"That was the queen?!" Sarah said incredulously.
"Yes that was the Queen! Who did you think it was?!" Emily squealed
"Oh." Said Sarah, "I have only seen her in pictures before, never met her. Max is the one with connections, I have never met any noble people before."
"Max is the one with connections? Who is he?" Alex asked.
"He's some distant relative or the royal family." Sarah explained. "I'm just his plus one for the event."
"Wait. So are you his girlfriend or something?" Emily asked.
"No, I am not his girlfriend, just his date for the ball. He actually has a girlfriend." Sarah said back.
"Well then why does he bring you instead of his girlfriend then?"
"It's a long story." Sarah said back, not wanting to explain the whole 'demigod-car crash- Vanessa's big mouth- best friends situation to them.
"Oh ok…" Said Emily, she was a little disappointed that Sarah wouldn't tell her the whole story but she didn't press her.
Soon they were approached by a maid who told them that the event would be moved to the courtyard per the Queen's request. After everything was moved and ready outside people began to set up stands and chairs for spectators to sit in while watching Sarah work.
There were sewing machines and mannequins, feathers, ribbons, beads, fabric, anything Sarah could ever need. In the middle of everything there was a large wooden table. There was a huge smile on her face. She would show John Terra that she could, no. She WILL beat him, even though she was only 15.
"Excuse me? I'm looking for a Ms. Sarah Benson? Ms. Sarah? Where are you Sarah?" a voice called.
When Sarah found the voice's owner she said "I'm Sarah Benson."
"Oh thank goodness I found you Ms. Benson!" The maid breathed a sigh of relief, "Your guardian for the trip said for you to change, she personally picked out the outfit from your wardrobe."
She then led Sarah around the corner and into the palace once again and brought her into a makeshift changing room. "Your dress is inside ma'am."
"Ok, thanks." Sarah said as she pulled back the curtain to walk in. When she saw the dress hanging there she sighed angrily. Under her breath and through her teeth she cursed Jenny.
She had picked the green dress again.
-
After she was done changing she left the curtained off room and found a maid. "Is there anything else I can help you with Ms. Benson?" A maid asked politely.
"Yes, I was wondering when they were planning on having me start the event. Like what time do I need to be over there by?" Sarah inquired.
"The event will start in a half hour ma'am. You are expected to be there in 10 minutes so they can explain the rules to you, answer any questions that you may have and so you can familiarize yourself with the equipment and where things are located." She replied.
"Ok thanks for the help!" Sarah said walking away to the courtyard.
5 minutes before she was due, Max walked up to her and said "I won't be able to stay here for the contest but should be back near the end so I will be able to see you win."
"Ok! Where are you going?" Sarah asked curiously.
"One of the people who brought me my luggage got a rip in my suit as they were putting it in the suitcase so we have to take it to the tailor for them to fix it." He explained.
"Well then, have fun being stabbed to death by needles!" Sarah said with a laugh.
"You too! Don't prick your fingers too many times!" Max said as he slowly walked backwards from her.
They continued to throw light hearted insults at each other until Max ran himself into a pillar, making Sarah double over in laughter and made Max rub the back of his head and turn bright red.
By the time Sarah was able to control her facial expressions, Max had already left and she was due in the courtyard in merely a minute so she headed to the small group of people that were standing in the middle of the event set.
A man who appeared to be around his 60's with white hair and bright blue eyes said "hello madame, I am Gregory Twine, a royal designer for the palace."
A tall female with cropped brown hair and dark brown eyes waved to her with a kind smile on her lips saying "Hello Ms. Sarah, I am Anabell Friton, John Terra's assistant designer."
Then the 3rd person was a snooty looking woman with long, red hair and brown eyes said "I am Grace Manhattan. The owner of the country's largest fashion designer company."
"Hello." Sarah said with a slight curtsy, "It is nice to meet you all."
The old man gave her an approving look and the tall lady just gave her that everlasting, calm and encouraging smile. The 3rd lady looked disinterested and looked as if she was thinking that she was above being a judge for a competition like this.
"Sarah" Said the kind looking man, "We are here to explain the rules to you, are you ready?"
"Yes sir."
"There will be one round so that means that you get only one chance to win. No best 2 out of 3. On the mannequins near the table, there is the original design of John Terra's dress and it's exact duplicate. You may choose one dress and alter it however you wish. There is anything that you could possibly need to make this dress look however you want it to look. The competition will begin in 20 minutes. After I am done, you may go around the area prepped for you and look at all the materials that we have provided for you. You may not move anything to a new place. Understand the rules?"
"Yes sir."
"Any questions?"
"Just one."
"What is it?"
"I was wondering if I am limited to only the supplies around me."
"Miss, I am not sure what you mean by the question you just asked but the rules state that you cannot go inside the palace. You must stay outdoors, inside the courtyard."
"Thank you sir, that will be all. I will take my leave."
Sarah then walked away to go look through the things she was provided with. She first walked up to the dress that still had the original design of John Terra. She looked around and noticed that people had already begun to gather. She looked at the simple pale pink, silk and decided that she wanted to keep it's look of innocence. She touched the fabric, her fingers remembering the exact texture of the silk. She touched the embroidery. Her fingers gliding along the pattern of roses.
She then walked around to look at the machinery, looking to see what color thread was pre-looped into each machine. Location and memorize the location of scissors scattered along the set.
She looked through the fabric she was provided with, some of the exact same pink fabric that John Terra used was left there as well, she locked it into her mind where it was located.
She remembered telling John Terra that the dress would be beautiful with white, silk gloves so she went on a hint to find a pair.
Suddenly there was a voice saying "2 minutes until the event will begin. Please be seated."
Sarah walked over to the judges and the tall woman said to her, "We have to do introductions of ourselves first. Then the rules will be explained to the spectators, then a timer will start for you to begin."
"Ok." Sarah said with a smile.