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Chapter 1
And So It Begins
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The Palace loomed before the Selected Girls. Most stood in awe of the grandeur, others hungrily drunk in every detail of their new home.
https://i.imgur.com/zY6h7qx.png
"Off to the left please and through the side door," one of the guards offered as the girls faltered on the footsteps of the palace grounds.
It must be a servants entrance Ella thought following the other girls through a dimly lit doorway to what must have been a multi-purpose room.
https://i.imgur.com/zPzfM42.png
The young woman glanced around completely amazed at the opulence of the place. She'd seen her fair share of grand ballrooms and elegant state functions but this was insane! A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she realised for the first time just how lucky she really was. Nearly every girl over seventeen years old had put their name into the Selection Lottery and out of thousands of girls she was one of the lucky eighteen who's name had been drawn.
https://i.imgur.com/t6rldvQ.png
Ella had been at work at the time, to busy tending to her patients to watch the mid-week report that announced the winners of The Selection Lottery. The odds that she would actually be chosen were so small it barely seemed worthwhile making the effort to sneak it in between patients.
Ella had set her TV at home to record the program anyway and she had every intention of going home late the next morning, collapsing on the couch, putting her aching feet up and tucking into her dinner while she caught a glimpse of the winners...
https://i.imgur.com/1EF3FxD.png
...so when an excited nurse had come peeling into the room practically screaming her head off and launching herself at Ella in congratulations she had almost died from shock.
https://i.imgur.com/WpSYM8c.png
That had barely been 72 hours ago and Ella thought that she had done a pretty good job at staying with it throughout the flurry of activity that had followed. She was wearing her lucky little black dress after all. It was her secret weapon...not that she had much use for it these days (or ever!).
"Hurry up ladies!" A curt voice called, "You are late and we don't have any time to waste."
Ella jumped a little, laughing at herself getting lost in thought. Ella glanced around at the other girls who were making their way towards six separate cloth covered tables. They were stark and gave her the vague impression of a hair dressing studio. Where these makeup stations?
"This is what I am talking about. You my friend, have style."
https://i.imgur.com/Gns9fGC.png
Ella looked up and found herself staring at a woman with a shock of blue hair and faltered. She'd recognise that woman anywhere. She was Serena Macintyre the VOICE of the fashion world.
"What is your name sweet cheeks?" Serena asked smiling brightly.
"Um, uh..." Ella shook her head completely star struck, "Ella. My name is Ella."
https://i.imgur.com/BgkXWnJ.png
"Good, good." she mused busying herself as she scrutinized Ella's makeup, "A little too much blush," she muttered and practically produced a brush from thin air before sweeping over Ella's cheeks.
"There," Serena pulled back and smiled at her handy work, "Much better! Go a little lighter next time. I'll let your maids know."
Serena flicked through a clipboard, clearly off in her own little world, "I like this black dress," she added not even looking up. Ella stared in complete and utter shock, she'd handled the utter insanity of packing up her life to move to the palace really well but this was insane! What kind of crazy world was this where Serena Macintyre made the time to advise her on her makeup and wardrobe?
"Right." Serena flicked the clipboard closed with a snap, "I'll have my people touch up your hair a bit and you are good to go."
https://i.imgur.com/Zys0l6r.png
And with that she turned at walked away.
This was completely ridiculously and Ella was loving every minute of it!
~*~
Skye settled into a seat as what liked like the last girl from the first group of Selection winners ushered into the multipurpose hall was finishing up.
https://i.imgur.com/DqJYQo7.png
"Thank you so much Serena. I love you!" the girl gushed and rushed from the room with an obvious excitement to her gait. Skye guessed that she had just had an overhall. Skye knew everything that there was too know about the Selection, not because she was obsessed, but because it had been a fantastic way to distract herself from the jumble of nerves in the pit of stomach. Nerves, that had refused to leave from the very moment that her name had been drawn.
https://i.imgur.com/Khrzv3a.png
"Ok, come on ladies! Seats please!" Skye guessed that the blue haired women meant one of the six makeup chairs before them and she rushed forwards filling an empty space immediately.
https://i.imgur.com/xcan8dW.png
"This is amazing!" she gushed at her neighbour...
https://i.imgur.com/Ufq6E1o.png
....a girl with what she believed to be Asian ancestry who ignored her completely. Did she turn her back ever so slightly to Skye or did she just imagine that? Skye was taken back. Whoa, Seriously? What was her problem?
Skye shrugged her shoulders, it really wasn't worth getting hung up over. Apparently some of the girls were taking this whole competition thing a little too seriously. Were they even going to meet the prince today?
https://i.imgur.com/lCV0BqM.png
Skye turned around in her seat looking for some sort of time reference and found a big white grandfather clock standing off to one side on the other side of the room. It was too far away for her to read the time but it was well past midday and seeing how long it was taking for the flurry of people to get through the first girl she guessed it wasn't going to happen today. What was her name again? Dominique? Eh, it was something like that anyway.
https://i.imgur.com/MBCeKUG.png
Skye knew the second girl in the line more than she'd like to. Ariana was a snotty nosed rich girl who had been infuriatingly self-centred in their five minutes of conversation. Ariana had never wanted for anything, where as Skye... she never had the luxury of wants, it was hard enough to meet her needs.
Ariana had gone on and on about her philanthropic activities like it made her qualify as the Queen already. It was pretty clear to Skye that Ariana genuinely thought that she was amazing for taking the time to help those 'less fortunate than her.' It had taken every single ounce of her strength to bite her tongue. Did Ariana even realise who she was talking too?
Skye might look she was doing well enough for herself but she had spent the better part of her life on the streets.
Skye sighed heavily in frustration as she watched the blue haired woman talking animatedly with Ariana. They were getting along like a house on fire. Ugh!
It looked like she would be waiting even longer than she thought.
https://i.imgur.com/GkishSC.png
~*~
The girls streamed through one after the other. It was a bit of hair primping here, a bit of hair fluffing there and a bit of makeup touched up everywhere.
There had been a few of the girls who hadn't know that they should have dressed up a little nicer for the occasion and others who couldn't afford to dress better than they had.
If was frustrating to some degree but truth be told, there was nothing that Serena loved more than to watch their faces light up as they realised just how good they scrubbed up.
So it really shouldn't have been surprising that Serena found herself focusing on one rather unique specimen that had swept into the room with the last group of girls.
https://i.imgur.com/SX7xDeP.png
"Welcome ladies!" Serena called studying herself in a passing mirror and pushing a stray strand of her electric blue hair back into palce, "I am Serena Macintyre -famous celebrity stylist- and it is my job to make you shine from here on out. Before you all head on over to your chairs I have got to know..."
Serena glanced at Prism trying be light-hearted, she knew this girl was a little uncouth -I mean the girl was wearing short shorts to a palace - but a unibrow? Seriously?
"What is going on with that brow of yours sweet?"
https://i.imgur.com/SVHHDzC.png
The girl crossed her arms and glared up at her defiantly.
"Yeh ain't touchin' it!" she drawled, "This weren't my idea."
https://i.imgur.com/snC1REN.png
Serena raised one of her two very seperate brows. Ha! There was always one.
"Ok," Serena held up her hands in truce, "I can work with that, but we have got to work on your look."
"What's wrong with me look?" the girl asked indignant, "This was me plummin' cousin's idea. I ain't changing me style for some stuck up high whatsit!"
https://i.imgur.com/FQgzdFz.png
"Yes..." Serena spoke over her, "...you are."
~*~
Needless to say the two compromised.
https://i.imgur.com/TlyoIAW.png
"I told you, you'd look fantastic." Serena smirked rather impressed with her efforts.
"I look like a gigantic kiwi fruit is what," The girl pronounced eying herself in the mirror thoroughly unimpressed.
Serena bit her tongue and smacked her lips instead. Ugh!
https://i.imgur.com/3nWqppO.png
The girl pulled at the dress, "This is plumming awful. You fancied up ladies are nuts if you wear this everyday. I'm taking it off as soon as I leave."
"No, ya' ain't." Serena snapped rolling her eyes at herself for mimicing the girls drawl. "Ugh!" she cried "Just following the other's please before I say something I'll regret."
The girl scoffed and walked away muttering beneath her breath. Serena didn't catch what the girl had said but she was pretty sure that it was something along the lines of "You'll regret this," and "Just you wait, ya' plummin' kiwi fruit stylist."
https://i.imgur.com/aF2raNm.png
This was going to be one heck of a Selection!
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I apologise for this chapter being so long! They will get shorter and feature 1-2 girls instead of 3 once things get going.
