~Playlist: "She Used to be Mine" by Sara Bareilles~

"She's imperfect, but she tries. She is good, but she lies"

Piper's POV

After Annabeth's abrupt departure, I look back at Reyna. "Who was it? Who stabbed you, Reyna? Was it Willow? It's okay, I know how it feels."

She looks helpless. "Oh. Er, I'm not really sure. My back was turned, so I couldn't see their face."

I know that she's lying, but it must be for a good reason. Reyna wouldn't just lie for no reason. Would she?

"Excuse me, but I have orders to see to a Miss Piper McLean," a new voice announces from behind me. I readjust my body in the hard plastic chair I'm sitting in and see a girl around my age standing there with a sweet smile on her face and a clipboard in her hands. A sense of comfort fills me, something that's been hard to come by in the Selection.

"Me? Why me?" I ask, confused.

"I'm not a doctor, don't worry. I'm sure that Miss Ramirez- Arellano is in capable hands here with the amazing staff. I just require a few seconds of your time, Miss McLean."

I give Reyna a warm smile. "I'll be back soon."

She tries to smile back, but ends up grimacing in pain. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Don't do anything you'll regret."

So she feels the same way I do. There's a high chance that this is all a trap, all a trick. For all I know, Willow is behind this, just like how she most likely was behind Reyna's attack. But I follow the new girl.

I leave the pale white room, feeling slightly uneasy. But the girl has such a warm smile and demeanor that I can't help but feel safe. A sense of security floods through my veins and it fills me with such a newfound sense of warmth that I have to trust her.

"Just step through here, miss," the girl says with another smile.

"I don't think I ever got your name," I say politely.

"Where did my manners go?" she chuckles to herself. "I'm Daphne Fitzgerald, and I work here. Now, just go into the room and everything will make sense."

I do as she says, yet my sense of security has left me briefly. It's possible that she's working for Willow and that this is all a trick to kill me. But somehow, I feel comfortable with doing it. I step into the room and see that it's completely empty. Confused, I turn back around for answers from Daphne. Just in time, I'm able to witness one last smile before she closes the door behind me, leaving me trapped in the room.

I go to open the door, but something stops me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. This was all just a trap!

"Piper," a voice says. "Piper, come on."

Slowly, I turn back around again. Jason is standing there with a smile on his face and a sword in his hand.

"Jason?" I ask. "What are you doing here? Why do you have a sword?"

All he does is smile at me. "Trust me, Piper. I know this is all new for you, but you can always trust me. Remember that."

I run my hands through my unevenly cut hair, frustrated. "I want to, Jason, but you're making it very difficult to! How am I supposed to trust you if you won't let me know you?"

He ignores what I just said and continues to speak to me, his blue eyes connecting with mine. "This is a test, Piper. You just have to trust yourself. If you do that, then you can pass. If you do that, then I'll come back to you. I promise."

I reach out for his hand, but he disappears. Now I'm alone again, just like I was before. The only thing left is a table filled with strangely shaped pieces of metal that look all too familiar.

I examine them closer and realize that it's a wooden table decorated with weapons. Swords, knives, a bow, spears, and more things that I don't recognize. Curious, I pick up a knife from the table.

Suddenly, the table and weapons disappear. The only one left is the knife in my hand.

"What is happening?" I whisper to myself. But there's no answer. The only thing that replies is the empty silence that always seems to follow me.

A strange pink vapor has leaked inside the room from an unknown source. It surrounds me and changes my simple yellow sun dress into a Greek styled white toga dress. I look at my reflection in the knife and am startled to see that makeup has appeared on my face. My hair is done up in an elegant way, something that I've refrained from doing the entire Selection.

The vapor vanishes and the door opens, revealing Daphne. She gives me one of her endless warm smiles.

"What just happened?" I demand. The white dress is still on and the knife is still resting in my hand. "What's going on?"

Daphne grimaces. "I can't tell you that, Piper. But it will all be explained shortly, trust me. You just have to have patience. Now, drink this and you'll be free to go."

"There's no way I'm drinking that," I announce, looking at the colorless liquid she's holding out with disdain. "For all I know, you're working for Willow."

"As if," a new voice snorts. A girl with bright blue hair steps out from behind Daphne. "Honey, we're on the same side. You want Willow gone, and so do we. Just drink the liquid, and we'll tell you everything that you want to know."

I stare at the new girl's bright hair, not able to get past it. She winks at me with purple eyes. Who is this girl?

"Trust us, Piper McLean," Daphne says, her brown eyes glowing like an almost burned out ember. "Please."

I take the liquid and hold it up to my lips. Neither of the girls express any kind of greedy desire. If anything, they look guilty. I down the liquid and am surprised to find that it tastes like a mixture of lemons and chocolate, a strange combination that somehow tastes good.

As it goes down my throat, I watch as the blue haired girl's eyes and hair change color. Before I'm done swallowing, she now has blonde hair and hazel colored eyes.

I swallow. I close my eyes and feel myself fall backwards and hit the ground, the glass shattering from the impact.

I open my eyes and find that I'm no longer by Reyna's bed in the hospital. For some reason, I'm lying on the ground, surrounded by shards of broken glass. Did I get up to get more water for Reyna?

"Are you alright, miss?" a maid with blonde hair and hazel eyes asks me. "I was watching you holding this glass of water when you collapsed."

Another girl with brown hair looks equally worried. "Do you need any assistance back to your room?"

I wave them both off. "I'm fine. I need to visit my friend who's in the hospital."

The girl with brown hair clucks her tongue and shakes her head. "No, you need rest. You can visit Reyna later, miss. Go to your room and get some rest. You'll feel better."

How did she know that I felt very strange? I nod in agreement before standing up, feeling slightly shaky. For some reason, I'm not wearing my yellow sundress. Did I ever wear it? But that doesn't explain how I'm wearing a toga styled white dress that I've never seen before. And why is there a knife in my hand?

What happened?

A/N
That's a good question, Piper. What did happen? Do you know? Here's your answer: Haha, no you don't. Only I do.

This is a very important chapter for later. And in case it wasn't clear, the liquid Piper consumed caused her to forget all that happened. Why that happened, I won't tell just yet. As Daphne said, you just have to have patience.