Selected

Twenty-Third

"That's our wedding day."

"Yeah."

"So, are we doing a two in one ceremony or.." I already knew the answer.

"No, we have to move the wedding. I'm really sorry, I begged them to change it, but they wouldn't budge. But I mean I know that you've been freaking out about it for a while now, so maybe this is for the best. We can move the date back a week or so. I know that the past week has been especially hard on you. So, maybe we can just take the time to settle back down. It'll give us time to get over everything that has happened before we start a new life together."

"Okay."

Vox pulled me into his arms and tightly squeezed me. What else was I supposed to say? No? Was I supposed to throw a fit and scream that "We have to get married on the 18th!"? He was right, I had been panicking this whole time about our future together. We were supposed to be getting married in four days. Four days. With everything that had happened the date had started to sneak up on me. The thought that it would be postponed until the dust settled was comforting. I took a deep breath. It felt like a small weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Then a heavier weight came crashing down. Now I would have to reschedule everything I had ordered. All of those stupid invitations would have to be resent, the flowers, the cake, the photographer, the venue, everything would have to be moved back to a different day.

"Are you okay? You just tensed up."

I nodded, "Yeah, it's just now I have to move everything and reschedule the wedding."

He chuckled a little, "I'm sure Hal would be more than happy to help you out."

"I know, it was just a minor freak out. Everything will be fine."

He nodded, "Okay, well, it looks like my ride is leaving."

We looked over at Addeck who was motioning to him and then tapping on his watch. "Are you not coming to the house?"

He shook his head, "No. I have to go back. Lots of paperwork to sign and problems to fix. I have to go through his stuff to figure out what he was working on and where he left off on projects. I have to get filled in on secret projects and financial reports and a whole hell of a lot more stuff. I'm really sorry. I will be home tonight though." He gave me a promising smile before kissing me.

There was a wake that Hal and I were supposed attend, however after I told her about the change of wedding dates, she immediately started freaking out. "We have no time to mourn, we have to start damage control on this ASAP."

We snuck past the people in black that were gathered in the living room and up the stairs into Hal's room. She grabbed a notebook off her desk and joined me on her bed.

"Okay, we should make a list of everything. We have to do venue, flowers, cake, caterer, photographer, the band, the invitations. Um, what else? We have the dress, and the tux, and all of the decorations are in storage."

I shook my head, "I think that's it."

"The invitations will be the hardest. Hopefully they go out in time for people to make a change of plans. It will be all so last minute. Damn him."

"Vox?"

She shook her head, "No."

I suddenly had the overwhelming sensation to tell her. I had been wondering for the past week whether or not she knew. But ever since her comment on how kind Mr. Bly was, I had a feeling she did. I felt weird that I knew and she probably knew, and the whole family probably knew. But they all thought that I didn't know, but I did. "Hal, " I took a breath as she looked up, "Do you know who Clinton Vaughn is?"

A look that I can't quite describe passed over her face. It was like a combination of panic and confusion. As if she was pretending to not know but secretly panicking on the inside. "Who is he?"

I shrugged, "He was my Aunt's match, but she died before they could be together."

"And why would I know who he is?"

I bit my lip, maybe she didn't know. But if she didn't know, then she had the right to. "Well, I'm pretty sure he's your father. I mean you guys look quite similar with the eyes and the smile. And I know he used to work here."

"Just don't tell anyone."

"What? You know?"

"Of course I know. My mother was married to the Selector for crying out loud. As soon as I popped out he ran the usual DNA tests."

"But the law-"

"If he had killed me, if he had reported the incident, it would have made him look bad. What would the public say if they found out that the Selector's daughter wasn't his? So, he let me live. He might have done it for the Selector's reputation and not for me, but he let me live. He gave me a good life too. I could have been sent to some squalor of a sector, but he let me stay here. He might not have been a loving father figure to me, but that wasn't really his thing anyways. Like I said, he was a kind man."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

She shrugged, "I thought about it. But I didn't really know how to approach the situation. It's not something I usually advertise. And I don't know, I kind of figured Vox would tell you all the family secrets eventually."

At least harboring that secret was off my chest. I didn't have to worry about whether she knew, and I'm sure she felt a little relieved that she wouldn't have to be wary of it either. "Are there any other Bly family secrets that I should be aware of?"

Hal stayed quite for a few minutes as if debating. "Not just yet."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"No offense, but you're not a Bly quiet just yet."

"So, I haven't earned your trust yet?"

She shook her head, "That's not what I meant. I just meant that there are some secrets that would completely collapse the family. And if they family goes, so does Selection. We just think that if you knew some of them, well, things wouldn't go according to plan."

"According to plan? What is that supposed to mean."

She cleared her throat. "I think, I think I should make an appearance downstairs. You know, the Bly family is all about public relations." With that she quickly scurried out of her room before I could object any further.