Chapter 14

Chloe point of view

The TPO had been quite intense. I had met different girls my age of different religions, family backgrounds and beliefs. CeeCee was quite friendly though she talked a little bit too much.

I made friends with Anya, another black girl whose waist length 4B curls, called onto me like a siren to a sailor. She had been surrounded by other black girls who wanted to know her hair regime. She seemed nice and extroverted but i didn't want to be one among the numerous faces who just wanted to know about her hair regime.

My mother's voice nagging instructions in my head, I scanned my competitors. I recognised a few faces including Trixie, the passive - aggressive girl who caused me trouble at the first round of the contest. She struck me as a potential nemesis.

I noticed Bianca, the outspoken girl who had confronted Ann. Mindy was also present though she seemed to be avoiding me. That was quite strange as she never let go of an opportunity to try to embarrass me.

The dormitory we were staying, was large and had lots of facilities- a gym, a ballroom, a swimming pool, a library, a music room and a huge cafeteria. It seemed too good to be true and I was expecting some sort of sick twist to the entire situation.

I took a stroll around the dormitory later in the evening. I had my airpords plugged in and I had to admit, the sunset was beautiful. I found a place to sit and got lost in my thoughts. It had been a while since I got involved in any serious pageantry competition. I was back to the pageantry world and I was hit with nostalgia.

My phone chimed with messages from Tim, Leo and my other friends but i just wasn't in the mood for any texts or calls. I just wanted to be alone

'Waaaahhh!' The siren sounded in an impossibly high pitch. I stood from the bed, exasperated and annoyed. Ceecee did not seem to be faring better. I heard groans from the other room too. Most of the girls stood outside their rooms.

The siren stopped making a nuisance and was replaced almost immediately with a loud voice booming through the speakers. 'Dear contestants, welcome to the Tween Pageantry Organization. Today is a new day and the beginning of the new dispensation in the pageant world.'

She continued, ' I am Miss Clara, the principal of this beautiful organization and i welcome you once again. All contestants to kindly move to the common room before the clock strikes 6:10 a.m. Good luck!'

We were all confused but the sounds made by a huge clock alerted us. We all scrambled to the common room. There was quite a commotion and everything was a mess.

Suddenly we had the clicks of heels. A beautiful black woman who seemed to be in her twenties,but the air of elegance around her, told a different story, walked into the room.

The room became silent that a pin drop could be heard. All our attention was on her. She was royalty.

She began to speak in a beautiful sonorous voice, 'Good morning,ladies. I am Amelia Sanders, your etiquette coach. I will be working with you to build the best versions of you. There are different misconceptions about pageants. We are not just pretty empty heads.'

She continued, ' I would be in charge of you alongside Principal Simone and Vice principal Laura. You'd be trained in world affairs, communication skills, social skills,fashion, poise and other high value skills. Fitness would also be another important aspect. It's going to be tedious anyway so if you know or think you are not up to the task, you could take your bags and leave now.

She looked around and her gaze met mine. I felt exposed. She look away and continued, 'Girls, Coach Harper would be in charge of fitness. Every morning, you'll jog a distance of 1600 metres.'

Another woman walked into the room, looking so snatched in spandex pants and a spots bra. She had quite a menacing smile. I was scared. Her 4A curls had been tied up in a tight bun. She slurred, 'Shall we start, ladies?'

We were all sore by the time she was done with us and also awestruck by the fact that we had met the famous Amelia Sanders. Anya kept gushing about her. It would have been hilarious except I was also feeling the same way.

According to the timetable, we were to be tutored in World Affairs for an hour and another hour in Diets & Nutrition. We would also be reshuffled into new temporary homes.

The day went by as slowly as it seemed possible. I enjoyed the class though.

In the evening, we were instructed to write our names on a sheet of paper and drop them into a basket filled with encrypted messages. We were told to pick a sheet of paper from the basket. That would determine the arrangement of the temporary rooms.

I was grouped with Anya, Bianca and Leah, a very quiet girl. I shrugged and moved into my temporary room. We would have activities for a week before we get organized into groups where we would be actively competing with other groups. We would also be graded individually.

Tomorrow would be a free day so I'd be going to school to see my friends. To ensure that we wouldn't lag behind our peers in the School activities, classes would be recorded and assignments sent to us.

It sounded difficult but I wasn't complaining. I doubt the others were. There were so many opportunities in this programme. If any girl performed outstandingly, she could attract the attention of any agency, get scouted and groomed to be a model, singer or whatever she wanted to be. All contestants would also get verified and be gifted compensation.

That night, I lay in bed, thinking about Amelia, wondering why she seemed so familiar and endearing. My eyes closed and I soon drifted into a seamless sleep.