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FairySecret01- Thank you so much! I love Vanessa too, and I'm excited to see how her character grows as the series goes on! Thanks for your review! 3

Chapter 2

I kept up the normal routine for the next week. I helped my mom at work, setting up houses and showing them off to hopeful buyers. The chores were done and dinners were made, and I was the perfect daughter. As the minutes ticked on, I could feel the guilt weighing down my stomach, turning into knots. The Report is today, and today could be the day that my life flips upside down. Yet, as I think more about this, the less sure I feel about my decision. If I were to leave, my life may get better but my mom's life surely wouldn't. This large house would be empty, and there would be no one for her to come home to, no one to cook her meals or help her clean. No one would help her at work, setting up homes and building rapport with buyers and sellers alike. Her existence would be lonely, and the thought would make my eyes burn with tears. Since my parents divorced, it has just been my mom and I. She hasn't even tried to branch out into the dating scene again despite nearing ten years of being single. With no siblings at all, it feels like the pressure to stay home and keep my mom company lies solely on me. I like her company, I really do. But how does one become themselves without being by themselves?

Ignorant to the blizzard of thoughts storming in my mind, my mom sat down on the couch with her mixing bowl of popcorn and flipped the television to The Report. I sat beside her on the plush brown sofa, sinking into the worn cushions and pulling a fluffy blanket up to my face. I tried my best to plaster on an excited face. It's fine, it's fine, I thought, shoving my hand into the bowl of popcorn and using it to silence my mouth. There are probably thousands of girls that entered, the likelihood of being chosen is slim, next to none.

We watched the screen as Colt Kelsey, the host of The Report, waltzed into view. His dark black hair was slicked back and peppered with white, slight wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes as he smiled. My mom shimmied in her seat absolutely giddy. Though she wasn't one to worship celebrities, the one she couldn't seem to resist was the now-aging Colt Kelsey.

"Oh Vanny, doesn't he just look dashing? If I could find myself a guy like that, I wouldn't be single like I am." She nudged her elbow into my ribs and I shot her a dirty look.

"Um…ow?" I swatted her elbow away and snorted at her statement. "Like you could even get a man like that."

"Oh, I wouldn't joke about that Honey. Everyone I know says you're the spitting image of me." She rolls her eyes at me and mocks annoyance, but she's taking the joke well.

Despite my jokes, I think my mom is very beautiful. Of course, she is getting up there in age, but despite her smile lines and crow's feet, her black hair remains glossy, thick, and long, cascading down like a waterfall. The few gray hairs that she has pop like streaks of bright clouds, illuminating the shine in her brown eyes. Her cheeks sit high on her face, constantly rosy and matching the blushed color of her lips. If people think I look even a little bit like her, that's a high compliment to me.

Thanks to my mom's little jokes, we missed the announcement that Colt was making, and only tuned back in once he began walking offscreen. The camera switched to one aimed right at Prince Adam Schreave, who was standing tall and rigid, wearing a jet-black suit with dozens of medals and pins adorning it. I felt my stomach turn and wobble looking at him. If I were to get chosen, this is who I'd be fighting for. Adam, with his wavy light brown hair, seemed just a tad bit too unruly for his uptight atmosphere. He seemed so distant from me, standing in a room that seemed to glisten with gold, with a postured and neutral manner. If I were to compete, this is what I would have to learn to be. Is this what I wanted? I can't be sure. I hadn't even thought about my future until just a few months ago, so how am I supposed to know which path in life is the best one for me?

I watched intently as Prince Adam approached the large glass bowls, papers sitting inside like confetti. When his hand reached in, the world drowned out. The blood in my ears roared and I found myself wishing and hating the option of getting chosen. It was like a devil and an angel were sitting on my shoulders. One side of me wanted to beg and beg to be chosen while the other screamed and cried to be passed over. His pale hands swirled in the bowl before suddenly grasping a paper. He pulled it up, slow and tantalizing, before calling out the name. "From Whites, Jennifer Landon."

Quickly, I glanced over at my mom. She did not seem to be as invested as me. She had thrown herself on the arm of the sofa, holding up her cheek with her fist.

"From Atlin, Laleina Delacour."

I decided to hold out the popcorn bowl to her, hoping that it would perk her up.

"From Lakedon, Vanessa Holmes."

It didn't register at first. Of course, the name couldn't be mine. I just wasn't that lucky. But when I saw my mom's eyes snap to mine, her body suddenly shooting up and becoming rigid, I looked back at the screen, my slight smile dropping. On the screen was my face, my black wavy hair, and my tan skin, striking against the light portrait background. The panic finally caught up to me, bubbling and breaching the surface. I looked back to my mom, watching thousands of emotions flit across her face in a matter of seconds, my expression likely mirroring hers.

"Mom, I can explain. Just…hear me out, please."