The Selection

Chapter 19: South

I remember when I was younger my mother had taken me to the super market. She was having a rough day, weaving in and out of the aisles. As a young child, I was easily distracted by a little toy isle. I stared at the dolls and noisemakers that I could only play with when I was here. After I realized my mother wasn't around me, I became very frantic. Searching up and down the isles, and shaking the whole way. I had felt a pull on my jacket and my mother yelled at me, "Don't you ever scare me like that again Ember Rose!" Then she had pulled me into a hug.

I felt that way now. Frantic and frightened. I hadn't noticed how much I loved my bedroom in the palace until it had been taken from me. I never realized how much I looked forward to meal times or how often I looked to my maids for help. I never noticed how much I longed for Gabriel's presence.

The chair I was pressed to was hard and uncomfortable. My feet and hands were bounded to it and my eyesight had been taken away by what felt like duct tape wrapped around my head. Someone was in the room with me, their breathing was almost as heavy as mine.

"Lady Ember," I heard a man say then others followed one by one. I could feel movement by several separate pairs of feet directly in front of me.

"What are you going to do to me?" I asked. Just then someone took the tape blindfold an ripped it across, pulling my skin and hair. I cried out.

"We're not going to hurt you. We need to speak with you," a man in a black mask answered. I kept my silence so he would continue.

"You just pulled half of my hair out of my head," I accused him, my head throbbing.

"I said we need to speak with you. You'll get your turn," the man chuckled. "Do you know where you are?"

I looked around the room. Stone walls, leaking. Ten men were crowded in, huddled so close staring at me. Well I thought they were, they all were wearing masks. "If I had to guess.. probably a storm shelter."

My admirers barked with laughter and I was flustered at what I had said that was so funny. The man that interrogated me, however, did not laugh. He looked at a skinny man next to the door and said, "Is she positive we want this one?" The skinny man shrugged. 

"She? Who's she?"

"Right now, you're in the south," he informed me, ignoring my question, "Down here we are jobless, moneyless and to be honest miserable and unsatisfied with the way the royalty are treating us.We've been treated this way for as long as we can remember and no one is doing a damned thing about it."

"Okay... What does that have to do with me?"

"You're the next heiress to the throne, Princess Ember," he said as though it were obvious.

I threw my head back laughing. Each one of them stared at me like I'd gone crazy but I didn't care. They stole me because they had an inkling of a feeling Gabriel would choose me and I'd have some sort of power to help them, he couldn't be serious. This had to be a joke or maybe even a test by the palace. A cruel test but one all the same. Once I calmed down, I looked at the man in front of me. He hadn't moved a centimeter.

"Wait? Are you being serious right now?"

"As serious as I could get," he said, stone voiced. 

"You do realize, if  I did happen to marry Prince Gabriel, take note of the if, then I'd only be a Princess. That could be years and even then as Queen, no decisions would be made by me."

"Yes we know and we have a plan. It just... "he hesitated looking back at the skinny man who shook his head no. "It can't be revealed yet, for many reasons. We need to make sure you're on our side, Princess Ember."

"Who's your leader?" I asked.

"She's none of your concern... right now," he admitted. I figured it would be one of the men in the room with me. "She'll open up to you when she sees that you are willing to obey."

His hands gripped the wooden armchairs even harder, "Are you willing to obey, Princess Ember?"

I flinched at the title. Looking around again, I noticed that each one of these men were well fed. If they were living in poverty, how were they maintaining healthy weight.

Skeptical, I answered, "I'm willing to listen."

"I need more then that, Ember. I need commitment. Our leader wants to work along side of you. She wants to make sure the new royalty of Illeá understands what is needed."

"I said I would listen," I repeated. "Tell me what you want and we'll take if from there."

He stood up and walked over to a man who was holding an envelope. Then pulled a couple papers out of the envelope and dropped them on the floor in front of my feet.

"First and foremost, get rid of the system," if there was anything I'd expected him to say, it wasn't that. Perhaps suitable working condition or irrigation farms. Not to completely destroy the governing system of Illea.

"You can't even be serious," I guffawed.

"As serious as it gets. The cast system is unfair to everyone. You should know that as a 5. I mean, you did begin the Selection because of lack of money for your sisters life," he smirked back at me, a smirk that was a hint that he knows and/or finds out everything, "Second, here in the south we only have manual labor jobs where in districts of more higher casts are industrialized."

In the picture laying on the floor, I watched as elderly drug their feet through fields. Their eyes were tired and their bodies fatigued.

"Third, they're starving here. There's a lack of jobs which means lack of money," a child showed in another picture with its ribs sticking too far out and it's cheeks were hollow. I looked away not being able to tolerate anymore.

"Sick, isn't it? This is almost every child born in Cast 7, don't even get me started on 8."

"I don't think I have the ability to help you," I said, closing my eyes.

"Of course you can. You hold power. None of the other girls have a chance with you around. You're strong, hard-headed-" I stopped him

"No, no I'm not," I shook my head, "You don't even know me."

"As much as you deny it, you're your mother. You've been watched since the day she had you. Lila was supposed to help us and she failed, now it's your turn," when he said my mothers name, I cringed.

"Wait, wait, wait. How do you know my mother?" I spat.

"You can do this, Ember. You know you can," he said, breath still in my face, ignoring my previous question. He leaned up pacing in front of the other men.

"Are you the reason she left? Did you force her out?"

The man shrugged, "It was no hard feelings. She wasn't willing to oblige. Don't make that mistake."

The man then waved a hand to the other men to follow him out.

"Wait a damned second! I'm not through with you yet," I screamed, fighting against my restraints.

As they filed out a man that I hadn't realized was behind me, put a piece of tape over my mouth and then wrapped another tape blindfold around my head. The door slammed shut and I knew I was alone.

This man basically just gave me a billion and one more mysteries to think about rather then any answers. First, who was he? He hadn't been any of the three of the roof so could be Raider. Two, who is the she that is their leader? She was a very important factor, more important then the King himself and possibly more smart. She cracks him, breaks into his home despite security and kills his guards. Which led to question three. How the hell did they know me and Gabriel were on the roof and how did they get there so quickly? Any time the rebels invade, alarms go off. The alarm had only gone off seconds before they barged through that door. My last question... what did they do to my mom and would I allow them to do the same to me?