Here is chapter two. I just finished it. I decided since I got a lot of positive feedback on my first chapter that I will post the next chapter. You guys have pushed me to continue writing my story. I was stuck in a corner for a while, but now I am back and very excited to continue. Now enough talk. On with the chapter.

The alarm next to my bed starts chiming. I reach over and hit it off my nightstand with my arm. Groaning, I lean down and pick my alarm clock off the floor. It is 8 in the morning. Today it is finally my 16th birthday. Today is the day of my ranking. I am the daughter of two musicians, but I don't want to be a musician. My parents want me to stay, but I am unhappy here.

I sigh and get out of bed. I go over to my mirror and check my hair. My blonde hair is a mess. I quickly pull a brush through my hair, and I put on my outfit for today. I decide to wear a simple white top and a long blue skirt that is the color of my eyes. I put my glasses on, so I can see my sheet music. I also put on my musician symbol. It is a necklace with a pair of eighth notes on it. I grab my guitar and sigh. I really don't like playing an instrument. My guitar just doesn't feel right. It feels like it is not meant for me. I grab my tablet with my schedule for the day, and I walk into the kitchen.

The smell of pancakes washes over me as I walk into the kitchen. I see my mom at the stove cooking pancakes.

I go to the kitchen counter and sit on one of the stools. My mom turns to me.

"Good morning Brook." My mom has always called me that. She said that I remind her of a brook, always moving, always changing.

"Today is my 16th birthday!" I can't keep myself from expressing my excitement.

"Happy birthday, Sweetheart."

She brings over a plate of pancakes with butter and syrup.

"Thank you, Mom."

I eat my food slowly because the pancakes are heavenly. They are super fluffy and the syrup makes them melt in my mouth. My mom has always been amazing at making pancakes.

After I finish eating, I take out my tablet and pull up my schedule for today.

Today my schedule is:

9:00-10:00 Practice

10:00-11:00 Online classes

11:00-12:00 Lunch

12:00-2:00 Online classes

2:00-4:00 Workout

4:00-5:00 Practice

5:00-7:00 Family time

7:00-7:30 Ranking

7:30-10:00 Aletta news

10:00 Bed

My schedule today is the same as every other day besides the fact that my ranking is today. I sigh as I think about how I might never get out of this boring cycle.

I go to check my watch, but I notice I forgot my watch in my room.

I mumble to myself in frustration and run back up to my room.

When I get to my room, I grab my watch off of my nightstand.

I run back to the kitchen once I have my watch.

I check the time. It is 8:50, so I decide to grab my sketchbook and work on my drawing.

I may be a musician, but I like being outside and drawing a lot more than my instrument.

At 9 I sit down with my guitar and start practicing. The music shows up on my holoprojector as I play. I usually play country music. When Aletta was formed we started using music from the land we took over. I always liked country music, so that is what I usually play. My parents prefer classical music because they say it is for sophisticated musicians. Learning country music is the only exciting thing that I do. My favorite song is one I wrote that sounds like country music.

The music that comes up today is the song Young by the singer Kenny Chesney. I try learning it. It takes me a little while to master the chords.

By the time I am done with my practice hour, my fingers are sore from the strings of my guitar, and my eyes are tired from looking at the notes and chords.

I switch my holoprojector to my schoolwork. Right now I have to work on my Italian. All musicians must choose a language, so I chose Italian because it is the second most spoken language in Aletta.

I also chose Italian, so I can communicate with more people when I change ranks.

My mouth is sore from practicing difficult words.

I go to the kitchen to help my mom with lunch.

My mom is making soup for lunch.

It takes 15 minutes to finish everything once the water boiled. We work in silence while we make lunch.

My brother comes in and steals a piece of bread I had cut up for the soup.

"Matthew, don't steal the bread before lunch," I yell at my brother.

"Whatever Brook."

I sigh and go back to cutting the rest of the bread.

My mom and I carry everything out to the table.

I sit at the table with my mom on my right and my dad on my left.

"Mom, what will happen if I am not placed in the musicians?"

"You will get musician. Don't worry about anything else. You are a great musician."

"I guess you're right." I sigh after I answer.

I don't want to be stuck in this rank.

After lunch, I go back to the living room and turn on my holoprojector. I now have to work on science. I am not good at science at all.

I slowly work through my science work. I struggle with each question.

Slowly but surely, I make my way through my science work.

Around 1:30 I finish my science work, so I go to my room to get ready for my workout.

I put on a teal crop top with white biker shorts. I also put on a blue bandanna. It takes me fifteen minutes to get ready for my workout.

I start moving around my furniture, so I can work out in my room. I put down my purple foam yoga mat, and I start my workout.

I start with abs by doing crunches and sit-ups. I do fifty crunches and fifty sit-ups. I move onto arm work. I do arms for 3 minutes, and by the time I am done, my arms are burning, but it feels amazing.

I check my watch after finishing my arm workout, and I see that I have an hour left before I need to practice again, so I decide to run on the treadmill for half an hour.

After running, I go into my bathroom to take a shower.

When I step out of the shower, I wrap a towel around myself and I go back to my room to pick out a different outfit. I pick out a dress that my parents had gotten me last year. The dress is my signature blue with flowers at the bottom. The dress is long enough to reach the ground. I don't like wearing the dress, but my parents like it, and today may be the last true day seeing my parents.

I take out my guitar and my sheet music after I am dressed. I sigh knowing this will be another long hour of practice, so I decided to try writing a new song. I pull out blank sheet music, so I can write my song.
I start by writing in the chords I want to use in the song. It takes half an hour to finish the chords, and now I decide to work on the words. I think about what I should write my song about when an idea pops into my head. I write about how I would love to leave the musicians rank. I finish the song at five, and I go down to dinner.

I get to the dining room, and I see my parents are already at the table with the food already set up.

"Happy birthday Brook," my dad says to me.

"Thanks Dad."

I look at the food on the table. My parents made my favorite meal. They made grilled chicken with rice and asparagus.

I grab some of the chicken from the dish in front of me.

My mom passes me the rice, and I scoop some onto my plate.

My dad then passes me the plate of the asparagus. I thank him, and put some on my plate.

We all eat in silence, and then we move to the family room.

My dad pulls out a set of playing cards.

"Want to play Go Fish?" He asks me and my mom.

"Sure," I reply.

He shuffles the cards then deals seven to each of us.

I won the first round, so we play again.

After we play six rounds, we switch to playing war.

By the time we finish our game it is almost seven.

We sit and talk for ten minutes before I hear a knock at the door.

I get up quickly and run to the door. I open the door to see two blue uniformed officials with my letter in hand. The official on the left hands me my letter.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Good luck on your ranking," the official says.

I rush back to my parents with my letter in my hand.

"Open your letter, Brook. I want to see that you got musician," my mother tells me.

I am silently praying that I don't get musician, but I can't tell my mom that.

"Okay." I fake a smile.

I open the letter and read it aloud.

"Dear Miss Farrel,

Happy 16th birthday. We have looked at all of your work, and we have taken what you are good at into account for your ranking. We are glad to inform you that you are going to become a part of the royal defenders. Two of the best defenders will come on Friday to get you ready for your training. You will be trained at the palace with the other royal defenders. Congratulations on your ranking.

Sincerely,
The Government of Aletta."

I look to my parents with a huge smile on my face,but my smile drops as soon as I see my parents' faces. They look furious.

My mother comes over to me and snatches the letter from my hand.

"This cannot be right," she says reading the letter, "you our supposed to be a musician like the rest of our family."

"I don't want to be a musician. I may have been good at guitar, but I never liked creating music. I have always liked being outside, and I like moving around. Doing things like running and working out. I am excited to protect the royal family. Maybe I will finally find a friend who understands me. You will never understand my struggle. I don't want to be a musician, and I never will be."

"Then, as soon as you move out, you are no longer our daughter," my father says.

"Fine," I say as I walk to my room. "I didn't want to be anyway."

I close the door behind me with tears in my eyes.

I start packing my bag for Friday. I decide to take my guitar because I do like to play. I just don't like being controlled by my parents.

I skip the news tonight and go straight to bed. I can't face my parents tonight.

I lay in my bed looking at the ceiling wondering how I will face my parents in the morning. I want Friday to come fast, so I can get out of this house and into my new life as a royal defender.

I check my clock. It says that it is almost midnight. I can't believe time went so fast. I stay silent enough to hear my parents. I can hear them yelling at each other. I let silent tears stream down my face.

I start wondering if I was placed correctly. I know I can't change anything now, and if i defy the rules, I will become an outcast, and I will have to leave the country. I know it is better to not defy the laws and just become a royal defender.

After an hour of thinking, I finally fall asleep scared of what tomorrow brings.

I am excited to share this book with you all. Also the aesthetic at the beginning was made by the amazing HermioneBc3

Sincerely, Asya Esenia Romanova-Barnes