8 Sisters of KodaCait: The Original

Chapter Twenty-One: The Horse Race

After months of preparation and anticipation, the day of the KZLCX Horse Race had finally arrived. The event this year was taking place in the heart of KodaCait, and hundreds of thousands of eager citizens had gathered from each of the five kingdoms to support the princesses. Posy, Bea and Mari had to wake up earlier than the other girls, since they were KodaCait's representatives. In the giant arena where the horse race was taking place, all the seats were packed with people. Citizens were seated at their designated areas with hot dogs, burgers, popcorn and drinks flying everywhere. People began chanting in chorus for their kingdoms, all having huge faith in their representatives. Royals from each of the five kingdoms occupied special seats, adding an air of regality to the already exhilarating event.

Bea didn't care about the competition as much as Posy and Mari did. For her, the potential of getting a solo at the Chroma Ball occupied her mind more. For Posy, this wasn't just a playful little race, this was her opportunity to shine. She had been working and practising so hard- harder than Bea and Mari- and she was determined to be in the top three for once. She was the first girl to wake up, and the only one who was actually paying attention to King Augustine and Queen Pandora's words of encouragement. For Mari, this horse race was just another way to prove her superiority over her sisters. The entire morning she carried herself with an air of arrogance, since everyone knew that she'd perform the best out of the three girls.

Whilst Bea and Posy were eating breakfast in the dining hall, a darker subplot was unfolding. Mari was slowly pacing around the stables. It was just her and the horses, who were quietly stirring in their stalls. Approaching Pepper- she glared at the small horse in disgust. How could an ugly looking horse possibly beat her beautiful slender horse?

Suddenly, she remembered how King Augustine complimented Posy at dinner the night the Chroma Ball was announced. "A toast to our remarkable daughter, Posy! Her horse riding skills are truly unparalleled. Well done, my dear."

Remarkable daughter? Truly unparalleled? She scoffed loudly at the thought. Posy wasn't even his real daughter, and if her horse-riding skills were 'unparalleled', why didn't she win three years ago? Why had she never been in the top three? King Augustine had never complimented Mari's skills the same way, and the blatant favouritism made her blood boil. How could her own father choose a nobody over her?

Even though he wasn't there to support her, thoughts of Hawthorne began to plague her mind even more. "Now, make sure you destroy your sisters. Hate them as much as they hate you". Mari didn't like Posy- that was for sure- but now she silently vowed to herself that she would never give Posy the opportunity to be above her again. Posy didn't belong here. Maybe the others did, but she definitely did not. She wasn't pretty or talented enough to be on the same level as Mari, and she wanted to make sure of it.

Next to her foot sat Posy's leather saddle: black and gold with her name encrusted in the corner- the same as hers and Bea's. Angrily, she kicked it away from her, but it only moved a small distance away. Then another evil thought crossed her mind. Surely, a little sabotage wouldn't hurt.

And that's when Mari took the little pocket knife that Hawthorne had gifted her, kneeled down, grabbed the saddle, and began destroying it, dismantling the entire thing. She made tears at the seat, ripped off the flap, and made cuts across the entire saddle. She ripped the encrusted name and threw it in the other direction. The sight was like a wild animal tearing its prey to shreds without an ounce of mercy. It was difficult to rip through the leather, but she utilised all her strength to make sure it was as unusable as possible. When she was finished, she tossed the remains into the mud. It had been raining heavily the night before, leaving the ground covered in damp, disgusting mud with worms shooting out like hands of the dead. Still, Mari pressed her heels into the damaged saddle, shoving it as hard as she could into the ground- a display of how she thought Posy was beneath her.