Content Warning: The source text and this section of the guide discuss domestic violence, abuse, and miscarriage.

America lies on a blanket in the gardens with Maxon, looking at the stars. A week before, the Selection was narrowed down to six girls, called the Elite, and Maxon tells America that he is ready to choose her the moment she decides to commit to him. America is drawn to Maxon but also to Aspen, her former boyfriend who now works as a guard in the palace in Angeles. America admits to Maxon that she doesn’t feel she knows him, and he “seem[s] perfect all the time” (3). He lists his faults, including his dwindling patience with the rebels who continue to attack the palace: the Northerners, who cause chaos, and the Southerners, who inflict death and destruction. America is pleased that Maxon sees a possible future with her, but when she encounters Aspen standing guard outside her bedroom door, he reminds her that he loves her. She asks for time to figure out her feelings.

The Elite sit with Queen Amberly, who describes her wedding, when she was chosen from the Selection by King Clarkson. The other girls describe the wedding they’d wish to have with Maxon.