Federal Pageantry

Chapter Six

The large group of fifty girls were ushered into a large ballroom. At the head of the room, a large podium stood importantly, a microphone already wired and ready. Twenty round tables with white linen tablecloths were scattered in front of it, crystal glasses and gleaming silver set five places at each table. Feeling out of place once again, Ziva stood by the door for a few beats, searching for an easy spot to sit. There were so many people in this ballroom, all socializing with one another that Ziva had trouble telling which seats were vacant. She eventually spotted Riley, her bright blonde hair standing out in the crowd of brunettes around her. Riley saw Ziva as well and motioned for her to join them. Just as Ziva was seated, an older woman approached the podium. For the first time since she began this op, Ziva recognized someone from the profile. This woman's name was Meredith Blanche, a former Miss America pageant winner.

"Now girls," a stern looking woman surveyed the crowd of fifty girls, her thin lips pursed tightly. "My name is Meredith Blanche, winner of the Miss America pageant of '86. You may call me Ms. Meredith."

"Then why does she look like that," a red head at Ziva's table whispered to a girl at another table. The silky sash that was slung across her body read "Texas." Her nose was wrinkled as she looked Ms. Meredith up and down. Meredith didn't look too bad in Ziva's opinion; sure, she was sporting peroxide blonde hair, too much makeup, and an extremely fake smile, but who says beauty's on the outside?

"Over the next few days, you will be learning everything you need to know in preparation for the upcoming week." Meredith continued, "your dance numbers, stage blocking, your order for the interviews..." She smiled sweetly. "Just be sure to pay attention, because all of this determines who gets the crown." She spoke slowly, as though the pace of her wording affected how well the crowd of girls comprehended her speech. "Are there any questions before we begin our annual pre-pageant brunch?"
Texas raised her hand. "Will we have roommates for these next couple weeks?" She still had the disgusted look on her face. Ziva frowned; she hadn't thought about the roommate situation. A part of her hoped she could pull some strings with NCIS for Riley to be paired her, but she knew that NCIS's objective was to keep as little people in the know as possible, for sake of confidentiality. The last thing they needed was for the press to get wind of the bomb threat.

Ms. Meredith pursed her lips, as though Texas's question was an extreme inconvenience. "Yes, Lila, you will have a roommate." Texas frowned. "That shouldn't be a problem right? I mean, we're all friends here...right girls?" There was a murmur from the crowd, something about sticking together. Texas rolled her eyes. "Are there any other questions?" When no one raised their hands, Ms. Meredith read off some special thank yous for the pageants sponsors and dismissed us.

The food came on large crystal platters, mainly pastries, with a couple tea sandwiches and an avocado egg scramble. Ziva wasn't hungry--she had already eaten this morning, plus her nerves were eating away at her stomach--so she watched as every girl at her table took food. She took their momentary distraction to assess them. There were four of them, one blonde, one ginger, and two brunettes. Riley sat on Ziva's right, Texas--whose name was apparently Lila--sat next to her, then California, and then Massachusetts on Ziva's left to complete the circle. A small conversation started, being mostly dominated by Riley and Lila, the two of them seeming to know one another previously. Ziva gathered from the next couple minutes that California's name was Maya, Massachusetts's name was Brooke, and that Lila's boyfriend was cheating on her with the girl from Wyoming a few tables away.

"Then why don't you break up with him?" Riley asked, her eyes widening serenely.
"Because without me, that jackass would be without food, a house, or a job faster than you can say Wyoming. He still works at my daddy's business, you know." Lila nodded as though the entire affair was positively insane...which it was, to Ziva's ears anyway. Lila's southern accent made the story even more dramatic, so it was almost like Ziva was at home watching this on Lifetime rather than actually participating in it.
"Ziva, you gonna get anything useful, any time soon?" Gibbs's voice suddenly came in through the earpiece, causing Ziva's knee to knock into the table with a loud thump that drew the attention of everyone at the table. Slightly mortified, she waved them all off with a light smile and excused herself to the bathroom. She could hear Tony's muffled laugher through the earpiece.

"You were waiting for that to happen, were you not?" Ziva said crossly when she was alone.

"I just wanted to remind you of your objective, Officer David." Gibbs said, not even attempting to hide the smile in his voice.

"I will get something, Gibbs, I am just trying to figure out how. These girls are forcing me to build a totally different arsenal, and I am going to need time, as well as your patience."

"Make it quick David; I think you've spent enough time at NCIS to know that I have very little of both."

Ziva walked back into the ballroom, head high, ready to face the conversation once more. She sat next to Riley, smiling happily. Ziva noticed that none of them had touched their food; some had taken the time to move it around on their plate to make it look eaten, but Ziva knew they hadn't bothered to actually put any of it in their mouth and chew. Ziva made eye contact with Lila and smiled. This was a new way of life, and she was going to have to adapt to it.

"So, what have I missed?"