Finding paradise

Chap 15 p 2

"Welcome everyone out tonight, to the first round for Conrad's hand in merrage, May the best lady win."

I found myself standing next to Conrad, Shya on his other side, he gripped both of our hands, grinning as though he had won both of us.

I didn't like fighting for his love, he said he already cared about me, but if he did then why was he putting me through this?

I had never seen so many pairs of eyes in my life, each of a different color, draped under many types of lashes, some that were coated with a thick black substance to have them appear longer.

I had been in this room before, it was where they held the grand Assembly, which would be held at the conclusion of the contest for Conrad.

The room was exquisite, painted with a fading affect, from white to dark blue. Large windows spanned the back wall, bordered by golden lining, that swirled up into our country's emblem at the top.

A diamond, with a circle in the middle, a sign of unity. That sat above every window, and above the door of many buildings.

My eyes scanned the seating, that was divided up into four sections, closest to the stage sat the high council with their wives and family's, the president sat with his son, whom I am assuming was let free because of his status.

I avoided those slate gray eyes, that stared back at me, unreadable as always. He seamed so cool and collected, unlike me, as I stood on stage nearly on the verge of collapse.

Conrad's father was glowing with his bright blonde haired wife. Mine and Shyas parents had been invited to sit next to them. My parents appeared more then eager to be there, as they chatted it up with the council, however Shyas parents looked rather out of place. It was no secret that the town was not a big fan of them.

That section was guarded by the law enforcement agency, and behind them sat the elite, with their fancy clothes, and nice seating.

They spanned the length of the stage, and behind them the middle class r resided on plastic chairs, a reminder of their lower status, but far away in the back, the third class stood, behind a set of bars, I doubt they could even hear us from where they stood, but it was not an option to come to this place.

I had never been on stage before, and next week I would be here again.

"Now we would like to introduce the lovely ladies, I am sure many of you already know our fine man Conrad Roberts." My eyes laced the crowd as a swoop of cheers sprang up from everyone, did they all fancy Conrad that much?

Glancing over at Shya, she was beaming as though she had already won, I turned my lips up into a smile as well, spotting Greg in the crowd, he sat in the middle class next to the rest of his family, an empty spot where his sister would have vacated.

How come he had been at Conrad's the other day?

I froze when I realized everyone's eyes were glued on me, the announcer had stopped talking, the microphone now in front of me. Blinking I took it, my mind trying to recap what the words had been before this.

Conrad leaned forward acting as though he were kissing my cheek, however I barely caught the words that came out of his mouth. "Introduce yourself."

His presence left me as quickly as it had come, but I knew exactly what to do now. I lifted the microphone to my lips, shooting the audience a confident grin. "Hello, I'm drew Stetson, I'm now of age as of next week, and I reside in the middle class."

Nobody cheered, their icy eyes on me, were they supposed to, or was that only for Conrad? I lowered the machine, attempting to control my breath as the microphone was taken from my overheating fingers.