Kiera Cass - The Selection

When we got the letter in the post, my mother was ecstatic. She had alreadydecided that all our problems were solved, gone forever. The big hitch in herbrilliant plan was me. I didnt think I was a particularly disobedientdaughter, but this was where I drew the line.

I didnt want to be royalty. And I didnt want to be a One. I didnt even wantto try.

I hid in my room, the only place to avoid the chattering of our full house,trying to come up with an argument that would sway her. So far, I had a solidcollection of my honest opinions I didnt think there was a single one shewould listen to.

I couldnt avoid her much longer. It was approaching dinnertime, and as theoldest child left in the house, cooking duties fell on me. I pulled myself outof bed and walked into the snake pit.

I got a glare from Mom but no words.

We did a silent dance through the kitchen and dining room as we preparedchicken, pasta, and apple slices, and set the table for five. If I glanced upfrom a task, shed fix me with a fierce look as if she could shame me intowanting the same things she did. She tried that every so often. Like if Ididnt want to take on a particular job because I knew the family hosting uswas unnecessarily rude. Or if she wanted me to do a massive cleaning when wecouldnt afford to have a Six come and help.

Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didnt. And this was one area where I wasunswayable.

She couldnt stand it when I was stubborn. But I got that from her, so sheshouldnt have been surprised. This wasnt just about me, though. Mom had beentense lately. The summer was ending, and soon wed be faced with cold. Andworry.

Mom set down the pitcher of tea in the center of the table with an angry thud.My mouth watered at the thought of tea with lemon. But I would have to wait; itwould be such a waste to have my glass now and then have to drink water with mymeal.

Would it kill you to fill out the form? she said, no longer able to containherself. The Selection could be a wonderful opportunity for you, for all ofus.

I sighed aloud, thinking that filling out that form might actually be somethingclose to death.

It was no secret that the rebelsthe underground colonies that hated Illa, ourlarge and comparatively young countrymade their attacks on the palace bothviolent and frequent. Wed seen them in action in Carolina before. One of themagistrates houses was burned to the ground, and a handful of Twos had theircars vandalized. There was even a magnificent jailbreak once, but consideringthey only released a teenage girl whod managed to get herself pregnant and aSeven who was a father to nine, I couldnt help thinking they were in the rightthat time.

But beyond the potential danger, I felt like it would hurt my heart to evenconsider the Selection. I couldnt help smiling as I thought about all thereasons I had to stay exactly where I was.

These last few years have been very hard on your father, she hissed. If youhave any compassion at all, you might think of him.

Dad. Yeah. I really did want to help Dad. And May and Gerad. And, I supposed,even my mother. When she talked about it that way, there was nothing to smileabout. Things had been strained around here for far too long. I wondered if Dadwould see this as a way back to normal, if any amount of money could makethings better.

It wasnt that our situation was so precarious that we were living in fear ofsurvival or anything. We werent destitute. But I guess we werent that far offeither.

Our caste was just three away from the bottom. We were artists. And artists andclassical musicians were only three steps up from dirt. Literally. Our moneywas stretched as tight as a high wire, and our income was highly dependent onthe changing seasons.

I remembered reading in a timeworn history book that all the major holidaysused to be cramped into the winter months. Something called Halloween followedby Thanksgiving, then Christmas and New Years. All back to back.

Christmas was still the same. Its not like you could change the birth date ofa deity. But when Illa made the massive peace treaty with China, the New Yearcame in January or February, depending on the moon. All the individualcelebrations of thankfulness and independence from our part of the world werenow simply the Grateful Feast. That came in the summer. It was a time tocelebrate the forming of Illa, to rejoice in the fact that we were still here.

I didnt know what Halloween was. It never resurfaced.

So at least three times a year, the whole family would be fully employed. Dadand May would make their art, and patrons would purchase them as gifts. Mom andI would perform at partiesme singing and her on pianonot turning down asingle job if we could manage it. When I was younger, performing in front of anaudience terrified me. But now I just tried to equate myself to backgroundmusic. Thats what we were in the eyes of our employers: meant to be heard andnot seen.

Gerad hadnt found his talent yet. But he was only seven. He still had a littletime.

Soon the leaves would change, and our tiny world would be unsteady again. Fivemouths but only four workers. No guarantees of employment until Christmastime.

When I thought of it that way, the Selection seemed like a rope, something sureI could grab onto. That stupid letter could lift me out of the darkness, and Icould pull my family along with me.

I looked over at my mother. For a Five, she was a little on the heavy side,which was odd. She wasnt a glutton, and its not like we had anything toovereat anyway. Perhaps thats just the way a body looks after five children.Her hair was red, like mine, but full of brilliant white streaks. Those hadappeared suddenly and in abundance about two years ago. Lines creased thecorners of her eyes, though she was still pretty young, and I could see as shemoved around the kitchen that she was hunched over as if an invisible weightrested on her shoulders.

I knew she had a lot to carry. And I knew that was why she had taken to beingparticularly manipulative with me. We fought enough without the extra strain,but as the empty fall quietly approached, she became much more irritable. Iknew she thought I was being unreasonable now, to not even want to fill out asilly little form.

But there were thingsimportant thingsin this world that I loved. And thatpiece of paper seemed like a brick wall keeping me away from what I wanted.Maybe what I wanted was stupid. Maybe it wasnt even something I could have.But still, it was mine. I didnt think I could sacrifice my dreams, no matterhow much my family meant to me. Besides, I had given them so much already.

I was the oldest one left now that Kenna was married and Kota was gone, and Idid my best to contribute. We scheduled my homeschooling around my rehearsals,which took up most of the day since I was trying to master several instrumentsas well as singing.

But with the letter here, none of my work mattered anymore. In my moms mind, Iwas already queen.

If I was smart, I would have hidden that stupid notice before Dad, May, andGerad came in. But I didnt know Mom had it tucked away in her clothes, andmid-meal she pulled it out.

To the House of Singer, she sang out.

I tried to swipe it away, but she was too quick for me. They would find outsooner or later anyway, but if she did it like this, theyd all be on her side.

Mom, please! I pleaded.

I want to hear! May squealed. That was no surprise. My little sister lookedjust like me, only on a three-year delay. But where our looks were practicallyidentical, our personalities were anything but. Unlike me, she was outgoing andhopeful. And currently very boy crazy. This whole thing would seem incrediblyromantic to her.

I felt myself blush. Dad listened intently, and May was practically bouncingwith joy. Gerad, sweet little thing, he just kept eating. Mother cleared herthroat and went on.