Fabian

Pageantry

"Can you but the comb down Aria! I HAVE DREADLOCKS WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT" A look of embarrassed realization dawned Aria's upon hearing me scream those words as she was chasing me with a comb just as she had chased me with those 3-foot wingspan fake eyelashes. I won that argument by the way. My hair was crimped and let down. Unlike my usual go-to ponytail, my curled dreads fell effortlessly onto my shoulders.  A cascade of healthy hair. "Alright now put on a bonnet or something. Were getting your nails done" she snapped. "Fine" I murmured with my teeth clenched.

At this point in the day it was about 3pm the day of the pageant which started in 3 hours. We walked through the nail salon where Aria practically shoved me into a chair in front of the nail technician and promptly started barking something about the style of nails I was to have. What the hell?  I thought. She seemed to be getting so irritated at every single little thing. I knew she got stressed about competing in her own pageants but never to this extreme. I guess it was because of the high stakes of this particular one. Especially when success rests on my feeble shoulders.

Aria went to sit a bit further away while I got my nails done. I apologized to the nail tech and started up a conversation to ease the tension. The poor lady looked so shaken up after Aria's unnecessary scolding. She  did amazing honestly. I sat there for about 20 minutes and came out of the salon with the most beautiful french tip nails I had ever seen. I had to tip her...right after i figure out how to use my hands with these eagle talons on. ugh.

Aria dragged me around a few more places before stopping at the store to pick up my dress and swimsuit. I still hated the fact that there was a swimsuit portion but what could I do. She basically dragged me around like a tired puppy on a leash, and by 5:30 we were at the hotel where the pageant was being held.

I sat in a large dressing room with a bunch of other girls. My nostrils filled with the scent of sweat, hairspray and cheap perfume. I had a headache and felt a pang in my stomach because Aria wouldn't let me eat the whole day for fear of bloating. "Ari give me a break! There's 30 minutes before I go on for formal wear." I whined. "There is absolutely no time or space for you to be whining right now Zoa." Aria hissed, grabbing my arm tightly, making me wince. "Ow Ari you're hurting me" I whispered. "Just get your heels on Zoa. Now."  What the hell is going on with her. I chalked her strange behavior up to being stressed about Nona.  After all, she was getting worse by the minute and this was one of our only chances to save her in time.

It's time. I stood backstage with the other sparkle clad girls. They all had a certain caked-on makeup look and it sort of intimidated me. "Is this what those judges like?" I mumbled to myself somewhat scared as I had opted for a more natural look because I was honestly quite uncomfortable having all that stuff on my face. The lights looked blinding from the wings of the stage. They paralyzed me as the two girls in front of me were called on to do their little walk and look at the judges and then walk off. I was lost in the lights. And then all of a sudden "Welcome contestant number 24, ZOA!" I let out an audible 'huh?' as the announcer shouted my name. I quickly collected myself and sauntered onto the stage like a bimbo. God I hate this.

The lights burned my eyes for a bit before they adjusted finally. Sitting in front of me off stage was the panel of judges. I look at each one of the one by one just as Aria instructed. I took in their appearances as I tried to evaluate their expressions and change my actions accordingly. The first judge was a balding white man with a goatee that was barely grown in. He had a creepy smile on his face so I guess that was good. The next judge was a snotty looking woman. What is with these people? The woman looked me straight in the eyes with a straight face. She looked-well- she had quite a blank expression I couldn't read. As I walked across the stage I winked in her direction. Alright, last judge. He was a darkskin- wait a minute. Hot stalker dude? At this point I was sure there was something up with this dude. I'm sure he realized I was caught of guard as he returned my expression with an evil looking smirk. I regained my composure and blew kisses to the audience and judges as I strutted off the stage.

The swimsuit portion concluded and I walked off stage feeling extremely uncomfortable. Having those people look me up and down as I felt them actively scrutinizing my small frame made me the most insecure I have been in a while, but it was finally over. It was time for crowning. I put on a smaller powder blue cocktail dress and heels and walked in the line onto the stage. The next 5 minutes were honestly a blur. I payed no attention until I heard "...ZOA!". Honestly, I had no Idea what was going on. I stepped forward and It hadn't clicked that I won until I saw Aria's look of relief peaking through the audience. I was handed a bouquet and a crown, took a bow and thanked the judges.

 I scampered off the stage, kicking my death trap heels off in the process. I walked into the dressing room to meet it empty. "Where is everyo-" I didn't get to finish my question when in a split second  i felt a large rough hand around my waist . Another split second later, a cloth was being pressed to my face and I felt my consciousness let go of my physical body. My world went dark and limp. The last thing I remember seeing was Aria walking in through the door.