Chosen- A Selection Fanfiction

Chapter 3

I went to see America in her office to clean while she worked. She was working on something with castes, and I left her to her work. They were in the final phases of dissolving the sixth caste.

I dusted the bookshelves, cleaned the carpets, wiped down the glass tables, and organized the books on the shelves alphabetically. I was bored, and I really didn't want to go back down to my room so early in the day.

"Elisa," she asked, drawing me out of my trance. It felt odd to hear my real name after so long.

"Yes?" I responded, switching my gaze from the books to her.

"Could you get me a cup of coffee? It's going to be a long night."

"Of course," I replied, opening the door.

"Get yourself one, too!" She called after me. I smiled and shook my head, always so selfless.

I went down to the kitchens, which was where I normally went when I had no other work to do. I mainly chopped and washed fruits and vegetables. I had made a few friends, but not too many.

I pushed open the swinging doors to be embraced by the heat of the kitchen. I washed my hands, which was a requirement that you had to do as soon as you walked in. I dried my hands on a paper towel and went to the side to make our coffees.

"Ey, Lia. Gettin' coffee for the Queen, eh?" My friend, Landon, asked. Landon was a dessert chef, and I figured his work was already finished. He was a good worker.

"Yeah. Tonight's going to be a long one," I smiled back at him as I shut the lid on the code maker to begin heating the water. "How are you?" I asked, pushing a blonde wisp out of my face.

"Aye, it's been good. My mum's been doing much better," he said with a toothy grin.

Landon's mother was in the hospital with breast cancer. She's been battling for a long time, and Landon and his family moved to Illèa from the Irish Provinces to get the best medication, and Landon was working here with his brother to pay for it. His father passed before they emigrated.

Landon had short blonde hair that was fluffed up above his head. His wide blue eyes were stuff of legends, and they were even bluer than the contacts I was wearing to change my eye color. He always had flour in his hair and on his shirt from baking.

"That's great, Landon," I beamed. I got down two cups with lids and began pouring America's coffee into a thermos, adding three sugars and one cream cup.

"You know what's even better?" He asked.

"What?" I asked as I poured coffee into my cup. I stirred in four sugars and five cream cups.

"I'm sorry, did you want coffee with your milk?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up," I said, swatting his shoulder. "What were you saying?"

"I asked a girl on a date today," he said in his Irish accent.

"That's great, Landon! What did she say?" I asked, eager for details.

"I don't know yet. I haven't formally asked her."

I took a sip of coffee, and I almost choked as the thought registered. "Landon, did you mean-"

"Aye," he said, cutting me off sharply.

"Look, it's not that I don't like you, but," I saw his grin falter and he began to frown. "I just got out of a relationship, and it's not fair to you if I'm not over somebody else if I date you. Okay?"

"Aye. That's alright," he said, his small smile painfully remaining on his face. "You're a great girl, Lia. I don't see why anyone would leave you."

I smiled grimly at that. If only he knew. "Thanks, Landon," I said, putting a brief kiss on his cheek. Only one that was customary for friends to do. "I'll see you later, alright?"

"Aye. Goodnight, Lia!" He called, a cheeky grin lighting up his face. I smiled and shook my head as I exited the kitchen through the swinging doors.

I bounced up the steps to the office, careful not to spill the scalding coffee. I walked down the hallways, smiling everyone I saw on the way. A few looked pretty familiar, and I knew some of their names.

I pushed open the door to the office, but as I stepped in, somebody else stepped out. They bumped into me rather forcefully, so I knew it was a man. The hot coffee spilled all over the front of my maid's dress, the boiling liquid saturating my dress and seeping into my skin.

I fell on the ground as my hair spilled out of my cap. The remainder of the coffee spilled on the ground, and I winced in pain as I gathered the cups and my cap, which was also drenched in coffee.

"No," I groaned as I squeezed the cap.

"Are you alright?" The masculine voice asked. I looked up to see Aaron looming above me, offering me his hand.

Dammit, I cursed. Why did he keep getting in the way? This was complicating things too much! I took his hand to be polite. And he pulled me up.

"Is everything ok?" America asked as she rushed to the crime scene.

"Yes, your majesty, I'm fine," I said, trying to dismiss all attention from me. I kept my gaze at the ground.

"Are you sure?" Aaron asked, trying to get a glimpse of my face.

"I'm fine!" I snapped. Aaron blinked at my harshness, and I cursed myself. He probably thought I was some disrespectful servant. "I'll get more," I said hastily, running down the steps without looking back.

I didn't even care that the hot coffee was on my skin, burning it even further. I should have let it cool! I rushed down to the kitchen and swung open the doors, not even bothering to wash my hands. Thankfully, all of the chefs had gone back to their rooms.

I gathered paper towels and tried to get some of the coffee out. I could tell right then that my efforts were futile. This was going to stain. I threw the paper towels away and looked at my arms and legs, which were burned from the coffee splashing on my limbs.

"Damn it!" I cried as I ran to the sink to run them under cool water.

"Lia?" A voice called behind me. It was Landon. Great, the last thing I needed was for him to see me like this. I didn't even have my cap on, and my hair was soaked in coffee. "What happened?"

"He spilled the fucking coffee on me," I said angrily, trying to get some of it out of my hair.

"Lia, calm down. Who spilled it? Please, don't cry," he requested softly as he wiped a tear from my eye with his thumb.

"Why are you still here?" I asked, changing the subject. "I thought everyone went home."

"I have clean-up duty tonight," he replied. "And it looks like I've still got work to do. Get on the counter," he commanded.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Get on the counter," he repeated as he got a first aid kit from a cabinet. I hopped on the counter, my legs dangling from the countertop. He pulled out a bottle from the kit and handed it to me. "Put this on it," he ordered.

I knew from my medical training how to treat a burn, but I wasn't going to explain to him how an orphaned six from Kent knew medical practices. I put the balm on my burns, soothing them instantly.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"Are you going to be alright?" He asked with his cheeky smile.

"Yep," I said, popping the 'p' as I hopped off of the counter.

"Night, Lia," he smiled.

"Goodnight, Landon."