A/N

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU START READING THE STORY:

I'm going to start doing chapter dedications!!!

The dedication for this chapter goes to....

_team_keefe

.... for always being one of the first people to read each chapter and always leaving kind, encouraging, and funny comments! Also, great username!

Thanks again to everyone for the encouragement. Now, onto the chapter!!

recently on Forever, Foster..... ;)

She also didn't care about his stupid feelings when she filled out the Selection paperwork and sent it in. She was going to show him what he was missing out on. Going to prove that she was strong, independent, and everything else Leah described her as. Although, Willow didn't know how she was going to steal the heart of a prince if she could't gain the respect of someone who was practically a servant.

What she did know was that she was incredibly determined and that if felt good to ignore Avery.

In fact, she felt quite content when she learned that she, Willow Lark, had been chosen, one out of millions, for the Selection.

-----

He looked down at the last girl.

She had blonde hair that reached about a half a foot below her shoulders and chocolatey brown eyes, decorated with the occasional gold specs.

She wasn't wearing any makeup, and instead of wearing an eager or seductive smile, she wore a spiteful smirk.

He knew it had to be her.

His heart beat a little faster as he read her bio. She was a talented musician, a caste five, meaning that she had roughed hardship and wasn't spoiled, and her name had a perfect ring to it, Willow Lark.

His father had written comments on many of the bios. Most consisted of: good candidate, high caste, beautiful, or other things that only judged based on facts of their lifestyle and looks. 

Things they couldn't really change.

But on Willow Lark's paper, he had written more than a comment on her looks.

Dangerous, must be eliminated

-----

knock knock

Willow groaned at the knocking. She'd had enough of Avery's pleas to take him back. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Willow still loved Avery. It was pretty hard to start hating someone you had loved for years. And gosh did it bother her.

knock knock

"I already told you, I'm done! Leave me alone, Mr. Voleur." She hadn't called Avery by his first name in two weeks. She wasn't affiliated with him anymore, she decided she may as well speak to him as she would any other person.

"Ms. Lark, please open the door. I don't know who Mr. Voleur is, but I am not him."

Willow's heart dropped in her chest. Right. The man outside was from the palace, he was making sure she was actually "Willow Lark" and talking to her and her family about the Selection. Explaining, once again, the rules, the pay checks they would receive, what would happen if she won, or if she lost, the punishments for breaking laws in the castle.

Willow had been oh so looking forward to it.

Of course, before she could even stand, Leah had jumped up and ran to the door. Willow had made a little fib up about why Avery kept coming to their door asking to speak to Willow. She had explained that he had asked her on a date, but had also said something to offend her that she didn't want to repeat. As a result she had left. It wasn't too far off from the truth, so she felt less bad lying to her parents.

Both them and Leah had gone along with ignoring Avery, and Willow could tell Leah was just as frazzled as she was to learn who actually was at the door.

"I'm so sorry, sir." Leah began, "There has been a boy who has repeatedly come to our door asking for Willow. We thought you were hi-"

The man cut her off with a short nod and dismissed her. Leah had hoped that she would get to sit in on the conversation, but apparently there would be some things discussed that were, "not appropriate for young girls like you." Of course, after the man had said this, Leah immediately hated him. Willow smirked a little at the face Leah gave the man before marching out of the room, although she stopped when the man glared at her.

"That type of joking around will not be tolerated in the palace. I hope you understand that." Willow nodded, determined to make a good impression. The man went on to introduce himself as Sir William Sneedly. It took everything in Willow to not snort at his name. Sir Sneedly, explained the rules of the selection, rules she already knew.

She was now caste three.

She would report to the train station with guards exactly three days from then.

She would meet the prince the second day of the selection.

He would make cuts.

She would leave respectfully if cut.

Her family would be compensated for every week she spent at the palace.

If she had an affair with someone else while part of the selection she would be executed.

If she made it to the elite -the few remaining girls- the compensation her parents received would be higher, and her entire family would become threes.

If she were to win the selection, she would live in the palace with the new king as his queen.

Her family would become ones.

She would live happily-ever-after.

She would leave her old life behind, forever.

Was she ready to do that? To drop everything that she had felt comfortable with for 16 years? Uproot her family, although they seemed to be quite happy with the arrangement but, still?

Was she being too harsh on Avery? Should she forgive him?

"...now, I just need you to sign your name here."

Willow looked at the paper hesitantly. There was one thing that she had to do first.

"I do want to be in the selection," Willow told Sir Sneedly. "I just, I need to do one thing before I set it in stone." Sir Sneedly sighed in frustration.

"I'll come by tomorrow at 1400 hours sharp. If the paperwork isn't signed by then, your spot will be given to another young woman. Understood?"

Willow nodded feverishly, then, to a certain extent, pushed Sir William Sneedly out of her home. She ran back inside and told her mother she was going out. No one questioned her, they were all too thrilled at the idea that she had been chosen for the Selection.

She uncertainly made her way out of the house and on to a surprisingly quiet street. Her province was small, yes, and generally more quiet than the bustling cities, but never this quiet. But the oddest thing was that she had seen people walking around outside before she had left the house.

Heck, she had heard them. So... what happened to them?

She pushed the town's odd behaviour out of her mind and continued on her trek to the place she least wanted to be at the moment.

Avery's house.

Strangely enough, Avery's house was just as quiet as the rest of the town, but she had to talk to him. After knocking thrice without response, she pushed the unlocked door (they couldn't afford a locking door) open and slowly walked inside.

The house was quiet and it was obvious no one was home. The petite kitchen looked as if it had been torn apart when something was looking for something. She was about to call out to Avery's mom when she realized she didn't know his mom's name.

Willow shook her head, how could she forget Avery's mother's name? Willow tried imagining what she looked like, but couldn't. It didn't make sense. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was surprised she even knew where Avery's house was as it seemed she couldn't remember anything else about him besides, well, him.

The walls seemed to close in on her as she made this discovery and she was suddenly very scared to see the boy who she thought she loved. The boy that seemed to get sketchier every day.

Suddenly very cold, Willow rubbed her arms and looked around confused by the strange layout of the house. She decided to walk in the direction of the kitchen. Maybe she would be able to find what the person who had messed up the kitchen was looking for.

She tried to be as quiet as she could, but her blood turned cold when she accidentally caused a series of pans and plates to clatter to the floor. "Darn clumsiness," she muttered to herself and was about to mutter something about being the clumsiest person in the world when her breath caught in her throat.

Someone was coming.