The Pictures We Paint/ #wattys2019

20

For a moment it felt like school again, sitting in a class filled with judging girls, cringing under their curious gazes.

"I knew it Amelia! I knew we'd be chosen. Oh my, this is so exciting!"

Daisy flew over her seat oblivious to the gazes of others and hugged me tightly, I attempted to embrace her back but the stinging looks of the other girls were setting my skin on fire. I drew away from her hastily to secluded myself from the attention.

Daisy sat back contently and began chatting to the girls around her in her long Purple dress, thriving with witchery. It seemed that she had already been aquatinted with the others and the limo was quickly filled with high voices again as they forgot about their new addition

I hunched lower in my seat, cursing Garths horrible timing. My ordinary muslin dress, brown as usual, looked even more scruffy and peasant-ish in the candlelight. .

I sighed and leaned back, glancing at the window, a sharp blackness glared back and I felt increasingly uncomfortable with the fact that we couldn't see the road or the neighbourhoods we were travelling through. How would we see where we were going?

I notice a slim girl with straight black hair sitting silently in her seat. A stark difference compared to others who were busy giving off first impression.

I recognised her immediately when her slanted, almond shaped eyes met mine. She grinned and rolled her eyes, shuffling over towards me in her seat.

"I have to admit it's good to see someone familiar here, I'm glad we both got chosen." Violet spoke, grimacing as she stared at others girls sitting up at the front.

"They picked us up a little early didn't they?" I asked tentatively.

She shrugged and wriggled in her seat. "Amelia, this places is reeking of expense and money, I feel like I'm sitting on the crown jewels."

"Yes, I didn't expect all of this modern technology as well, I mean look at all this luxury." I gestured to plush leather seats, glass lamps, blanket folded neatly on the side.

There was a small table in front of us with drinks in glass holders, even some strange looking food. Heat billowed out of these shutters above our head.

I sank into my seat, the sound of glass still shattered in my ears and I kept hearing hammering footsteps, muffled shouts and cries. I gulped and shivered.

"Hey, you alright?" I glanced at Violet concerned face and shook away the emptiness that had tried to replace the warm feeling growing in my chest.

"Of course, just getting used to all this."

She nodded in agreement and glanced at the leaflet and bag still clutched in my hands. "Oh you have to opened that, it's quite- impressive."

I glanced down at the leaflet and opened it, not knowing what to accept.

"Oh, come on!" I cried as I scanned down the list of rules, regulation and standards we were meant to lived up to at our time at the palace.

Violet laughed beside me and pointed to a rule. "Some of these are ridiculous though, I mean look at this one- one must always wear appropriate attire for the specific day e.g dresses for meetings, ballgowns for balls, nightgowns for rest."

"What about this one; one should never leave the palace grounds without permission from the king, queen or princes."

"Well I have to visit my family but I lost it on this one look, one should never behave inappropriately towards a prince and it is by the law that the princes can choose whoever he want or desires to meet his male urges."