Chapter 11: Victory Tastes Expensive
1322 Words
"And we have our third winner! Lysandra."
The first thing I learned after surviving the combat exam was that strange things keep happening to me and that somehing my be off with my brain. The second thing was that Mira had absolutely no respect for personal space.
"Lys!" Something collided with me. I barely had time to register the incoming threat before Mira wrapped both arms around my shoulders. "We passed!"
"We did."
"We actually passed. Wait..."
"What?"
"One strand of your hair...."
"Is blue." Lilith finished for her.
Silence.
I blinked.
Mira blinked.
Lilith stared.
I reached up and grabbed the strand. Sure enough. Blue. Not silver.Blue. "I don't think that's supposed to happen.
"An excellent observation," Lilith said.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Mira pulled the blue strand.
"Ow"
"I need to make sure it was real."
"You could've asked."
"I don't trust your judgment. Why is it blue, though?" Mira asked.
As though I would somehow know. "I have no idea."
As we kept chatting, the rest of the 147 applicants, one by one, entered the arena.
The announcer's voice echoed across the arena. "And with this, we have the one hundred and fifty successful applicants."
The crowd exploded into applause. Students cheered. Parents cried.
Mira leaned towards me. "Do you think failing applicants get a consolation prize?"
"I think they get sent home."
"That seems rude."
"I think nearly dying was the consolation prize."
Mira considered that. "...Fair."
A few minutes later, Lilith finally escaped the crowd of successful noble applicants surrounding her and made her way towards us."
"Found you." Lilith sighed.
"You say that like we were hiding."
"You were."
"We were standing in the middle of the arena."
"Exactly. Nobody expects people to hide in obvious places."
I nodded. "That's how hiding works."
Lilith stared at us. Then slowly rubbed her forehead. "I've known you both for less than a day, and somehow this is already exhausting."
"That's friendship," I said
Lilith sighed. Then her expression brightened. "Anyway. My family is hosting a celebration tonight."
Mira immediately straightened. The transformation was terrifying. One moment, she was standing normally. The next, she looked like a hunting dog that had just spotted prey.
"Family?" she repeated.
Lilith blinked. "Yes?"
Mira grabbed both of her shoulders. "Family, as in Kael is going to be there?"
Lilith stared at her. "...Probably. And some of his classmates."
Mira froze. Then she slowly turned toward me. "Lys."
"No."
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
"I do."
"You don't."
"You were going to say that we should go."
Mira pointed at me. "See? You do know."
"Then why not?"
"'Cause we are commoners. And they are nobles." I turned towards Lilith. "Did you invite all the commoners who made it through the exam?"
Lilth looked embarrassed. "No."
I nodded. "I know you are doing this because we are friends, and I'm not asking you to invite the other. But where gonna be outsiders."
"Then I'll invite all one hundred and fifty people. We all deserve to celebrate. "Lilith said it so casually that for a moment I thought I'd misheard her.
Silence. Mira blinked. I blinked. Even the students walking past us seemed to pause.
"...More than one hundred and fifty? Where will we fit?"
"Gilded Boast."
"The restaurant nobles reserve months in advance?"
Mira slowly turned toward me."Please!"
"No."
"Kael will be there!"
"That helps your cause because?"
"HE's beautiful. And after this exam, I need to fill my eyes with cutness."
"You're crazy! We need to go back to the orphanage. Sister Dana and Sister Agnes will wait for our news."
"They won't mind us having fun for once."
Mira looked at me with the sort of expression people usually reserved for dying relatives. Or abandoned puppies. Or dying abandoned puppies.
"Lys," she whispered dramatically. "Think about this."
"I am."
"Clearly not enough."
"We have responsibilities."
"We survived a combat exam."
"That doesn't erase responsibilities."
"It should."
I rubbed my forehead.
Lilith watched us with open fascination. "Do you two always argue like this?"
"Yes," I said.
"No," Mira said at the same time.
Lilith nodded. "I see."
"You don't."
"I absolutely do."
Mira pointed at Lilith. "See? She understands me."
"That is not what she said."
"It was implied."
"It wasn't."
Lilith wisely decided not to get involved. For approximately three seconds. Then she hesitantly raised a hand. "We could send a messenger to the orphanage."
Mira froze. I froze. Then we both turned toward her.
Lilith immediately looked nervous."...Was that a bad suggestion?"
"No," Mira said.
"Yes," I said,
"No," Mira repeated.
"Fine. We will go."I said.
Mira stared at me. I stared at Mira. Lilith stared at both of us.
"Fine. We will go." I repeated.
For one glorious moment. Mira was completely speechless.
Then she exploded."YES! "
Lilith summoned a servant and quickly sent instructions toward the city.
Then she turned back to us. "Now we can have fun"
"Yippee," I said with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner being informed of their execution date.
Lilith either missed the sarcasm or chose to ignore it. Knowing nobles, it could have gone either way.
"Excellent!" she said. "Follow me."
Five minutes later, we were standing in front of the largest clothing store I had ever seen.
I stopped walking. Mira stopped walking. We both stared upward. And upward. And upward. The building had three floors. Three. For clothes.
Lilth looked back. "Why did you stop?"
"I don't have the money for this shop or any other shop."
Lilith blinked. Then blinked again."Oh."
That was never a good sign. Especially when nobles said it. Because nobles' ohs meant they had just remembered money existed.
"I forgot."
"You forgot what? That we were commoners or that money exists?"
"Those things cost money."
Mira and I stared at her.
Lilith looked genuinely embarrassed."I know how that sounds."
"It sounds concerning."
"It sounds illegal," Mira added.
"I just don't usually carry money."
"Because you're rich."
"Because other people carry it for me."
That somehow made it worse.
A servant materialized beside her. I had no idea where these people kept coming from.
Lilith turned toward him. " How much does a formal dress cost?"
The servant named a number.
Mira inaheld sharply.
I nearly stopped breathing.
That dress costs more than what the orphanage spends in one year.
"That's not a price. That's a threat." I said.
The servant looked offended.
Lilith looked horrified. "...That's expensive?"
"...Expensive?" Mira repeated. "You could buy a house."
"A small house," the servant corrected.
"A HOUSE:"
Lilith looked like someone had just informed her the sky was green. "I genuinely didn't know."
And somehow, I believed her. "It's okay. We're not judging. You go get your dress, we're gonna wait for you out here."
Lilith blinked."I could buy you one."
"There's nothing I could use on the dress you will buy for us. It's gonna be a waste. Thank you very much, though."
"Are you guys sure?"
"Completely."
Lilith hesitated for another moment before finally nodding. "Alright."
After one hesitant glance in our direction, she disappeared into the store.
The moment the door closed behind her, Mira released a dramatic sigh.
"I think rich people frighten me."
"You are falling in love with one."
"I'm absolutely not."
While Mira continued explaining how she wasn't falling in love with Kael, my attention drifted towards one of the large display windows.
A dress stood on a mannequin behind glass. Blue. Not just blue. The kind of blue that immediately caught your eye and refuses to let go.
Silver embroidery climbed across the fabric like twisting vines. Tiny crystals accents glittered in the afternoon sunlight.
I was beautiful. Ridiculously beautiful. And probably expensive enough to purchase a small village.
A silver plaque sat beneath the mannequin. I glanced at it. Then stopped.
Elyra.
"It would look beautiful on you," a voice murmured beside my ear.
- Writer
