The Selection Stories: The Prince & The Guard

There were so many beautiful women here. I got the sense that a few of these girls had been on dates before and, perhaps foolishly, I was intimidated. And then there was America, her mouth stuffed with a strawberry tart, her eyes rolling like she was in heaven. I stifled laugh, and suddenly I had a plan.

I smiled to myself, thinking of America, measuring her against the other girls. She was pretty, if a bit rough on the edges. It was an uncommon type of beauty, and I could tell she wasn't aware of it.

But what I liked the best was that, while the room giggled at her request, she didn't duck her head or blush or think to ask for something else. She wanted what she wanted. There was something charming about that.

It was dark, so I couldn't make out much of her face, but she had brilliant red hair, like honey and roses and the sun altogether.

Daphne: You're the only person who really knows me. The only person I feel I truly know myself Maxon: Knowledge isn't love..

Hey I'm sorry about the other day. Didn't mean to give you a hard time, I ---" He held up his hands. "It's no problem. And I didn't mean to be pushy. But i've seen a lot of people let the bad around them make them hard or stubborn. In the end, they miss the chance to make their world bette because they only see the worst in it." There was still something about the tone of his voice and his features that made me feel like I knew him. "I know what you mean." I shook my head. "I don't want to be like that. But I get so angry. Sometimes I feel like I know too much, or that I've done things I can't make right, and it just hovers over me. And when I see things happen that shouldn't..." "You don't know what to do with yourself." "Exactly." He nodded. "Well, I'd start by thinking about what's good. Then I'd ask myself how I could make that good even better." I laughed. "That doesn't make sense." He stood. "You just think about it a little.