I don't own Vampire Diaries or any other reference I will use in the story. I only own my OC, Harmony.
Chapter 18 - Miss Mystic Falls
~ Harmony's P.O.V. ~
It's finally happening. Miss Mystic Falls. I wanted to be in the pageant so much, and I am happy that I am part of the Founders' Court. God, What dress should I wear? Who will escort me? I know Jeremy's out of the question. So who?
Then it hit me.
Tyler Lockwood. We may not be close friends, but we grew up together. Besides, after the disaster he made in the Kickoff party, this might get him in his parent's good graces again.
So, making up my mind I found him with a group of girls.
"Tyler, can I talk to you?" I asked him.
"Sure," he said, giving me a confused look.
We walked away from the girls before I turned to him.
"So, they announced the Founders' Court today, and I am part of it. I was wondering if you would be my escort," I said.
Tyler looked like he was going to refuse, so I told him it would maybe help get him in his parent's good graces. Even if it's a little bit. He sighed.
"Fine, but you better win," he said giving me a smirk.
I gave him a hug squealing in excitement.
"Thank you," I told as I started walking away, "I have to start looking for the right dress. I let you know the color, asap."
I got to the nearest store to see the dresses. Nothing had caught my eye, so I had asked Uncle John if he could take me to the next town to look at dresses there. He agreed and the two of us went to look. After 3 stores in the nearby town, I found the perfect dress. The dress was blush pink, off the shoulder lace ball gown. It has a sweetheart neckline, and I found matching heels. Uncle John wasn't sure at first. Saying that it was more of a Prom Dress than a pageant dress, but I got him to agree with my reasoning.
"Uncle John, it's a pageant. All the contestants have to go all out to stand out from each other," I told him, "Besides, the actual competition is Elena and Caroline. I really want to win."
He was silent for a bit before he nodded.
"Okay. Let's pay for it and get going," Uncle John said.
"I have money I earned from performing for the Lockwood parties. I got it," I said.
I paid for my stuff, and we headed home. I hung up my dress and messaged Tyler the color of my dress, and he replied that his mother is excited that he was going to be part of the pageant. I smiled and put my phone away before making my way to the kitchen to start dinner.
When that was done and it was time to go to sleep, I made sure to chose an outfit for the questionnaire tomorrow. I chose a black pencil skirt, a white sleeveless camisole, a black blazer, and small black close-toed heels to finish the look. I changed into my pajamas and brushed my teeth before going to sleep.
~ THE NEXT DAY ~
I was sitting in front of Mrs. Lockwood and two other ladies who were going to ask us questions one by one for the pageant. I noticed the other girls, besides Elena, looking at me funny. When my name was called, after Elena was done, we gave each other a small smile before I entered the room. I sat in the seat in front of the three ladies and waited for them to start. My black bag on my lap.
"Hello, Harmony. How are you?" Mrs. Lockwood asked me.
"I'm doing well. Thank you," I replied with a smile.
Getting down to business, Mrs. Lockwood said, "This year's Queen gets the special honor of taking center stage at the 150th Founders' Day Gala. Now, before we crown our winner, we would like to know a bit about you."
I took a breath before speaking.
"Well, as you already know, I am the youngest member of the Founders' Court this year. I really wanted to be part of Miss Mystic Falls ever since I can remember. I have skipped a grade and am in my junior year. I can play four instruments; the violin, cello, flute, and piano. I am currently thinking about teaching myself the saxophone. I volunteer anyway and anywhere I can: the daycare, the soup kitchens, my teachers, founding events, and the hospital. My usual volunteering, however, is at our hospital and the Founders' Parties when I can. I like to cook and bake. When I graduate next year, I am planning on attending Julliard. I want to be a professional musician and travel the world. I compose my own music, and I can sing. However, I haven't sung since the death of my parents. My mother wanted my sister and me to compete in Miss Mystic Falls. So, part of this is also for her. I am sad she won't be there personally, but I know she is going to be there. Watching the two of us with a smile," I told them.
"Do you have your music with you?" One of the ladies asked me.
"Yes," I said reaching into my bag and taking out my music book, "Would you like to see it?"
The three women nodded and I gave them my book. They skimmed through my songs for a moment before Mrs. Lockwood looked up at me.
"Would you sing this song for us?" Mrs. Lockwood said with a smile, "I remember when you were younger, you used to sing all the time."
I grabbed my book to see what song she was talking about and felt my heart speed up a bit. Looking up at the ladies I said, "Of course."
I stood up and close my eyes, taking in a breath before singing.
~ SONG STARTS ~
(There You'll Be - Faith Hill)
When I think back on these times
And the dreams we left behind
I'll be glad, 'cause I was blessed to get
To have you in my life
When I look back on these days
I'll look and see your face
You're right there for me
In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart, there will always be a place for you, for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
Well, you showed me how it feels
To feel the sky within my reach
And I always will remember all
The strength you gave to me
Your love made me make it through
Oh, I owe so much to you
You're right there for me
In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart, there will always be a place for you, for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
'Cause I always saw in you my light, my strength
And I want to thank you now, for all the ways
You're right there for me (You're right there for me)
You're right there for me
For always
In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart, there will always be a place for you for all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
And everywhere I am, there you'll be
There you'll be
~ SONG ENDS ~
I opened my eyes to see the three women wiping their eyes with tissues. Mrs. Lockwood was the first to compose herself. She gave me a big smile before standing up and spreading her arms out. Knowing what she wanted, I walked forward and stretched to hug her.
"That was beautiful, Harmony," Mrs. Lockwood said.
"Thank you," I said, my voice cracking a bit.
We sat back down, and the lady to the right of Mrs. Lockwood asked, "Was that song about your parents?"
"Yes, I wrote the song and was planning on singing it for their funeral, but couldn't because I was crying too much," I said.
"Well, thank you, Harmony," Mrs. Lockwood said, "We have no more questions. You are free to go now."
"Thank you for your time," I told the three women shaking their hands before leaving. What I didn't know was that the other contestants, including my sister, heard me singing.
When I opened the door, I saw them all staring at me. I blushed and with my head down I left the building. The next day was going to be dance practice.
~ NEXT DAY ~
As we were practicing our dancing, Stefan and Elena were messing around. Mrs. Lockwood scolded them, and as I was holding in my laughter I saw Tyler doing the same. We smile at each other but focused again when Mrs. Lockwood told us to do it from the top.
"This is boring," Tyler whispered to me.
"I know, but I'll buy you lunch from the Grill after," I whispered back.
The idea of food had Tyler a bit more enthusiastic about practicing then. I had to giggle at that. Men and food. I swear. When we were finished, Tyler and I left to go to the Grill. I promised this boy some food.
~ Caroline's P.O.V. ~
"The Fell cousins don't stand a chance, and Amber only got accepted so the pageant doesn't have Founding Families only," I told Bonnie, "Which of course it is. So, that leaves Elena and Harmony. They both have the sympathy vote since their parents died. I also heard Harmony sing during the questionnaire. She was really good. How can I compete with that."
"Very nice. Very sensitive," Bonnie said.
"Oh, I'm sorry. This must sound really unimportant in light of everything," I told her.
"It's okay. I get it," Bonnie said, "You want to win."
"My grandmother was Miss Mystic Falls," I told Bonnie, "And both of my Aunts. My mom's the only one who didn't get the gene, and I want this. I mean, I actually deserve this."
~ DAY OF MISS MYSTIC FALLS ~
~ Harmony's P.O.V. ~
Elena and I were bringing our dresses, that were hidden in a zip-up bag, down the stairs when Mr. Saltzman entered the house.
"Hey," Elena said.
"Hi," Mr. Saltzman said.
"I heard you're driving," Elena said making me raise an eyebrow. I thought Uncle John was taking us.
"I am," Mr. Saltzman said grabbing Elena's dress, "Let me take that."
"Thank you," Elena said.
Mr. Saltzman was going to get mine, but I motioned him not to.
"How is Stefan?" He asked Elena.
"What do you mean?" Elena asked him back.
"He just seems to be on edge," Mr. Saltzman said.
"He had a rough few days, but he is bouncing back from it. He's fine," Elena said.
I saw the look on Mr. Saltzman's face and knew that Stefan wasn't fine. My train of thought broke when Uncle John came into the room.
"Alaric," Uncle John said, "Hey buddy. What are you doing here?"
"I'm the chauffeur," Mr. Saltzman said.
"I thought I was driving," Uncle John said, just as Aunt Jenna came downstairs.
"Oh. No need. We're going with Rick," Aunt Jenna said.
"Are we ready?" Elena asked and Aunt Jenna nodded.
They started leaving for the door when Aunt Jenna turned to Uncle John and said, "You can take Jeremy."
"Actually, Aunt Jenna, I'm going with Uncle John. My dress is a little bigger and needs more room. I don't want to wrinkle it. I'll meet you there though. Jeremy is just about done anyway," I told her.
Aunt Jenna nodded. I could tell she was curious about how my dress looks like. I haven't shown the rest of my family the dress I bought. It was going to be a surprise.
Jeremy came downstairs and we left for the event. I quickly grabbed my bag that had all of my accessories, shoes, makeup, hair supplies, and bathrobe while Uncle John carried my dress to the room that the rest of the Founders' Court were at. I thanked him. Giving him a hug before he left the room. I took off my clothes and placed my bathrobe on, before sitting in front of my own vanity to do my hair and makeup.
Elena was telling Aunt Jenna about how excited our mother was about this event, and how excited we all were. She explained how she would have enjoyed it more if our mother was here. I finished my hair and makeup. My hair was curled and tied up in a low elegant bun letting a few strands frame my face. I pinned a silver rhinestone hair clip on the side of the bun, put on tear-drop rhinestone earrings, and a silver necklace with a small rhinestone flower. I kept my makeup simple: foundation, concealer, blush, liquid eyeliner, natural eyeshadow, and glossy pink lipstick. By the time I was finished, Elena was already putting on her dress. I went to the rack that held my dress and went to put it on.
I was upstairs with the court waiting to be called to come downstairs for the dance with our escorts. Every mouth dropped when they saw me exit the changing room.
"Where did you get that dress?" Caroline asked, "It's beautiful. But, isn't it too big?"
"I bought from the nearby town. I figured since pageant shows literally have girls trying to stand out, that I should stand out too," I told her, "Your dress really brings out your eyes."
"Thank you," Caroline quietly said.
"Has anyone seen Amber?" Mrs. Lockwood said.
"No, I'm sorry," I said.
"Do you see Stefan down there?" Elena asked me and Caroline.
We both glanced down.
"Nope. Just my fill in," Caroline said.
"What happened to Matt?" Elena asked.
"They wouldn't let him leave work," Caroline said.
"Jerks. This is an important event for the town and they are forcing him to stay. They knew he was your escort right?" I asked.
"Of course they did," Caroline said before looking at Elena, "What happened to Stefan?"
"I don't know. He just disappeared," Elena said.
Then Elena tried to leave and drop out but was stopped by Caroline. Caroline then went on to describe how she knows she won't win because she couldn't beat us. Or more Elena than me. Elena stayed and she and Caroline went down to their escort. Finally, my name was called.
"Miss Harmony Gilbert. Escorted by Tyler Lockwood," Mr. Lockwood announced.
I grabbed my dress and with one hand on the sidebar, I went downstairs. I heard gasps and whispers about my dress but didn't pay attention to any of them. I only focused on Tyler's surprised face.
"You look like a princess," He told me.
"Thank you," I told him.
We excited to the back, where more whispers filled the quiet.
"Guess you made an impression," Tyler whispered.
"Hopefully, it's enough to win," I whispered back.
I was surprised that it was Damon who was going to dance with my sister. Where's Stefan? The dance started and Tyler and I surprisingly dance really well and my dress was never stepped on which was a plus. It felt like I was gliding across the floor. We kept smiling at each other. Our eyes filled with mirth. The dance was over and we all entered back in the house for the results.
"Where's Amber?" Caroline asked us with a whisper.
"I don't know," Elena whispered back.
"She wasn't dancing with us," I whispered also.
"Before I crown the winner. I would like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community," Mayor Lockwood said.
The whole room applauded.
"So without further ado. it's my pleasure to announce that for the very first time ever, we have two queens. For helping our community and with excellence in academics, I would like to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls. Caroline Forbes and Harmony Gilbert," Mayor Lockwood said.
The whole room applauded as I and Caroline were given a Miss Mystic Falls sash. We then enjoyed the rest of the party. Elena disappeared for a bit, but I didn't really question it.
~ No One's P.O.V. ~
Elena injected Stefan with vervain and locked him in the basement. While Pearl gave Damon the device she stole from Jonathan Gilbert back in 1864.