Huh, one might think there would be more pressure now, since you’re a candidate for Queen as opposed to just an athlete. Oh well. Let’s go back to our other question. Describe the prince in three words. Melody? How about you?

Melody: Flirty, fantastic, fun *winks*

Haha, good old Melody. I love you, girl. Alright, Theia Huntley?

Theia: Down-to-earth, friendly, and nice.

Down to Earth? Dom? Are you sure we’ve met the same prince? Alright one more... how about Devon Muerner?

Devon: Likes curtain rods.

I’m sorry... did you say curtain rods? Can you explain?

Devon: I told him that I was here for the curtain rods above all else, and he agreed that they’re rather lovely.

Well, alright then. Stay tuned after the breaks, everyone. We’re going to get to the bottom of the Leventhorpe Scandal and how the lovely Lady Evadne has been handling it all! We’ll be right back!

[domschreave]

Practice Challenge 1 Results

Please don’t hate me. These scores don’t affect your place in the Selection in any way, but they let you know what I think of your writing skills as of now. Dom’s opinion doesn’t necessarily factor into these scores; I tried to be as objective as possible.

Nina Ivanenko: 7.5

Margarita Acosta Cruz: 7

Cameron Nicholls: 8.5

Marifer Rivera: 7

Sera Chamberlaine: 9

Olivia Palacio: 7

Annette Martel: 9.5

Meme Antoineen: 3

Aiko Ellis: 6.5

Melody Nolan: 9.5

Thea Silver: 6.5

Jyn Song: 8

Theia Huntley: 8.5

Emmalyn Atwood: 8

Isabella Faulkner: 8

Annelise Newstone: 8.5

Stacey Barret: 7.5

Madalena Cruz: 9

Evadne Leventhorpe: 7.5

Berklee Boyer: 7.5

Debbie Varker: 7

Madelyn Knight: 6.5

Charlotte Bane: 8

Felicity Broussard: 6

Fiona Rossi: 8

Ruby Stones: 8

Kat Dempsey: 7.5

Aricia East: 7

Calista Ledger: 7

Ingrid Liljedahl: 6.5

I should have the next challenge prompt up in a few minutes. Let me know if you have any questions about anything

[domschreave]

Practice Challenge 2

Practice challenge 1 was great everyone!!! And now we’re continuing on with the Selection.

This challenge will not count against you in the actual Selection and is optional. This challenge may replace another challenge you are going to miss. (Real challenges will start near the end of the month.) You can use anything to fulfill this challenge (edits, gifs, fics, etc.)

RP’s with other members of the Selection is not required for this challenge, but is highly recommended.

Prompt: Arriving in Angeles

How was your send-off from your home province?

Who did you meet on the plane? (see below for plane assignments)

How was your makeover? Was anything drastically changed about you?

How are you feeling about this adventure?

Plane Assignments:

Plane 1: Meme Antoineen, Ingrid Liljedahl, Annette Martel, Thea Silver, Isabella Faulkner

Plane 2: Emmalyn Atwood, Aricia East, Finley Gansey, Cameron Nicholls, Evadne Leventhorpe

Plane 3: Giselle Langford, Nina Ivanenko, Florence Steinmann, Jyn Song, Ruby Stones

Plane 4: Debbie Varker, Madelyn Knight, Devon Muerner, Theia Huntley, Aiko Ellis

Plane 5: Madalena Cruz, Fiona Rossi, Margarita Acosta Cruz, Calista, Marifer Rivera

Plane 6: Charlotte Bane, Sera Chamberlaine, Felicity Broussard, Berklee Boyer, Annelise Newstone

Plane 7: Olivia Palacio, Kat Dempsey, Stacey Barret, Crystal Tomlinson, Melody Nolan

You will have two (2) weeks to complete this task, and there will be more to follow. This challenge will close Monday, June 19th.

All posts should be made to your OC blog and tagged with #selectionoc, as well as reblogged to the net. If you ask for feedback, it will be given privately. Good luck and have fun!

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

[theiahuntley-blog]

Challenge 1

“Okay you can open your eyes now, my Lady.” Adaline said as I felt her step away from me. I giggle nervously and do as told.

“Oh my potatoes.” I whispered as I stared at the girl in front of me. She has long dark hair pulled back into a messy tight bun, wearing one of the prettiest dresses I’d ever seen. The top was semi-translucent, covered with diamonds, beads and lace while the bottom was a simple white high-low skirt with a trail.

“You don’t like it, do you? Mel, I told you we should’ve gone with a more grand dress.” Sidney cried, biting her nails nervously.

“No, girls. This is gorgeous! I love it!” I laughed as I hug each of my maids tightly.

“Do a twirl, my lady, and let us see how you look!” Mel suggested as they all moved away to allow space for me. I rolled my eyes and twirled as I felt my skirt fly gently.

“Lovely.” Ada gushed. “The Prince would notice you from afar!”

“Well, I don’t know about that. You know, I haven’t exactly been as attention-catching as some of the girls…” I mumbled, pursing my red-painted lips together.

“Which makes you special. Talk to him and dance with him! He’ll be sure to remember you.” Sidney reassured me with a smile.

“You’re right. I will do just that! Maybe not the dance part though-”

“My lady, I heard that you can get a guard to dance with you first and practice.” Mel piped up.

“Alright then, I better get going. I think most of the girls have arrived.” I sighed as I started walking towards the door.

“WAIT!” Ada suddenly cried. She rushed over, holding something in her hand and some wipe in another. Before I could respond, she wiped my lipstick off and applied new ones.

“Perfect.” She said as Mel ran to show me a mirror. They had painted my lips in some sort of purple color instead of the original red.

“It matches your look more.” Ada explained. I smiled and hugged all of them again as I walked out of the door into the ball.

--------

I met up with some girls as I arrived the ball and we started chatting the minute we met up. Introductions came first as we took turns introducing ourselves. As we chatted on, I started feeling a bit thirsty so I excused myself to grab some drinks. The food and drinks offered at the ball looked amazing. I never imagined there could be some many different kinds of dessert and drinks. So I stared at the drinks, trying to decide which one to try.

“I’d try the fruit punch.” a voice came from behind me.

“What?” I replied, confused, turning around. I come face to face with a guard. He was tall, with brown hair and blue eyes.

“You are trying to choose a drink, right? I’d choose the fruit punch. It’s delicious.” He explained.

“Oh, oh right. Of course! Thank you!” I smiled as I took a glass of it. I took a sip and walked back to the girls. “Have you guys tried this fruit punch? It’s the best.” I laughed.

“No, I haven’t yet. I should get some though, does someone else want some?” Isabella asked. Some shook their heads so she just went to get her own.

“So… I spilled some on myself. Oops this is why you don’t trust a blind girl to get drinks. Thank god Isla made this dress water- well juice proof in this case and the color matches my dress.”

“Aww yes, it does! Nice!” I commented.

“That’s pretty handy, Cal.” Emmalyn laughed.

“I know! Isla is a godsend, are you all having fun?” Cal asked.

“Definitely. This ball is… incredible.” Emmalyn replied.

“Never seen something like this before.” I smiled. We continued chatting until some girls went to dance and chat with others so I decided it was time to practice dancing. I found the guard who offered me the fruit punch and decided he could be my teacher.

“Hey you. Mr fruit punch.” I said, walking towards him.

“Ahh, if it isn’t Lady Theia Drinks.” He laughed.

“How do you know my name?” I teased. “Stalkerish, much?” He gave me a look and I laughed.

“Do you dance? I’m not really good at this and I thought maybe you can help me out again?” I asked with a smile.

“Well it happens that I do.” He smiled, holding out a hand. “May I have this dance, my Lady?”

“Yes.” I answered as I let him lead me to the dance floor. He guided me gently and entertained me with his stories of his dancing lessons while I laughed and learnt. I stepped on his foot once or twice but he was nice enough to not let it show and by the third dance, I was finally starting to get a hang of it.

“I did it!” I laughed as we finished the dance. “Think I’m qualified enough to dance with the Prince?”

“Um. Yeah, sure. Totally.” He replied a few seconds later.

“I’m not, am I?” I groaned.

“No! You did amazing. It’s just I’m a bit hungry after dancing so much. I think I’ll go grab some food. Good luck, my lady.” He replied in a weird voice, walking away immediately.

“Thank you?” I answered, confused. I shook it away as I spotted the little princess drinking some juice. I walked to her and bowed.

“Your highness. You look lovely! I love the dress”

“Thank you!!!” She giggled.

“I don't think we've officially met. I'm Theia Huntley.” I said as I sat down next to her.

“Hello!!!! I'm Callie!!” She replied.

“Hi. So how's the ball for you? Are you having fun?” I smiled.

“Yes! It's so much fun!!! You're having fun, too, right?” She asked.

“Yup! Have you tried the food? It's so delicious!” I answered. “Yeah it is!! And the flowers in the decorations are so pretty!!” She gushed happily, making my smile grow wider.

“I especially love the purple ones.” I whispered with a wink.

“Me too!!! Purple is my favorite color!!” She cried excitedly.

“So I've heard.” I laughed. “Purple is one of my favorites as well! So have you danced?”

“A little.”

“Only a little? Well, here's a secret. I haven't been dancing much as well.” I replied.

“Why not?”

“Well I don't really know ballroom dancing... I'm a farmer. I ace at line dance and others, but ballroom dance is something I really need to work on…” I laughed awkwardly.

“It's not that hard. I'm sure you could find a guard who would help you.” the Princess replied.

“There is. I've danced a bit with him and at least now I know the steps... but I'm nervous. I wanna dance with the Prince, but I just…” I paused, sighing. “I just know I'll step on his foot or mess something up and he'll hate me forever and send me away. I'm sorry to bother you about that…”

“I'm sure you'll do great!!” She encouraged me.

“You know what? You're right. I'll be fine.” I took a deep breath. “Yup! I'm going to find the Prince now. Wish me luck, your highness! I hope we can chat and have some fun another time!” I smiled and hugged Princess Callie.

“Ok Bye!!” She replied, hugging back. We pulled away and I grabbed a champagne and walked to find Prince Dom, who happened to be standing alone. I took a sip of the drink and walked up to him.

“Hello, your highness.” I bowed.

“Hello.”

“Never thought I'd see you standing alone at such a large ball!” I teased.

“I just got a break, I guess. I've been talking to people almost the entire night.” He answered truthfully.

“Oh I see. Well I'll try my best to make this conversation light and not tiring.” I paused as I raised my champagne glass. “For your benefit.”

“Thanks.” He replied, raising his own glass as well.

I can’t do this. I’m so nervous.

Especially after the eliminations. Ten girls gone already. I really hope I won’t be the next one to go.

“Well I just chatted with uh your sister, Callie. She's adorable. It must nice to have a little sister.” I smiled awkwardly.

“She's not my sister, she's my cousin, but yeah. She's pretty great to have around.” He replied.

Oh my potatoes.

“Oh ff- I mean, oh God. Great just great. I get all worked up about talking to you and I finally grow some balls to come and talk to you, trying to act all confident and everything. First minute in and I fxcked up. I'd understand if you hate me.” I started babbling. I shook my head. “Why did I even say sister? Just because I treat my cousins as brothers doesn't mean everyone does that. Stupid Theia.”

“Umm... don't worry about it... it's fine.”

“Please don't hate me. I did not know what I was talking about... I'll just shut up now.” I replied hastily.

Why do I always have to screw things up?

I’m so stupid.

“I don't... hate you.” the Prince replied. I felt myself relax.

“Thank god. You know what, can we forget what happened? I mean, I did promise I'll make this conversation not tiring.”

“Right. Sure.”

I smiled and forced myself to be more confident.

“I admire you, you know? You are so good at this. Talking to all these people.” I commented as I gestured to the crowd around us.

“You get used to it.” He replied with a shrug.

“I guess you're right. So how are you, really? I've heard all these rumors and stuff about you…” I asked. “I mean it must not be easy to get used to so many rumors and drama.”

“What kind of rumors?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Oh no, what kind of rumors?

“Well, for one, you’re not real.” I replied.

“Right. Of course.”

“Right?” I laughed. “As in you’re really not real?”

“I mean I think the comment was meant more that the person couldn't believe I was real because they didn't favor my personality.” He explained, taking a sip of his champagne.

“Well I can't believe you're real because you didn't seem like that much of a bad guy as you seem to be.” I replied truthfully.

“Wait.” He paused. “ Are you saying you think I am a bad guy?”

“No.” I replied, trying to stop myself from laughing as he looked so taken back. “I meant before meeting you. You seem kinda irresponsible and stuff. But after meeting you and the interview and this. You seem nice and down-to-earth! A bit over confident, but hey! At least I risked making a guard angry at me just to practice dancing with you.” I giggled at the thought of the angry guard just now. His expression softened and I could see a ghost of a smile forming.

“Ah, so you've seen the error in your thoughts and see that I'm not some horrible villain. Good. At least you admit that your thoughts were wrong. Unlike some others…” He trailed off.

“Well it's always been my motto to be nice and like everyone before meeting them. But I'll take that as a compliment.” I replied, before bowing dramatically. “Thank you very much.” “Uh... you're welcome.”

“I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do this... but can we dance? I didn't make a guard angry for nothing haha.” I suddenly said.

Did I just say that. I’m screwed.

“Of course.” He replied easily, offering his hand. My eyes widened for a second, but I quickly composed myself. We danced and I told him about line dancing while he told me about his hobbies. When the song ended, I was still light-headed from spending time with the prince.

“Oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't step on you once!” I laughed as we stepped off the dance floor. “I gotta go thank that angry guard! Thank you for your time. I hope you have a great night.”

“You too.” He replied with a smile.

And that was how the first ball I, Theia Nina Huntley, has ever attended went. And I guess I’d describe it as awkward (on my part), lots of fun and amazing.