The Contest

Chapter 13

Archer and I went to my room.
"It's right here." I said, picking it up. "Where do you, uh, wanna sit?" I asked.
"We could sit on the couch." He suggested.
"Or the bed." I suggested.
"T-the bed?" He asked.
"O-or not!" I exclaimed. "Couch. The couch is fine." I said, sitting on the couch. He blushed, a small smile on his face, and came to sit next to me.
"Um okay." I said. "I'll read out loud I guess?" I asked.
"Sure."

Today the members of the Contest had to arrange a party for the castle. Seeing as there were still so many girls left we all had to choose a date out of a hat and that was when our parties were. Although it seems like we have more time, we don't. We have to be done by a certain date, and then everything is collected and put away so we don't have a chance to work on it. We all got a theme and a date. I got baby shower! I don't know why anyone would need a baby shower, but maybe the Queen would have to plan her own. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Steven came to check in on me later in the day. He was just as confused with the theme as I was, but he said there were multiple of each theme in the hat, and unfortunately the worst party from each theme had to leave.
"I guess that makes sense. You just need a lot of themes." I had said. He had nodded.
"Do you know what you're going to do?"
"I believe so. I've imagined baby showers before, having my own, thinking of others. Girlish fantasies." I said. He chuckled
"What do you think you will do?" He asked.
"Well I was thinking about doing the usual cake, games, gender reveal. I know it's boring, but I'll find some things to do." I said. My stomach started to hurt. I moaned gently and put a hand on my stomach.
"Are you okay?" He asked nervously.
"I'll be fine. This has been happening a lot since I got here. I think it might be stress stomach aches." I said.
"Lie down. I'll get you an extra day to work, you need sleep." He said.
"But I-"
"No buts. Please. I'm worried about you." He said. I nodded. My maids rushed me and shooed the Prince out. "Sleep!" He said as the door shut. My maids were whispering and looking at my night dresses. They handed me a long flowey one. I had put it on and gone to sleep. When I woke, I had to run to the bathroom. I got sick. One of my maids got me into bed again and told me she would be right back with some crackers and water in case this was a stomach flu. I just went along with it. I didn't think it was, for I didn't get sick again.

"The next two pages are lists. Looks like her list of things for her party." I said.
"Come closer, I can't see." Archer said.
"There's no need for you to see I'm reading them out loud!" I said, giggling.
"Come here you." He said, tickling my sides and pulling me closer. I laughed and squirmed as he pulled me onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and placed his head on my shoulder. My stomach had so many butterflies you could have filled an entire box full of them.
"Are you gonna read?" He asked quietly in my ear. I sucked in a tiny quiet breath.
"Um, yeah." I said.

•Balloons (preferably pink and blue)
•Cake (vanilla)
•Pink Confetti (for guests female reveal)
•Piñata
•Pink and Blue streamers
•Clothes pins with names of guests written on them
•(Game) Guess the book Cover
•(Game) Guess that smell
•(Activity) Karaoke
(Activity) The clothes pins are to be given to someone who catches you saying the word baby.
(Gender Reveal) Fill the Piñata with the Pink confetti
Gifts go on a table, mother to be will open them during the party.
Cake, Snacks, and Drinks will go on another table, long for guests to mingle around.
(Game) Fill a box with some food or substance and put the lid on. Cut a small hole in lid and have guests smell and take a guess at what the thing inside the box is.

"The next page is a description of the party." I said.
"Go ahead and read then." He said. He tightened his arms around my stomach.
"You're distracting." I said.
"I am?" He asked, his grip loosening.
"I don't mind it. It's a nice distraction." I said. He smiled. I could feel his breath on my neck.

The party was a huge success. Everyone throughly enjoyed it and had fun. The other girls with the baby shower idea admitted they hadn't thought of the gender reveal idea. A few of the, might I say, less intelligent girls, thought it was a gender reveal for me! I told them they were wrong, and asked why they thought so.
"Oh no reason." They all said. I just shook my head and walked away. The Prince thought my party was fantastic.
"Fantastic party!" He had said.
"Thank you, and thank you for getting me more time." I said.
"Not a problem at all. Your maid told me you were in fact sick." He said.
"She thinks I had a flu, but I didn't get sick besides that one time." I said.
"That's odd. Feeling okay other than that?" He asked.
"A little tired, but again that could just be stressed." I said.
"You're right. I know of some tea-" Someone came to talk to me. The rest of the party went on. When it ended the Prince quietly handed me a score. I had received a ten! I was so happy and I still am. This means I'll be staying ano-

The entry ended.
"Why'd you stop?" Archer asked gently.
"It ended..." I said.
"Check the next page." He said. I flipped the page and sure enough, there was more. I looked at the page and gasped.
"There are tear drops on the page." I said.
"How are you sure?" Archer asked.
"The ink has bled here and here. Also here." I said pointing to blotchy places in the writing.
"Huh. I wouldn't have caught that."
"I've cried onto paper far too many times." I said.
"I won't ever let that happen again." He said, playing aimlessly with the ends of my hair.
"You can never be sure." I said. Evander had promised me that once. He had found out that I was crying over a boy and told me he would never do that to me. I thought that was true.
"What has she written?" Archer asked.

My father has passed away. Some rebels from the war killed him.

Archer interrupted me.
"There's no way! They just started getting into Patrium within the past two years!" He said. I winced as he yelled, his voice loud in my ears.
"Ow. My ears." I said.
"Sorry. That's impossible." He said, still in disbelief.
"Why don't we keep reading?" I asked.
"Yeah." He muttered, placing his chin back on my shoulder.

They won't be coming back into the kingdom for a long time. I miss my father. He always helped me. He was my rock. I am close to mother of course, by Father has always been the one I went to for logical advice. There's no way I'm going to be able to live without him.

There was a tear drop on the page, and just now one joined it. I found myself to be crying.

Father will be missed. He left me a letter. He knew this day was going to come and he prepared.
Dear Allison,
Be kind and courageous. Your mother and I raised you to be like that. In an image of what we dream our perfect child. No, you will never be perfect, for we are all from that. Trust me, I've dealt with all your toddler tantrums and childhood carelessness, but you can be what we think is perfect. I'm my eyes, imperfect is entirely perfect. Allison your name means Truth. Well technically it means "Son of Alice" but you are neither a son or a descendant of an Alice, so therefore I will go with Truth which is what the Greek name "Aletheia" means. I raised you to be imperfect yes, but not untruthful. Telling the truth does not make you perfect, it makes you into a person like the Lord. Do not put others down. That is not truth. Truth is when you tell someone something for their own good and the good of others. Please stay perfectly imperfect and truthful as the Lord. I love you.
Dad
I miss him. I'm going back to the castle soon. I've spent a week at home with my mother. We went to the funeral. It was quiet and short. My mom had been crying, but I couldn't seem to. Now that's all I seem to be able to do.
I also saw Andrew. He hugged me tightly and told me everything was going to be okay. That's when I started to cry. We spent the night together. He played songs for me on the piano and we played games to get my mind off of things. When my stomach began to hurt, he kissed my cheek. And gave me water and some light food. I felt better after that. I told him my stomach had been hurting since I got there, and he told me to check with a guess when I got back to the castle. He wanted me to be taken care of. I'm going to miss everyone here. I wish things could just go back to the way they had been. My father alive, me at home with Andrew, although I would miss Steven. I wish father could just come back.

A second tear joined the dry one on the page.