The Diamonds

Episode Thirteen

Eva alighted the stairs.

The mansion had an unusual brightness that morning and it sort of lifted Eva's spirit.

No one was present at the living area nor the dining area.

After breakfast, everyone had gone their various ways.

Eva headed to the kitchen and met Yoo Na there.

She appeared not to be busy.

"Hey!" Eva hailed cheerily and Yoo Na got off the high stool.

"Good morning." She greeted with a slight bow and Eva chuckled.

"It's been a while. How have you been?" Eva asked, heading to open the fridge and taking a can of juice.

"Great. " Yoo Na shrugged and watched Eva as she gulped down the cold juice.

"You are getting prettier day by day compared to when I first saw you." Yoo Na said and Eva dropped the can on the island surprised.

"Really?" She asked amazed and Yoo Na nodded.

"Wow." Eva muttered, touching her face.

"Um....what would you love to have for lunch?" She asked and Eva furrowed her brows.

"Me? You are asking me?" Eva asked, stunned.

"Yes. Sir Andrew said I should prepare anything you request for lunch." Yoo Na shrugged with a smile and Eva bit her lower lip.

"Wow..."

"Um....I'll have....."

♠♠. ♠♠. ♠♠

SUNDAY....

****

Eva walked into the garden.

The evening was cool.

It seemed like it would rain soon.

She was lost admiring how amazing nature could be.

The garden house was so green and full of life.

It made her feel relaxed.

Just then, Eva noticed that she wasn't alone....

Miguel was right there... seated on a bench.

He stared at a fixed position and Eva could see the sideline of his face.

His posture was more like that of someone.... meditating or something.

She paused on her tracks.

He might have not noticed her yet so she tried to be as quiet as possible.

Watching him,Eva saw his palms fold into hard fists and he shut his eyes, throwing his head backwards and Eva saw him swallow...hard.

He seemed like he was..... unhappy?

Sad?

Eva just couldn't comprehend it.

Like magic,she felt her legs move against her will carefully to where he sat.

She had gotten so close and the aura that surrounded Miguel was so thick and dark that made Eva almost choke.

She gulped as she reached carefully to touch his shoulder.

She was worried but feared to be shouted at but then...she cared.

Her hand laid on his shoulder and he jerked looking up at his side to see Eva with a kind of speed that made her flinch backwards.

She gasped as he got off the bench towering her with his height.

She instantly regretted ever coming close to him.

He probably hated her a lot more than before.

His dark gaze peered into hers and she almost peed on her pantie.

"What the hell do you want?" Miguel snapped and Eva winced, squinting her eyes as she tried to avoid his gaze but it was somehow glued to hers.

"Are you okay?" Eva asked in a gentle whisper.

Oops!

She didn't mean to but....she was worried.

Miguel appeared to be taken aback but then,as usual,his expression and emotions got cloaked.

"Stay off my business!" He snapped and walked away from the garden.

Eva sighed, biting her lower lip.

Why ...?

Why was he this cold towards her?

#Morning.....

LOCATION: DIAMOND HIGH

The teacher walked out of the classroom and Mary shut her textbook facing Eva.

"I heard you guys would be addressed today." Mary said and Eva furrowed her brows.

"For the contest?" She asked.

"Of course...duhh.." Mary chuckled.

"Jeez! That's so early." Eva muttered and Mary smiled at her.

"Look Eva,I believe so much in you okay? Just....be yourself." Mary motivated and Eva smiled, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank you so much Mary." Eva sighed and they disengaged.

At that moment,the classroom announcement speaker came on.

"Announcement! Every successfully registered contestant is to move to the school's 200 sitting capacity auditorium for some words."

That was it.

"That's your call darling. I'll walk you there." Mary smiled and they got off their desks and headed out.

Max watched till Eva exited the classroom and grinned.

He was right about her being a contestant.

"Hey Max! I guess you were right about your crush competing for the Miss Diamond position." A student said and he shrugged.

"Told ya." He replied proudly.

"But do you think she stands a chance against Cassandra?" He asked and Max rolled his eyeballs.

"Who is Cassandra compared to Eva? I mean,take a look at Eva. Her shape is a killer. Like that of Africans...but Cassandra....er....nope." Max sneered and his friend chuckled.

"True tho..."

*****

They arrived at the entrance and Mary waved at Eva as she walked in.

There wasn't anyone in yet so Eva occupied the second row.

The hall was pretty large and had a cool air condition.

A really good compensation for the hot sun right outside.

A few minutes later,two girls walked in.

Eva recognized them to be at the office that afternoon when she had gone to register.

One glared at Eva and sat down at the third row.

Soon they were six already.

A girl, obviously not a special student, sat in the same row with Eva.

"Hey!" She waved at Eva which surprised her.

"Me?" Eva asked and she chuckled.

"Am Nathalie... Nathalie Shaw." She introduced

"Um...am Eva.... Bieber." Eva replied and the girl smiled and looked away.

At that moment, Cassandra walked in.

She glared at Eva who was already seated.

She seriously couldn't still believe that the guys made Eva try to compete.

Most especially after knowing she'd definitely participate.

After some minutes,a lady dressed in corporate walked in and stood before the girls..

"Good morning girls." She greeted with a warm smile.

"Morning ma'am."

Eva was the only one that had responded.

Wow!

The rest acted like they didn't even hear her.

The lady sighed and smiled at Eva.

"Thank you dear."

"Well...I am Mrs Xavier. Nice meeting you all. Now over to the agenda of our meeting. The contest will be starting officially.... tomorrow." She announced and Eva's heart missed a beat.

What!?

So soon?

"And for your first quest, Dressing." The lady added and Eva furrowed her brows.

"From tomorrow Tuesday till Thursday, you girls would have to be physically presentable. That is , you would have to wear the school uniform and stay absolutely neat and presentable." Mrs Xavier announced.

"What?" Cassandra gasped sitting up.

"Like....why? It wasn't like that." She added.

The lady only smiled.

"Well... you have no choice. It is a recent development and the best way to win is to start winning from the scratch." Mrs Xavier said.

"Gosh! I can't believe this. I seriously can't join these low class students in uniforms." Cassandra spat.

"That is all for now girls. Remember, you are being watched so do not flop. Good day." She concluded and headed out.

Wow...

Eva was amazed.

She really had to take her dressing seriously from that moment.

She got up and began to exit the hall.

Cassandra had left already.

Outside,she met Mary who hugged her happily.

"What did she say?" Mary asked and Eva shrugged.

"The contest begins tomorrow... and with neatness...." Eva said.

"Whoa! Oh well,that wouldn't be an issue for you. My Eva is super tidy." Mary enthused and Eva chuckled.

"Come on,I am craving ice cream." Mary groaned as they walked away.

**. **. **

# The Next Morning....

LOCATION: DIAMOND MANSION

Eva arrived at the table and occupied her seat.

Everyone was present... everyone.

"Jeez... you look extra attractive today Eva." Jerad complimented with a wink and Andrew scoffed.

"She is always pretty. Right?" Andrew grinned and smiled at her.

"Well...the contest has officially begun." Eva announced.

"Whoa! For real?" Daniel asked and Eva nodded, spreading jam on her bread.

“Thought y'all would be on the loop. You literally got me registered even before the contest got announced." Eva scoffed and they chuckled.

"Well,the first quest is based on dressing. We girls would have to be in uniforms and be presentable... always." Eva sighed and Jerad chuckled.

"I know Cassandra would hate that." He laughed.

"She did go against it but...." Eva shrugged and Daniel chuckled.

"We believe in you Eva . Shine on." Andrew urged and she nodded with a smile and began to eat after glancing at Miguel who was just too quiet.

Was he still mad at her?

Ugh.....

*

*

*LOCATION: CRYSTALS MANSION

Cassandra groaned after finally putting on the uniform.

"Ugh! I look…..plain."

“Too too simple." She exclaimed and the girls chuckled.

"You'll have to manage if you really wanna win yunno." Ruby shrugged

"I would win!" Cassandra hissed and rolled her eyes.

★

★

★

#Wednesday…

LOCATION: DIAMOND HIGH

Eva and Mary exited the library.

So far,the neatness quest has been easier than Eva had imagined.

After that day,that quest would be over and they would be told about the next thing in line to do.

****

Cassandra and the girls watched Eva walking with her friend.

"Don't you think Eva is way too neat?" Ruby observed.

"That's true." Dayne muttered

"That's like an automatic ticket to winning this quest." Ruby said.

"Unless I make it not happen." Cassandra deadpanned and they faced her.

"What do you have in mind Cassy?"

****

"Hey!" A student called after Eva and Mary who stopped and turned to see who called out to them.

It was a boy and he jogged to where they stood.

"Yeah?" Mary asked.

"Um…someone wants to see you….Eva." He notified as Eva and Mary glanced between themselves.

"Me?" Eva asked, surprised.

He nodded.

"Where?"

"At the art building." He replied and walked away.

"Would you go?" Mary asked.

"I guess." Eva shrugged.

"I don't feel too good about this Eva." Mary groaned.

"It could be one of the surprise quests yunno. Maybe…an obedience test." Eva shrugged but Mary wasn't convinced well enough.

"I'll be fine Mary. You could come along if you want to." Eva smiled at her and she nodded.

"Go on ahead. I'll be right behind you." Mary replied and Eva nodded,heading towards the part that would lead to the art building.

Luckily, she had gone there with Mary so she pretty much knew the way.

She finally arrived at the building and glanced back to see Mary who nodded.

They knew she had to keep a safe distance from Eva just in case one of the scoring teachers actually did send for Eva.

****

Cassandra smirked as Eva walked right into the trap and she immediately turned the bucket of paint down from the balcony.

****

Just as she was about to take another step, Eva felt something thick ,heavy,cold and sticky fall on her and she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut.

It smelled of wall paint and she froze.

What!?

Students had already taken out their phones and in no time, the news had gone viral.

Mary gasped rushing to where Eva stood.

"Eva!." she called in shock.

"Mmh…" Eva muffled a response.

She couldn't talk, else she would eat enough paint that would go round a duplex.

"Goodness! Who the hell did this?" Mary exclaimed and took out her face towel then used it to wipe Eva's eyes,nose and mouth.

"You can open up." Mary said and Eva slowly opened her eyes.

Gosh!

She was being watched already and being stained this way would make her lose her chance of winning.

Asides that,it was super humiliating.

Who the hell did that??!

"Stop filming!" Eva snapped and groaned then looked up at where the paint must have come from but didn't see anything or anyone.

"Awww….who do we have here…" She suddenly heard a voice and Mary moved so they could see who said that and it turned out to be Cassandra!

"Wow….a very beautiful red statue." Cassandra laughed and Eva balled her fists.

Cassandra picked her steps towards Eva and glared at her.

"This is exactly what you get for trying to be where you don't belong." Cassandra seethed.

" So you did this?” Eva asked, staring hard at Cassandra who shrugged.

" You deserve it Eva. Don't blame me.” She sneered.

"And now let's see how you would win this quest…. clown…" Cassandra scoffed and had a short laugh which was cut off the moment Eva stepped in and hugged her real tight.

The fvck!?

"Ahh! Eww ..get away from me." Cassandra screamed as everything was getting filmed.

Eva stepped back with a smug grin.

"Now let's see how you would win this quest…. clown." Eva sneered right back and Cassandra gasped right before she landed a tight slap across Eva's cheek and she winced.

It hurt…so bad.

"B!tch!" Cassandra screamed and stomped off followed by her girls.

Mary sighed.

"Come on .. let's get you cleaned up." Mary urged and Eva nodded.

**. **. **

Behind the thick curtain,Eva grunted scrubbing her body to get the almost dried paint off before facing her hair.

She had almost finished two shampoos already.

"Is it coming off?" Mary asked.

"No.." Eva groaned and sighed.

"Gosh! How dare she do this to me? What did I ever do wrong." Eva sighed and bit her lower lip.

"She obviously wants to get you out of the contest. She sees you as a major threat." Mary replied and Eva sighed.

She resumed scrubbing her hair as hard as she could.

★★LATER….★★

"You are lucky I have a spare uniform everytime." Mary chucked after Eva stepped out fully dressed.

The uniform suited her but it was pretty tight and shorter than hers.

Eva had a full body more than Mary who had the typical shape of a Korean.

"I still wonder who you take after." Mary said, scanning Eva who chuckled.

"My father said I took after his mom in shape but facial features ....my Mum." Eva replied and sighed, staring at nothing.

Mary noticed how quiet she had become suddenly.

"Are you ok?" She asked and Eva nodded.

"Yeah. Come on,let's get back to class. It's almost the sixth period." Eva replied and Mary nodded.

"We'll just pick up your uniform from the laundry area. I took it there for washing." Mary notified.

"Oh .." Eva muttered.

" Thank you.”

****

LOCATION: DIAMONDS MANSION

Eva walked in and met the guys in the living room.

Miguel wasn't there.

Andrew got off his seat upon her entrance and rushed to her side.

"Are you ok?" He asked hastily.

"Umm…yeah." Eva replied unsure of what was happening.

"What is it?" She asked.

"We saw the news Eva." Daniel said sort of answering Eva's thoughtful question and she wasn't so surprised for a moment.

She glanced at Andrew who surely didn't look happy one bit.

"Look,I am fine. It's all ok now." Eva assured and Andrew scoffed.

"She attacked you Eva." He snapped and Eva sighed biting her lower lip.

He groaned then pulled her in for a hug.

"Goodness Eva,try to stay away from Cassandra. Please…" Andrew pleaded and Eva nodded as they disengaged.

♠♠. ♠♠

THURSDAY….

LOCATION: DIAMOND HIGH…

The contestants were all seated in the hall.

The neatness quest had already come to an end and up next,the quest was known as a read and summarize quest.

The contestants were given a book of over five hundred pages containing a fictional story which they would read and summarize to the best of their knowledge.

Cassandra scoffed as she received the book.

Literature was so not her thing and she hated the fact that the first round of quests weren't just favouring her one bit.

"At the end of this quest,we shall be moving over to the next round with only five worthy contestants. You all have from today Thursday till next week Wednesday. Good luck." Mrs Xavier addressed and walked out of the hall.

Eva exhaled and shrugged.

She knew she could do it…

Definitely.

***LATER***

Mary and Eva held hands as they headed to the cafeteria.

"So…the score for the neatness quest wasn't announced?" Mary asked and Eva nodded.

"Yeah. I guess they would want to compile all the results together." Eva replied.

"Besides,they would be evicting three contestants by next Wednesday." Eva notified and Mary gasped.

"Wow! that's pretty quick." She muttered.

"Do you think that incident would affect me? I really don't want to be evicted just at the beginning Mary." Eva groaned and Mary stopped walking before hugging Eva which surprised her.

Slowly,she reciprocated the hug.

"I believe you would be fine ok?" Mary assured and pulled away as Eva nodded.

They finally got to the cafeteria and got their lunch.

As they tried locating a table, someone called out to Eva.

"Hey! Eva!" She heard the masculine call and turned in the direction to see Max waving at her and she smiled.

He beckoned on her to come join him and she agreed while Mary followed.

"Hey…" Eva smiled at Max who grinned.

"I’m glad you agreed to sit with me." He said and Mary watched amused.

Was he really trying to woo Eva?

She giggled, getting Max's attention and that of Eva.

"What?" Eva asked, raising a brow.

"Nothing." Mary replied, giving a tight smile and began to eat her lunch while watching them.

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