Chosen: A Selection Fanfiction

Unrealistic Perfection

"Elliot!" Rowan burst through my bedroom door. "Elliotelliotelliot!"

I stuff my head under my pillow, which does absolutely nothing to block out Rowan's chants.

"Ell, come on." I hear Sage say. "You know Rowan won't stop until you wake up."
"I won't!" Rowan says persistently. "Elliot, you won't believe this."

I finally sit up. "Believe what?"

"I won't tell you until you're dressed and out of bed." She says in a sing-song voice. I look over at her. She's at the end of my bed, her strawberry blonde bob in pretty curls, in a white day dress covered in lace, with a simple red sash and matching little red pumps.

"You've got to be kidding me."
"She's not." Sage grumbles. She has her curls straightened today, and is wearing a gorgeous emerald green day dress with black heels. "She did the exact same thing with me. Wake up, Sage! I have unbelievable news, Sage! And once I got up and got dressed, she insisted she couldn't tell me without you. Honestly."

I roll out of bed. "Rowan Engler, I swear"-

"Just hurry up! This is important!" She insists.

"Fine. Give me a couple minutes."
Sage and Rowan leave my room, but I can still hear their voices in the corridors – Rowan's excited exclamations, Sage's frustrated yet fond responses. Sarah, Grace, and Alice are nowhere to be found, so I simply rummage through my closet until I find an adorable white day dress patterned with yellow flowers in the very back. I'd never seen it before. I dress in that, along with white heels that are higher than what I normally wear. I then quickly braid my hair the way Juliet used to, in a crown braid above my forehead.

Juliet. I still hadn't written. I feel a pang of guilt, but ignore it. I'll write to Juliet, Beckham, and my parents tonight.

I walk into the hall and Rowan hops up and down when she sees me. "Are you guys ready?"
"Yes!" Sage and I chorus.

"Okay. Adrian is dismissing, like, seventeen girls today." She informs us in a hushed tone.

My eyes widen and my jaw drops. Sage's expression matches mine.
"Why?"
Rowan shrugs. "I don't know. But there are only ten of us left. Adrian's supposed to make the announcement at breakfast today."
"How do you know this?" Sage asks suspiciously. I nod, encouraging Rowan to continue.

She shrugs again. "I overheard my maids discussing it this morning."

I guess Sage thinks this is a suitable response, because she drops the subject. Instead, she asks, "Do you know who's left?"

"I told you, Adrian is announcing everything this morning."
"Let's go down to breakfast, then."

I nod in agreement, and we head down the stairs. Do the sudden eliminations have anything to do with Elodie being sick? Why were so many girls eliminated?
Was I one of them?

oOo

We head down for breakfast ten minutes later. All of the girls come down quickly – their maids must have sent them down, because I swear half of these girls eat breakfast in the Women's Room instead.

This is similar to our first meal at the palace. The long mahogany table is dressed with draping maroon tablecloths that are velvety soft, silky table runners, and fine china and silverware. I sit sandwiched between Rowan and Sage. While we wait for the royals to join us, Rowan amuses herself by running her hands back and forth over the soft, luxurious fabrics decorating the table. Sage rolls her eyes when she notices.
"I feel like I'm babysitting when we hang out with her." She whispers to me. I giggle.