"Please sign here," the balding photographer said after I had pulled my clothes back on, handing me a small placard with my information and measurements next to the data chip with my pictures. He was a five and probably not talented enough to freelance, for he looked and sounded extremely bored. 

It had been like this for a week. I was summoned to city hall nearly every day to discuss plans, take measurements, sign forms, and talk to ridiculous officials who didn't seem to like me for the sole fact that I was an eight in the selection. I had another meeting in an hour, but they were going to meet us at the library instead of coming to one the warehouse. Not having a permanent residence really annoyed them.  

I was glad he didn't ask for the skin colored vest top and shorts that they had me dress in for the pictures back, for it wasn't often that I was able to get new clothes or undergarments. I guessed it didn't really matter any more, since I was now a three and the palace would give me clothes until they kicked me out and then I could get a job to afford them on my own. My head swam with the thought; I don't know what I would  do when I was sent home. All girls were set up with an adviser who would help them after the selection, and because it was said that we would have a hard time adjusting back, we all automatically became threes when our names were announced. 

Would I really become one of them? I couldn't ever see myself 'having a hard time adjusting back to normal life', no matter how long I was there, and I wasn't completely sure that I wanted to become a teacher or researcher over going back to fighting, whatever the pay was. Being a Daughter of Illead meant that I was serving my country, and would therefor get a stipend for every week I was away. The first check we received was enough for us to eat comfortably for a year, and if Ari and Sjin were smart, they could save up and buy one of the apartments close to the warehouse before I even came back. 

"What did they have you doing today?" Sjin asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. He was loitering around the trashcans and I could hear and see the change and clean napkins in his pockets he had found while waiting for me, a practice that was more of a habit than a necessity for us. 

"Pictures and measurements so they can start working on my dresses," I grimaced, knowing fully well I would have a hard time converting from old jeans and tee shirts to lavish and expensive dresses. 

I tried to push all thoughts of the selection out of my head for the time being, focusing on the walk back to our district instead. It was a humid, overcast day, and the closer we got to the six, seven, and eight district, the more the city smelled like festering garbage. If there was one thing Allsport was famous for, it was it's slums. 

Stopping at one of the stores that let us in because I had my new identification card on me, Sjin and I walked around as we read magazines and newspapers and ate whatever was readily available and wouldn't be missed. We got kicked out after I was caught tasting one too many grapes, but not before I managed to hide a newspaper under my shirt. I normally didn't like stealing if I could help it, because I had to stay out of jail for Ari and Sjin, but I had missed the last report and I wanted to know what was going on with the uprisings and rebels. 

Illead was still a budding nation, and therefore faced a lot of public discontent as we grew into the country we had founded only around 100 years ago. That's why the princes hold a selection; it gives the citizens something else to focus on and puts one of the people onto the thrown (Never mind that the past four queens have been twos or threes, and there are rumors that the entire thing is fixed). I'm sure the poor decisions and ruthless rules instated by our current king didn't help quell any of the rebellions and murmurs throughout the lower casts. 

I read about the merciless attacks of the southern rebels and the silent protests of the northern rebels as we walked, trusting Sjin to guide me to the library. The princes were triplets and as soon as they came of age the King had announced a plan to divide the country into three electorates to be equally ruled by all three of them. The oldest would ascend the throne once the king died and decide the best plan of action on how to carry on with governing the country, and it was his choice whether to keep it separate or join all three bodies again. 

This was all a ruse to pass off the responsibility of the aging and unpopular king to someone else, and would also make the monarchy harder to pin down by the rebels. It didn't seem like the best idea for a nation already divided by a strict caste system, but I also wasn't the one who has to deal with it. 

When we reached the library, we were still a half an hour early, so we sat next to each other and read; I continued to scan through the weeks news while Sjin pulled a history book off a shelf and leafed through it. Eights weren't allowed to check out books, which is why some books happen to go missing from the shelf and end up in Ari's hands for various holidays. It was peaceful and I often came here when stressed, but I wasn't a very good reader so I spent my time doing other things. 

"Lady Atlas," a tall, skinny man with pale eyes said as he approached our table. Sjin immediately sat up straight, pulled his boots off the table, and let the front legs of his chair thump back down onto the ground. The official shook my hand and then Sjin's, motioning up the stairs of the library. "Shall we go to a more private conference room?" he asked, letting us pass from the public area to the three section. 

My palms were sweating by the seriousness of this meeting. He pulled out a bottle of pills and a bulging folder with my name printed on it. "Now, Lady Atlas, you know as of last Friday you are now property of Illead, and this comes with specific requirements that you must conform to," he said, sliding the pills over to me, "Since you're an eight, I'm sure you don't get the proper nutrition; these are vitamins, you will be required to take them every day from now on and someone at the palace will help you with them during your stay." 

I took the bottle from him and shoved it into my bag, already thinking of ways to give them to Aristotle instead. He made me sign that I had received them, and continued on. 

"I have your doctor check up with me as well," he said, rifling through the stack of papers, "You're malnourished, have four cavities, you have the obvious stitches that will need to be taken out next week, and your body fat percentage is virtually nonexistent." I snorted; I couldn't afford to have fat when I got a salary from my muscles. "Which," he added at my laugh, giving me a stern look, "Isn't healthy." 

"So what are you people going to do about it?" Sjin asked, placing a hand on the table and leaning forward. 

"I have already scheduled a dentist appointment and nutritionist appointment for tomorrow," Pale Eyes said, sliding over a schedule, "You will continue to be visited and monitored by a dietitian while in the palace." 

"Fair enough," I shrugged, looking over at Sjin to see he had his neutral fighting face on. During my training he had always stressed the need to control your expression so your opponent can't guess what you were thinking or planning. My partner had a deep seeded hatred for any government officials, so it didn't surprise me that he was sizing him up, but it still made adrenaline coarse through my veins just seeing it, making me nervous. 

"Moving on," he said, tapping the papers on the desk and putting them away in my folder. "Now, Lady Atlas, I know this is embarrassing, but I must do this with all the selected, so don't be shy," he said delicately, sliding a paper and pen towards me, "I need you to confirm that you are a virgin." Sjin's jaw clenched ever so slightly next to me, and I only noticed it because of how long I've living with him. 

Right, the no sex rule. It was meant to prevent diseases and children born out of wedlock, but all it really did was scare teens into marrying early and causing the divorce rates to skyrocket. If there were any evidence of intercourse outside of marriage, people could risk years in jail. 

Now it was my turn to put on my fighting face. Sex was not the most illegal think we've done, so it never really scared us as long as the police were kept off our backs through payouts. I reached over and signed the paper with a flourish of my hand, sliding it back to him as nonchalantly as I could muster. 

"If you are caught lying-" the official started. 

"She knows the law buddy," Sjin snapped. 

"Please, I can't afford a pregnancy or jail time," I said, sitting back and rolling my eyes.

He seemed to buy it. "Right, well there are only a few more rules I have to go over before your departure Saturday," Pale Eyes said, looking up at me, "If you have any questions just speak up." 

"Understood," I muttered, wanting to get this over with before I fell to pieces. 

"You may not leave the palace on your own accord. The princes are the only one's in the kingdom that can dismiss you from the selection," he explained, "There is no set time for the process, and you must stay until you are sent home. It can be over in a matter of days or stretch on for years." 

"Excuse me?" I asked. The very idea of being away from Ari and Sjin for that long made my stomach churn. 

"It's not likely that was occur," Pale Eyes corrected, dabbing his sweating forehead with a handkerchief, "but you are required to stay as long as the princes need to make their decision." 

"That brings up another point. You do not arrange your times with any of the princes, they must come to you to arrange for personal time. Do not go to him without invitation." He didn't need to tell me that twice. 

"You will not have any other romantic relationships outside of the three princes. Love notes, sexual relations, and physical contact with any other persons is considered treason and is punishable by death." 

Sjin let out a sigh and sounded bored, but he must have been feeling as scared as I was. Pale Eyes didn't seem to see anything in either of us and continued on. 

He looked down at his page, humming through them. "Your status as a selected does not put you above the law, and any Illead rules broken will result in the correct punishment tied to it. You are not required to like the other 34 contestants but sabotaging or laying hands on another contestant will be reported to all three princes who may dismiss you on the spot. You are required to appear on each Capital Report broadcasts. On occasion camera's will be there to broadcast your lifestyle with the princes and you will treat them with respect and curtsy." 

He looked up at us, giving us a once over. "I'm sure you're aware of the status change and stipend?" he asked, giving us a closed lip smile. As much as he was stereotyping us, he wasn't wrong about that being what we cared about the most. It was hard not to when it means you can eat every day. 

He had me sign a form stating that I had heard the official rules, and then stood to leave. "You will be met with a guide in two days who will help you get from your house to the train station," he said, his hand on the door knob. 

I got up and brushed off the invisible dirt on my pants, eager to get out of here. 

"Oh, and one more thing," Pale Eyes said, turning to me, "It would be in your best interest to not deny the princes anything. When they invite you out to do something you do not refuse; dates, kisses, outings, anything. I realize it is unbecoming, but-" 

"Sorry, what the hell did you just say to her?" Sjin said, closing the distance between them and getting into his face, "I thought you just said she must keep her virginity in tact or risk severe punishment, that she isn't above the laws of Illead?" I could see the rage in his eyes, and he could blow my spot in the selection and do a lot more damage if he attacked a government worker. I placed a hand on his arm and he seemed to back off a little. 

"Sir, your daughter is a property of Illead now, and by extension the princes'," he said, quickly pulling open the door.

"She's not my daughter!" he exclaimed, and then seemed to catch himself, "She's my protectorate and I won't let her become some play thing for the Royals!" 

 "Good day sir," Pale Eyes said with a deadly smile, leaving and closing the door behind him. 

Sjin grabbed the first thing to his right and hurled it across the room. The stapler hit the wall, left a dent, and then crumbled into two pieces onto the floor. He then threw open the door and stalked out of the room, silent. I grabbed my backpack and hurried after him. I was used to his anger, but it was the calm, silent anger that scared me the most. 

I stayed next to him as he stalked back to the warehouse, his fists down at his sides. When we arrived he threw open the doors and walked to the punching bag, throwing all he could into it for a good half an hour. I sat against the wall, reading one of Ari's books, occasionally looking up to make sure Sjin was okay; I wanted him to exhaust himself before I went over and tried to talk to him, but he seemed relentless. 

Steeling myself, I stood and gingerly walked over to him, approaching his side so he knew I was coming. "Sjin-" I said, laying a hand on his face. 

He slapped my hand away and turned on me, but then fell to his knees when he realized what he had done. "I'm sorry," he muttered, his hands hanging on my hips as his shoulders dropped in exhaustion, the adrenaline finally draining out of him, "I'm so sorry." 

"Hey, it's okay," I said softly, crouching down and bringing his face up to meet mine, "I'm okay." 

Sjin has been quiet and brooding all week; I knew the selection bothered him deeply, but he hadn't said much of anything since I had gotten out of the hospital. "No... No it's not okay," he growled, standing up suddenly, "It's not fair! Your entire life has been ruined by the goddamn monarchy and now you're going to give even more to the rich and entitled royals." 

"Sjin, I'm sure he said that just to scare me," I consoled, "Don't think for a second that I would just give myself to them because they're ones." I stood up from my crouch and went to stand by the mats, watching Sjin start to pace through our small living area. 

"And if you refuse?" he asked into the air more than at me, "Then what? They accuse you of treason?" 

"I don't think-" I started, but it was too late. Once he started there was no way I was going to be able to interject.

Sjin went off on a rant about the royals, and pretty soon it expanded out to the entire government and then county. He hated the monarchy, he hated that he was uneducated, and he hated that Ari and I had fallen down the castes and the government let it happen. It was when he ranted that I learned how much he hated what he had made me, that we were forced into this situation or would have faced starvation. He hated the virgin law and the marriage laws and the ridged caste laws. 

I could rebuke this if I wanted to. I loved fighting, and none of my big betters would allow me to go to jail for something as insignificant as sex, so I wasn't afraid of that either. 

But I stayed silent, because it wasn't just fighting and sex. It was going to bed having not eaten at all that day. It was having to sleep outside of heat vents because you could freeze to death otherwise. It was spending an entire week every month outside of public bathrooms hoping you wouldn't get picked up for loitering. It was hearing your brothers soft sobs when he was supposed to be sleeping because he couldn't afford what the other kids at his school had, no matter how poor they were. It was a choice between dealing with what we had right now or risking four years without Sjin and the possibility of him dying in battle on some other continent to become twos. I hated it as much as he did, I was just better at internalizing my feelings. 

I pushed myself off the wall I was leaning against and put a hand on Sjin's arm, stopping him abruptly. "I don't have to go," I cooed, doing anything to calm him down, "I can ask the princes to release me the day I get there. The check we already received can feed us for a year, two if we stretch it out and are smart about it. We can forget this all happened." 

He sighed, and I guided him over to a stack of mats and crawled on top of them, making him face away from me. "No," he groaned as I started to work the knots in his back, which were tight from the lack of fighting and stretching this week, "No you need to go. We could use all the money we can get..." He trailed off, and I knew there was more than he was saying. 

"What is it?" I asked, pausing to look at him over his shoulder, "What are you thinking?" 

"Well, you could be influential..." he said, choosing his words carefully, "You'll be up close and personal with the future leaders of our country and well, maybe you could get through to them. Get them to do something about the caste system." 

I couldn't help myself but laugh. "Me. Really," I said, rolling my eyes, "An eight with a 12 year old's education? I don't think I'm in any position to be changing the country." 

"You're a quick learner Atlas, and as much as you won't admit it, you're kind too," he said quietly, "I think you're story by itself will go a long way with the princes and the upper casts. They probably don't know how bad we have it." 

I opened my mouth to write off the idea again, but then closed it. I guess it wouldn't hurt for people to know about the struggles I faced, but it might also backfire and get me sent home early. I was almost sure that the royal family knew how bad the lower castes were doing, and if they weren't even addressing it on any of the Reports, then there was obviously some benefit for them. Besides, they wouldn't want an eight telling them what to do. 

"I guess that's the plan then," I lied, knowing that's what he wanted to here, "Stay in as long as possible and reform the caste system. Simple." I was glad Sjin couldn't see my face, for that was not what I planned to do at all.