I got to update! I'm so excited for you all to read these next few chapters. I would've updated sooner, but the wifi where I was staying was slow. Also, I'm going on another trip where wifi is even worse in about a week, so updating might not happen during that time. I'll update as much as I can now though. Thanks for reading! Please comment. I really want to get to 30 reviews soon.

-ReadLikeYouMeanIt

The projects will be presented today. It's a week after the ball. Frankly, I'm exited to see what they've prepared.

Paige and Tara help me get ready, as usual. They put me in a three-quarter, tulle, yellow dress with capped sleeves and matching flats. My makeup is applied to match my outfit. I swear, I look like pure sunshine. This is one of those days where I have to wear a mom-recommended outfit.

I don't go to my mom's office first. I just head straight to the great room. Gavril is in there reporting on everything, and other cameras of tabloids and different news stations from the other provinces are there as well. I take my seat to the right of Dad and to the left of Crystal.

Dad asks me, "Are you nervous?"

"Not really," I reply. "I mean, today's not really pressure on me so much as the candidates."

"True," he nods.

"Do I have to make an elimination based off of this?" Oh crap, was I supposed to know this?

"Well, you can. You don't have to if you don't want to. I didn't." He replies. It doesn't seem like I was supposed to know that, so I think I'm safe.

Mom stands up and makes an announcement to the candidates that I block out for some reason. My mind seems to be drifting today. Probably not the best time for it to, but whatever. She sits back down and the presentations begin.

Thomas's presentation is about improving conditions of homeless shelters. I am very pleased with his idea, and his solution seems pretty good too. He thinks we should hire a few people per shelter to be janitors. The problem is, he doesn't really know how to enforce this.

Luke's presentation is about building monuments in Angeles to remember some of our country's great leaders. He suggests we get students at local art schools all around Illéa to help make sculptures and students from architecture schools to help with building memorials. It's a good idea, but where would the funding come from?

Cooper's presentation involves helping kids who have working parents by setting up a national daycare program. The idea is parents can drop their kids off during the day (for younger children) or the kids can come there after school and have their parents pick them up. He even has a plan for shuttles to bring them there. This program would also give them a glimpse of jobs they could have when they grow up like being a teacher, engineer, doctor, even some jobs in the arts. Cooper suggests the funding to come from local taxes that citizens pay every year anyway. He suggests that instead of paying for so much science and technology research, we find this instead. It's a good idea, but I don't think too many people would be willing to train for this type of job, nor will some of the public be willing to pay for it.

Matthew's presentation is about making public education mandatory. He thinks all children need to be educated up to at least half of the time they can fully go to at school. His evidence includes a history book from the United States and how they had free public education and how the citizens were more educated and willing to fight for their rights than people who were less educated. This would have to be enforced by the federal government and a bit more taxes would need to be collected, but with the evidence that he gives it seems very doable.

Gavril wraps up the presentations and the cameras stop rolling.

Mom leans over to dad and says, "Well that went better than my presentation."

What is she talking about? What was so bad about her presentation?

"What was so bad about your presentation?" I ask.

"Your grandfather wasn't too happy with my proposal." Mom replies. "I wanted to eliminate the caste system we had and, well, he was not really for that idea."

"Oh," I say.

I decide to get up and congratulate all the candidates on their presentations. They're all very humble about it. I then excuse myself and head upstairs to my room. I have a very difficult decision to make.