by Katie Ashley
Laurel broke through the fog by jerking the sheet off of me and shouting, “Voila!”
Startled, I stared up at her. “You’re finished?”
“Yep. And I think you’re going to like what you see,” she said, wagging her eyebrows.
I stood up on wobbling knees and glanced into the mirror. “Wow,” I murmured. It was unbelievable—I had to look twice to believe it was me. Laurel had gone for a dramatic makeover. Shimmering green eye-shadow coated my eyelids and glittered when it caught the light. Dark mauve lipstick plumped up my lips. My hair had been curled into a mass of auburn ringlets and then swept back on the sides with glittering combs.
“Like it?” Laurel asked.
I smiled. “It’s amazing. You are amazing!”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” she replied, with a grin.
A knock came at the door. “Oh no, is it time to go downstairs already?” I asked.
Laurel eyed the clock. “No, not yet. It better not be one of those prima donnas from the Hill wanting me to come spend time on them. That’s what my minions are for!” She flung open the door and demanded, “What?”
It was Micah. “Oh, uh, I just came by to see Cadence.”
Laurel grinned at him. “Then by all means, come in.”
“Thanks,” Micah answered, as he stepped over the threshold. When his eyes landed on me, his mouth gaped open. “Holy shit!”
“Joshua Micah Greene! You watch your mouth!” Naomi scolded from behind him.
He ducked his head at his mother’s admonishment and mumbled, “Sorry.”
When he met my gaze, I couldn’t help but grin. Even though he was a foot taller than Naomi, he still feared and respected her. Maybe it was that moment of him looking sheepishly at me that I realized how much I really liked…maybe even loved Micah.
Laurel started to the door. “You’ve got twenty minutes before you have to be downstairs.” She gave Micah and me a wicked look. “Don’t do anything I would do because I don’t have time to fix your makeup.”
I think both Micah and I flushed crimson from our cheeks down to our necks. Thankfully, the door closed behind them, and we were left alone.
“So…” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and shuffled back and forth on his feet.
“So?”
“You’re taking out all the stops with that costume, aren’t you?”
“Is my costume all you can think of right now?” I teased.
He bobbed his head. “I came up here to say something, but for the life of me, I can’t remember now.”
I laughed. “There you go proving the stereotype Laurel was just talking about with men.” I poked his chest with my finger. “If you’re so dazzled by my costume, then you obviously only think with one thing.”
Micah swatted my hand away and grinned. “Well, it’s kinda hard not to think of that when you’re looking like a sexpot.”
“Oh whatever. For men, it doesn’t matter what you have on.”
His eyes roamed over my body. “And the less you’re wearing, the better.”
I grinned. “You’re terrible.”
Micah glanced at the clock. “I don’t want to keep you too long.”
A storm of emotions crashed over me, and without even thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and crushed my lips to his. When I pulled away, I met his startled expression. “I-uh, I just wanted us to have a little of what we had the other night,” I said.
“Trust me, I’m not complaining,” Micah replied, in a husky voice. He snaked his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. This time he kissed me, but it was with a little more passion than I had bestowed on him.
“Micah,” I murmured, against his lips. “I have to go.”
He pulled away to bury his head in my shoulder. His hot breath scorched against my shoulder. “I have this ache in my chest when I think about Kellan picking you. I want to throw you over my shoulder like a caveman, run away and never look back.”
I couldn’t help giggling at the image. Micah raised his head. My laugh caught in my throat at his expression. “I’d take care of you—I’d work until my back broke and my fingers bled if I had to.” His thumb traced along my jaw-line. “But more than anything else, I love you.”
I sucked in a harsh breath. Although the depth of my emotions for Micah continued yo-ying back and forth, I couldn’t believe he had made such a statement. Any other time, it would have meant the world to have a guy as wonderful as Micah professing his love. But everything seemed so out of control now. I shook my head. “Oh Micah, you’re not considering everything. I can’t leave Griff, and you can’t leave your mother.”
He grimaced as if I had taken a needle and popped his bright idea balloon. “Dammit! Why does there always have to be complications?”
“That’s life I guess,” I replied, with a rueful smile.
He raked his hand wildly through his hair and exhaled loudly. It took him a few moments to compose himself. Then his dark eyes stared intently at me. “Even if we can’t runaway, I still love you, Cadence.”
From books and movies, I knew it was the girl who usually said love first. As I gazed into his dark eyes, I searched their depths for the answer I sought. And then, the words came.
“I…I love you, too.”
Micah’s face lit up. “You do? You really do? I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to say it because I did.”
But I knew somewhere deep in the core of me the words were true. My world was a whirlwind spinning out of control, and Micah was the solid ground I could count on. “No, I mean it, I really do.”
His beaming smile enflamed every nerve of mine from head to toe. “You make me very happy. And we will be together, no matter what.”
I bobbed my head, hoping rather than believing he was right.
“Now go out there and try to lose for me, okay?”
Laughing, I said, “Maybe.” I grabbed a gold tube off the table and rolled it over my lips—trying to hide any evidence of what Micah and I had been doing.
We started for the door, and I grabbed his arm. “What?” he asked.
I rose up on tip-toes to wipe my lipstick off his lips. “You look like you’re trying to be in the pageant.”
Micah snorted. “Whatever.”
He left the room first, so it wouldn’t appear like we were together. I waited a few seconds before I went out. I walked out right in front of Maggie. She was gorgeous in a sparkling, low cut navy blue dress. It contrasted with decorative light blue sequined pieces within the dress which resembled icicles. I couldn’t imagine where she had gotten them or how she’d made them work. Some of them were interwoven in her hair. Her make-up was also pale and cool, even her lips. She did a double take at the sight of me. “You’re trying to get sent home, too?” she demanded.
“No, it’s not like that.”
Her gaze raked over my dress. “It sure as heck looks like it. You’re dressed as a nymph!”
“It’s a strategy to stand out, I swear.”
“If you say so.” She twirled around. “Do I look like an Ice Princess?”
“Yes, very nice.”
Maggie grinned. “Thanks.”
The elevator doors closed, and we both sighed. “For your sake, I hope the costume strategy works,” I said.
“I’m not sure I can say the same for you. I mean, if Kellan likes it, he’s going to keep us both.”
I glanced down at my outfit. “Do you really think it’s that bad?” Before she could answer, the doors opened, and we came face to face with some of the other girls. At the look of shock and horror on their faces, Maggie leaned over to me and whispered, “Um, I think so.”
I giggled. We weaved our way through the other girls while trying to fend off their stares. Most of the girls had gone for the very images Maggie had joked about: Domestic Divas, Queen of Hearts—one actually ventured into the realm of mythology with Athena, but she was not just the goddesses of wisdom, but most importantly for tonight,
the goddesses of the home.
Mrs. Munroe clapped her hands, and we all headed over to her. “Good evening la-” she abruptly stopped when she caught sight of Maggie and me. Flustered, she tried regaining her composure. “Good evening, ladies. You all look...wonderful. I know you’re every excited about tonight’s competition. I wish those of you going on to the next level the best of luck.”
I jumped out of my skin when the sound of orchestra music filled my ears. Craning my neck, I saw a small ensemble in front of the stage. It was then I realized how out of control all of this actually was. Mrs. Munroe bustled around us, making sure we were in the right order to go out on stage. Still marked with Number seventeen, I wasn’t one of the first girls, and I could take a few moments to catch my breath.
Some of the girls, like Emma, got boisterous audience approval. I remembered her mentioning she was the youngest of seven children. I peeked out of the curtain to see what I imagined was her brothers and sisters and their husbands and wives. Some of them had even made signs. Her parents sat among the throng, beaming proudly as Emma took her mark on the stage. Seeing them sent a familiar pang of longing to the pit of my stomach. Of course, I wouldn’t have wanted my parents seeing me as a hypersexual nymph. The pageant alone would have devastated them, not to mention how I had to perform.
“Contestant number seventeen, Cadence O’Bryant.”
At the sound of my name, I stepped out onto the stage, and a hush fell over the audience. Surely the sound of my knocking knees could be heard throughout the auditorium. Wearing this sexed up costume was the most audacious thing I’d ever done in my life, and that was saying a lot.
With each step, the tight fabric writhed against my skin. I gazed out into the audience and found Kellan staring open mouthed at me. His disbelief resonated with me to where it was like a switch going off. If he wanted to be so shocked, then I would give him something to be shocked about.
Flouncing my head back, I strutted down the rest of the walkway with an alluring smile plastered on my face. When I got to Guy, he gave me the same incredulous look Kellan had.
“Oh, uh, and just what are you supposed to be, Miss O’Bryant?”
“I’m a nymph as represented in great pieces of literature. On one hand, I could be a nymph of the sea like in Homer’s Odyssey or a wood nymph like the kind William Shakespeare would’ve written about in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Guy continued gaping at me. “Oh, um, well, isn’t that nice...er, Shakespeare, I mean, is nice.”
I batted my eyelashes and grinned at him. “Why, thank you, Guy.” Regardless of how mortified I felt at my behavior, I was bolstered in the fact it appeared to be working. You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. As I turned to go back to my mark, I met Kellan’s gaze again. With everything in me, I mustered an alluring “come hither” type stare before slinking away.
Standing at my mark, I watched the rest of the girls announced. Of course, Maggie and I were the only ones not to receive a hearty response from the audience. All the properly attired girls received standing ovations, whistles, and cat calls.
“And there you have the lovely Top Seven, ladies and gentlemen. So, who will be the final three? We’ll find out after a little intermission. Stretch your legs, take a bathroom break, or head to the lobby to have champagne and hors d’oeuvres.”
Once again, we were herded back stage to await the decision. Maggie and I stood separately from the other girls. I guess they didn’t want to be tainted by our wanton appearance. “You think it was enough to discredit you?” I asked in a whisper.
“I sure as hell hope so. I mean, even if Kellan thought it was hot, I can’t imagine he’d get much backing from his father.”
“Okay, ladies, it’s time!” Mrs. Munroe shouted.
The seven of us returned back onstage, nervously anticipating our fate. Guy dramatically held the card with the Final Three close to his chest. “Now it’s the moment of truth. We have the last three ladies who will fight for Kellan’s heart. The first contestant is Emma York.”
“Our second contestant is Lana Epperson.”
I wasn’t too surprised to hear her name. If there was a prettiest girl in the pageant, it was her. However, she had the personality of a piece of driftwood.
“And our final contestant is….” Guy appeared to pale a little. “Cadence O’Bryant.” The entire audience appeared to let out a collective gasp of shock. I turned to Maggie, hoping she would confirm I had misunderstood. Instead, she squeezed my hand before pushing me forward. In a daze, I staggered to join Lana and Emma.
Guy glanced from us to the audience. “Well, we now have our final three contestants. Tomorrow each of the girls will spend time alone with Kellan before he makes his final decision. So you better be back here tomorrow night or in front of your television set or radio at eight tomorrow evening!”
The orchestra started up the music, which was our cue to start off the stage. Unfortunately, I couldn’t move. Frozen in shock, I stood rooted to the stage. My emotions raged so violently within me I feared I would faint. It felt like I was being jerked away from Micah, and anything of comfort and light, and was sucked into a dark abyss where I held future of the Abir and Kellan’s life in my hands. One false step either way had horrifying consequences.
Guy nodded encouragingly at me, but I still couldn’t move. “Cadence,” Mrs. Munroe hissed, off stage. She waved her hands erratically like an air traffic controller would to get me off stage. But it was useless. I was unmovable.
Finally, the stagehand had the presence of mind to close the red velvet curtains. As they swung together, I got a fleeting glance of Kellan’s smirk and Micah’s devastation before everything went black.
Something cool slithered across my face. I wanted to swat it away, but my arms seemed pinioned at my side. “Cadence, come back to me.”
My eye-lids fluttered as I struggled to get to where the voice was. It soothed and comforted me. Blurry shapes came into my view. Finally, my vision cleared, and I saw Micah’s face. “There you are. We were afraid you hit your head harder than we thought.”
“I hit my head?” I croaked.
He nodded. “Yeah, when you passed out.”
Mortification flooded me. “Oh no, I fainted on stage?”
Another voice answered me. “Yes, you did.” I turned my head to see Griff’s worried expression. “Mrs. Munroe and the others believed you were so overcome with joy and elation at being in the Top Three that you fainted.”
“Yeah, overcome is the right word, but it wasn’t with joy,” I mumbled.
Micah helped pull me into a sitting position. That’s when I noticed I was back in my suite. Naomi and Maggie sat on the loveseat while Laurel paced nervously near the door. “Just when I thought it couldn’t be any worse, I manage to top things by making a fool out of myself.”
“Luckily, only the people backstage saw what happened since they’d pulled the curtain,” Micah said.
Griff nodded. “Mrs. Munroe sent someone to get me, and well, the others came along to make sure you were all right.”
“Thanks guys,” I said.
Someone pounded on the door. When Laurel opened it, it was Mrs. Munroe. “Ah, so she’s finally came around,” she commented.
“Yes, I’m terribly sorry for all the fuss.”
“Oh, that’s all right, dear. Emotions can overwhelm us sometimes.” She glanced around the room. “Now that Cadence is awake, I’m going to have to have the rest of you leave. She needs her rest. After all, she has a big day tomorrow.”
Inwardly, I groaned. Naomi, Maggie, and Laurel waved and headed out the door before Mrs. Munroe could say anymore. Griff leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Your pupils aren’t dilated, so you should be fine to go ahead and go to sleep.”
I reached out and hugged his neck. “Thanks, Dr. O’Bryant.”
When Griff pulled away, Micah started to lean over to kiss me, but I jerked my head to the doorway where Mrs. Munroe stood. “Feel better, Ca
dence. I know everything is going to be all right,” he said, his intense brown eyes locking with mine. I knew what he meant then. No matter what the outcome was tomorrow night, he would find a way for us to be together.
“I hope so,” I murmured.
“Goodnight, Cadence. I’ll have someone check on you during the night,” Mrs. Munroe said.
“Thank you.”
She flipped the light-switch off and shut the door. Darkness enveloped me.
***
The following morning I woke up with a raging headache. Fortunately, I found one of Mrs. Munroe’s assistants sitting by the bed with a breakfast tray. She also had some aspirin for me to take.
“So are you excited about today?” she asked, as she surveyed me nibbling nervously on my toast.
“Oh yes, very much so,” I lied.
“Kellan and Emma had breakfast together this morning, and they’re spending some time together now on the estate.”
“Hmm.”
Each of us would be allotted three to four hours with Kellan before the pageant. After that time, he would make his decision. It seemed ridiculous to me that someone could choose a life partner after four hours of conversation, but then I had to remind myself that the entire pageant was absurd.
“Mrs. Munroe wanted me to tell you that you are supposed to meet Kellan at noon by the Liberty fountain.”
On the east side of the estate, there was a massive fountain. It had always been a sad, rather than impressive, fixture to me considering the torch came from the Statue of Liberty—it had been partially destroyed during the massive flood of the Great Fall. Richard had used most of the statue for scrap. The torch he had insisted on preserving as a testament not to what once was, but what he was and always would be—the master of the universe.
Just as I realized I couldn’t possibly eat anything more than a few bites of toast, a knock came at the door, and Laurel popped her head in. Mrs. Munroe’s assistant took the breakfast tray and left us in private.
“Good morning.”
