The Contest

Chapter 35

I cleaned up my room. I didn't have to do much, seeing as my maids took care of most things, but I moved things around nervously. I heard a knock on my door and ran to get it. It was Archer.
"Good morning." I said.
"The plane is landing now." He told me. I nodded and closed my door, following him out to the runways at the back of the palace. I saw a plane flying through the clouds and I straightened out my lavender dress. The neckline was a deep plunging cut to the band around my waist, and the light fabric flowed out from my waist. It was beautiful, but I insisted on wearing a black shawl over top. I was mourning after all.
"Are you excited?" He asked.
"Yeah I am. My sister wanted me to go do this, I just want her to know I'm doing okay. I mean I wish it wasn't seeing her for the reason I am, but it will be nice to see her either way. I miss her." He nodded. The amount of tension between us was huge. It was stupid, we loved each other. Or so I thought. I shivered, as a gust of cold November wind brushed me.
"Are you cold?" He asked.
"A little." I admitted.
"Here have this." He said, pulling off his jacket, and putting it on my shoulders.
"Thanks." I said, and pulled it around me, warming up. "Are you sure you're good?" I asked.
"I'm a living, breathing, space heater. I'm fine." He chuckled. I smiled. This was weird. It was like I was talking to a friend I had liked for years. It wasn't like we had been. It was worse than starting all over, because I had the memories of what we had been in my mind. I wanted things back to the way they were, and I knew things weren't going anywhere.
"Here comes the plane." Archer said, and we looked up. It landed, and stopped. They put up a staircase, and the door opened. Ashton flew out the door.
"Amlynn!" He shouted using his nickname for me. For a fifteen year old boy, he was very affectionate towards me and the rest of the girls.
"Hey bud!" I said, catching him in a hug as he flew into me.
"How are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm okay." I said, ruffling his hair. From out of the corner of my eye I saw an girl. I turned.
"Amethyst!" I exclaimed. She smiled at me, stepping off the last stair. I hugged her gently, feeling my eyes well up with tears. "I missed you." I said.
"I missed you too. I'm sorry I didn't write and tell you about the baby, it's just I was so busy-" I cut her off.
"Amethyst its okay!" I exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you. When's it due?" I asked.
"Well He is due in May sometime." She said.
"It's a boy?!" I gasped, covering my mouth in shock. Amethyst nodded, a smile on her face.
"I'm glad Mom at least knew about the baby. Even if she doesn't get to meet him." She said. I smiled, and hugged her again. I saw Darren behind Amethyst.
"Hey Darren." I said, sniffing and wiping under my eyes.
"Hey Amberlyn." He smiled at me.
"Good morning all. I hope your flight was okay?" Archer asked.
"It was lovely thank you your highness." Amethyst said. Archer smiled.
"Please, call me Archer. Amberlyn does and I feel like I've known you all forever. Follow me please." He said.
"Oh, polite." Amethyst said, wiggling her eyebrows at me. I giggled. "So tell me about him." She requested.
"We are...close. He's very sweet. Romantic as well. I haven't been on a date with him in a while, but I'm hoping maybe for my birthday." I said.
"I brought you a birthday present!" She exclaimed. Archer turned.
"Your birthday is soon?" He asked.
"Next week, yes." I said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.
"It didn't seem important after the week I and we have been having." I said.
"Oh...yeah. I shouldn't have asked, sorry." He said.
"I-its okay. I usually don't celebrate it." I said.
"Well maybe we will." He said, and continued walking. Amethyst elbowed me in the arm.
"You did that on purpose!" I hissed. She giggled. She looked so happy, her golden brown hair falling over her her shoulders, shimmering in the sunlight. It was curled and she looked like a mother. She was going to be a great one.

~~~

My maids fluttered around my room as the prepared my dress, makeup and hair, wanting me to look nice for some reason.
"Is this okay my lady?" Emma asked.
"Yes that's fine." I replied, taking a quick look at my hair. A bun with small curly strands framing my face.
"Is this dress okay, my lady?" Teony asked, showing me a black dress. It was a mermaid style dress that flared out at my knees. The top, from about the armpits up, and sleeves were lace. It was gorgeous, but something I was dreading wearing.
"Yes." I answered, and she helped me into it.
"Is your makeup okay, my lady?" Anna asked, showing me my face in a hand held mirror. Smokey eyes, dark red, almost black, lipstick, and rosy cheeks. I looked stunning, but a look I would now forever hate.
"The funeral starts in a few minutes. Why don't you head down?" Teony suggested, her coffee eyes looking at me with sadness.
"Yeah, Okay." I said, standing, putting on the black heels they had pulled out for me. I left my room. Archer was standing outside my doorway.
"I was going to knock, but I didn't know if an ex-boyfriend type person knocked or waited, so I stood here to think about it." He paused. "For like a half an hour." He muttered.
"To be fair, you're not my ex-boyfriend. I'm still part of the game." I said.
"I'm going to give you your time. You need it, and I'm respecting that. In the mean time, I'm playing the game you think this all is. That you are all actually competing for my heart. You can't win a heat Amberlyn. That takes time." He said, holding out an arm. "For now, I'm escorting you to the funeral, like any respectable friend, boyfriend or not, would do." I didn't take his arm. I broke down into tears. "Hey." He said, soothing me. He pulled me into his arms, hugging tightly.
"It's going to be okay." He told me, his voice soothing and soft.
"I don't know how I'm going to do this without her." I said, through my tears.
"Do what?" He asked.
"Life. She always knew what to do. She always knew how to help me and get my life back on track when I didn't." I explained.
"You've been doing pretty well on your own here Lynnie."
"Why do you call me that?" I asked.
"Call you what?" He asked.
"Lynnie. Why do you call me that? You don't have nicknames for any of the other girls." I asked again.
"I don't usually give nicknames to people I'm not close to. I just think I'm close to you." He said, using the back of his thumb to gently brush a tear off my face. I hugged him again, breathing in his smell. He smelled like the ocean, and spices. We stood there like that. Just still, feeling each other's chest rise and fall with each breath we took.
A clocked chimed somewhere signaling it was 3 o'clock. Archer released me slowly, and placed a gentle kiss atop my forehead.
"You're so gentle." I said.
"You have to be gentle with precious things." He said. That made me feel something. For once since my mother died, I felt something. I took his arm, and we went down to the ballroom.
It was set up with black cloth and flowers, rows of chairs set up. There were barely any people filling those seats. The left side was filled with the girls left in the Contest. Evangeline, Kelsey, Jessica, Ember, Shaeleigh, Eve, Tink, Marlowe, and Charlotte. The families sat behind them. My family was on the right, along with the Royal Family, The King and Queen, Jaxon, Isabel, and Harmonia. Behind them a man with guards. My Father.
"What is he doing here?" I hissed to Archer.
"He begged to come. He was her husband after all." Archer whispered back. I sat down, and Archer took my hand. I let him. As he strokes the back of my hand with his thumb, the funeral started. I can't remember much of what happened. I stood and sat as needed. When they called me up to speak I was nervous, scared that i was going to mess up.
"Hi. I would introduce myself, but you all already know who I am. I'm here to tell you all about my mother, Allison Baylock." I took in a deep breath, and looked over at Harmonia. She smiled at me and gave a small nod, as to say, 'Go on.' I let out my breath.
"My Mom was an amazing woman. Before any of us kids were born, she participated in the Contest like I am now. She didn't win of course, or else i wouldn't be here today. She left the Contest because of reasons that I'm not going to discuss today, but she did it for my Father. While I don't understand why, she did, and I trust her for what she did." My Father was looking at me, his face as hard as Stone, but his eyes soft and sorry. I looked away.
"My Mom rose her children to be polite and kind to everyone. She was the kind of person that would take anything that came to her. With 6 children she had to. She had to put up a front for us. I remember one night coming home from work, the rest of my siblings were gone, my Father still at work. My mother was sitting in the living room crying. She didn't have enough food for the family that night. At that point it was just me, my sister, and my parents who were working. Very little income for a family of eight. I held out the money I had made and told her I'd go and get food, but with the amount I was getting it still wasn't enough. We decided we would give the food to the rest of my family. I don't think we ate for a day or two, but it was worth it to see the rest of my family happy." I looked around to see tears. Time to change the subject.
"My mother was a happy woman. I trusted her more than I trusted myself at most times. I was just telling someone today that I didn't know how I was going to manage without her, but I've realized something. I don't need her present to continue to live my life, because she's taught me all she needed to.
"She taught me how to be kind, how to help other people, how to be selfless. I've always thought that I needed her to talk me out of insane ideas, and help me through my problems, but in her lifetime, though cut short, she taught me everything she needed to. That was her goal I believe." I felt the tears falling down my face. I paused, and brushed them away.
"Um, yeah. She was quite an incredible lady and quite an incredible mother." I finished, and sat down. Archer took my hand again and squeezed it, while Harmonia hugged me. The rest of the service went by quickly. When it ended, I rose and left the room. I didn't want to be asked questions. Harmonia and Archer followed me out.
"How are you feeling?" Harmonia asked.
"Content. I'm not over her death completely, but I'm content with how I've left things."
"Good. That's the most we want from you." She said. She gave me a hug. "I've got to get back, will you be okay?" She asked.
"I'll be fine." I replied. Harmonia nodded and left. Archer looked down at me.
"You're really content?" He asked.
"I am. I'm going to be okay." I said.
"That's relieving." He said.
"Will you walk me back to my room?" I asked.
"Of course Love." He said. A small smile lifted the corner of my mouth. He hadn't called me Love in a while.