Wallflower

Twelve

          I gathered all my clothes and folded them carefully into my suitcase. I finally finished packing and Sonya called me from the living room. "Nia!"
          "Coming!" I shouted back. I ran to her and she was holding a gift. 
          "I though you would be just a little bit older when I gave this to you, but I am so very grateful that it happened like this. Here." She handed me a small box covered in blue, striped wrapping paper. Inside was a gold bracelet and amber printed into it. 
          "Sonya. This is. . . wow. I love it."

          "I'm happy you like it. Are you ready? Your father's servants are waiting for us outside." She looked toward the front door.
          "Yep. Just let me grab my suitcase." I jogged back to my room. It was something that I was truly going to miss. I placed the last few items in my suitcase and took a final look around the room. "Bye," I whispered, turning, my suitcase in hand, toward the living room.
          A servant I didn't recognize took the luggage out of my hands and out to the car. Sonya and I stood hand in hand as we walked out the front door. I pulled on the doorknob and shut my old life behind. I guess it wasn't old, but it shaped who I was. I sat down in the backseat of the car and watched as my house faded away in the distance. 

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         As we arrived back, a mob of people waved to me. I tried my best to smile and wave back, but I couldn't get Micah off my mind. I missed him already and had been not even twenty-four hours since I had last seen him. At the entrance of the castle, my father stood with tears glimmering in his eyes. The door was opened for me, and I ran with all my might to my father. He pulled me in close to his chest. 
          "I missed you, Nia," he said as we walked inside. "How was it?"
          I collapsed when I heard the final click of the doors. "Daddy, I miss him," I sobbed.
          "Him? There was a him?" His eyes looked at me in shock.
          "Oh." I tensed. "Yeah, there was. Micah."

           "Well, I don't know what to tell you sweetie. You need to get ready for your presentation to the kingdom. They cannot wait to see you, since they thought you were . . . dead."
          "Okay, Daddy." I turned. "Sonya, will you come with me?"

          She smiled. "Sure."
          Together, my make-up, outfit, and hair was done within the next hour. "You look beautiful, Nia. Absolutely beautiful," she commented with her hands on my shoulders. I saw the me that was there when we left, just a month before.

          Sonya and my father led me out to the balcony. The television cameras were set up in every angle and the crowd below me was going crazy. "Nia! Nia! Nia!" they chanted. I smiled and then raised my hand for silence.

          "Hello and thank you so much! I have to thank the town of Evergreen that welcomed me this past month. They were so generous! While I was there, I learned what it is like to be an ordinary girl. It was one amazing experience that I will never forget. I really hope it will lend a hand in my ruling. So, thanks again to Evergreen."
          Applause erupted, but I continued to talk. "I want to send thanks to all of you standing out there or watching right now, you have been so supportive. And, finally, a . . . how do I say this? . .I want to thank Rue." I was on the verge of tears. "Rue took my place and died. You have no idea what that means to me." I couldn't take much more. I took a deep breath. "She sacrificed just so I could be standing here today."
          My father began to step forward, as we had practiced, but I had one more thing to say. "And, Micah, thanks for making me feel normal. My life would not be the same without you."