Selected Perfection

02-Waiting

"Iliana! Iliana, you are going to be late." Something incoherent comes out of my mouth. My blankets are jerked away revealing a freezing room. "Damn it Iliana come on."

At last I open my eyes and blink rapidly against the sunlight pouring in. "Alana, I had an alarm. Don't stress so much," I mutter through a yawn.

"An alarm on the dead phone?" She dangles my dark phone in front of my face and I blanch.

"It was only dead because I was up waiting for you!" Now it is her turn to pale at my words. Her eyes drop and my stomach sinks with them. I know she's only looking out for me. We may have been born at the same time, but often it feels as though she's the older of us two. "Thank you for waking with me."

She shrugs and heads out to the kitchen where I overhear dad and Tristan deep in conversation. For a while I wondered if he might propose after the test. I built it up so heavily in my mind that I thought every date we went on, all of his touches and compliments were sure signs that he had been planning. Even last night, I can't help but hope his stress was due to him wanting to have everything perfect for a proposal. That would be so Tristan.

I glance at myself in the mirror, admiring the flowy baby pink dress I picked out. Dad let Alana and I each select our ideal dress for the test in appreciation of our hard studies. As soon as I thought he may propose, I searched for something reminiscent of a wedding dress. Ultimately, I decided on this ballgown with layers of tinsel and off-the-shoulder princess-style sleeves. My hum echoes across the shallow bathroom walls as I slip my fingers through my braided hair, transitioning the tie from between my lips to hand. No matter if I pass or fail today will be a good day.

My feet practically dance their way back to my room as I elect a pair of ballet slippers to match my dress. Normally I would choose something more elegant, perhaps heels for dinner, but who knows if I will be on my feet for ages today. As I reach for the last lace, I feel a kiss press softly against the back of my neck. My lips raise to meet Tristan's. "Hi," I giggle into his mouth.

He offers me his arm and helps me stand, twirling as I do so like I were a dancer on stage. "You look breathtaking," he murmurs into my ear, nipping the lobe.

I take in his six-foot muscular frame. Whereas some men are swallowed by their suits, his struggles to contain the muscles formed underneath. Perhaps this is a sign to size up, but I can't help but imagine he likes it like this. "No more than you."

Tristan raises a questioning eyebrow. "I look breathtaking? You seem to be breathing just fine." He trails his tongue across my throat, kissing at the most sensitive points until he truly does steal my breath. "Tell me Ili, what is it you want?"

A ring. "What could I want with you right here?" He chuckles harshly, the sound grating my ears. My eyes trail back around Alana's and my room. Her half is a perfect representation of her life as every piece of clothing is neatly pressed and hung and every surface is spotless. The only sign of our kinship would be the hidden mess within her drawers that is spread across my own side of the room. To think, in a matter of hours we could both be leaving this room forever. Tristan clears his throat, catching my attention. "Right. I want to win pass this test and live happily ever after in The Paragon utopia."

He kisses my cheek. "That's my girl. Ready to head out?"

"As I'll ever be."

We all three say goodbye to my dad and he beams with pride at Alana and myself. Any trace of the previous animosity is now hidden. It is a close walk to the testing center and the weather is pleasant. Alana and Tristan go back and fourth, quizzing each other on history dates and scientific equations. To this day, I don't understand why Alana puts so much effort into those studies. It has been confirmed time and time again that knowledge of the government issued study guides have no correlation to the selection process. No one outside of those at The Paragon and those conducting the test actually knows what is on it. According to our parents, the moment you fail or choose to stay in the regular world, they take back your memories of the test. In my opinion, it's all a scam to keep teens out of trouble and studying for the inevitable chance they don't pass. A scam for which my lovely sister has fallen.