The Selection

The morning after America’s disastrous first date with Maxon, she is convinced that he is going to send her home. At breakfast, the other girls ask about the date, but America tries to avoid talking about it. Suddenly, “complete and absolute mayhem” breaks out as rebels attack the palace (149). The royal family and the Selected girls go into a lockdown in the dining room, and America decides that she “[isn’t] going down quietly” (150). She realizes that the royal family has weathered countless attacks like this, and she encourages Marlee to “[d]ry [her] eyes and stand up straight” so the royal family will see her composed during a crisis (152). Maxon comes to check on America, and during the conversation, she explains to him that she only kneed him in the thigh because she was told “never to turn [him] down” (154), and she panicked when he neared her. Maxon is horrified to learn this, and America apologizes for hurting him.

Maxon explains that there are two main rebel groups: the Northerners and the Southerners. Whereas the Northerners seem to be “looking for something” when they attack (159), the Southerners use deadly force during their invasions. America encourages him to talk to Marlee, and once the danger passes and the coast is clear, Marlee tells America that she and Maxon have a scheduled date.