"Good luck tonight Miss." Starlet said as she handed me my second turquoise shoe. Taking it from her light grasp, I slid the sparkling heel onto my foot. 

"Thank you," I replied as I stood up, "I'll need it." 

Tonight, Saturday night, was the Grateful Feast. One of the biggest events of the entire summer, of the entire year. One of the biggest televised events... 

"Don't forget your gloves Miss." Juliana called out as I grasped the door handle with my bare hand. 

"Oh," I said, turning around as Juliana approached me and handed me the gloves, "Thanks."

 I blushed and slipped the bleached white gloves over my hands. Once the gloves were stretched to their full length, the ends resting on my upper bicep, I opened the door.

*************

"It's so strange" Darling said as some of the Selected approached the large doors leading into the ballroom. 

Everyone, being all twenty of us together, looked like the rainbow. We were all dressed in different colors, but each of our ball gowns were designed exactly the same. They all draped to the floor, billowing like a cupcake.

 The corset of my dress was wrapped in a turquoise-teal color. A sweetheart neckline was cut into it, and covering the chest were diamonds. Yes, real diamonds. Diamonds also clustered on my left waist, looking tight and compacted. But really, they were concealing a minuscule silver hook and eye. Dropping down to my hips, three rows of thick diamonds encircled it. However, the diamonds weren't in neat rows, but rather messy ones; giving off the illusion that they were making one thick row instead of three individual ones. 

My hair was curled slightly this afternoon, after our dancing lesson which seemed to have lasted for hours. A chunk of hair towards the front of my face, the part that swept across my forehead due to my side part, was loosely twisted behind my ear. Then, all of my hair was piled into an elegant bun at the nape of my neck. 

Clipping the loose curls into a bun, as well as connecting the twist behind my ear with the bun, was a beautiful silver clip bedecked with diamonds. A flower was at the clip's center. It had six "petals" and minuscule diamonds were placed in between the silver. Then, spiraling outward a little curve, were six branches. They all curled at the end. And on each branch, like little leaves on a tree, were diamonds, ranging in size as well as shape. Some were circles, and the other's were slightly larger in a diamond shape. 

Inside the flower was a smaller flower. This one also had six petals, but this one, however, had a center. And also unlike the larger flower that the smaller one was resting inside of, all of the petals were full diamonds, not tiny ones that made an outline of petals. This, the dress, and my makeup, which consisted of pale turquoise eye shadow, clear lipgloss, and a little bit of rosy pink blush, made me feel beautiful. And looking around, seeing everyone dressed similarly to me, minus their hairstyles and the fact that there eyeshadow matched the color of their dresses; they looked beautiful too. 

"What is?" I asked, "That we are at the Grateful Feast?"

 Darling nodded her head, sending a cascade of chocolate brown curls from her low ponytail over her shoulder. She had a diamond covered headband in her hair, and in my opinion, it looked almost like a tiara. When I first saw it, I had to admit, I was a little jealous. 

Switching from her usual shiny black and square glasses, Darling's glasses tonight were a creamy looking orange. Not very bright, but not dull either. They were still square in shape, but they were lined with small diamonds around the frames. But besides this, the orange matched perfectly with her eyeshadow; and her ball gown. Which looked exactly like mine.

"In what way?" I asked in return, and Darling shrugged. 

"In my opinion," said Miley as she popped up beside me, "I think Darling means that it is surreal to be here. I never thought I would be selected. Now here I am, one of the top twenty selected closest to the princes' hearts at the Grateful Feast; an event celebrated all over Illéa!" Miley let out a delighted sigh and walked toward the Ballroom doors. Her lime green dress swished behind her, and her hair was pulled back into a half-up half-down hairdo; and where her hair was pulled up and tied off with a clear elastic, a giant lime green bow rested over it. The bow had diamonds in the shape of an M on it. 

"Is it me," Darling commented, "Or does she look more like a cheerleader than a selection candidate?" 

"It's not just you." a voice I hadn't heard before said. Slowly turning around, Darling and I found ourselves staring at Asia, who was linking her arm with Elsie's. Both of them looked regal in their gowns and updos. Darling and I glanced at each other, eyebrows raised in surprise, as the two remained silent. 

"I didn't know she could talk." Darling mouthed and I nodded in response. 

In my entire time being here, at the Palace, I had never heard Asia talk. Not once. I had been wondering why the princes kept her here. 

"Well, Lady Darling, I can talk." Asia huffed, her New Asian accent thick. From what I knew, Asia was fully New Asian, as both of her parents were. I also knew that she grew up in a New Asian cultured part of Angeles; much like China, who had already been eliminated. 

With that, Asia pulled Elsie along with her. Her ruby red heels clacked louder than Elsie's silver ones, but together in their ballgowns they looked like christmas, minus the green. 

"That was really awkward." Darling half laughed, half sighed of relief out. I silently nodded and was about to say something when I saw Willow gracefully approaching me. She wore all yellow, which didn't surprise me at all; it made her skin glow tan. 

"Hello my sister from another mister." Willow sang when she reached me and slung her arm across my shoulder. Her gaze then shifted to Darling, who stood silently to my left. 

"You can go now." Willow said and made a little shooing motion. My jaw dropped and I turned to see hurt in Darling's eyes. 

"Willow." I said, sounding like a scolding mother. Facing Darling again I mouthed to her, "I'll talk to you later." Darling simply nodded, took her glasses off of her face, and walked away as she cleaned them. I shrugged Willow off of me. 

"What was that about?" I shouted, only to hear Silvia shushing me in the distance. 

"She bugs me the wrong way," Willow said, making her dislike for Darling seem like such a simple thing, " I feel like this is all a game of strategy to her."

 "This competition? Willow, nothing about this is a game." Willow shook her head, obviously not agreeing with me. 

"I know that," she said, "but Darling seems like someone who would make this more of a game of chess than a competition that could lead to forever." 

Although Willow was only judging Darling by her studious looks, though her accusations were completely wrong, her words stuck in my head. 

A competition that could lead to forever. 

I had never thought of the Selection like that, but in reality, that was exactly what it was. I stood silent, slightly wide eyed as CeCelia pulled up beside Willow and I. 

"Hey CeCelia," Willow spoke first. I simply waved, finding my voice was temporarily gone. 

"Hello you two," CeCelia said, and then, "Sol, I am in love with you dress." 

Willow squeezed her eyes shut and brought her left hand up to cover them, her thumb covering one temple while her fingers covered the other.

 "Umm, CeCelia, it's the same as yours." I stated, not trying to sound rude, but I wasn't exactly friendly about it. 

"I know, I know," she laughed, "but it's the color." She laughed again before waving goodbye to us and gliding over to Gracie to start a new conversation. 

"She can be such an airhead sometimes." Willow sighed out and dropped her hand. It clasped with mine. 

"Yes," I replied, "But didn't you want to be friends with her."

 "I mean, yes, I did. And I still do. But she can just be as smart as a rock sometimes. Which is completely stupid. Sometimes though, I wonder if she only became friends with me because she admires you so much." 

I was about to ask Willow what she meant, until I felt someone latch onto my elbow of my free arm.

 "Hey there." Blake said and walked in front of Willow and I. And I was stunned. 

Blake's ball gown was a beautiful hot pink, almost magenta, but it made her pale skin and raven hair really contrast. Majority of her hair was pulled up into a large circular bun at the crown of her head, and the other small percentage of it was left hanging in loose curls to just below her shoulder blades. Encircling the bun was a row of diamond roses. 

Tonight, Blake looked like a princess. She was the first person I ever thought looked like a princess in the competition. In fact, she looked like Princess Belle from those Fairytales I would read at home. With her hair and all, though her dress wasn't yellow. And to be honest, I was jealous of her. 

"Watcha two talking about?" Blake asked, her words blending together, and Willow shook my hand out of hers so she could cross her arms over her chest. 

"Silvia would not be happy to hear you use loose slang and blend your words together." Blake smirked and rolled her eyes. 

"Please, because I really care what Silvia thinks of me." Willow snorted air out of her nose, but I answered Blake's original question; not really knowing what Willow's deal was. 

"We were kind of discussing how, um, uneducated CeCelia could be at times." Blake's gaze switched from me to CeCelia, who bounced in her baby pink ball gown. 

"She is rather oblivious at times." Blake agreed and faced Willow and I again, "But that is my true belief of why the princes still have her here. She can be controlled easily. From what I have heard, King Maxon is lucky that Queen America loved him back during his Selection, and loves him now still. Because I heard she can be a riot for people she doesn't like. I guess the princes really don't want that." I shrugged my shoulders.

 "I don't really know what either of them want. I choose not to ask. I trust that they are making the right decisions for themselves." Blake nodded and Willow piped up. 

"That's acceptable. Maybe I should start doing that, and then the princes will take me on more dates" I gave her a sympathetic smile, for I knew that she was kind of mocking me, and she loosened up; dropping her arms and giving me a small smile. 

Just then, Heather and Harmony blew past us. Harmony wore lavender and Heather wore violet. A few more Selected joined the cluster of us at the ballroom's entrance by the time we had a few minutes until we were to be announced to the people in the ballroom, and to all of Illéa. 

Ember wore royal blue, and Clarissa stood beside her in midnight blue. Gracie was in raven black, Aya wore emerald green. Dylan and Phoebe were glued to each others side, with Dylan sporting a yellow-green and Phoebe in gold. They looked the most similar tonight, wearing their hair in the same style. Straight and left down, no jeweled clips or headbands bedecked their scalps. And then, it left Gemma, Tressa, and the twins; Rebekka and Risa. The twins also looked very similar. But of course, that was due to the fact that they were identical. Risa wore a pearly, pinkish-whitish gown with a pearl headband in her hair. Rebekka had on a raspberry rose color, a more reddish purple. Tressa wore white gold, which was more of a cream color compared to Phoebe's gown. However, if the light hit Tressa's gown at certain angles, it would shimmer gold. And Gemma, Gemma wore white. Like a regal bride. And I wished I could look as regal in white as she did. Her red hair seemed to gleam against the white. Never in my life had I wished I had red hair more than I did right now.

 "Ladies," Silvia called to get our attention. Silvia left her short, graying brown hair down, bangs falling into her face. Her hair fell to her shoulders, the ends kissing them. Her glasses shined in the light and she wore a yellow, non-poofy gown, that ombre into pale pink and stopped just above her ankles. Her gown looked like a sunset. 

Instead of her usual clipboard in her hand, Silvia carried a clipboard that was covered completely in rhinestones. Halfway down the backside of the clipboard, in pink rhinestones, it said, 'Grateful Feast'. Silvia cleared her throat and continued to talk. 

"You are all about to be announced to the room, as well as to the entire country. Remember everything you have been taught as far as etiquette thus far. And please, try not to mess up the dance tonight." Silvia was about to turn away, but then she turned back to us, slight sympathy in her features. 

"And ladies, remember, five of you will be sent home after tonight. I hope everyone packed their bags just in case." 

With that, Silvia stalked into the ballroom, guards opening the doors for her. As soon as the door shut, trumpets blared from inside of the ballroom. Both guards on duty were gripping their door's handle tightly, awaiting for the moment they would be opening them. 

Any moment now.

 From here, I could faintly hear the announcer doing his job; announcing all of our names. 

"And now, without further ado, your Daughters of Illéa!" I heard him shout and that was when the doors flew open. And the twenty of us walked in to the bright lights and cheering without looking back.

A/N:

What's up everyone!

Sorry that  haven't been on here recently. I have been stuck with hours upon hours of homework every single night. Add after school activities to it, and I seem to have no time for you guys :(. But don't worry, I'm going to change that. I will try to be on here as often as I can, so don't get upset or discouraged if I don't update. I won't forget about all you dedicated readers! :D

On a lighter note, did you enjoy this chapter? I know that it was slightly slower/shorter than some of my other chapters, but I needed to split the Grateful Feast up. Just so much happens, and I can't wait for you all to hear about it. You'll just have to wait a little longer. ;)

QOTD: Who do you think are the five selected being eliminated? 

P.S: Don't be afraid to answer the question(s). They are for your enjoyment, so share your opinions. I would love to hear them!!!! Also, vote and follow, as well as share this story with your friends!!! Love you all lots <3