One of the soldiers dragged Boss out into the dining room. He was whimpering, begging them to let him go.
“I didn’t know. How would I have known?”
In the center of the dining room, the soldier dropped his hold on Boss and he crumpled onto the floor.
My attention flicked up to the television screens, which showed a replay of the selection process, displaying names, one after the next.
The 25(th) and final name was my own.
I didn’t understand. I never sent in an application.
“I had no idea she might be a future Luna,” Boss said, clutching his head. “If I’d known, I never would have –”
“For this slight against the royal family, this establishment will be shut down until further notice,” the head soldier said, cutting Boss off. Then the guard looked at me. “Some of us will escort you home, miss, so that you can gather your personal belongings.”
“How long will I be staying?” I asked. I felt like I was in some sort of dream. Any moment I’d wake up and be in that kitchen.
I never wanted to step foot inside of there again.
The soldier gave me a quizzical look. “Everything should have been made clear on your application.”
The application. Right. The one I hadn’t sent in.
I didn’t want to ask any more questions and risk drawing unwanted attention to myself, so I nodded. “Of course.”
A handful of soldiers near the entrance beckoned me to them. I followed them and they drove me to my apartment. When we arrived, I asked them to wait outside.
They complied, though one stationed himself right outside the door. “To help with luggage,” he explained.
I wasn’t used to that kind of care, so I looked at him strangely for a moment. He maintained a military stance, not seeming to mind my stare.
This was all too weird.
I opened my apartment door and walked inside. Anna excitedly met me just inside the door. Elva, not quite as excited, was still on the couch, playing with her dolls.
“Hi, Mommy.”
“Hi, Elva,” I called to her before looking at Anna, who seemed ready to bounce straight out of her skin.
“You were chosen! Can you believe it?”
“No.” I ushered her away from the front door. Yet even away from it, I still kept my voice soft so the soldier outside wouldn’t hear. “I didn’t even put in an application. How did they get my name?”
Anna quickly glanced away.
“Anna.”
“So I sent in an application on your behalf…”
“Anna!” I whisper-yelled.
“You don’t belong in this town, Piper, and certainly not in that job with that creepy boss.”
“I can’t believe this. What am I supposed to do?”
Her eyes found mine again. She held hands out, palms up. “You are supposed to participate in the Luna Choosing Game.”
“I never wanted to do this,” I said. “If I go there, I’m going to be humiliated. I don’t fit the criteria, Anna. I have a daughter.”
Anna shrugged. “What’s the harm in trying, Piper? If you go and they disqualify you, you come back here and nothing will have changed. But if they accept you…”
“That will never happen.”
Anna sighed dramatically. “At least try. If only so you can get a free vacation to the Capital. Elva’s never seen it.” Anna kneeled down, claiming Elva’s attention. “Wouldn’t you like to see the palace, Elva? Where the King and Luna live?”
“The Luna had a pretty dress,” Elva said.
“She has a lot of pretty dresses,” Anna said. “And so do a lot of the other girls there.”
Elva gasped. “Really?” When Anna nodded, Elva turned her doe eyes up to me. “Can I see the pretty dresses, Mommy?”
What I could do was take Elva into the palace to see the dresses, and then politely withdraw from the competition.
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