One of the guards escorted me through the packed airport. There were people who stopped and stared, while others were rushing to be on time for their flight. I was taken to an area with the other selected girls. It seemed that there were going to be three other Selected girls on this flight.

I stood in line and could not help but notice the other girls looked rather annoyed. One girl was tapping her foot on the floor, which I found to be annoying. It just so happened that the other selected was mirroring the other girls. I could tell from all of their expressions that nobody as in the mood to talk. Not being the one to break the silence, I started rummaging in my bag for my phone. I focused my attention on the device that probably controlled my life to keep me occupied.

"Uh, hi?" I heard a small voice say. It sounded more like a squeak and felt very strained. The voice came from the direction of the small girl with the long dark brown hair. I continued playing the game on my phone. I did not feel like talking to anyone right now

"I didn't know there were mice in this contest," I heard one of the other girl's mutter.

A snicker came from the remaining girl. The joke was not funny and I had no idea why they were making fun out of the girl. Not wanting to get involved, I tired to ignore the conversations going on.

"What are you looking at Mousey? Scared the big bad kitty will get you." I heard from the other girl.

The moment the words finished coming out of her mouth was the moment my head snapped up to look at the girls. My eyebrows raised in disbelief. We had not even gotten to the palace and they were already trying to start a fight? I looked at the small girl, and she looked she was on the verge of tears. I didn't think twice before I said the words that would be the first of this entire selection.

"Leave the girl alone. Nobody is the mood for that kind of attitude". I said, giving the two girls a dirty look.

The dark hair girl sent me a thankful smile, which I responded with a soft smile. Meanwhile, the fair skinned girl glared at me and muttered a sorry before turning her attention to the book in her hands. The black haired girl did not even look at me nor the one she was apologizing to and let out a small sorry.

My lips formed a smirk of triumph. Although I did not want to participate in the conversation, I was not going to let these girls walk over one another. I was starting to grow impatient as we were waiting to board for a very long time. I stole a glance at my phone to check the time. I hated waiting. I guess I was so used to getting my way that all I wanted to do was board the plane and get this over with.

It seems I spoke too soon because an overly excited, peppy blonde approached us in a flight attendant uniform. "Hello there ladies," she said with an enthusiastic smile. At least someone was happy. "We will now be boarding the plane. My name is Megan and I will be your flight attendant. If you need anything, feel free to ask! Now let's get going ladies!"

The small girl looked over at the flight attendant and cleared her throat. "How high does it actually fly?" she asked. By looking at her body language and the ay her voice wavered, I could tell she was nervous. "A-and do they ever like... crash.?" She said as her voice trailed off slowly.

Megan let out a small laugh and gave a smile to the girl. "I'm not sure how high the plane actually goes, but remember as a plane from the royal family, this is one of the safest aircrafts ever made."

My hands gripped the handles of my bag as I picked it up and followed the other girls onto the plane. The sound of my heels echoed at every step and for some reason that gave me satisfaction. I stood at the threshold of the plane and could not help give a small nod of approval. I had been on planes multiple times for move premiers, meetings, and for shooting movies so this was not something new to me. This was definitely one of the nicer planes. The whole interior was white accented with gold, which gave the plane an elegant vibe.

I continued my walk across the plane, passing by some of the other girls. Once I made it to the middle, I took a seat by the window letting my bag occupy the other seat. My eyes shifted to the window. The sight ahead of me was definitely one to remember.

I was brought back to reality when I heard the squeaky voice from earlier. " Hey, do you mind if I sit here?" she asked chewing on her bottom lip.

I didn't want to be rude and say no, but I really wanted to be alone right now. Although I wanted to be alone, I also did not want to make enemies. I moved my bag from the seat beside me and nodded towards the girl.

"Sure, I'm Lydia by the way." I said sticking out my hand.

The girl slid into the seat beside me, her rough hand shaking my manicured one. With hands like that she must have a hands on job which made me even more curious about the girl beside me. "I'm Belle." She responded.

Finally. I thought. Now I would not have to refer to her as the small girl with the squeaky voice.

"Nice to me you Belle! I'm from Lakedon, where are you from and what do you?' I asked.

"I'm from the southern parts of Allens." She said, her eyes showing the nervousness she held. "My mom and I are gardeners, but we've been losing our jobs recently, because I guess Fives want to be gardeners now." She responded with a frown.

Bell just mentioned she was a gardener, which explained the texture of her hands. She had to be a Seven. But none of this made sense to me. If the Fives were taking the jobs of Sevens, what were the Sevens doing? "I'm sorry t hat you and your mom lost your jobs, but aren't the Fives supposed to be involved with the arts?" I asked, while giving her a sympathetic look.

Belle frowned deeply and started to focus her attention of the ends of her shoe laces. "There's been a pretty bad job crisis in Allens the past couple of years. The Twos, Threes and Fours in Allens aren't too fond of lower castes. So if there is an opportunity to replace us with a Five the take it." My eyes widened at her statement. "Oh, but I don't hate upper class people!" she exclaimed. "I mean my best friend is a four, and I love her to death."

I was too surprised at what she said to be offended about what she said about the upper castes. The thought of Fives taking the jobs of Sevens disgusted me. Why couldn't they stick to what they're supposed to do? At that thought, I started to remember all the help I had at home. All the maids and butlers were Sevens, and they did amazing work. It then occurred to me that it may be illegal for Fives to be taking other jobs.

"Wow. I had no idea what was going on! Why don't all the Sevens in Allens get together and do something about it?" I replied. I mean, isn't it illegal for them to be taking your jobs in the first place?"

Belle was about to reply when the girl with the black hair rudely interrupted. "Excuse me!" she says standing up. "I have NEVER stolen anyone's job! I have been stuck in the musical business my whole life! Pouring ALL my time into it, and then there is you," she said pointing a finger at Belle. "I don't think its right for you to dis all Fives! We all aren't bad! I'm sorry your jobs are being taken but I can't help it! SO DROP IT!" she screamed while clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Wow." I replied. That was a lot to take in. that was the end of that conversation as none of the others girls responded and I had no idea what to say.

I noticed earlier that the last girl was quietly on her laptop the entire time. I guess that means I can use mine as well. Pulling out my laptop from my bag, I quickly signed into the newest social media network so that I could have a Q and A with my fans. The game allowed m to interact with my supporters and answer any questions I had. I loved to do this in my spare time as I felt I could never give back to the people who support me from afar.

I had been going at the game for almost an hour when I started to feel my legs falling asleep. I wrote post letting my fans know I was done for the day, before I got up to stretch my legs. "I'll be back in a bit." I told Belle as I slid past her.

Having long legs meant that I could not be in such a small space for long and I was growing tired of sitting. As I walked around the plane I took in the actual appearance of it. There was actually a lot more room in the plane than I had realized. After sitting for so long I decided I should get something to drink.

Megan was sitting by herself looking very bored. She jumped up when she saw my walking towards her. "Could I have a glass of red wine please." I asked. This plane ride was starting to become very stressful and I could feel the tension between the other girls.

Megan quickly went and brought me the glass of wine. I thanked her before I made my way back towards my seat. It seems luck was not on my side because as I passed the girl with the laptop's seat, who I recognised as Annalysta from the report, the plane started to shake. I felt myself wobble causing the glass to tip over and spill.

Annalysta let out a shriek as the wine made contact with her laptop. The both of us jump back a little as we see sparks coming from the device. The entire length of the plane ride I had witnessed her working very hard on her laptop and I had just ruined her computer.

I watched mortified as the fair skinned girl tried desperately to clean the device with towels "No, no, no..." she mutters

She let out another yell and slowly turned her head towards me. If looks could kill I would be a dead woman. "Why the hell would you do that?! That was my work! What kind of person does that!" she yelled.

I couldn't believe this was happening. Her yelling brought me out of my shock. I didn't want to create any enemies, but it looks like I just did. "Oh. My. Gosh. I am so sorry!" I exclaimed. One hand covered my mouth while the other held onto the empty glass. "I'll pay for your new laptop. I swear I didn't mean it." I promised. "It's not my fault! Normally I can walk perfectly in heels. The pale started shaking out of nowhere!"

Annalysta tossed the towel onto the table, clearly angry. "You're sorry? Oh well that brings back twelve hours of my work drowned in your alcohol. Don't make some BS excuse for getting revenge. Seriously, what's your problem, I made one stupid comment, so what?"

I hardly ever raised my voice, as I was taught it was not lady like, but this girl was acting like she was incompetent. "I WAS NOT TRYING TO MAKE AN EXCUSE!" I yelled. Did she not hear me? The plane was shaking. I took a deep breath and counted to 5 very quickly to try and calm myself down. "Did you not hear me? Or the pilot for that matter? We are experiencing turbulence. It was not fault!"

A grumpy voice interrupted the conversation as the dark hair girl glared at the two of us. "Would you two shut your traps? I'm trying to sleep." She said, with frustration evident in her voice.

I didn't want to make enemies but it seems I just made another.

"Didn't you save your work though? I mean what kind of person doesn't save their work!" I yelled back, forgetting all about the girl who was trying to sleep. The girl whose name I had yet to know.

Annalysta started turning bright red. "As if I believe some pedigree born actress who was born to lie! And yeah, I did my research and I know exactly what kind of person you are. You're some snobby rich girl who thinks she can do whatever she pleases."

I stood there shocked at what she had just said. This was the was the second thing I hated most, besides people acting fake to get close to me and receive the benefits of knowing a celebrity. Nothing online could ever be trusted, and there was no way this girl could know who I am. She didn't know who I was. She only knew what she believed.

"PEDIGREE BORN ACTRESS? SNOBBY RICH GIRL?" I repeated. The words felt sour against my tongue. How dare she say such words. "You. Don't. Know. Me. SO don't go around saying you do. And I don't think I can do what I please, I know I can but I choose not to because I'm not selfish and only care about myself like you!" I could not believe I had just said that. I sounded like a spoiled brat, but in reality I was not one. I preferred to do stuff on my own, trying to use as little help possible from the help.

The girl who wanted to sleep angrily walked over to the two of us. "Would you two kindly shut up already!" she yelled.

"Of course you can do as you please, you barely have to lift a finger and you earn a million bucks." Annalysta said while ignoring the tired girl beside them. Everything she was saying was a lie though. Acting was not easy, you had to become the character. Nothing in the glam lifestyle was easy. "I'm probably the only person in an upper caste who works their ass off to keep their family from going under.. well what's left of it anyways." Her voice trailled off as she finished what she was saying.

A part of me felt guilty and sympathized the girl that stood before me. Her words has still bothered me and I was still angry. "Yet you hide behind the words you write. You don't know what my family does. We worked our asses off to get to where we are. We may have been born into this caste, but we were not just given this lifestyle." I responded. I felt the plane shake once more before I decided it was time to stop fighting and sit down.

The girl whose name I had yet to know, continued yelling as I made my way to my seat. I told Belle I would be back shortly but that fight took up a lot f time. As I sat down, I saw Belle kneeling on the floor. Her whole body was shaking, much like the plane. Wasn't it Belle who was afraid of flying earlier?

I let out a small gasp. While I was fighting with Annalysta Belle must have been terrified. "Belle?' I whispered softly. I placed my hand on her back and started rubbing in circular motions to try and calm her down.

At the feeling of my touch Belle let out a loud shriek. Her knees were pulled close to her chest and her fingers were pulling aggressively on the roots of hair. From they way Belle was acting she had to be having a panic attack. "Guys! Someone help! I think she's having a panic attack!" I yelled, hoping someone would come.

"Belle, it's Lydia. I'm just trying to help you..." I whispered. Belled instantly covered her ears and started sobbing.

"P- Please s-s-stop! I ca-ca-can't breathe! Turn it off! Turn it off! T-turn it off!" She sobbed. Her pleads were muffled and shaky.

"What do we do? I've never been in a situation like this! How do we help her?" questions were flying out of my mouth uncontrollably. I felt so clueless and had no idea how to help.

"Give her some room!" the girl whose name I still did not know exclaimed. She walked toward us and sat down directly in front of Belle. Meanwhile, the flight attendant ran in the direction of the cockpit.

The girl whispered some words to Belle and she began to stop screaming. I heard her whisper a few words in reply. I felt so out of it. I stood there watching in a daze until I was told to get a glass of water and towel. As I walked in the direction of the kitchen, I heard the girl start to tell a story.

Quickly, I ran and retrieved the items I was told to get. I brought the bottle of water and towel to the pair and took a seat near them.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl, who was on a journey to a wonderful land full of magic and adventure..." the girl continued her story. She gestured towards me and I took a seat on the floor beside them. As I listened, I carefully unscrewed the bottle of water. Slowly, I handed the bottle to the girl, trying not to let another beverage spill. She said a thank you, and proceeded to hand the bottle to Belle.

Belle drowned the bottle of water. Sweat glistened her temples and her hair stood up messily. By now her shaking had ceased. The girl poured a little bit of water on the towel and wiped the sweat from Belle's forehead while quietly talking to her the whole time.

"You scared us for a moment there Belle. Why didn't you tell us you had panic attacks?" I asked. Relief flooded my face as Belle was finally calm. This girl is so fragile and innocent I though. The competition had barely even begun and it was becoming too much for her.

"I didn't think I'd get one... I haven't had one in four months. I'm really sorry I scared you guys." Belle replied. Her face was beet read and her eyes bloodshot from crying. "I am so-so-so-so-so sorry."

" It's fine!" The girl whose name I now learned, Samantha, said. "I hope I was able to help." She whispered, her eyes down cast at the carpet. "I'm really sorry for what I said earlier.... I didn't mean it...: she replied trailing off.

"You actually helped me a lot, I owe you so much." Belle said looking at Samantha guiltily.

A tear ran down Samantha's face as she looked at Belle smiling. "I'm so glad I could help."

"Next time you know you're on the verge of a panic attack, let us know. We'll try and help you. Hopefully we'll do it right the first time. I'm sorry I wasn't much help though." I said looking down. I felt guilty that while the panic attack started I was probably fighting with that other selected girl, Anna. The girl who was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, the flight attendant had returned "It seems we were passing an area that was having a storm. The shaking will stop very soon." The blonde looked around and noticed the three of us still kneeling on the floor. she then stated that she would be serving lunch then.

"Thank you girls for being so nice to me. I thought all the girls would be at each other's throats the whole competition." Belle smiled lightly.

"Since we're apologizing." I said looking up in the direction of Anna. "Sorry for spilling my drink on your laptop. I really didn't mean it. I hope I didn't cause you any trouble. I promise I'll pay for a new computer."

It was then when I realized that none of us were actually introduced on good terms. Maybe we should start over and pretend nothing ever happened? I mean, only the four of us and Megan would know...

Anna glanced in my direction, "it's fine... I don't need you to buy me a new laptop, I'm sure they have computers there... It won't help anyway," Anna said as she walked back to her seat and quietly began rummaging through her belongings.

I pushed myself off of the floor and walked towards Anna. "No let me help. I don't know what you were working on but I want to help. I can't not do anything knowing I ruined your laptop." I said. I felt guilty and wanted to help fix my mistake.

Anna shook her head, and continued searching for something in her bag. Eventually she retrieved a notebook and pen from her bag and placed them on the table in front of her. "Well you might just have to... Lydia was it? There's not much you can do. The system is fried and I lost my stuff from that computer. I usually back up my hard-drive, but I couldn't considering we are on the plane... Anyway, it wasn't just the chapter... it was the laptop itself with any value..." Anna said with a pause. "Hey... so I have this thing against clichés, but... ya know... I'm sorry for flipping out on you. I don't talk to people much, and I guess I just assumed the worst... Sorry," Anna said bluntly, then glanced away slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. I guess we're all having a bad day. I think I have a way to make this all better..." I replied, my voice trailing off. "First of all, I think Megan is ready to serve lunch..." I said with my head turning towards Megan who was pushing a cart. "Secondly... I think we all got off on the wrong foot. Maybe we could pretend the whole fight and everything never happened. I mean the only people who know about it is the four of us, Megan and possibly the pilot."

"I like that idea." Belle whispered meekly. "I'm normally not like this." Her voice did not sound very convincing and I nodded my head slowly.

Megan pulled the lids off the trays, which revealed four plates. On each plate was cooked chicken sandwiched between two pieces of toasted bread. On the side of the platter there were several vegetables including tomatoes, lettuce, and other sides.

"That idea sounds good." Said Sam, reaching for a sandwich. "It would be good to have you all be as friends instead of enemies." her muffled voice could be heard through a mouthful of sandwich. I culdnt help but notice how not lady like that was but I brushed off the thought. "I'm normally really likeable. Plus, I can't imagine having you all as enemies through The Selection" she continued.

"Sounds cliche... But, sure I'll try..." Anna smiled very slightly and gave a small nod. She glanced over the platter and took a sandwich from the trau. She took a small bite into it and smiled, "these are pretty good."

"They're really good!" agreed Sam, taking another bite of the almost gone sandwich. Sam dropped part of the sandwich in her lap and sighed. "I don't know how I will ever get the fancy manners down!" she exclaimed.

I placed a napkin in her lap before I picked up one the sandwiches on the platter and brought it to my plate. I added lettuce and tomatoes before taking a bite. All the time traveling had definitely worked up my appetite. But this did not mean I could forget her table manners. "Once you get the manner thing down, you won't be able to forget." I said giving Samantha a genuine smile.

Belle looked at the sandwiches with saucer eyes, and reached out a hand and delicately bringing it to the table in front of her. She picked it up and took a giant bite, sauce smearing around the corners of her mouth. I let at a small giggle. She was like a little child. "Oh my goodness!" She cried in awe, her mouth full of food. "What is in this?" She carefully took apart the sandwich as she examined the contents inside of it.

Anna shrugged and proceeded to take another bite. "Not sure I care too much. If it tastes good, eat it. At least that's my motto," Anna said with a small smile.

I like that motto", I replied with a small giggle. "As long as it tastes good it shouldn't matter. Unless you're on a diet." I said with a sigh. This reminded me about how strict my diet usually is. I always had to be fit and get the right balance of food so that I could do her own stunts and fit into costumes.

"That sounds like a perfect motto to me." Belle said with a big dimpled grin.

"So..." started Sam, whipping of her hands, "If we're starting over on introductions my name is Samantha but my close friends call me Sam. I'm a 5 and I like music, I mean I guess I kinda have to with the job I have." She smiles while glancing at all of us seated around the table.

Anna glanced around at the other girls, "alright... Well, I'm Annalysta, just call me Anna... I'm a 3 and I'm a writer." Anna looked awkwardly at the floor. Her introduction was short and straight to the point. Anna did not give anything away. She seemed very closed off and looked like the person who keeps to themselves.

We sat there in silence until Belle decided it was her turn to speak. "Uh, my name is Belle. My family calls me Ellie, and sometimes Elle." She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "I'm a gardener, and I can list every flower that grows in Illèa from memory." She gave us a shy dimpled smile.

I carefully wiped her mouth and took a sip of water. "Nice to meet you Sam, Anna and Belle!" I said with a smile. "I'm Lydia, I don't really have any nicknames but if you ever think of one let me know." I said with a laugh. My name was pretty short and usually nicknames seemed pointless. "I'm a two and an actress. It's one of my passions to make others happy and I'm happy my job allows me to do so." I said with a smile. Talking about my job made me happy. Just the thought of all the people I would be helping made me happy.

"Well, now that we've gotten introduction out of the way, I'm going to go back to work," Anna gave a small nod and walked over to her seat, and began scribbling hastily in her notebook.

I gave Anna a small smile. I still felt guilty that I had broken her computer and could not do anything about it.

After lunch, we all mad our way back to our respective seats. The plane ride was smooth and there was no trace of more turbulence. We chattered away with one until the captain announced our descent from the air. Quickly I buckled my seat belt and waited for the plane to land.

Sam squealed in excitement. Her squeal speaking for all of us. Megan informed us that we would be exiting the plane in a single file line and that we would have 10 minutes to interact with fans. Afterwards we would be shipped off to the palace.

I could see the flashes coming through the window. It seemed that many people were excited to see the selected. I took my sunglasses out of my bag to protect me from all the flashes. I followed the other girls out of the plane. As I exited the plane a wide smile took over my face.