It was a crazy deduction to make, not minding that the fact was staring at from the mirror. But I really looked like the first Queen, from the color of my eyes to the angular line of my face. Could it be that...?
"Dora! Oh my goodness! What did you do? How did you..." Laura spoke finally, finding her voice; her words dragging my attention to her.
When I turned from the mirror, she was in front of . She checked out in awe, the studs on my gown, the effervescence of golden light that surrounded ; I had thought I was the only seeing it, but it was seen by my family. My significant other had really outdone herself.
’You should tell your na already...’ I couldn’t keep addressing her as my ’other.’
’Call El, then.’
El? What manner of na was that? It sounded like sothing that just fell from her mouth at that mont. But El was better than ’other.’
’Okay, El. Thank you.’
"Dora, you look otherworldly." Diana spoke next, her eyes shining with amazent. Slowly, she made her way to , but paused at a point, as if my presence was too pure for her to step in. I held back a laugh. After the euphoria had settled, the little girl would have my hide for laughing at her in public. I would rather avoid that.
Levina, however, was too shocked to speak. She stood at the sa point, appraising , from my crowned head to my golden heels, to the golden light that circled my entire figure. She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it again.
Just then the announcer called my na again. He also added that if I wasn’t out in the next minute, I would be disqualified. I held back a scoff at their impetus; it seed too unpure for my state at the mont. Yes, I felt like an angel.
Without much ado, I dropped a kiss on Laura’s cheek as she wished goodluck, ruffled Diana’s hair which caused her to pout, and gave Peter a side hug, before sauntering toward the curtain, toward where Levina stood. "Hey friend.."
"Even your voice is different now."
I furrowed my eyebrows, but nodded all the sa. Could El be the reason for the voice change? How was I sounding now?
I inhaled deeply, pushing all thoughts away when I ca out of the curtain, when the lights narrows down on , when I heard the gasps echoing across the crowd. Then El did the walk.
El, because I couldn’t have walked like that; I haven’t cat walked in my life before.
’Is there anything you can’t do, El?" I inquired, taking note of Rachel’s mouth which was open in shock, taking note of the shock on the faces of the people in the crowd, taking note of Raul. Even Duke who had threatened fire and brimstones had his mouth opened. He hadn’t made an appearance in school since that fateful event, probably because of sha. I hadn’t spent the evening in his dungeons.
When I stopped, and swirled around to show my assets, I gasped softly when the golden hue around increased, forming a halo all around . I wasn’t the only one in shock. If the audience hadn’t known before, they would know now that the dress had been borne out of magic.
I heard the murmurs of ’impossible’ whisper around the crowd, and wondered if they had found out that I looked like the first Queen. That thought had hurrying out of the stage, increasing my walking pace, but El still managed to make it look elegant. When I ca behind the curtain, my family hurried to .
"You were fantastic out there!" Levina scread, hugging to herself. "It’s no doubt now that you would win the competition."
I smiled, winking at a Diana who found my dress more interesting than the possible results of the competition.
————
"And now, we have co to the mont we have all been waiting for...It is ti for the announcent of the winner!"
Claps ensued as the announcer spoke, holding up a piece of paper in his hand. But from the murmurs going on around, everyone belived that I was the winner. Who could match that display, that coback, after my cloth was being stolen?
Rachel.
I still had it in mind to pay her back in her own coin. She wouldn’t even see it coming. I promised myself.
However, when I saw the announcer frown, when I saw him turn and look at the judges suspiciously, I knew there was a problem. His found mine next, because the contestants had been assigned to a seperate row of seats, right beside the judges.
In his eyes, I found pity. He was one of my magic teachers. Prof. Zokel. Before he ntioned the winner of the contest, I already knew who it was, and I buckled myself imdiately to speak against the result.
"The winner of this round is our Princess, Rachel!"
No one clapped, no applause went up from the peope, not even from Rachel’s brothers, Duke and Raul, as Rachel smiled widely and hurried to the platform. Only Hendel was clapping. The Queen wasn’t. She only gave a slow nod to the Prof Zokel.
"I know we had all expected Dora Akwoods to win this competition, seeing as she dazzled us all, but her dress was a magic dress....that was against the rules."
"Where was it stated?" A voice broke out from the crowd, causing my heart to spike. I would always know that voice. Adam.
How was he here? Shouldn’t he be in school, back at the pack? My eyes traced the point where the voice had co form, shocked to my bones when I noticed that he was not alone. He was with his family, the Lycan King included. There was Naomi and her brother too. There was Claire and her brother, Elijah.
What the hell! I ntally scread for the second ti that night. I watched as Adam stood up from his seat, and walked toward the stage. I looked in ti to see the Queen fidget on her seat when she saw the Lycan King staring at her. Oh well. This might turn out better than I expected.
Adam climbed the stage, calmly took the microphone from Professor Zokel, and the trophy from a stupified Rachel, who couldn’t believe her eyes.
No one had known of the their presence? How was that possible? How had they slithered into the pack without being noticed by anyone?
"I’m sure I am speaking for everyone when I call Dora Akwoods the winner."
Murmurs of affirmation whispered through the crowd, causing my eyes to wet. I didn’t believe that much of the students would want to win the competition.
"So then, Dora, walk up and take your reward. There was no place where it was stated that magic couldn’t be used to make a dress, and if it should suddenly disqualify you, then the Queen’s daughter should have been disqualified too for stealing your dress."
Rachel gasped, and took a step back, darting glances at and Adam. Well, she was recompensed on ti, and I hadn’t even done anything.
Without anyone telling her to, she walked down from the platform, toward her mother. Adam seed to notice the queen then. "Do you contend that statent, my Queen?"
Queen Aliana shook her head furtively. What else was there to say? She just displayed her foolishness in front of her peope, for a re trophy. She would be insane to dig a deeper hole for herself.
At that mont, Diana and Levina simultaneously shouted D-O-R-A, so that it beca a chant. Imdiately, the whole crowd took a leaf from that. In the short ti that I walked from my seat to the platform, everyone was shouting the na; well everyone except for thise who were envious of my win.
"Thanks..."
I said to Adam, giving appreciation when it was due, before collecting the trophy from his hand.
"I didn’t know I was supposed to make a speech. I would have prepared in advance." I said ekly when Adam gave the microphone too.
I glared at him thereafter when he smirked, causing the students and the parents who had co to watch the proceeding to laugh.
"But since it has co to this, well, I have no choice. I’m grateful first to my family, to the community, to the planners of this event, and of course to the Lycan who had thought it wise to put his attention into matters concerning the community..."
Laughs broke out in the crowd again, and when I turned to look at Adam, he had a smile on his lips.
Oh no. That smile that disard almost a year ago. Swiftly, I swerved my head away from him, and focused on the audience.
"To everyone in any form of mishap, take strength! The situation can turn around in record ti, just as this had done. Thank you!" I shouted, laughing with the crowd, before bowing slightly to Adam, and walking down the platform.
Amidst the laughter that ensued as a result of my vote of thanks, I looked at the Queen. The woman was glaring at .
Of course she would know that my last statent had been a diss, specially made for her and her daughter. But that was fine. I wanted her to know. I wanted her too see the laness of her actions.
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