I wasn't fully awake when the Palace Maids came into my room and pulled me up by the arms. I wasn't fully awake when they combed out my hair and put makeup on me. I wasn't fully awake, and I wasn't fully ready to go to the Castle.
Around noon, the girls placed me in a frilly white dress and green cardigan, a white scarf to match, and a large maroon hat to match with my deep, red lipstick. I didn't look like me... I looked rich.
I stared at the girl in the mirror for a long time, when Richard came running in. I was expecting him to be crying, but he wasn't. In fact, he was super excited and happy for me. I don't think he understands that I won't just be gone for one day.
Well, that is, if the Prince doesn't send me home in one day, which he might.
"You look different," he sits on my bed and stares at me.
"I know."
"You look pretty."
"So I used to look ugly?"
Richard snorts and I pinch his cheeks.
Mother walks in with my niece, Alice, sleeping in her arms. Elliot and his wife Marcy must've left for work already. Damon had stopped by earlier this morning to give me some money, which I went back and hid it under his pillow after he left for work.
"Are you ready?" Mama comes up and touches my cheek.
"No," I manage a small smile.
"You're a very lucky girl, Clover."
I sigh and look at myself in the mirror again. Clover. Out of all the names in the world, my parents had to name me Clover. I wasn't blessed if I ever won anything. I just got lucky. If I was starving on the street and I suddenly came upon a dollar bill, I wasn't blessed. I was just lucky. If I was dying and suddenly I got better, I wasn't blessed. I just got lucky. Why couldn't they had called me Blissy, like the pretty girl down the street, or even a normal name, like Ashley?
When I was a kid, the neighborhood girls always threw grass at me and called me a weed. Even with that name, I was never lucky. And now that I'm accepted into Prince Jason's Selection, it just doesn't feel right.
• ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ •
I didn't eat, because the maids had said that their were going to be plenty of food on the plane, and they didn't want me to get my mouth sticky with Six food anymore. I was so close to telling them off, but I just kept quiet and walked to the door. I turned back once to blow my family a kiss. Mama seemed better now. She was smiling and standing tall, unlike the other day. That was good. I didn't want to see her crying or else I might turn back around and go home. I needed to do this. I needed to help my family financially somehow.
And before I could change my mind, I grabbed my small bag and went on board. The maids wouldn't let me bring my own clothes, so I just brought the minimal amount of makeup that I had, a notebook to write in, and some pictures.
I sat down near the door. I wanted to be the first one in and the first one out. There were already a couple of girls in there. Nobody waved at me, so I didn't wave back. That was fine. Only five hours until we get to the Capitol? That'll be a piece of cake.
Right?
