Talent Hall
Chapter 29

I stand on my balcony and watch the stars and admire the moon. It’s a full moon tonight and it’s gorgeous. A shooting star rushes through the sky. The moon watches the stars and shines it’s beautiful light throughout the sky. I have to smile at it’s beautiful. You can’t not smile at the moon and stars.

As a kid, I would always admire the beautiful of the sky.It’s always so beautiful to me. Not just the moon and stars. I would admire the sun set too. Whether it’s daytime or it’s dark outside. Mom and I always looked the sky together. Even when Caleb came along. He didn’t dare interrupt our time admiring the sky together.

It was a way for Mom and I to bond. Mom really liked to admire the beauty that’s on earth instead of pondering on the negativity we see around us. It’s a good thing to do and I need to make that a habit instead of thinking about the negative as much as I do. She told me she had grown updoing this with her friends because they had grown doing the same with their parents. She wanted us to have something special do to together because I didn’t have anything with my father- or Jack as I call him.

I always go on about how he isn’t my father, but she always referred to Jack as my father and the two year incident didn’t change that in the least. I never thought of him as much of a dad, but she had always told me I might not like it, but it’s because of Jack that I exist and she’ll always love him for that, even if she hates him for the mistakes he’s made as a father and a husband. If she were here to hear me say the things I’ve been saying like he never was my father and he never will be, she would about slap me and tell me otherwise. I don’t think I ever had the heart to tell her of what I truly feel. Regarding Jack. She may have been strict at times, but I miss her and wish I could have her back.

“I miss you, Mom,” I whisper to myself. I don’t necessarily think she’s watching, but she’s always in my heart. Although I’m sure she knows I love her. “I hope I’m making you proud.” Mom always wanted me follow my dreams and do something I love…

“You really are,” a familiar voice says.

I turn around, startled, but come face to face with Caleb. He smiles and leans against the balcony doorway and looks at the moon, his eyes gleaming under the moonlight. I had no idea he would be able to make it. He told me he really wanted to be here to support me, but his boss told hold him he couldn’t leave Australia in time. This is a surprise. Unless he planned it that way. I wouldn’t put it past Caleb. He is the type to go to the end of the world to plan a big surprise.

“I wasn’t sure if you still admired the moon.”

“Of course,” I say with a smile. “It reminds of Mom. I make sure to admire the beauty of the world everyday at least once… I didn’t know you were coming. I thought you couldn’t.”

“I wanted to surprise you. I was actually here last night. I saw you dance your heart out with your girl posse.”

“Well, you did a good job. I wasn’t expecting you to be here, but I’m glad you are. I can’t believe I had forgotten you know how to surprise someone and change someone’s day.”

“Well… I try. I wouldn’t miss something like this for the world, Danny.” He hugs me. “Especially when The Elimination are harassing you. We have too much experience with those guys.”

I take a deep breath and ask him to follow me back to the room and he does. The closed box sits on the desk. Caleb sits on the bed and watches me open the box. His eyes widen. I hand him the box and lean against the desk. He sighs and closes his eyes for a second.

“Oh…”

“Shocking, isn’t it?” I ask.

Everyone is surprised by what Jack said and the fact that he gave me the crown, but the only one taking this hard is me. Not even Lisa is concerned about what I’ll do. What concerns me is how Jack will blackmail me into this cruel plan of his.

“I’m not worried,” Caleb says.

“You’re not?”

He shakes his head. “Of course not. Danny, I’ve known you since you were twelve. Almost three years now. I’ve watched you grow from a young child to a generous and kind young man. I know you’ll do what your heart says is right. You’ve always made good decisions… when it’s about other people.”

“I love you guys more than I love myself.

“That doesn’t mean you have to hurt yourself…” he sighs. “You’ve always cared about other people. You’ve never done anything terrible. I know you’ll continue to make good decisions. I trust you, but I think now you need to let the people who love you care for you instead of you being everyone’s therapist…”

“And you expect me to let you guys do that right away? You know I have a difficult time not blaming myself for spilling a cup of water.”

“Of course not. I understand it will take time and I’m patient. If I can not lose my cool with you threw paintballs at my car or replaced the airbag with paint-filled balloons...” I wince at the thought of remember the next couple of hours. Shivers run down my spine, but then I try to smile.

“It’s paint. It came off,” I say with a nervous chuckle.

“With long-lasting paint that took two weeks to fully get off…” He crosses his arms and smirks. “Or tried to poison me...”

He hands me the box back. I place it inside the drawer and close it, locking it with a key, and holding onto it. Holly doesn’t come in here, but no one else really needs to know about this. Unless Jack decides to broadcast it to the world. When that happens, I’ll tell everyone, but only because I don’t have a choice. I try to be very discreet.

“At least it was hot sauce…” I say, unsure of how I should respond.

“What’s the difference?”

I shrug. “Sorry…?”

“You know, It was… upsetting at the time. Very upsetting at that, but looking back it now that we’re really close, it’s kind of funny. You mother didn’t think so, even before she died, but I do. You’re adorable so you were the last person I would expect to poison me with hot sauce, but you taught me a valuable lesson. The cute ones can be devious too.” I nod and then pause. My eyes widen. “What? What is it?”

“I poured hot sauce in your coffee. Why didn’t I just do that to Jack and Maura?”

“Because they’re psychotic…?” he asks. I raise an eyebrow. “Just a suggestion. Speaking of which, how did you manage to knock those two out?”

“Sleep dust. Princess Sydney gave it to me. I mixed that in their coffee. Took a couple of minutes to take effect, but it got the job done nicely. I mean, my ‘future stepmother’ was going to stab me once she found out, but luckily, all I had to do was blow in her face once Jack was out.”

He snickers. “And people say the royal family won’t try to save your life.”

“They’ve done a lot more than just simply save my life. Trust me.”

“I’ve heard. From all corners of Australia and London. I’ve only been in London for twenty hours and I’ve heard about how generous, cute, and amazing you are. In Washington, the kids who picked on you for so many years are either jealous or they don’t believe it.”

That sounds so much like them. When they said cruel things or even pushed against a wall or locker, they always told me they know I’m worthless and I’ll never amount to anything. I would be considered lucky if an old woman dying of Cancer would agree to marry me. Not having any dignity or confidence, I believed it for years. One time, I think they told me one day, the president will have me banished to another country because I’m a curse.

Of course, being at Talent Hall has given me so many opportunities. My new friends, Kayiah, Blake and Lisa picked up the shattered pieces left of me and put it back together. But instead of using glue, they used something stronger. Love. Or some kind of magic. Of course, I realize I’ll still have bad days, but I’m okay with that. Now I no longer care what anyone else has to say. If they want to be angry, jealous or continue to call me out as a freak, I wish them the best of luck in life.

“They can believe what they want,” I say with a smile. “I don’t care anymore. I was wrong to care in the first place.”

“I’m so proud of you. I always knew you could do it. It’s not always easy to stay so strong, but you’re doing a great job. I talked to Blake and Lisa and they agree with me on that.”

By it, he means thinking positively, gain some kind of self-respect and learn to love myself or hate myself a little less. I think I’m doing a good job.

“I’m trying, but it’s all thanks you guys. I think getting a fresh start helped. I wish it didn’t take Mom dying for me to realize it.”

“Your mother died proud of you, Danny.”

“Thank you… For never giving up on me.”

“And I never will.”

The next day, Kayiah and I spend the whole day with Caleb and Aiken. Before we know it, it’s late and we’ll have to be heading to the palace for King Henry’s party soon. The day had involved lots of coffee, a few hours of Netflix, and the carnival. Caleb and Aiken got to know each other a little bit. He warned Aiken about my quirky side. That made him laugh and mention he likes me some more now, even though we have no problems.

Overall, it was a fun day.

He takes Caleb to the House of Parents and then drops Kayiah and I at the Mansion of Dancers. Emily is standing outside when he drives away and drags Kayiah and I inside to decide on which dress she should wear tonight. Our choices are a plain red knee length dress and blue ball gown with lace sleeves, floor length.

Marybeth desperately wants to say something sarcastic, but surprisingly, she avoids doing so. I cross my arms after lightly pushing Kayiah toward her. Kayiah sends me a playful glare and gets closer to look at both options, glancing between Emily and the two dresses. Marybeth nudges me and whispers she doesn’t blame me for not wanting to be apart of her crazy hair and makeup routine. I nod, unsure of how to respond. Kayiah holds up the blue dress and smiles.

“That’s the one. It brings out your beautiful eyes.”

“Thank you,” Emily says and hugs the dress. Then she straightens up and clears her throat. “Do you want to borrow something for tonight?”

“Oh, Emily, I-”

As Kayiah starts to answer, Emily opens a closet door, revealing dozens of gowns in rainbow other. She covers her mouth and is reconsidering her answer. I smirk as she politely accepts her generous offer and teases about wanting all of her dresses. Too bad Emily claps and hugs her.

“Take every single one of them.”

Kayiah’s face drains. “I waskidding.”

She scoffs. “I’m not. I brought them to London to sell them, but if you want, take them. I want to simplify my life. Plus I don’t go anywhere. I’m almost never out of my room. You’re the daughter of an Anti-Elimination leader. Parties a part of your daily life. You’ve been doing this for a while. You’ll use the the gowns more than I will. Maybe Danny will take you dancing and you’ll need a dress. You have plenty of choose from. Please take them.”

Kayiah nods. “Thank you.”

She looks through all, gasping at every dress. I roll my eyes and watch her pull out a black dress and hold it against her body. I’m impressed. She chose one dress out of all of the dresses in the closet. Females usually aren’t quick. You can spend all day in a shopping mall walking around with Lisa or Mom and they wouldn’t be satisfied with just one dress. No, you’ve have to buy ten extra things just in case something goes wrong, like the zipper breaks, you gain weight, and so on. Not doing so would be a tragic mistake.

“That would look great on you,” Emily says with a squeals and jumping up and down.

“I’m leaving now,” I say. “I’ll be in my room, being normal and not choosing between two hundred outfits to find the perfect fit for a royal palace party.”

Kayiah laughs. “Normal… That’s your best joke yet.”

I grin. “I try.”

Once I get to my room, I close the door and head to the closet. The first thing I see is a black suit and tie. That’s what I reach for and place it on my bed. Then I hop in the shower. I’ve already showered this morning, but I’ve been on the run since nine AM this morning. Besides, I shower once, maybe twice a day every day. It’s just become a habit now. Gives me an excuse to shower obsessively and with no shame. No one ever gets criticized for being too clean.

When I step out, I dry myself and get dressed, taking my sweet time with it. The next step is to do my hair. My plan is to dry my hair and let it do whatever it chooses to do. At the beginning of the month, during the first interviews, my hair looked professional, but because we were a little more tense at that time. Now the talent show is over. Everyone can pretty much relax. Sure, tonight’s the night we’ll find out who won the talent show last night, but it’s not as intense and nerve wracking than preparing and performing for and in the talent show.

In the middle of drying my hair, I can hear someone softly knock on my door. I shout for whoever it is to come in and continue staring at my reflection and watching my progress. Kayiah stands behind me with Aiken by her right side. I turn the blow dryer off and turn around. The dress fits her perfectly. Her makeup enhances her eyes and her hair looks… beautiful. Like a queen.

She blushes when I smile. Aiken smirks. “You look nice in a suit, kid. Doesn’t he?” Kayiah nods, her cheeks filling with blush.

“I just got this from the back of the closet… Kayiah, you look amazing,” I say, trying to catch my breath.

“Thank you. Emily did my hair and makeup. For taking her dresses and helping her pick one for tonight,” she whispers.

“It looks great.”

She twirls in her dress. I make the finishing touches on my hair, with the help of jel. Aiken opens the door wider and smiles. I grab my phone and wallet and walk with Kayiah downstairs. Aiken closes my bedroom door and follows behind us.

When we get to the palace, I’m greeted by King Henry and Queen Alice who’s holding a microphone in her right hand. Riley is talking to some of the other guests and Princess Sydney is stuffing her face with chocolate and twirling in her dress as well. I go for a handshake, but the queen hugs me and said I’m considered family and families hug it out. Aiken uses this as a way to sneak away and talk to some of the other contestants.

“I’m really glad you could make it. You deserve a night off. I’m sorry you had to deal with some crazy backstage stuff the night of the talent show. It’s not fair,” Queen Alice says.

“I’ve… been dealing with some crazy stuff my whole life. Dealing with craziness is my profession. Trust me, Queen Alice, I’ve dealt with worse than someone hiding in a storage closet with his pregnant fiance and trying to look creepy.”

“I give you props. I would have had them beheaded right then and there,” King Henry says. “I’m not as patient and kind as you are and it can be a bad thing. I probably should work on it, me being a ruler and all.”

“I practically poisoned their coffee.”

“And you could have done a lot worse, kid. Didn’t you have a pocketknife on you?”

“For protection. She actually pulled one on me and I blew knockout dust in her face. I’m really glad I kept the necklace on after I made the coffee. They’re going to mad when they wake up.”

“It won’t matter. He made the mistake of messing with our little savior. I don’t have to do a thing. There’s an angry mob demanding to have their heads set on display in a museum.

I sigh.

That’s a word I have heard in a couple of days.

Savior.

The one who can stop an evil kingdom or whatever from killing innocent children and anyone who stands in their way. Although I’m still skeptical about being a savior for kids who have suffered endless pain for long years, I am confident I can do something to help. One thing I know I won’t be doing is stopping a government. Shouldn’t that be up to our government or even someone else. Preferably someone over the age of fifteen. Perhaps eighteen or twenty-one.

“I know you have difficulty believing that you are a savior to people. Kids and parents of children, but we notice why they see you as such… Do you know why they see you as their savior?”

“I may not see myself as that, but I do see myself as someone who will try his hardest to help anyone who’s in trouble. As long as it’s not related to alcohol drugs, and looting, I’ll always try my best to help.” I shrug. “It’s just who I am.”

“And that’s why people love you. Because you know who you are and aren’t cold hearted. Sometimes when you’re hurt so much, turning your heart into ice is the common route, but I’m glad you didn’t do that. You have no idea how many lives you could be saving by just being the sweet, caringyoung man that you are.”

“I try.” Queen Alice smiles at Kayiah.

“I’m sorry. How rude of me. You must be Kayiah. It’s nice to see you again. I think I met you at one of our palace parties. You’re the girl that makes Danny light up.” She smirks and raises an eyebrow at me. I look down and blush again. King Henry laughs until queen Alice gives him the look. He clears his throat.

“Oh, the blooming of young love. Isn’t it lovely?”

“As lovely as Danny’s red cheeks,” Kayiah says. “It’s great to see you guys again, Your Majesties. Danny has also talked about you guys. Your kindness, Danny admires it.”

“We’re kind?” Queen Alice asks.

I clap my hands together and chuckle lightly. “Let’s put it this way. You guys could bomb Savadonia, kill their subjects and king, and it would be viewed as protecting your people because of how much you guys really care. I wouldn’t hold it against you. I doubt anyone else would too. I hear some other country are on the brink of losing all order and sanity in their countries and are ready to attack.”

“Did you mean every country on earth? Even Finland and Canada are sick of it, and those are two of the friendliest and anti-war countries in the world. You know it’s bad if Canada gets involved. I”m sure they’ll make The Elimination rethink twice before causing trouble.”

Canada, Finland, Iceland, Australia, South Africa, and, of course, England were recognized as the six kindest countries in the world two years ago. And they each got a chance to talk to reporters about their homeland and what it has to offer. I’m sure nothing has really changed. I thought it was sweet when I saw the report on the news. I almost cried.

And I’m sure all of those countries are at their wit’s end. When the nicest people explode, the results are often worse than they would be when a rude and mean person explodes. Needless to say, when it happens, there’s a possibility I’ll vanish for a couple of weeks and watch the outcome with a bucket of buttery popcorn. I don’t eat popcorn, but I’ll make an exception. I can always burn off the calories later.

Some slow dance music plays. All of the guests pick a partner and start to dance slowly. King Henry bows to his wife and asks for her hand in a dance. Obviously she accepts and they dance. I look at Kayiah. I guess my eyes do the asking because she nods her head, agreeing to a dance. I didn’t say a word. I was thinking of the question. Either she’s a mind reader or she wants to dance too.

I place my right hand on her back and hold her hand with my left. We roam around the ball room. Kayiah holds part of her dress to look like a Disney princess. If you ever want a professional future Disney Princess, Kayiah is your girl.

We move around other dancing couples and stare into each other eyes the whole time. Even when someone snaps a photo of us and calls us the ideal fairytale couple. Kayiah giggles at the compliment and returns her eyes to me. We’re dancing for what seems like only a second before Queen Alice taps the microphone.

Luckily Kayiah and I stopby a long table filled with dessert and fruit. I pick an apple and bite into it, confident it’s not poisoned or anything. Kayiah reaches for a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting and multiple sprinkles.

“As a child, I was interested in all forms of art. I did anything you guys did on stage two days ago. I sang, I danced. I painted… I practiced the splits while singing. But my father, a king from another land was against it. He was very practical and saw creativity as a sin and every time I tried to practice art, he would destroy it right in front of me and call me a lousy princess and wouldn’t accept me as his daughter if I continued my artist behaviors. At that point, I realized when I became queen, I would accept for who they are. Artistic, practical, quirky, boring. Whatever you are. You are all welcome in my palace. That’s why the king and I allow to have Talent Hall classes come to London for kids to have an outlet to practice what they love. It warms my heart to know ninety five percent of the contestants are enjoying themselves and are benefiting from this school.”

King Henry wraps his arm around his queen and smiles. “My Queen and I work very hard to make this a rewarding experience. I hope we’ve done a good job this far.”

Everyone applauds loud enough to tell them they’ve done an excellent job making us feel appreciated for our talent. They smile and give the stage to one of the judges. We all go silent. The male judge smiles and taps the microphone.

“Welcome. My name is Nixon and I’m one of the judges. The king was kind enough to allow us to gather in his palace to celebrate our wonderful time in London again this year. I have been doing this for quite some time and never have I seen a more matched and organized group of talent. The beautiful thing about this competition is that you come from Talent Hall schools from all over the world. Just lovely. This year was probably the most eventful year since I became ajudge. 2070 to be exact. Since then, I’ve loved having a chance to be a part of kids finding their strength within their talent. Helping others is something I’ve wanted to do all of my life. I’m living my dream now. I would love to do this until I die if it’s possible.”

Kamron stands next to me and smiles before she hugs Kayiah. Then she hugs me too. I smile. Some reporters take picture and record what Nixon is saying as he continues his speech.

“Now I’m sure you’re all anxious to hear what we thought of your talents. We all made notes on your talent sections. First up, Art. All three of you girls had creative and amazing ideas. The painting Angelia Ryan made with her cousin and her best friend, and how they share creativity. I thought the different colors coming out of the top of their heads was really cool. Something I liked about all of your paintings is that they have a story behind it. Caitlin, the picture you presented shows you know how take some good pictures and that you’ve been doing it for quite some time. If you have your own photography business later in life, I won’t be surprised and I want you as my photographer whenever I have a party….”

He looks down at the paper and meets the eyes of the audience again.

“Chloe and Chelsea, I know nothing of gymnastics or stunts, but you could be hired as stunt doubles for movies. A lot of directors need people with your talent. Excellent job. I couldn’t do it. I’d about break my neck. Kai and Bryn, you two are some new original comedians. I almost googled you guys just to make sure you aren’t related descendants of some comedians from my father’s day. I’m impressed. Girls like funny guys. Use that to your advantage. Please. I want you to have better luck with love than I’ve had in the past couple of years.” More light chuckles come from the audience. “Singers, excellent job. I really like the way you were able to sing that Disney song. My daughter got to come in and loved it. Great job. Shows you’re a true Disney fan and a great singer.”

He takes a deep breath.

“That hour and fifteen minute long movie had amazing actors. Especially Ryder. You played the villain and you did a very good job. This movie based off a fairy-tale had everything. Drama. Romance. Tragedy. A modernism. I loved it. Excellent job. Um, Gabby. Your talent, ballet dancing was something my sister grew up doing and she loved it. You remind me of her. You’re both beautiful, graceful and careful with your steps. Hip hop dancers. You guys had some loud music. I think the older ones here can agree.” The older people in the audience laugh and clap. “Yep. Thought so. However, you guys did well. I had a tough catching up with what you guys were doing, but when one of the other judges helped me, I understood. I listen to hip-hop, but I could never dance like you guys. Truly talented. You guys showed you not only had a great mentor here and a great teacher in your home state, but also that you put in a lot of practice and dedication to your talent. Especially you, Danny. Y-You haven’t had a lot of alone time to practice with… everything that’s been going on. I’m impressed. I’m sure you’ll make a fine dancer of dance instructor. One of these days… I’m waiting for see you in a magazine about your dancing skills. Very nice.”

“Thank you,” I mouth. Everyone around me applauds. Kayiah hugs me and kisses my cheek.

“We’re all so proud of you.”

“And finally, our last talent section,” Nixon says. “The poets. I was looking forward to seeing what writings we would receive this year. I have to say I was disappointed to see three people write poems and not stories, but I am pleased with all three poems. Evil Queen and Heart of Ice are just genius. You guys showed true emotions when you read it to us. I almost cried. As a kid, I felt people were pushing me around. So when I fought back, I was the bad person. The one with a heart of ice. So I can relate to both of those poems.”

They smile.

He glimpses at his notes. “Let’s see. Imperfect… Karina, I like that you wrote about something that you have struggled with in the past and probably still struggle with, and it’s a great thing to do. I wish people would turn to healthier ways of coping with suicidal thoughts, depression, and eating disorders. Although I’ve never dealt with it, I did have a friend who died from Anorexia. So that poem probably made me want bawl more than Evil Queen and Heart of Ice. Nicely written. You really expressed how it feels to have an eating disorder. I think you can really help people with that. Nice job. Thank you so much for your talent and your time, ladies and gentlemen.”

As he steps off the stage, the king pats his back and lets the audience roar before he puts his hand up. The hand of a king is a symbol of being silent and it does the trick. The crowd go dead silent in under twenty seconds. I want to say that it’s talent, but he’s a king. As long as he holds a scepter and wears his crown, legally, he can have anyone executed, but I think they obey because they respect him as a ruler.

“Thank you so much, Nixon. I’m sure you were nervous, but they make things easy. The last group of Talent Hall contestants… Oh, Lord. It would have been easier to train dogs to not chase cats and speak at the same time. Maybe even a balance a ball on their noses.”

That gets the laughter from the audience.

Some kids from last year threw tomatoes at Princess Sydney and one of the guards.

What made it worse for the princess and the guards that were covered in tomatoes is that last year, Princess Sydney was self-conscious about herself. To some, she’s an outcast. She didn’t want to go out and be seen because she had let people convince her that because both of her parents are white and her skin is slightly darker, it’s a bad thing. She was depressed and wouldn’t back outside for another two months. Now she no longer cares and I’m proud of her.

As for the guard, it was his first day and he was really nervous. Now he’s one of the highest ranking guards the king has. I’m amazing he didn’t quit after that. Or get fired. I probably would have thrown something back and put them in jail and kept them in there. Maybe pretend not to know anything about why they’re missing.

“Sorry, Jared, but you weren’t as a well behaved as you are now. I’m decently surprised. Thank you for not causing as much trouble.” He bows and smiles. Kamron rolls her eyes. “Now two more judges will come up and announce the names of the two contestants that received the two trophies of the Talent Hall Awards.”

As the king steps down, some guards from their position somewhere else enter and meet eyes with the king. He goes by the back wall with them and ask them to explain the situation. The king has a special connection with people. He always know when something is wrong and if he needs to do something about it.

“Your Majesty,two prisoners escaped. They’re nowhere to be found, but cameras show they left this morning.”

It’s not possible…

“Which prisoners?”

“The ones Daniel Colton took care of, Your Majesty. Jack Carter and the woman with child.”

He sighs and makes eye contact with me, asking me take a deep breath and try to have fun. Then he asks the guards to step outside with him for a moment. I return my eyes to the stage and watch the two female judges introduce themselves as Teagan and Danica and open their cards to show the name of the of two trophy winning contestants.

“In second place of this year Talent Hall Awards...Angelia Ryan for her amazing portrait of two creative minds.” I’m filled with joy as Lia takes her place on the stage and is handed a trophy. Although just about everyone is clapping, I’m the loudest in the room. Blake and I both are.

“And in third place this year for a brilliant poem that describes how a villain usually thinks. Her poem calledEvil Queen... Eadlyn Steel.”

We manage to make out what she says. We’re still applauding. We just can’t help it. I’m so proud of both of them. I love all three poems. I think they’re amazing. Especially Evil Queen. I grew up on understanding how villains must feel so it kind of hits close to home, but so do the other two. I’ve dealt with eating disorders and block people out, having a cold heart or pretending too at least. These are all things I can relate to. If I can relate to something, it touches my heart a bit more.

Not only are both girls receiving the trophies, but also a flower tiara and a bouquet of flowers. The judges fix the tiara and move their hair around so it will stay. Then they step back and smile. Aiken approaches the stage and claps his hand just like the rest of us. King Henry stands by the doorway with his two guards and smiles at me. I force a wider smile.

Soon enough our claps come to a halt. My hands are sore from so much clapping, but it’s worth it. Words can’t describe how proud I am of Lia and even Eadlyn. Sure, I don’t know Eadlyn and Angelia insists I had it easier than she did and is proud of me, but I think they both did really well. Apparently I’m not the only one since the room was exploding with applause.

The reason Aiken is on stage has something to do with him being the host two nights ago. Three judges will talk about our talents, how well we did and you know, judge us, read off the second and third placers in this competition, but the host will always tell us who wins the crown and is in first place. The pressure’s on now. The crown is the most important prize you can get here.

“Now I’m sure you recognize.. The devil from last night,” Teagan says with a smirk.

“You forgot handsome, sweetheart. The handsome devil. My daughter said so!”

“My heart goes out to your daughter,” she shakes her head and laughs. “It’s all yours, Aiken. Try not to scare the audience.”

“No promises there,” he snickers. “Alright, seriously, ladies and gentlemen. We have two separate crowns for first place. A tiara for a female winner or a crown for the male winner. It all depends...”

The two female judges hold up two crowns, one golden, one silver. The first one looks like the crown of a king and the second one looks more like a tiara, but fit for a queen.

“This is it, folks. The winner of Talent hall. The man or woman who will stay in London with the crown and being known as first place in this year talent show. Something else I want to address… I’m sure you guys are aware of a principle known to the world years ago. If you do random acts of kindness and volunteer, you do get extra points. It’s not a lot, but it does increase your chances of winning.” Everyone notifies him that we know that and we’re ready for the winner. “Excellent. One more thing. The winner requested we don’t involve the acts of kindness and volunteer work with the results because he wasn’t doing it for that... “

He doesn’t mean…

“But the king decided it can’t be undone. It’s a part of the competition and it will remain that.”

There’s no way.

“And the winner is…”

He’s silent for the next thirty seconds and then announces a name into the microphone.

My name.

“Daniel Colton for his passion of hip-hop dance and for other people. Come on up,” he says with a smile.

Oh. My. God.

My feet slowly move with the help of Kayiah grabbing my face and kissing me and making me forget about how surprised I am. My mind replays the kiss as I walk to the stage, blush filling my cheeks. By this point, balloons are released from the ceiling and the whole room is bombed with people clapping, screaming and throwing roses. Aiken stands by me and lets it happen for a few minutes. Then he places the crown on my head and announces me and my status..

“The first place winner of Talent Hall. Daniel Colton, the hip-hop dancer.”

I look around the room. On the right, I recognize Riley, Princess Sydney, Grace, and Liam. Princess Sydney has Liam on her shoulders. Grace kisses her hand and blows, sending me a kiss. Little Liam waves at me and gives me a thumbs up. Riley is squealing and Princess Sydney just smiles, but in her eyes, there’s more to what she feels than she’s showing me. She’s proud. Liam has something similar to that and something else. Something I’ve always wanted every child to have along.

Hope.

And for once since people started referring to me as The Savior for children, the one to destroy The Elimination, I accept my role in this mess.

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