The Selection without America?

The Task

America's POV

Kamber is getting sicker and sicker by the day. I can't think straight anymore. My best friend might die and I can't do anything about it. It is in the doctors hands right now and most of them didn't even know Kamber was still in the palace only a handful of them.

I was in the women's room talking with Marlee and filling her in on everything that is happening with Kamber. Marlee then tried to talk about something else to take my mind off of Kamber. Other selected were in the room as well some were playing board games others were watching tv and then only a few were writing letters to their families. Queen Amberly sat quietly in the corner reading a magazine with her face on the cover.

A knock came at the door and Queen Amberly got up to go check Who it was. It the guard that stood watch over the women's room.

The guard cleared his throat and began to speak. "My I introduce into the women's room Prince Maxon." Queen Amberly moves gracefully out of the doorway so she wouldn't block her son from entering the room.

"Hello selected." Maxon looks around the room at each of the girls.

Maxon gets greeted by a bunch of hello(s) and Hi(s) from the bunch of girls in the room.

"I believe that all the girls are here in this room which is fantastic." He smiles and his eyes still roam the room. When his eyes meet mine they stop for a moment or two and I swear his smile gets bigger.

"Maxon sweetheart please get on with the announcement you are boring the girls to death." Queen Amberly said jokingly.

"Okay Okay Mother I'm right on that. As you may have figured out already America is going to be replacing Lady Kamber in the selection for the representative from Carolina. So please give her a warm welcome. So in other news this will be your first task." Maxon starts. Girls around Marlee and I gasp and giggle.

"You will be able to pick your partner. You and your partner will each come up with a party theme for the New Asia party Illéa is throwing next week. Each team of two will get some information about what New Asia likes and what they dislike. Please note EVERYTHING. This party or shall I say get together is very important for Illéa." Maxon goes on. "Please tell your groups to Officer Mason by 4:00 tonight. Then one of the two people from each group please go down to my office and pick up the packet of information you will need to complete the task. Also the winner of the task will obviously get to have their original idea as the theme of the New Asia get together. The losing team I'm sorry will have to leave. It has been narrowed down to only 20 of you girls. Good luck." Maxon smiles and leave the room with a wave of his hand.

Girls around the room gather in pairs of two around the room and start to gush how cute Maxon is. Marlee and I form our own group together and we both have no idea what we are going to do.

When 4:00 rolls around everyone is signed up into their own groups of two people. Each group gets a number. Marlee and I get the number 7.

"So do you want to go down to get the packet or should I?" I ask Marlee.

"Oh America do you even need to ask. That's such a dumb question. Of course your going. I'm clearly not." Marlee laughs. "Just get one extra thing for me while your down there." Marlee winks at me.

"What do you want me to get for you?" I ask sighing which makes her smile.

"Just tell me how the prince is doing and all. You know give me updates on your guys relationship status. Also promise me that I'll be the first to know when your relationship goes to "single but madly in love with each other" to "taken and madly in love with each other" Marlee laughs and swoons.

"Okay Okay You will be the first to know but let me tell you something. It's not probably going to work out. Remember there are 18 other girls here competing for his heart." I remind her.

"18? You mean 19?" Marlee asked confused.

"You're not competing for him I'm guessing. Well not really..." I fade away. I make sure to say it only loud enough for Marlee to hear me. I wouldn't want her getting booted from the palace. She was the only girl I felt like I could trust here.

~•~

Me and the nine other girls who won against their partner to go down to Maxon's office went down together. There were pretty weird ways how each pair did the deciding. Some did Rock Paper Scissors and some pulled stick others guessed a number and so on. While there was Marlee and me just agreeing that I'll be the one to go down.

Once we get to the office there is a piece of paper on the door. It read

Hello selected! Please come inside my office after you have read this piece of paper. I have a little plot twist for you. Each pair will not get the same envelope of information. So one group could have some of their favorite foods while the other could have some of the New Asian traditions. You may talk with the other groups but I would advice you not too if you all want to have a different idea for the party. Good luck to all of you and remember have fun!

Yours truly Maxon. See you inside!!

Most girls were gushing at how fancy his letters were or how exquisite he talks. I moved past their gushing and swooning and open the door. Inside I find a desk with Maxon seated behind it. He looks up right when the door clicks open.

"Hello selected." He looks straight at me. I couldn't tell if he was doing that because he likes me or if it was just because I was in front.

"Hello Prince Maxon" all the girls behind me cooed.

"Hey- I mean hello Prince Maxon" I tried to rise my voice as high as the other girls.

Maxon laughed at my failed attempt. "Okay so line up from group one to group ten please." He says and straightened out the manilla colored envelopes that were already pretty straight.

The girls and I lined up. Me being the seventh girl since I was team number seven. I heard the girls giggle and say their thanks to Maxon as he handed them their envelope and said good luck to them.

When it was my turn I tried to act pretty chill as he handed me my envelope with a big hashtag seven on the front.

"Good luck Lady America and your partner Lady Marlee." Maxon smiles at me.

I curtsied a little "thank you Prince Maxon." I say softly and I mentally high fives myself for getting it right for once.

Hello!! I hope you are enjoying the story so far! How do you think group 7 will do with the party planning? What information is inside the Envelope? Please comment and vote! The votes me so much to me and so do the comments I love reading all the nice comments and they are what motivate me!

My next post will be 5/4/18

Spoiler: We move ahead to when Maxon, The king, and the queen judge the themes the selected thought of.