The Elite ✓

three | up my sleeve

We were going to play a prank. The title of being an Elite had eaten each of us up, and despite how much I'd like to say that the booklet hadn't worn me down one bit, we all would know I was lying. The thousand-page collective book had nothing more than words that had to be written in such a tiny font that it could pass for an Agatha Christie murder mystery, except, neither did it contain the thrill nor the slight images inserted during the most necessary moments.

I had slipped the booklet into a nearby drawer and rubbed my exhausted eyes for the nth time when Jane had come back with a glass of water which I had downed almost immediately. I shot her a grateful smile. Then, she handed me a note, to which I was curious about.

My terms with Lucas had been alright. We had talked left and right and had hung out as much as the booklet had allowed me to, so to say I had gotten a note was genuinely surprising. 

Only, it wasn't from Lucas.

Holly,
A stroll in the park does sound nice,  
how about I show you a few tricks up my sleeve,  
Meet us in the gardens for the time of your life,
We're behind the bushes. Waiting as you please.

Denise 

"So here's the plan." Denise clasped her hands together, adjusting her collar once more. Everything Elite-related has been extremely stressful so far, so much that even the aroma has adjusted to fit such. Also, it had become a frequent circumstance that led more and more girls to either skip dinner entirely and have it sent to their rooms,  or just eat at a time when no one was around. Either way, we weren't attending 'dinner' anymore, and so, it was time for a little jolt of fun. Probably the only thing Sarah and I would ever agree on. "We're going to pretend to be kidnapped. Create a scene, et cetera," she flailed her arms around randomly, "Take a few photos of the Prince's face and voila. Scare him to death. Got it?"

I nodded, grabbing our staged 'messy note' and placing it at the center. A maid had been asked to call for Lucas so, he would be arriving any minute now. To fix our scene, we disarranged a few leaves, kicking the neatly laid pile, while the others splattered a few droplets of paint across the lawn. The Queen, who was watching us, already happened to be smirking at our ingenious idea. 

"I'll head out now," she says, once we hear Lucas approaching, and I do the only logical thing I can actually think of. Hide.

Jumping straight behind the bushes, along with the others, I can't help but think that he might hear the slight shuffle of his surroundings, but nevertheless, he doesn't seem to notice and walked straight into the disarray we had caused only moments ago.

The note lies in at the center, and before he manages to get there, Lucas' face slowly morphs into a reaction growing more intensely frightened by the second. The mess was something he wasn't used to, wondering what could've possibly caused this if it were perfectly neat just a few moments ago. 

He scratches his head, just as Mia shoves the camera lens through a tiny gap between two branches and begins to position herself, she moves it in a couple hundred ways causing a slight shuffle if the wind before speaking, "I got the angle," she whispers, as Sarah continues to direct the logistics of our scheme.

"Who," I asked quietly, as Lucas began to approach the note, "actually planned this."

"I did," Denise smiled proudly before Genevieve instantly covered her mouth with her perfectly manicured nails. 

"Target approaching," I call.

Just as planned, Lucas notices the scrap piece of paper and picked it up, it's fragile form falling limply against the touch of his fingers. I'd have to give it to the others for placing such a convincing set of terrifying handwriting because Lucas' face says it all. It's a mixture of terror and pain, the veins around his face threatening to bulge out at any moment. I don't know how long it's going to take to get the world's most hilarious photo of Lucas, because as it is, I'm sure we're all going to burst out laughing within any given moment.

My hand clamps over my mouth as I try my best to hold my laughter. We could do wonders with that photo. 

Lucas seems to be recovering from his trance and actually calls for Will, who approaches in a steady manner, his face reacting in the same hostile manner, and just as I'm sure I'm going to lose it, Mia speaks.

"Done." She nods. "Time for the reveal."

I'm done waiting, I decide, standing up from my position. Their gazes fall on me as I wear a proud smile, in complete laughter. Lucas' confused stare continues to freeze as the rest of us begin to rise. 

He looks frazzled at first, and only then did I realize how messy we had become from hiding in the bushes, but then, he realizes that we hadn't escaped from a tyrannical something and had actually just played an eloquent prank on him.

Will smirks, "They've got class." 

"Oh, sweethearts, you played a prank on the wrong guy." he pauses, momentarily for the sake of the effortless dramatic flair I can't help but roll my eyes at. It's deafening. "Revenge is near. I can taste the sweet victory already."

Denise giggles, as our waves of laughter, echo into the dusk wind. "Is it really."