Second - The Selection x HP/HL

𝑨𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒂

Okay. I know you've probably read Kiera Cass' version of The Selection. America doesn't love Maxon, as she's still in love with Aspen. Against all odds - she slowly falls head over heels with the prince, ultimately living happily ever after with four kids in a gorgeous palace.

This is not that same story. Yes it does involve a Selection, it does involve a prince. I did not know it would involve magic.

My name is Amara, Amara Elisabeth Cortez, and this is my story of how I found my home. 

My life was partly not as different as America's. We were both born Fives. She was a musician, but I could connect more with Maxon. Except Kiera got the name for the kingdom wrong. Illéa? Instead of the United States? I wouldn't dream of messing with the United States. This story takes place in Europe, in a country named Sarreillan. The castes system however, she got that totally on point.

For as long as I could remember, my father had been a photographer. He started out small, taking family portraits, landscapes, sometimes we were fortunate enough to be hired for a wedding. We weren't rich, but my father and I had each other, and that was enough for us. I felt loved, I felt like a princess, even though I didn't have a castle, countless servers and a fortune that would excuse us from ever working again. All I missed was my mother that had met another man and had moved across the country.

I never understood what exactly happened between the two of them, but then again, I was maybe five or six when they separated. Father always told me she simply fell in love with another man. I still remember I couldn't understand that. In all fairytale stories, everyone lived happily ever after. When time passed, I slowly made peace with the situation. My father made sure I wouldn't miss anything. Sometimes I think he tried to make up for the failure of his marriage, but I never blamed him for anything. Maybe he would find someone else as well. I knew all it took was one chance for life to drastically change.

My father got that chance when he was hired by a couple that decided to get married in Kenya. With a few days between arrival and the wedding, he took a now world-famous shot of a hunting lioness during a safari, a bucketlist-item he had since he was young himself. I could tell you all that happened after, but I know that's not what you're here for. If I sum it up, that single shot made us enough money to make us Two's.

You have to understand when you climb the social ladder, your whole life changes. Suddenly I wasn't able to wear my comfy baggy jeans outside, as my father was a celebrity and the press was always on the lookout for pictures of me and my father. A personal stylist made sure we both looked as if we had stepped right out of a magazine. We started wearing couture, every strand of hair we wore in perfect shape. We moved into a different home in a different neighbourhood, started a very different diet in comparison to the one we had when we were Fives. We looked fitter, healthier, happier. And now I had the total freedom to do whatever I wanted with my life.

I hate to break it, but I was totally lost. I was a fair singer, not too ugly, knew to play a piano, could take some pictures with a camera, even tried acting once, but I never stood out. And it made me wonder where my place was in the world. Would I find what I was made - destined - for in this world?

My chance at a different life came on a regular Tuesday morning, at the start of June, which was not nearly as spectacular as my father's safari. It was to my surprise I found Rosalina sitting on the couch in the living room. I looked at the clock and it was before 9 AM. What was she doing here? Rosalina never left her side of the bed before the clock announced it was noon. Something was up. Otherwise she never would have left her bed.

Just FYI: Rosalina is my fathers girlfriend. Not that she's very good at it. She's self-absorbed, but she originally comes from the slums in Latin America. I'd say her pretty face is the one thing that got her here. She moved here several months ago, and I can't say we get along very nicely, but my father is happier than ever since my mother left. That means I have to deal with it.