Treachery, Royalty, and Annoying Girls

Chapter 2, Part 1

The room I'm staying in was big. A large bed was in the middle. I think it was a canopy style. Thin curtains covered it. The sheets were a light blue and the blanket on top had the logo of the Nation. Underneath the logo there were small words that read "Peace and Honor, Serenity" I think that The Founders could have done a better job at choosing the name of our new country. When the monarchy came into place, they kept the name in hopes of keeping the peace. That didn't work out too well because around 10 years ago, attacks started to happen. They stopped last year at the force of the palace soldiers. There are still protests, just among the homeless.

The only friend I had was down the hall and I didn't feel like getting up. My maids came in to help me into a nightgown they brought. It was a light pink satin material. I really need a moment to myself, though. The girls brushed out my hair until it fell into brown waves around my shoulders. "Can you leave, please? I need a moment to myself." I spoke. Riley looked a little startled.

"I'm sorry but we have to stay here." Amara said. She looked a little frustrated by my sudden request.

"Amara, please." Riley whispered.

"One of us has to stay here in case you need anything." Amara stated.

"I don't feel comfortable with someone watching me in my sleep. Go get some rest. We probably have a big day tomorrow and I don't want to see you guys so tired. Just wake me up before it's time for breakfast, okay?" I tried to give a kind smile as Amara eyed me suspiciously.

"Alright, fine, just ring the bell if you need anything."

"Yes ma'am" I gave a small salute like a soldier. Riley giggled a bit and Amara's skeptical look disappeared with a more cheerful look.

The two maids left the room whispering to each other. I tucked myself into the covers of the bed and finally realized how soft it was. I looked up at the ceiling. There was a large fan that was spinning which explains how the room wasn't ridiculously hot. I fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.

The next morning I woke up to the woosh of my curtains being pulled open. "Good morning, my lady," Amara sang.

"No..... it's too early." I whined. Amara laughed as she yanked off my covers.

"Get up, Callix, breakfast is in four hours."

"What time is it?" I asked

"Six o'clock in the morning,"

"Thirty more minutes?"

"No, you need to bathe, we need to do your nails, take your measurements, fit you in a dress, you need to choose the dress. Oh there's so much to do."

"Fine," I grumbled. I didn't want to be up at all. Riley helped me out of my nightgown and into the tub. The bath was freshly drawn and it was so warm. A strong wave of vanilla and lavender hit my nostrils as soon as I was in the water. "This is one of His Majesty's favorite scents." Riley whispered. I watched as she got a sponge, some shampoo, and some conditioner. The shampoo and conditioner were labeled lavender. . So much of the same scent was almost assaulting. It smelled too good. I sighed when it was all over. For the lotion, I practically had to beg Riley to get an unscented lotion so I wasn't overpowering. Amara gave me a purple cotton robe and got me into a chair. She worked on my hair as Riley did my nails. My cuticles were pushed back and all the dead skin around the actual nail was cut off. My hands felt too smooth after all of that. But it wasn't done yet. They asked if I wanted polish or acrylic. I had no idea what acrylic meant so Amara explained it as fake nails, generally long but can be shortened using a nail clipper of sorts. "Can you just do a neutral polish then?"

"Sure!" She actually picked a soft pink that was close to the color of my lips. It took around 15 minutes for the nail polish to dry on both my hands and my toes, which I didn't realize Riley was doing after my hair was done. I touched the back of my hair and I felt a neat, tight braid in the back of my head.

The girls led me to a closet that was full of dresses. They were all small, and when I asked if they have the right sizes, Amara replied with, "Yes, they are, why would we have the wrong size?" Like I was a stupid child. Riley nudged me forward to choose a dress. I asked if one of them could choose one for me. One girl grabbed a satin lavender dress and the other grabbed a pair of white heels with lavender accents.

In the mirror was a girl I didn't recognize. Brown hair brushed and braided tightly in the back, clear skin all over, a dress. She looked almost like a princess. This was new. I imagined myself with a crown on my head beside the prince. Thousands of people cheering as I walked up to a podium.

A sharp knock reeled me back to reality. "Hi my name is Linsay and I will be helping you and the other girls get situated and if you are eliminated, then I will help you pack up any belongings. I'm here to take you down to breakfast. You will be learning table manners and etiquette, looking at where you're from I'm assuming you don't know much about that. Now, follow me." And just like that, I was really in the competition.