In My Possession

Chapter 2- Preperation

Edited version as of 2/16/13

We all know the drill. We had been trained and rehearsed every month ever since freshman year. Being A Senior, I really know the drill; like I'm going to punch someone if they make me do it one more time. The first half of the morning we would go to our regular classes so the son's could observe us in our regular everyday lives; except all the girls will have spent two hours getting ready and then acting like perfect students. Then while we ate lunch they would be going over pictures of us that had random tidbits of information. In the afternoon we would then mingle in the gym, each of us getting a turn to talk to them. Last period they would have a brotherly discussion and take the chosen girl to the test. Makes perfect sense right? Let’s all put our faith in the three teenage boys, huh?

I know several girls who had gone out and gotten makeovers. Nancy had even taken me to get my haircut, which I thought was a little unnecessary. It was never about looks really but it helps and there was one time the new queen had been drop dead gorgeous, known to everyone for her stellar curves.  She was an exception, and there is no stand out beauty this year. There wasn’t anyone really who seemed to fit the part. The whole thing just makes me feel weird, that three boys are just gonna stop by and pick up a bride. Isn’t this the twenty-first century? I wasn't part of the extremist group against it (a mob of crazy girls and boys who hold rallies against the son's visits) but I’m not exactly drinking the kool aid.

The day before was hectic. The entire school was scrubbed down and decorated and who do you think was doing the cleaning? The students. So I spent my day scrubbing floors with Jean.

"My knuckles are bright red!" She complained, holding out a pair of shiny pink hands. I winced in sympathy. My own hands were very pruny and sore from the toxic cleaner. We had made our way through all the classrooms, along with six other girls, and were now onto the gym.

“You’d think that Seniors would get special priveleges.”

“Why do the floors need to be perfect anyways?” She grumbled.

“So we can kiss the ground the son’s walk on.” She laughed and a couple girls near us who had heard me joined in.

“Just be grateful we’re not scrubbing down the bathrooms.” Another girl said darkly. We all shuddered. 

"Any of you have any guesses?" I asked as I resumed washing the floor. You might think it’s a little mean to rate girls but it was just reality.

"Probably Anna." Jean said. "She's student body president. She can lead the school so why not the country?" Some other girls nodded in agreement. This is the kind of thinking that we’ve been trained into.

"Or Sam." Piped up another girl

"Nah, she's to-" I paused, I couldn't think of the word to describe Sam. She was a very gentle girl, voted best dressed two years in a row and pretty much friends with everybody.

"Innocent." I decided.

"That's why she'd be perfect!" The girl persisted. I sighed as I scrubbed at a stubborn pizza stain.

"I guess but I can't see her making any life or death decisions."

"She's nice enough." Jean threw in, handing me a metal scraper which I took reluctantly.

"Sometimes it's not about niceness, remember reading about Queen Erin? She was supposedly really mean."

"That was years ago, like two hundred years ago." Jean argued, sitting back from her rag. I shrugged not really caring enough to pursue the subject.

We worked in silence for a bit, a girl to my left was humming under her breath. When we finished the floor we threw our rags in a bucket and plopped down in weariness. We were supposed to go find our homeroom teacher to find a new assignment but we were too tired. 

"Do you guy's have your outfits picked out?" Asked Maddie, our lunch friend, quietly. 

This is how it was at our school. We all poked fun at the princes and the girls who got their hair done at salons the morning of but we still wanted to be picked, or noticed at least. Every girl wants to be noticed by a boy, to be picked from a crowd of other girls and have their moment.

Jean finally confessed. "Yeah, it's absolutely adorable." The other girls relaxed now that they knew they wouldn't be laughed at for looking forward to it.

After a half an hour of detailed outfit dissection and opinions we headed to lunch. I went around to different tables, getting bets and collecting cash. Sam and Anna were among the popular votes along with two other girls named Amanda and Jessica, The cheer captain and the valedictorian. There were a couple random choices. You had no way of knowing who it would be so it could really be anyone. Once my pockets were bulging with cash and my notebook was full of scribbled names I joined my friends at our table.

The rest of the day was spent pinning up pictures of the sons and banners that said things like "Welcome" and "Choose Wisely!". It wasn't nearly as bad as washing floors and we had gotten the teachers to let us put music on so it was fun. When I went home I thought nothing really of tomorrow. It would be exciting but tedious. I didn't like the fact that boys would be judging us tomorrow like a slab of meat. But I would enjoy it and hopefully pocket some cash.