The Next Selection

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

     The next day I wake up to my maids standing above me with a small box in their hands. "Good morning, my lady," Patricia says.
"Okay, what's in the box?" I ask them. They all smile and look at each other.
"The Prince came by this morning and gave us this," Celine says handing me the box as I sit up in my bed. I take it, slowly unwrapping the bright red ribbon from it. Inside, a note lays in the top of the box reading:
     "I hope you enjoy this gift I picked out for you. I can't wait to see you."
                     ~Ahren
I take the note from the box and place it on the mattress. A small parcel of tissue paper is the only thing left inside. I grab it and carefully unwrap it, not wanting to damage the gift. One word: speechless. A necklace lays in the palm of my hand, reflecting off of the light. In the center of the silver chain lies a sparkling red gem. "It's beautiful," I say in a whisper. "Please tell me my birthday dress is red?" I ask holding up the necklace. They all smile as they pull a black bag from my closet. A bright red elegant dress is inside the bag. "You all really know me," I say with a laugh.
"Well, go try it on!" Eliza says. I jump from the bed and grab the dress from them, running to the bathroom to try it on.
     After I slip on the dress, my maids do my hair and makeup, and I clip the necklace around my neck. I hug my maids and they wish me Happy Birthday. I smile and go to open the door, but before I do, a knock sounds. I throw it open and see Ahren in a gray suit with a red tie. He sees the necklace on me and smiles. "It looks lovely," he says.
"Well, you did pick it out," I say. "Which reminds me: you didn't have to give me this," I say grabbing the gem.
"Nonsense. It's your birthday, and I wanted you to have something special," he says with a grin.
"Fine. If I must." We both start laughing and he leads me down the hallway, to the Events Hall.
"Before we walk in, I just want to say something," he says seriously. I look at him with concern.
"What?" I ask.
"Happy birthday," he says with a grin. I smile and shake the nerves from my shoulders.
"Why thank you," I say. He reaches for the massive door handle and pulls the door open. When he does, hundreds of people are waiting in the room.
"Happy birthday!" they all shout.

Sorry this chapter is extremely short, I've been really busy and then I got a cold. But I still hope you enjoyed it!