The One comes out May 6th! SO FAR AWAY AAAAARGH!

So yeah, I don't own the Selection/The Elite or its Characters.

CHAPTER ONE

I was nervous. My hands shook and my palms were clammy as I walked down the hallway to the Studio. My black heels clicked against the white marble of the floor and echoed through the silent corridor. I ran my hand through my hair nervously. It was loose today, the tumbling red waves falling to the bottom of my ribs. Today I was dressed naturally. Anne had said it was to highlight my natural beauty, something that Celeste didn't have at all and that Kriss was lacking in comparison to myself.

My brilliant red hair was opposed by the emerald green dress I wore. The main body was the same shape as a regular skater dress, like my best dress at home, but this was different. The skirt was made of shimmering green silk, falling to just beneath my knees. A thin sheet of glittering translucent material covered it, catching the light as my hips swayed. My arms were covered in green floral lace, making the dress appear more modest. Though it showed nothing, the fit of the dress highlighted my narrow waist and ample bosom. My make up was minimal, mascara and a little eyeliner to thicken the appearance of my lashes but that was all.

I had to admit, I looked beautiful.

I pushed open though door to the studio, placing one foot directly in front of the other and lengthening my stride like I had seen the models do on television when I watched it with May. We had made use of the space in our back garden as we modelled our khakis and grey t-shirts.
Celeste looked at me distasteful my from her seat. Her lips were slathered with red paint and her eyes rimmed with thick kohl liner. Her dress, as I had expected, was floor length so as to be respectable to the King and his family, but covered minimal amounts of skin. Garish orange fabric crossed over her torso, covering her breasts, the outsides of her hips and not much else. A black skirt fell from her waist and down to the floor, but the two large slits on either side made sure that what material there was covered only what had to be covered on national television. Her legs were in full view, of course.
It was only to be expected, that she would be closer to naked than clothed, at this stage in the competition. During in the week Elise and Nathalie had left and so it was down to the three of us, Celeste, Kriss and I. One of us would be Princess and, more importantly, Maxon's wife.
Maxon entered the room and did a double take when he saw me. He scanned me from head to toe as he made his way towards me.

"You look amazing America," he whispered as he embraced me.

"Well you don't look too shabby yourself," I replied, summoning a chuckle to rise from him. Maxon grinned at me again and started to say something as Gavril called for us to take our places.

As usual I went last. Celeste was asked why she thought she would win and of course she said that she was already famous and obviously the most beautiful Elite. I struggled not to laugh, as did Maxon. Our eyes met during her speech about her recent modelling campaigns and we had to look away from each other so as not to burst into fits of hysterics.

Kriss was unusually quiet, just talking about how beautiful her dress was and her most recent walk with Maxon. She admitted that they hadn't in fact kissed yet.

Gavril, despite Maxon's attempts to fuel the fire of conversation, realised that the interview was going nowhere and ended their exchange after only three minutes, whereas they normally lasted between eight and ten minted.

"And now, the wonderful Lady America Singer!" Gavril greeted me enthusiastically, ushering me to the sofa on which Maxon was seated. I sat on his right side and felt his arm slip around my waist. "Now now, you two are very close I see," Gavril began, looking pointedly at Maxon's thumb rubbing the point at which my hip bone stood out. I giggled a little while Maxon smiled.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous," I admitted. Gavril looked slightly shocked.

"And why would that be?" he asked, curiosity burning in his eyes. I looked down sheepishly and took Maxon's hand with my own.

"I kind of screwed up last week," I told him, "as you witnessed. So I know that this is really important, and I want to explain myself." I looked to Maxon and he started laughing. "Shh you," I reprimanded jokingly and pushed him lightly with my shoulder but didn't let go of his hand. I took a deep breath before turning back to Gavril. "I was just slightly, no really really upset because I thought that Maxon was sending me home and I was angry, not that I would lose the competition but that I would have to leave him," I confessed.

"Really?" Maxon asked and I nodded nervously. He squeezed my hand and smiled softly, encouragingly.

"So I wanted to make a point before I left," I laughed a little and tucked a stray red hair behind my ear with my free hand before continuing, "It seems silly now, doesn't it? I just can't imagine my life without him now. He is everything to me. All that I have is my family, Max and my music. I don't know what I would do without him there every day. It's not about the competition anymore, not the crown, or marrying the Prince. This is just my desperate attempt not to lose my best friend." I stared tearfully into Maxon's eyes, forgetting that anyone else was there. It was just the two of us, and I was begging for clemency. "I'm sorry Max. I'm so so sorry."

The studio was silent as Maxon squeezed me closer to him than I'd thought physically possible.

"It's okay Mer, I forgive you. I forgave you days ago," he promised. I grinned and hugged him tightly. It was only the happy sighs of the audience that reminded me that we weren't actually alone. I blushed and looked at my hands in my lap sheepishly. Gavril just smirked at me.

"So it's Max and Mer now is it?" he chuckled.

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