Page 65 (1/2)
CHAPTER 1
WHEN WE GOT THE LETTER in the post, my mother was ecstatic She had already decided that all our proble hitch in her brilliant plan was hter, but this here I drew the line
I didn’t want to be royalty And I didn’t want to be a One I didn’t even want to try
I hid inof our full house, trying to coument that would sway her So far, I had a solid collection of le one she would listen to
I couldn’t avoid herdinnerti duties fell on me I pulled myself out of bed and walked into the snake pit
I got a glare from Mom but no words
We did a silent dance through the kitchen and dining room as we prepared chicken, pasta, and apple slices, and set the table for five If I glanced up from a task, she’d fixthe sas she did She tried that every so often Like if I didn’t want to take on a particular job because I knew the fa us was unnecessarily rude Or if she wantede couldn’t afford to have a Six come and help
Sometimes it worked Sometimes it didn’t And this was one area where I was unswayable
She couldn’t stand it when I was stubborn But I got that from her, so she shouldn’t have been surprised This wasn’t just about , and soon we’d be faced with cold And worry
Mom set down the pitcher of tea in the center of the table with an angry thud My ht of tea with lemon But I would have to wait; it would be such a waste to have lass now and then have to drink water with my meal
“Would it kill you to fill out the forer able to contain herself “The Selection could be a wonderful opportunity for you, for all of us”
I sighed aloud, thinking that filling out that for close to death
It was no secret that the rebels—the underground colonies that hated Illéa, our large and co country—made their attacks on the palace both violent and frequent We’d seen theistrates’ houses was burned to the ground, and a handful of Twos had their cars vandalized There was even athey only released a teenage girl who’d nant and a Seven as a father to nine, I couldn’t help thinking they were in the right that time
But beyond the potential danger, I felt like it would hurt my heart to even consider the Selection I couldn’t help sht about all the reasons I had to stay exactly where I was