The Lost Princess - A 'Selection' spinoff

CHAPTER 55

"Edward would have killed us if he heard us trying to persuade you to date someone," Elizabeth said, hearing a bit of their conversation.

"Oh, I am going to get a boyfriend. Once I finish my education. It's going to be a guy you all absolutely hate," Ella said, grinning. "Ideally with a few piercings and a whole lot of tattoos".

"What's that now?" Mei asked, clasping an elegant diamond choker on her necklace.

"Nothing Ma'am," Ella said meekly.

"Get used to it, Ella. You're going to be stuck with us for a long time," Laura said, choosing a gold mask of her own, smiling wryly at her.

"Okay people. I need your attention," Elora said, and everyone turned to look at her.

The maids had all been dismissed, and Ella knew that no one except her mother could've pulled that dress off.

"Right. Thank you. You all know the drill - see something or someone dangerous, inform one of us, that is, Elena, Ella or myself. We'll give a toast, and if we incorporate the words 'code red', that means we meet in the private Lady's room immediately," she said.

"And Amber Alert if any of the children are taken," Dhiya added.

Everyone nodded. 

"We all ready?" Annika asked, surveying the crowd.

"Yeah, just need to choose our slippers," Elena said, pointing to the rows and rows and rows of heels.

Ella eyed the stands with dislike.

She noticed her mother stare at them the same way.

They looked at each other and sighed.

"Ella, darling, I have a feeling this'll be amazing on you," Vienna said, holding a pair of ginormous heels, looking beautiful in one of Ella's sparkly pink dresses.

"She doesn't do heels, Vi," Elena said. "She's exactly like Elora in that matter".

"Well, I tried," Vienna said, sighing and perusing through the slippers for herself.

"These?" her mother asked, showing her a pair of simple leather slippers.

"Yes please," Ella said, struggling to bend down and put the slippers on.

She gnashed her teeth in annoyance - she couldn't do the easiest of things without help, and she was practically high on painkillers at this point.

"Here. Let me," Queen Stella said, kneeling near her feet.

Ella jumped. "No! I mean no, I'll manage, Queen Stella".

Stella looked at her, her red hair going well with the pale yellow dress. 

"I do these for my girls all the time," she said. "So stand still".

Ella stood perfectly still - she realized that she now had an even larger family than she thought.

Not the kind of family who're always together.

But the kind of family that'll rush to your aid whenever you need it.

Fifteen minutes later, they all stood outside the large wooden double doors, waiting to be announced.

"I feel like the Kardashians," Adelaide announced.

All of them stared at her.

"They're the modelling family? You know, from the twenty first century?" she said, trying to educate them.

They all stared at her blankly.

"Never mind," she muttered.

"Oh yeah, them. The Jenners and stuff, right?" Vienna asked suddenly.