Cora stands fuming as she cleans her area up. The slight glares she sends my way sends chills down my spine as I hang my head in remorse.
"I'm sorry." I say and her head snaps to me, I sink within myself and she slams something shut.
"Sorry?" Her voice is piercingly high and she lets out a small laugh. "For what? For making me waste my time doing your makeup, then freaking out because your eyes hurt." Her eyes twitch slightly and she pulls her shoulders back giving me an eerie smile. "You don't need to apologize. I only wasted a few HUNDRED DOLLARS." She screeches and my immediate response is to grimace. Charlie and Sicily hurry over, Sicily taking me and Charlie grabbing Cora and pulling her into a room.
"I'm sorry about her dear." She says as she takes the dress handing it to me. "She gets a little heated when it comes to makeup." She says as she leads me to the bathroom. "Now, go ahead and slip this dress on. Once you have it I will get it tightened up and we can send you on your way!" She cheers and closes the bathroom door behind me.
Looking in the mirror, I take in the appearance of myself and inhale deeply. My hair is pinned up small strands cascade down my face, framing it with light curls. I slowly take the dress and begin putting it on. I step out of the room and Sicily smiles as I turn my back to her and she zips at the back of it as she hums. Off in the back, a door opens and Cora and Charlie walk in. Charlie smiles while Cora rolls her eyes and Sicily steps back. I turn around and Charlie claps his hands together as he walks forward pulling at parts of the fabric and then nodding.
"You look great!" He says as he nods to the mirror. "Don't you think so?" He asks and I walk over to the mirror seeing the entire outfit for the first time.
I look so different. The hair, the makeup, the dress, everything together makes me look different, but not nice. I feel bad for all of this being wasted on me.
"I think it looks great." I say and Sicily tilts her head as she walks forward to hung my shoulder.
"Yes. You do." She smiles at me through the mirror before a knock comes from the door. Charlie walks over opening to Bronson and McQueen. "It's time dear." She says as I slip on the pair of shoes that match the dress. The step back as I walk through.
"Wait!" Cora calls and hurries over powdering something in my face. I grimace a bit and she finishes as she pulls back and nods. "Okay your good." She says and I nod as I walk to the two guards. "Do NOT wipe it off!" Cora shouts as McQueen closes the door behind me.
"That is a nice dress." Bronson says as he glances at me and begins walking forward.
The dress flows behind me ever so slightly as we walk down the same hall we did this morning. Just like in the morning, my heart feels like it is going to pop out of my chest. When we get down to the room we ate in for breakfast, there is a small line where most of the girls stand with their own guards. "What is going on?" I ask as Bronson and McQueen glance at one another, then to me.
"Will. Be. Ex.Plained. La. Ter." McQueen says as he looks forward and I nod getting up on my tippy toes to try and look over the small crowd of people. In front of me, at the front of the group, I see Claire laughing with some of the other girls. Her dress is giant and puffy, and white, it reminds me of a giant wedding dress.
"Man she sure wants to be the focus of the room don't she?" I hear a voice call behind me and I turn to see Reena. Her hair I tightly curled and it bounces as she walks. Her tan skin looks more tan against her light pink dress that flows off her body. "Doesn't help that people fawn all over her." I nod as she looks at my dress and nods with a smile. "He did it again." I nod as she goes to say more but a voice calls over the crowd.
"Okay ladies!" I turn and at the front of the group, Sebastian stands in a very nice suit. His face is beaming as he claps his hands. "Just beyond that door is your destiny." The girls begin to giggle and speak to which he raises his hand to quiet them down. "Now, what is going to happen is you will be taken one by one to get a first day interview. You will get an interview every week until you have met your match. Then those videos will be played at your wedding!" Gushing girls and I feel my stomach curl. "Once inside, you will have your own table with your guys, and after all the interviews, dinner will be served." Small cheers ring out as he smiles over the group and clears his throat. "Okay, now I need each of you to get in line on this wall how I tell you to." He says and begins naming off the names of different girls. Claire first, then Reena, then one of Claire's friends, and so on. It didn't take long for me to understand it is by ranking on how they are doing the interviews. Soon, Bronson, McQueen, and I are at the end of the group, and I the hall has gone very quiet. "Alright ladies," Sebastian calls as he opens the door and gives everyone a huge smile. "May the start of your journey, begin."
There isn't really a set time for each interview. As they go further down the line, the interviews seem to grow shorter and shorter. Soon, I am standing in the hall with Bronson and McQueen as we wait for my turn. "Do. You. Think. We. Will. Have. To. Talk?" McQueen says as he peers at the door. "I. Do. Not. Do. Well. With. So. Cial. Speak. Ing." His shoulder shake slightly as he tilts his head.
"Oh I doubt it." Bronson says as he glances to the door and then to McQueen. "Why must you think everything is about you anyways?"
"It. Is. A. Curse." McQueen glares and Bronson rolls his eyes as the door opens and a lady with a pointy skirt and shirt steps out. Her solid white hair is like a giant puffy heart atop her head and she peers down her nose at me through narrow glasses.
"Miss Juniper Burks." She says and I sink into myself as I step forward. McQueen and Bronson step forward as well and once inside she directs them to go through and guard the door on the side where dinner will be held. "Sit there please." She says and she watches them as the leave out the other door. Before I even take a seat, a bright light shines and a large glass and metal thing begins to blink red. "Please state your name."
"Uh... Juniper Burks ." I say as she smiles at me, but not a smile like Sicily or Charles. Her smile curls into her cheeks, a smile that sends a chill down my smile. Her eyes, like charcoal, never shine as she smiles, signaling how fake she is being.
"So tell me, how has your first day been here so far?" She says as she crosses her legs.
"It's been-"
"You do not look how I imagined you would." She says as she tilts her head and her eyes glint. "I suppose that's the magic of the beauty team you have!" I feel myself fold in as her eyes flick back and forth over me. "So are you nervous to meet the boys?" She says and I twiddle my thumbs as she speaks.
"I gue-" I go to speak and she leans forward peering at my face.
"I mean I would be." She fans her face with one hand and places the other on her chest breathing fast as if she was hot. How can she be hot? I'm the one under these bright lights. "Those boys are soooo attractive. I would be super nervous and I don't look like-" she stops herself casting her eyes up and down my face before clearing her throat. "Anyways." She flips her hair and leans her back into the chair. She blinks a few times and with each blink I feel my shoulders slump more and more. "What do you think of your team?" She asks and I nod taking a breath to speak.
"I-"
"Oh! We are out of time!" She says as she claps her hands and stands up. "It was a pleasure getting to meet you." She says as she walks over and sticks out her hand. I take it, she gives a slight shake and after I let go she rapidly rubs her hand against her dress. She leans to speak with another lady, "please get me something to clean my hand with," as she walks me to the door. Opening it, I step through and I barely hear her say goodbye before she closes it quickly. "That was awful! I mean she was absolutely-" her voice trails off as she walks from the room and I find myself planted in place. That was awful... I mean, I didn't expect people to be nice but that was far worse than I was expecting.
"Miss. Burks." McQueen says and I snap back to reality. "We. Must. Be. go.ing. Soon." I nod as he and Bronson lead me to the right and we begin walking down the hall towards large doors.
"We are going in there." Bronson says and I nod as we take the short time to the doors. The guards there look at me and take a hold of the handles as I take a deep breath. "Do not worry." I look over at him as he stares ahead to the doors. "Not everyone is as horrid as Morgana." His eyes don't seem like he is lying, but then again, it is hard to tell when he is looking ahead and not at me. I give him a nod as the men open the doors and I follow Bronson and McQueen through the door.
In front of me is the top of a staircase. It is so dark I can hardly tell that the color of the carpet is red. At the front of the stairs, more guards stand as we slowly walk to it. As we walk, the bright lights from the room below become brighter, and the noises of the people below grow louder.
"Now introducing our final lady of the evening." I almost jump from the loud voice as it rings out above me, "Juniper Burks." Sebastian's voice rings out over the room as I approach the ledge of the stairs. Bronson and McQueen stop short of where the light would expose them and I find myself all alone. My heart bangs in my chest as I step out and the wave of voices hush as I begin to descend the stairs.
Sebastian begins to talk about my background, but my racing heart beat drowns him out in seconds. The heat from the lights warm my skin and when I look up, my sight becomes blinded. Immediately, I look back down slowly my descent as I rapidly blink away the pain. Little colorful specks of light dot my vision as I take a step down and look ahead. Big mistake. Four large figures stand at the base of the stairs and the sick feeling from the morning races up my throat. I can't do this. My legs feel heavy and I almost slip off a step, but catch myself quickly. In that moment, I no longer hear anything, just a high pitch ring as my chest heaves in and out with rapid breaths. Keep going, just keep walking. I step down, one at a time, until I find myself at the bottom. I look at the floor as I continue to walk forward, until I see a few pairs of shoes finally come into my line of site. Five more steps. Four more steps. Three more. Two. One. I force my head to look at them and immediately the air catches in my throat. They each stand with their arms behind them, none have a frown, but they don't have a smile either.
The first on my left steps forward and bows. The light shines off his black hair, almost making it look greasy. We he pops his head back up, I immediately see a piece of hair bounce against his forehead. He pushes it back into place as his brown eyes look at me. "Collin Rodgers." He says, his voice is soft as I do a slight curtesy. He pulls at his very nice tuxedo as he steps back into place and the next one steps forward.
He is shorter than Collin, wearing a suite with a tie. He has blond hair that is slicked back like Collin's and his eyes look bored. Rather than bow, he simply tilts his head at me, causing a few blond curls to shake loose of the mold. "Jason Taylor." He gives a slight wink with his green eyes before stepping back and the next steps forward. The next guy who steps forward has a huge smile on his face as he takes my hand kissing is at he bows.
A slight clatter arises from the crowd and when he pops back up, his very plump lips shine as if he had licked them. "Mason Bridge." His face is bright, like his suit and I feel a bit uneasy. He steps back into his line, the smile never leaving his face. Then, in a swift movement, the last guy steps forward.
The crowd is silent again and I feel my body grow cold as he stops, standing in front of me. He didn't need to introduce himself for me to know who he is. Theodore Porter, the number one man for the season. His tall, frame bends as he bows to an almost perfect angle before he stands back up. His outfit is the most simply out of all of them. Dark gray suit jacket and matching pants with a white button up underneath. His hair is messy, as if he didn't really brush it and it doesn't seem to have moved at all from his bow. His blue eyes are something like that ocean I saw for the first time today. "Theodore Porter." He says with a steady and unwavering voice. I curtesy and he steps back into his place.
"You may now go to your table." Sebastian says and all of the boys except Mason turn to go to the table. Mason smiles as he throws his arm as if to say "after you", so I simply followed the other three. Mason pulls out my chair and sits beside me as the man others also take seats at the round table, Collin to my left, Jason beside him, and Theodore across the table from me. "Dinner is now served!" Sebastian calls and a clatter sounds from a far away area mixes with a rise of people talking.
I look around as different boys lean in, someone talking over one another as they speak to their girl. I see Reena laughing as each of the boys speak to her. A large mass of laughter fills the room and I see Claire's table. She is talking and the boys lean in, seeming to hang on her every word.
"So." I turn to Mason as he peers at my face. "What do you do for fun."
"Well, I enjoy exploring." I say and he smiles as he tilts his head.
"As do I! I love visiting the other nations!" He exclaims as he claps his hands and someone begins filling out water. "Where is your favorite place?"
"Oh I've never left my home town." I say and he squints his eyes slightly.
"Then where do you travel?"
"Oh I just explore around my house." I say and his face contorts slightly as he stares at me. He quickly wipes away the expression before taking a drink.
"What do you look for when you explore?" He asks and I lean back as the girl pours water into the glass for me.
"Thank you." I whisper and she does a slight curtesy as she loves to the next person. "I normally look for wild onions and herbs to make tea and food." To that he chokes on water and begins to cough.
"You don't. Have. Someone do that. For you?" He coughs out in a state of astonishment. "How barbaric." He scoffs and the small bit of excitement I had building in my fizzed out slightly.
"I find it interesting." Collin says as he takes a sip of water then clears his throat. "You are from a crater down in the outskirts correct?" I nod and he sighs as he thinks. "You must have fertile soil to have wild things like that growing." He takes another sip of water and Mason clears his throat.
"Anyway." He says and he pulls my attention from Collin. "What is your favorite program?"
"Program?" I ask and he nods. "I don't know what that is."
"It is what plays in our televisions." He says with a slight scoff as I narrow my eyes. "Like what we are on right now."
"I've never had one." I state and he gasps and he scoots his chair back slightly.
"How have you never had one?" He gawks as I shrug.
"I had the radio." I state and his eyes look as if they're horrified. His gaze makes me feel bad and I go quiet as food is placed before me.
"You're not missing much." A voice says I've the table and I look up to see Theodore as he begins cutting into the meat in his plate.
"Not missing much?! She's missing everything!" Mason goes into a deep rant as the rest of us eat. After he tired out, the rest of the night went on in silence.
I turn off the water as I step out and begin drying my body off. The scenes from the night unfolding in my head. I grab a pair of silky pants and a shirt that Charles has made, and my I almost melt as the smoothness of it. Black, like all the other outfits I have worn so far. I put them on and then use a brush and minty substance at the counter, cleaning my mouth. Once done, I step out into the room and stand at the edge of the large bed.
Today has been such a strange day. I have met so many people, some nice, at least they act that way, and some not nice. I wonder if these people are actually as nice as they seem, or are they like Claire and, what was her name? Morgana? If they truly see me as disgusting as I am, they are simply being nice out of duty or obligation.
A knock comes from the door and I quickly walk over open the door to see Reena. Why is she out here? Isn't this a rule that she can't be out this late? She looks me up and down really quick before smiling and nodding.
"I was right." She whispers as she turns on her heels hurrying away.
"Wait! About what?" I call quietly and she looks over her shoulder, her eyes glistening as she shares a wicked smile.
"It wasn't just the make up." She says as she shrugs. "You are pretty." She wrinkles her nose and points to my body. "But waaaay too skinny." With that she disappeared into then darkness of the hallway.
I quickly shut my door and walked over to the bed. I slip under the covers as I look over towards the large window, the brightness of the moon peeking through the white fabric. The crashing of waves blend with my thoughts as my body and eyes grow heavy.
People being nice is strange... I don't entirely trust it, but I also wish it were real.
***