Royal 2 (Book two in my Selection series)

Chapter 3

At James's house, any time anyone would come over they would fix some sort of snack dish. I'd brought my brother over and sat on the couch with him on one side of me and James on the other. My uncle was at work, but Kathy sat knitting in an armchair beside of us.

All our eyes snap to the television when Gavril Fadaye starts to speak.

"Hello everyone of Illéa! Today we will be focusing in on upcoming Selection! As we all know today we will be figuring out who will be fighting for our young Prince's heart by just next week!" He starts. "But first lets talk to the man of the hour, Prince William!"

The camera zooms outward to show the prince sitting in a velvet seat. Prince William favored the Queen in his looks quite a lot. They had the same brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was tall and lean, which he mostly got from his father, and seemed confident wherever you caught him. 

"So, William, what are your thoughts on the Selection?" Gavril asks.

"Well, I hope I'm as lucky as my parents. I don't believe in any difference between the castes, beauty, or background. So I hope I don't show any bias during this." He says confidently.

"You are right on that one. So are you ready to figure out who the girls are?" The reporter asks.

"Of course." The Prince smiles and says. I feel a small hand squeeze into mind and I smile and look down at Colton.

Pictures of girls flash before the screen as Gavril announces it.

"Zoey Day, Faith Hunt, Lydia Sargent, Melanie Grey, Autumn Meadows." I was take aback by the sound of my name in an unfamiliar mouth and looked up to see my picture. I automatically sit up straighter than I had before and my eyes widen in confusion. I heard the sound of Kathy's knitting tools drop to the floor and her excited gasps.

"Oh Autumn!" She says happily. Before, I felt bad for being happy and I was ashamed to want to leave so bad, but after seeing Kathy I couldn't help but smile with joy. I looked down at Colton and he was smiling too. I look over at James and he had a smirk on his face ñ.

"I told you you should do it." James says with a satisfied smirk on his face. I roll my eyes and stand up to hug an overly excited Kathy.

"Oh I'm so excited for you darling." She hugs me tightly. "I'll come over tomorrow to help you pack, but you better get back to your Mama."

"Thank you, Kathy." I smile back at her and return to Colton. "Let's get home lil' buddy." I pick him up and hug James and Kathy before leaving. On the walk home I was petrified with thoughts racing through my head.

The young neighbor, Kiera greets me as soon as I step in the door. Her mouth was stretched in a smile and she wraps her arms around me.

"You're going to meet the prince, Autumn!" I smile as she pulls back. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you Kiera." I say happily. "I'm nervous about it but I hope everything goes well."

"Me too. I'm going to get home, but I wish you all the luck in the world." Kiera darts around me and walks with a bounce to her step next door. Kiera was probably fourteen or fifteen and even though she lived in bad conditions every  day, she stayed happy and hopeful.

"I'm sorry I have to leave you." I mutter to Colton. "If you tell me now that you don't want me to go, I won't. I'll find a way to stay." I sit him on the ground and squat to his level.

Colton looks down for a minute and then back up at me. He smiles and shakes his head.

"So it's okay if I go? You won't get mad at me?" I ask with a heavy weight dragging at my heart. He shakes his head no again. "I love you." I say and kiss his hair through a smile. "Go get ready for bed."

I walk over to my mom who sits in her rocking chair fiddling with her fingers.

"Did you hear that Ma?" I ask her with a smile. "I'm going to the palace. I'm in the Selection." A part of me wanted her to stand up and wrap her arms around me like she would've done when I was a kid. She used to get excited about the idea of me joining Prince Williams Selection. She knew we were the same age and had looked forward to it ever since. Now she wasn't here to get excited. "Let's get to bed."

I help her get into the bed and get in the bed myself. I lay down beside of Colton in my thin pants and tank top.

"While I'm gone, we get money the longer I stay. So maybe we can get you that bike you wanted." I whisper to him and smile. He grins and nods. The bike was small, and still had training wheels. He was probably too small for it now, but he would grow into it in a few years. "Goodnight. I love you. Get some sleep because tomorrow is going to be a big big day."