*A story based on The Selection by Kira Cass*
The only escape form the world Alia is trapped in are her books. The has never been in one and never plans to, until she enters the selection and has a chance to win the Princes heart. Follow her journey...
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The grimey streets of Astrona, reked of the sour smell of rotting veg with a hint of minuer. This was a well known smell to Allia. Her home town always smelt like an old farmers market. The dim streetlights highlighted her path through the twist and turns, not that she needed any guidance. Allia had walked this very path ever since she was five. Her feet could not forget the way if they tried.
Coldness was a common occurrence and did not bother Allia on her way, as she did not wear a coat but only her thin dress. The bitter wind swept her golden hair into her face, she took no notice. Humming to herself Allia did not even look up from her book until she got to a worn old door. Before knocking three times, the book was quickly hidden underneath her apron.
"Allia your home" a spirited little girl with the same features as Allia exclaimed. "And I've got a surprise for you" Allia replies pulling a baked tart out of the pocket of the apron. "But you mustn't tell mother" Allia warned. Squealing in delight, the little girl quickly placed the tart into an apron of her own and nothing else was mention about the surprise. "How was work?" the little girl enquired, with a raise of an eyebrow as an attempt at a questioning look. Allia was unable to hold in her laugh at the tight express on the girls face, as she replied "same as usual Ellie". The hallway was lined with family photos from generations past, each stained and ripped but none the less valuable. The Welfords have occupied the house since the village was first built and have work for the local businesses to make ends meat. They have never been the wealthiest family, but they get through the tough times. Lights slowly flickered a couple times as Alia walked down the tight corridor. This happened a lot. The corridor opened up into a small kitchen where an older woman sat at a wooden table. Alia nodded to the women before she made her way towards the cupboard and started to pull odd ingredients out.
"How was work, Alia?", the women asked.
"Good mother" Alia replied, searching in her apron for her mother's daily payment. She felt the four coins between her fingers and walked to her mother.
"Only three?" the woman questioned.
"Yes mother only three today" alia replied returning to the kitchen counter, holding the hidden coin in her apron pocket.
"You have to stop being useless Alia, get a second job" her mother snapped.
"Yes mother", Alia paid no attention to her mother as these remarks were quite normal. Just as quickly dinner was prepared, it was consumed. The stew was a mix of the small quantity of vegetables in the cupboard. Soon enough it was time to watch the daily report. The Welford family gathered around the old television, sitting on an odd mixture of coloured mats and a beaten up arm chair.The report stared with the national anthem, as usual and continued with the king talking about all the current affairs. However today was a special day for Alia, as today was the one day each month that the queen read a book from the royal library. Sometimes it would be a history, other times a fairy tale. Alia did not care which genre the story fell in, but sat hanging on every word the queen said. This months book was a history of the Selecton. Queen Elizabeth talked with excitement about the rules and regulations of the selection, how the selected 35 girls must be of age and submit a form to be randomly picked. How a single girl would represent each main partition of Illea. The Queen described the payment the selected would receive for participating and the reward of winning the princes heart as their prize. The book had gained Alia's particular interest, as she had not seen a selection happen before. She could not possibly believe that anyone could be picked to stay in the castle and live like royalty. A chance to better their lives and the lives of their family.
When the hour was up Alia and her sister made their way upstairs to their shared room. Throughout the years Alia had added decorations to the room. It started with a string of woven wool she had found and braided, it now hung across the ceiling. Then she managed to get her hands on some paints and spent months painting a flower mural across the wall. As Alia traced the flowers with her fingertips she was reminded of the garden they once had, years in the past the garden was always abloom with flowers. Her mother would spend all her spare time tending to the flowers and her father had built her a shed to keep all her supplies. Now the shed had a leaking roof and was home to all sort of insects.
"Goodnight Ellie" Alia said as she tucked in her younger sister.
"Goodnight Alia".
***
The heat made sweat drip down Alia's forehead. she was used to the heat, but her friend was not.
"Ugh, Alia how do you deal with this heat I'm literally melting" the girl exclaimed as she slammed her hands down on the desk and started fanning herself with there apron.
"It's not that bad Alice" Alia giggled, but stopped once she saw the master entering the room. Mr.Haggins controlled all the girls that worked for him and could easily fire them for no reason. Upon seeing him Alice quickly got back to work. Alia kept kneading the dough she had prepared the day before as Alice filled the tarts. The windowless room made the day go quicker than expected. One the way home Alia used the time to read the next chapter in her book. Ali had the same routine every evening; get home, give Ellie a pastry from work, give her mother her wages (pocketing a coin for herself) , cook dinner and then watch the report.
Alia watched as the king talked politics, until the camera panned to the Prince. This caught Alia's attention, not only because he was undeniably handsome but mostly because the Prince had never spoken on the Report before. Of course he was on the Report daily, but he always sat next to the King, but never spoke. Alia noticed the slight crease in his forehead and the way his hand fidgited with his cufflinks, if she knew any better Alia would have thought the Prince was nervous. Alia had basically grew up with the prince. She would watch every Report, as the rules declared everyone must, and she had watched him grow. But never before had she heard him speak. Just as it looked like he was about to utter his first word the king spoke. He drawled on about the Princes studies and Alia soon lost interest. Prince Adam was wearing a navy blue suit with medals adorned on his chest, his brown eyes looked dull in comparison. The prince's hair had gone through some changes from curly blonde to straight brown. Now his hair was brunette with a few streaks of blonde.
Before long the Report was over and all of Illea was asleep.
