*I have decided to get back to this story after a fairly long hiatus. I am getting toward the end of my other story I am currently working on, Things I Almost Remember, which is about Kerttu Koskinen. Please check it out if you haven't! But, I felt like I wanted to pick this back up after having some writer's block over it. I have a better grasp of where it is going to go after. So let's get back to Zara!* :)
It didn't matter. I wasn't even trying to win Prince Osten or marry him or whatever we were supposed to do in this stupid competition. I wanted to go to university, and this was the best opportunity I had to do that. That was why I was doing this. I was not actually interested in even dating someone as shallow as Prince Osten.
"Zara, it's time honey! We need to get going!" my mother's voice called, distracting me from my thoughts.
I had been giving myself this same talk several times a day since I had met Prince Osten in the alley, when I hadn't even known who he was, when he acted like he maybe was even flirting with me. I had to keep telling myself this was a game to him, and that was how I was going to treat it. He probably decided to drop in on all the contestants to get a lay of the land. He probably wasn't even actually reading 1984.
I went downstairs with my duffle bag. We were not allowed to bring much so I had brought my beloved red hoodie, a pair of jeans, a pair of sweatpants, my sneakers, a few tshirts, my three favorite books, stationery to write to my family, and my beloved stuffed hippo that no one was ever going to see. Not even my sisters knew I still had Harry the Hippo, but I needed a true friend at the palace.
I went to meet my family outside our store where a stretch limo was waiting. Guards were there holding off the crowd of fans and reporters around our house. I gulped and smoothed out my dress. I was wearing a spring green sundress that I had been provided with, the first of my Selection dresses. Judith had told me that it would match my eyes and look good on camera. The one piece of myself I had on was my locket my parents had given me for my birthday. I had placed a photo of our family on the inside so that I could hold them close to me as I went on this journey.
This is all for them, I told myself. You are building a better future for them.
As soon as I stepped into the light I was pulled forward by a woman in a slick black dress to shake hands with our town mayor and his wife. The woman, whose name was Jessica, was my "handler." She apparently worked under Judith and was responsible in getting me to the palace without getting eaten by "savage media trolls." Judith's words, not mine.
As I was walking to shake hands with the mayor's wife, I stumbled a bit in my new nude pumps and almost fell into the photographer next to her. Jessica, like a ninja, swept in and pulled me upright.
"A lady always has good posture," she said through such a gritted smile that I wondered why she had never considered a career as a ventriloquist.
After I waved, smiled, and posed for a few shots, I had to do the hardest part, say goodbye to my family.
"Zawa, please don't leave," Briony said, her big brown eyes filling with tears.
"Don't worry Bri, I will be home as soon as I can," I said as I enveloped my youngest sister in a hug.
"You're going to be a princess!" Gemma shrieked jumping on top of me and joining the hug. Normally, I would've rolled my eyes, but today, I appreciated my sister's happy and infectious spirit. I also thought back to what she had said, that I would be a good princess because I was a hard worker and cared about other people, and it made me remember there was more to that statement than her just wanting me to marry royalty.
"Isla, you better get in here," I said, gesturing to my third sister. "It wouldn't be a Collins girls hug without you.
Isla smiled and came over to join us.
"I am going to miss you so much," she said, squeezing us.
As we rose I pulled her slightly aside. "You are the oldest Collins girl home now, Isla. Please take care of G and Bri. We both know how crazy they can be. I know they will be far better for you though than they are for me," I said laughing.
"I love you," Isla said, embracing me in a tight hug. "Be safe, and come home soon. Unless you find your heart is home somewhere else."
"With you, Gemma, Briony, Mom, and Dad is and always will be my home," I said, my hand immediately going to my locket.
I next went to hug my parents.
"Be safe honey," Dad said. "We are so proud of you, and we will love you whether or not you come back a princess."
"Though if you come back a princess, I can't say we would object," Mom said, squeezing my shoulder.
I laughed and held onto them for what felt like an eternity. My family was everything. They were why I was doing this. I was going to build a better life for all of us.
"It is time to go, Lady Zara," Jessica said, putting on a pair of mirrored sunglasses.
"Here goes nothing then," I said as I waved goodbye to my family and stepped into the limo and into the unknown.
We drove and drove for what seemed like ages. Our route took us out of Midston and further North into the province of Kent to the city of Chicago. Chicago was an old city that had been around since Illéa was the United States. My eyes grew wide as we passed buildings that were so tall it seemed as though they could reach the sky. I had never seen anything so grand and big before. I had never been out of Harrisburg besides one or two towns over. It felt like so much to take in.
After much driving, we arrived at the airport, which, in keeping with the rest of Chicago, was huge. I was rushed down a long corridor by Jessica and two guards until we joined a group of people containing many guards, a few other Jessicas, and four girls around my age all dressed in summery dresses with perfect hair. My hand instinctively went to my own wavy blond hair which felt unkempt next to their perfectly coifed hair.
"Here is the final girl, Lady Zara," Jessica said to another one of the Jessicas, one who looked a bit older and who must have been in charge of my Jessica and the other Jessicas.
"Well, it is about time you got here. It is not going to look good to the prince if you are not punctual" one of the girls said. She had blonde hair like me, but her hair was held back into an elaborate updo. She wore a business-like navy dress and an annoyed expression on her face.
"It is nice to meet you too," I said, laughing. Seeing my sarcasm was not appreciated by the look on her face, I quickly switched tactics. "Sorry, Harrisburg is a bit far from here so I guess it took us a bit longer. I'm Zara Collins."
"I'm Hadley Armstrong, from Dakota," one of the other girls cut in. She had dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and freckles and wore what had to be the most friendly expression I had seen the whole day. "This is Hannah Clinton," she said, gesturing to the punctuality-obsessed girl. "Her dad is the governor of Kent so she is very trained at being on time one gathers. Then this is Olivia Torres from Tammins and Georgia Rutherford from Hudson."
The two girls waved and gave me friendly smiles. Olivia was gorgeous, she had long dark hair, olive skin, and large hazel eyes. Georgia looked rather nervous to be there but still friendly. She had auburn curly hair and warm brown eyes.
"It's nice to meet you guys!" I said, waving. Besides Hannah, they all seemed okay so far. I hoped that this maybe wouldn't be so bad.
"Well, now that we are all here, I hope we get to go soon," Hannah said. "I am sure the palace holds being on schedule in the utmost importance."
"Since your father is in government, have you met Prince Osten or any of the Royal Family before?" I asked her, trying to get a better read on her.
As I had expected, her face began to soften a bit at whatever she was thinking when asked this question.
"I never have met Prince Osten, but once, Queen Eadlyn came to our province so we got to host her at the governor's mansion where our family lives. I did not get to speak much to her, but she was so proper and poised, just as a queen should be. It must be so difficult to be the first woman to be Queen in her own right in Illéa. I want to be like her one day," she said, looking off into some vision where she was probably married to Prince Osten after arriving very punctually to her wedding.
"Prince Osten doesn't seem that much like Queen Eadlyn though, at least not on TV or in the media," Olivia whispered, looking around to make sure none of the guards or Jessicas could hear.
"Prince Osten is horribly misrepresented by the media," Hannah said, not trying to show her irritation. "He is a member of the Royal Family and a representative of the Crown and Illéa. I am sure he is looking for a wife who will support him in that position."
"From what I have seen, it seems far more likely Ashlyn Blake will be winning this competition," Olivia said with a giggle.
"I, for one, cannot believe she was even chosen for this competition," Hannah said indignantly. "You would think they would process out a girl like her from being in the running."
"I mean, it isn't like Prince Osten is going to be King. Even if Queen Eadlyn stepped down or something, Princess Kerttu is next in line," Hadley said, trying to calm the tension.
"It wouldn't be like King Edward VIII and King George VI," I said, with a laugh hoping they would get my joke. When they all just stared at me, my laugh turned into an awkward laugh cough. "Sorry, when I get nervous, I start making jokes about random things I have read about. King Edward VIII reigned less than a year in the United Kingdom in 1936 but abdicated to marry an American woman who had been divorced two times. He had no children so his brother, King George VI, became the next king."
Hannah stared at me like I was crazy. Georgia stared at her feet. Olivia giggled a bit nervously, but Hadley actually gave me a smile.
"That is cool you like to read," she said. "I never have had the patience to sit there and actually read. I have such a short attention span sometimes and get so easily distracted. I would love to learn more about that though."
"Yeah, and what is the United Kingdom? Is it like the United States?" Olivia asked. "Did it like used to be part of Illéa? Which part was it?"
"No, it would be modern day Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales," I said.
"Whales? Aren't those animals that live in the ocean?" Olivia asked. From behind me, Hadley gave a small giggle.
"No, it is part of the island of Great Britain," I said, allowing myself to smile and relax a bit.
"Wow I'm sorry, I have major brain farts sometimes when I get nervous, I probably will embarrass myself the first day in front of Prince Osten," Olivia said, laughing.
"Don't worry, my sister does that all the time," I said, joining in her laughter.
"You are going to sit next to me on the plane," Olivia said, linking arms with me and pulling me over to seats in the distance.
I was pulled along as Hadley laughed and followed from behind.