Royal (A Selection Fan Fiction) (Book One in my Selection Series)

Chapter 2

"This is enough to buy a house, Char!" My dad exclaims. My mind was still wrapped around the last few things the man had said. I couldn't turn the prince down. What was that supposed to mean?

"What?" I say and look at the check. That was definitely enough to buy a house. We'd be in debt, but we'd have a house.

"What about Henry, Tayloe, Oliver, and Lewis?" I ask.

"We'll make it. The prince will love you I'm sure Charlie. After that we can pay off the whole house." My dad says.

"What about the small one right down from our old house?" I ask.

"That's only two rooms." My dad knits his eyebrows together.

"Room has never been a problem." I remind him. We don't even have a house now; just a small alley. Of course that's normal for Eight's here, but not for a Six like me.

"Go home darling." My dad tells me. "I'll sort it out for us."

"Have you seen Paisley?" I ask solemnly.

"Ran home before I came." He nods. "Henry's fixed her up. Jason had just gotten home and she was sleeping on top of him."

"Paisley's never been super fond of Henry anyway. She'd always preferred Jason or I." I smile weakly. She didn't like Tayloe, Oliver, or Lewis either. Tayloe and Henry were only fifteen months apart Tayloe being the youngest. Lewis and Oliver were young to have two kids that were almost twenty.

"Go home to her." He says and puts one hand on my shoulder.

I smile and start walking back home. His smile had became thinner with his face. He barely ate anymore, always giving his food to Paisley. I can't blame him because I do the same. Paisley has always been the most fed out of us all.

"Is she asleep?" I ask as I walk in the alleyway.

"Yeah." Henry says as I pass him. He seems like he wants to say more but I'm at the heap of fabrics.

Jason was sitting against the wall staring down the alley with Paisley laying beside of him. She was in one of his oversized shirts. I'd been whipped three times for stealing. I was lucky I hadn't been put in the jail yet.

"Hey." He whispers as he blinked. "It was just bread."

"I know." I sigh. "I really do." I pile beside of him. "Promise me you'll look out for her."

"I promise. Promise me you'll look out for yourself. I know this isn't what you want, but we both know we need this."  Jason says.

"I know. Dad went to go buy a house now I think." I tell him.

"What? We don't have the money for that." He says it quietly but still louder than before.

"We got a check. Just for me going." I smile.

"Good job Char." Jason says holding me closer to him for a minute. "You'll be the reason we are all alright. The prince won't be able to ever send you home." His face turns more serious. "But don't stay any longer than you want to. Don't do anything your not comfortable with."

"We need the money though." I whisper. "I'll leave before the end though."

"I said leave when you want to. So what if you never want to leave?" Jason says smiling. "What if he's the one you want?"

"I really don't believe that's what is going to happen." I reply with less enthusiasm than him.

"You won't know till you meet him." Jason shrugs.

"Don't get your hopes up." I roll my eyes and then settle my head on his shoulder. "Wake me up for dinner."

•••

No makeup. Black pants. And a white shirt. None of it belonged to me, but I walked as confidently out the door of our new house as if it was. It was tiny and shingles were falling off the roof but we all lived there. For now the Eight's weren't living with us but they were just like family without the blood.

The airport would be the last time I saw my family and until the moment I walked into the airport, that's what I thought that place would be for me.

It wasn't.

Cameras and crowds were everywhere. My family walked behind me and would meet me right by the tunnel entrance.

I waved timidly at the crowd but held back the rest of my emotions.

"Lady Charlie." Those two words sounded horrible together. The man nodded his head with authority. "Please say your farewells quickly we are already behind."

I easily turn around and wrap my arms around my dad as if for support. I knew he could be stressful and maybe he wasn't sure what was best for us, but he was an amazing person when you put all the pieces together.

"I love you dad." I tell him in a whisper.

"Love you too, Charlie. Don't let the fancy life change you now." He tells me.

Next I bend to Paisley and touch her back gently. I could see worry clear on her face.

"Don't let your heart break Char. I don't know this prince guy and neither do you. Don't come home broken please." She pleads.

"I won't darling." I whisper. "Keep an eye on dad I don't know if he can function too well okay?"

"Okay I promise." She says and throws herself around my neck.

"I love you don't forget that." I whisper. Paisley smiles but I walk past dad to Jason.
"Shine Charles." Jason whispers. He knew I hated the nickname Charles. "Don't forget that the stars shine on you and not the prince. Whether or not they all see it, your the only one in the spotlight."

"Thank you Jason." I tell him. He pulls me back but holds onto my hand and pulls it close to his lips.

"You can come back the first day and still be my princess." He whispers. Only a few of the people close enough could hear it and made a weird "aww" noise like they were looking at kittens.

I immediately throw myself around his neck and bury myself in his neck.

"Go on Char, I think their waiting for you." He whispers. "Remember to shine."

"Okay." Is all I make out. I started to tear up— no— screw that I was sobbing. "I don't want to go anymore."

"Listen." Jason whispers still aware of all the cameras around him. "You can write me or call the neighbor's to get me and you can rant about anything. The girls who are a notch too bossy or you can tell my how stuck up the prince is if you want."

"I'll do that then." I tell him. I grimace and whisper my secret. "I can't write Jason. I've only been to school a few days. I'll get someone else to write though."

Jason looks at me as if he knew all along. "It's okay."

I never went to school but maybe once a week. I was always sneaking food and steeling during school hours.

"Go shine." He said it one more time before I turned to the plane. I looked back one more time before the tunnel door closed.