The Selection Part 28

"Let me finish." He huffed, then was silent. "You took away my dreams, and the only reason I'm here is because you insisted I sign up."

He shook his head, irritated at the truth.

"I've been trying to put myself back together, and Maxon really cares about me. You mean so much to me, you know you do. But I'm part of this now, and I'd be stupid to not let myself see what happens."

"So you're choosing him over me?" he asked miserably.

"No, I'm not choosing him or you. I'm choosing me."

That was the truth at the core of everything. I didn't know what I wanted yet, and I couldn't let myself be swayed by what was easy or what someone else thought was right. I had to give myself time to decide what was best for me.

Aspen mulled this over for a moment, still not happy with what I was saying. Finally he smiled.

"You know I'm not giving up, right?" His tone was an obvious challenge, and I grinned in spite of myself. It was true that Aspen was not the type to admit defeat.

"This really isn't a good place to try to fight for me. Your determination is a dangerous trait here."

"I'm not afraid of that suit," he scoffed.

I rolled my eyes, amused at being on this end of the relations.h.i.+p. I'd always been worried about someone stealing Aspen. I felt guilty about how refres.h.i.+ng it was to see him worried about someone stealing me for a change.

"Okay. You said you didn't love him ... but you must like him a little to be willing to stay, right?"

I ducked my head. "I do," I said with a tiny nod. "He's more than I ever imagined he was."

He considered that for a moment, soaking it in.

"I guess that means I'll have to fight harder than I thought," he said, heading for the hall. Then he turned and gave me another wink. "Goodnight, Lady America."

"Goodnight, Officer Leger."

The door clicked shut, and the sense of peace was overwhelming. Since the Selection had started, I'd been worrying that it was something that was going to ruin my life. But in this moment, I couldn't think of a time that felt more right.

Too soon, my maids bustled in. Anne pulled back the curtains, and as the light fell on me, it felt like this was truly my first day at the palace.

The Selection was no longer something that was simply happening to me, but something I was actively a part of. I was an Elite. I pulled back the covers and leaped into the morning.

END OF BOOK ONE.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

OKAY, JUST IN CASE YOU'RE really busy or tired because you stayed up late finis.h.i.+ng, I want to thank you first for reading my book. For reals, I love you. Thanks.

Now, to the people who made this happen. Well, actually, let's go back a bit more.

As always, I thank G.o.d for words. I'm so glad I don't have to try to communicate this story to you with my antennae or something. Words are so delicious, and I'll be forever happy they exist.

Callaway: Oat bananas! Thanks for supporting me and being generally awesome.

Guyden: Thank you for sharing Mommy with the friends in her head.

Loads of love to my mom, dad, and little brother for encouraging me to be strange. Also, hugs and love to my mom, dad, and little brother-in-law for being such incredible cheerleaders. Between the six of you, I've been engulfed in excitement, and I'm so grateful for all of you.

Thank you to the gang at [nlcf] and to the FTW Crew for celebrating with me along the way. Hugs!

Thanks to Mary-the first person to read The Selection ever-for thinking it was cool, and to Liz and Mich.e.l.le for being the thoughtful, rational, in-depth readers that I am not. The book is better because of you guys. Also, I think you are awesome.

Thank you to Ashley Brouillette for making a great video and earning her name a spot in the book. Bravo, miss! I also have to say thanks to Elizabeth O'Brien, Emily Arnold, and Kayleigh Poulin for hanging out with me when I was a nerd. Thanks for letting me use your names as well.

Other names I borrowed: Jenna, Elise, Mary, Lucy, Gerad, Amy, etc. Thanks for popping into my mind when I had no idea what to type. Yay!

Elana Roth: You are a rock G.o.ddess of an agent, and I cannot thank you enough for taking a chance on me even though I'm really, really awful on the phone. Still can't figure out what possessed you. Also, thanks for letting me hug you. Love!

To Caren and Colleen at JLA, thanks for being there and generally rocking.

Erica Sussman: You are so dang cool. For realzies. It's kind of amazing how well you get America and how fun you are to work with. I adore you and your purple pen. Thank you for never making this feel like work.

Tyler, you sa.s.sy girl, I feel your energy in everything. Thanks for all your work.

Dear Everyone at HarperTeen: Umm, THANK YOU! You were a dream I didn't dare speak aloud, and I'm honored to be one of your authors and appreciate all of your work for me. From cover art to marketing to just the way you communicate with me, everything has been better than I could have ever hoped for. Thank you. Truly.

Jeannette, Catherine, Kati, Ciara, Christina, the ladies at Guy's daycare, and anyone I might have missed: Thank you for watching Guyden at various times so I could work. It meant so much to me to know I wasn't alone in this.

And, if you made it all the way through this, thanks again to you! Some of you have been with me from the first time I sat in front of a camera and said "h.e.l.lo Interwebs." Some of you read The Siren or found me on Twitter. Some of you just saw the pretty girl on the cover of the book and decided to pick it up. However and whenever you found me, thank you for reading my book. I hope it made you all kinds of happy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

KIERA Ca.s.s is a graduate of Radford University and currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, with her family. Her fantasy novel THE SIREN was self-published in 2009. Kiera has kissed approximately fourteen boys in her life. None of them were princes. You can learn more about Kiera's books, videos, and love of cake online at www.kieraca.s.s.com.

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