#snow white with eating something poisonous aka that chocolate

[evadne-leventhorpe-blog]

Challenge #1

Alternately Titled: Nut a Fairytale

“See you when I see you, your highness.” were the last words I spoke to the Prince before he made his decision on who he was going to eliminate. The prince was polite yet held that charismatic air I anticipated him to have, still I felt like there was something he was holding back while we spoke.

In the end, there were 12 girls that were asked to leave the palace, leaving 23 of us left in the running. I wondered what the other girls had done to make Dominic want to send them off away so quick. Surveying through the faces of the girls, a few were surprising departures, most especially Seraphine, a bitch squad member. What did they do wrong, and how do I avoid becoming like them? I searched for something in their faces to caution me, but there was nothing much they were giving away. I pushed those thoughts aside for another time to focus on enjoying surviving the first round of eliminations. However, there was not much time to think about that for the next few days.

Right after our first interviews with Dominic, we were thrown right into lion’s den when the welcome ball was announced. Aside from daily lessons about etiquette, diplomacy, and history, we were placed in a crash course dance class that lasted for an hour everyday in preparation of the welcome ball for all the Selected. If that wasn’t enough, we were expected to be ready for our first appearance on the Report as Prince Dominic’s Selected.

The Report went well on my part, having a mini reunion with Hyacinth Pierce. It was probably my third time on the Report with the host, and I definitely had enjoyed my time during the show. There was a certain easiness to Hyacinth that had placed me at ease. She was careful not to go too detailed into my family’s past, which I was thankful for.

Once the Report was out of my list of concerns, I only had the welcome ball to take into consideration. Since the ball was announced, I had been working closely with my maids in creating a dress for the occasion. My experience with huge parties, galas, and balls seemed to have benefited me quite well in choosing what I had wanted to wear. When I was much younger, I always had leaned towards the softer looking dresses: girlier, sweeter, what a teenager would wear. However, through the years, my style had developed into something more edgy. It took me going through a few online articles about a few designer collections, but when I saw a picture of a texture of a certain dress, I knew that was the piece I’d be proud to be in during the ball. I asked my maids to start getting to work on it right away.

When girls think about going to a ball, they seem to instantly think about appearing in a gorgeous floor length gown. Poofy, tulle, volume. Pastels. Something that elevates a girl into a fairytale, and it wasn’t in any of my interest to appear like that. What made me giddy with joy was seeing myself stand in front of my mirror in the dress I chose. I felt so sure of myself in the work of art my maids had created for me. It looked like a floor length halter dress, but my maids had outdone themselves with actually making the dress look like a net with tiny cut outs literally everywhere. It was mainly white, but there were strips of blue fabric the helped cover me up. It had a few large cut outs on the side too, but there was still an element of class even with all the skin I was showing.

The dress was pretty dramatic on its own, so I opted to wear my usual neutral make up. Nothing too dramatic, just something to highlight my features and make my skin glow, and topping it all off, I had my hair slicked back into a ponytail. Once I felt like I was ready for the ball, I immediately made my way out to the grand ballroom. Well, no.. Actually the first thing I actually did was take a selfie for my snapchat and instagram. I didn’t want to mess up my daily streak of posting about the Selection on any of my main social media accounts.

The planner had warned us ahead of the media coverage this ball would have had but that didn’t stop my surprise with how great the media was in numbers. I found myself blinded by all the flashes of photography that ambushed me the moment I got close to the ballroom. There were photographers lined up on a small red carpet to take pictures of all the guests. My instincts had kicked in and I placed a hand on my hip and smiled at the people who were yelling my name. I smiled, I waved, I posed. Once I felt like I had worked those cameras long enough, I had finally joined the party.

When I entered the ballroom, I immediately felt the gazes of the people around me. I surveyed the room and saw a mixture of expressions. The most common one was shock, a reaction I had expected what with how revealing my dress probably looked at first glance. I placed a small smile on my face, just to add that little extra confidence I needed to wear with this dress. My eyes searched for the familiar faces of my fellow Selected, and I was ecstatic to see a few of my friends from the Bitch Squad enjoying themselves by a table. We had spent a few moments together, getting our pictures taken before we went our separate ways. I chose to remain seated, watching everything going by.

Joy. It was this bright joy that kept the mood light in this party. It looked like everyone was having an amazing time with the ball, it was probably most of their first times attending one. I wish I felt that too, but when you plan and attend enough balls, you’ve attended them all. Still, it kept me entertained to watch how everybody else was enjoying their night.

A part of my heart leaped when I saw Kat talking to Prince Evander. I had gotten pretty close with Kat for the past few days, and I had gotten to talk to her about the rumors that surrounded her and Evander and a first date before Kat even got to meet Prince Dominic. It was definitely not a surprise for me to see them talking to each other. There were these little signs that Kat displayed while she had talked to the Prince. The body language of how they both leaned towards each other, the way they looked like they weren’t playing some kind of character of themselves. I found myself getting more and more excited to see the future of Katvan (a collective name the Bitch Squad had coined to refer to Kat and Evander).

There were more little things I got to observe as I sat there too, the air of bitchiness Princess Lillian carried with her, the small glances that Prince Perseus had taken in the directions of both Charlotte and Aricia, and most especially all the girls that were coming up and talking to Dominic. I watched the girls coming and going as they spoke to the prince. Some of them seemed nervous speaking to him, a few with coy smiles and light touches, and a few seemed to have genuinely enjoyed just speaking to Dominic- no games, no mask, just talking.

I had to hand it to Dominic. With all the different approaches the girls had taken to him, he always seemed to have adapted well. I couldn’t hear any of the conversations from across the room, but I had eyes and body language was all I needed to tell how he was handling things. I could have told that he was flirting with a girl when his smile tilted more to the right. There were little things in his mannerisms I noticed, and the more I watched him interacting with everyone else, the more I wanted to get his attention.

But how does a girl get a prince’s attention during a Royal Ball? They don’t teach this stuff in boarding school. You couldn’t exactly turn to the fairy tales for any advice on that matter either. Cinderella got her prince’s attention when she had to leave the ball early. Sleeping Beauty had to fall asleep for a century before she got her prince. Snow White had to eat a poisoned fruit for God’s sake. It was all so impractical.

I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and continued trying to figure out how I was going to get his attention. It was all so easy before. It was never me who had made the first move, it was the guy’s. All I had to do was smile at some guy’s direction and once he approached me, I knew that I had succeeded with finding that night’s fling. Come to think of it, it only really worked with having short term relationships. It was a mistake to always start off my relationships as physical. I liked the way they looked first, and that was probably why I never dated someone longer than for a month.

Now that I was in the Selection, I actually wanted to win this thing- but not without having any actual feelings. I wanted to spare myself from a loveless marriage like the one my parents had. I wanted something real, and if I didn’t approach the Prince- I’d never find out. Just do it. I found my chance to talk to the prince when I saw him standing on the edges of the ballroom.

Taking one very large sip of liquid courage, I stood from the table and walked towards the Prince.

“So Prince Dominic, seen anything that caught your attention?” I settled on standing beside him as I started off the conversation.

Dominic lifted his eyebrow, “You mean of the Selected?”

Of course he was thinking about the girls first, he was surrounded by two dozens girls vying for his attention. If he wanted to talk about us, well, it was no problem with me.

“Well, I was thinking of something along the lines of the ball right now, but sure, the Selected would work too.” I replied, taking a glance at the rest of the room.

“Don’t know yet,” he shrugged but his eyes met mine for a second before looking at something else. “There are a few standing out though.”

So there already were a few of us lingering in the Prince’s interests. Polls had been popping up between different magazines that covered the Selection. Some had predicted the favorites of the Selection, and Dominic’s possible favorites. I didn’t want to give myself some false hope, but I had read a few sources that said that I had been one of his favorites even before we arrived in the palace and have been for a while. Wanting to see if there was any merit to those sources, I tried asking if I was in his interests with my own (hopefully) funny joke.

“I guess I should have gone and stood outside then.” I laughed, finding my joke pretty funny and hoping that it would work. The prince shifted where he stood a little.

“Would you prefer to go outside?” Fuck, did he not get the joke?

“Maybe I could join you, there are some…” he paused, “more secluded areas we could go to.” 

His voice carried a little more persuasion in it, a little more honey. I raised an eyebrow and looked him straight in the eye to see if he was serious. He looked like he was and for a second I wanted to take him up on his offer right there. There was nothing more attractive than a man in power in a tuxedo, and boy, he looked so dapper with how that piece had clung to him- fuck he was hot. A chill shot straight through me just imagining what would have happened if I did say yes, but I remembered that I had learned my lesson. I was not going to start this off as a physical relationship.

“Ahhh, there’s that flirty side I’ve been hearing so much about. Smooth, Prince Dominic.” Most of the other Selected had described the Prince as flirtatious in the first Report, and it was a surprise to me since I hadn’t seen that side of him until now.

“As much as I’d love to go exploring more secluded areas with you,” It was true, a voice inside of me was yelling at me to just say yes. “I’d like to stay and enjoy the ball a little more.” I felt so bad on rejecting the offer, “It’s been a while since I’ve witnessed a scene like this.”

Disappointment flickered in Dominic’s expression, “That’s too bad,” I know, “These balls are all the same anyway, I’m sure you haven’t missed much.”

“I’ll take a rain check with your offer. You’re right with all these balls being the same though. It’s like they don’t have any other kind of music or it’s always the same people attending.”

“Exactly. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.” Glad that he had shared my sentiments. “So you don’t need really need to see more of this one, do you?” His face looked like he was going to win this mini-argument. He was persistent, and I felt tempted again to just say yes for the second time again.

“I’m not gonna lie, you make a convincing argument, your highness.” I chuckled trying to shake off the need I felt to get out of that ball with the prince. But I reminded myself that if I wanted to spare myself, I needed to have some control on my part. So I tried redirecting his attention back to himself. “I bet you’ve tried convincing some of the other girls too.”

“Tried? I’d say I’ve succeeded but I haven’t aimed my targets for today yet,” So there have been girls that he’s already fucked? Well they made fast work with him since we’ve been here for only a couple of days. My attention was brought back from my thoughts when he continued to speak.

“I’ve only been making plans for the future. So what about you? Would you say yes to, say tomorrow? Or some day soon after that?” He leaned a little more towards me, being more playful with his tone. I felt my heart beating a little faster as I tried to formulate an answer on my lips. My cheeks were heating up, and my throat suddenly felt so dry. Why did he have to be so attractive???

“You’ve succeeded with me,” I laughed trying to hide how flustered I felt. “How considerate of you, giving a girl some options.” I needed to direct this conversation. Two could play at this game. I leaned towards him a little more, placing my hand lightly on his arm.

“Hmmm, how about we go out of the palace soon? Go out on your motorcyle, have a nice dinner, have a few drinks.” I wanted to explore Angeles again, the city must have changed so much since I had left. Adding a little more playfulness on my part, I promised a little drinking. Who wouldn’t have fun drinking?

Dominic’s eyes lit up, “Sounds great.” he smirked.

Yes! I got a date with him! Ayyyy, got a a date with the Prince!! I hid my excitement, under a smile. I saw a waiter with a tray of food passing by, and I grabbed a dessert while talking.

“I look forward to it. The palace is amazing, but I’ve been wanting to see Angeles again.”

“Yeah, the city’s pretty great at night.”

I nodded as I bit into the dessert. “Yeah, I remember. So what else does a prince like you do in this city?” The planner in me began making up plans of where we could go together, there were a few of my favorite restaurants in the city like an outdoor one with an amazing view of the city underneath. But I also thought about Dominic having any favorites in the city too. He’s lived here longer than I have been.

“I mean, I don’t spend a lot of time outside of the palace… just when I can sneak away.”

“I understand that. I used to sneak out to the city before.”I coughed. What he said had resounded with me, I felt trapped by my parents back when I was so much younger.

He leaned back on the wall, “Yeah well… it sucks when there are too many… rules and things you’re supposed to follow.” I almost forgot that the boy I was talking to had so much weight on his shoulders, he was the next king of this country. He had to have all these rules.

“Tell me about it,” I felt my throat tightening up as I coughed again.

“Are you okay?” He shifts.

“Oh yeah, just a coughing fit.” I tried reassuring him. I’m getting a sickening feeling as I begin to cough more frequently.

“Are you sure?” he places a hand on my shoulder, and I feel like my chest was tightening.

“Uh, is there any nuts or chocolate in this?” I hold up the dessert I just bit into, suspicious that that was the cause of all this.

“Yeah that thing is almost, entirely chocolate.” FUCK. I haven’t anything that had chocolate since I was a kid for many good reasons why. The best reason was because I suffered a severe allergic reaction that lead to anaphylactic shock.

“Okay, “ I cough, “Fuck, I can’t breathe- Oh shit, I’m not supposed to swear around you!” I feel so mortified swearing around the prince, holy fucking shit, that was the first thing they told us not to do! But my head starts to feel more light, and the room’s closing in around me.

Dominic places an arm on my back, steadying me. “I don’t think that’s your biggest problem right now. Do you need to go to the hospital wing?”

“Right yeah. Priorities,” I cough again. “I’m gonna need an epipen.” I try to take a deep breath, but it’s getting harder and harder to do so. “Shit, I can’t breathe.”

“What do you need me to do?” He looks panicked, unsure of what to do with what was happening with me.

“Help me get to the hospital wing? Don’t know where it is…” I’m finding it harder to even say a sentence, and I know that I needed to get some medication before I got worse, thinking about the first time I had eaten chocolate and how badly my throat had swollen up when I was three.

“Right. Yeah, follow me.” He’s still placing a hand on my back to keep me steady as we both start winding through the huge crowd of people attending the ball.

“Thanks,” I breathe out. Holy hell, how did I miss that dessert being chocolate? I feel so stupid having to leave the ball so early because of this. Everyone must be seeing how the prince and I were leaving together, well shit. Hope they a good luck at us while they’re at it. I’m trying to keep up with Prince Dominic through the halls, but it’s so difficult to get any air in me.

I try to take in short breaths as we’re rushing through. I’m thanking God that I didn’t chose to wear the platform heels I had originally considered. I look at Dominic and he has this expression of worry on his face. At least he’s decent enough to actually worry about me, and I’m at least thankful that I got to spend a few adrenaline fueled moments with him. A voice inside my head snorts thinking about how I had resembled snow white eating a poisoned apple. Well, I guess I had taken the Snow White approach on this prince.

We finally make it to what seems to be the hospital wing and we burst through the doors. “Hello! Lady Evadne needs help!” he yells through the wing with such a sense of urgency. I’m holding onto Dominic, the only thing keeping me standing. As soon as we arrive, nurses ran towards the two of us, one nurse bringing a wheelchair.

I immediately got on it, my legs feeling so tired of holding me up and running. “Someone just get me one of those damn pens you stab people with!” I yell between pants. I could barely breathe, and the whole room was spinning around me. A nurse wheels me towards one of the beds, and I close my eyes just for a second to prevent myself from passing out. I feel a sharp pain on my left shoulder, and I can tell that they’ve injected me with something.

“So… do you need any more help here?” I open my eyes to see Dominic standing beside me. “I’m not actually supposed to leave the ball…”

“No, I shouldn’t be keeping you away from everyone right now.” I take another breath. I wanted him to stay, I didn’t want to be left alone, I actually wanted to get to know him a little better after all of this. But it wasn’t right either, to ask him to stay. Who was I to demand him to stay?

“Maybe I will next time, we’ll see,” I chuckle, joking about out his earlier suggestion.

“Ok… I hope you feel better…” he says as I watch him walk out of the hospital wing. There will be other times, I tell myself. Now’s just not the right one.

“Thanks, Prince Dominic.” I call out as I get helped onto a bed. A nurse helps take off my heels, and one encourages me to lay back as she puts an oxygen mask around my face. A person in scrubs approaches me then.

“Good evening Lady Evadne, I’m Dr. Gauge. Your file says that you have a severe chocolate allergy, is this what caused this reaction?” he asks, looking at me.

I nod in reply.

“Okay then, since you’ve already been administered with epinephrine, we’re also going to be administering some anti-allergen medication through an IV. Would that be okay with you?”

“Yes, but are you keeping me here?” I ask, as I see a nurse bringing an IV needle.

“It’s likely we will. We need to see if your system wouldn’t have any other reactions that would endanger your life.”

“Alright, then please call one of my maids to bring me some comfortable clothes.” I say as a nurse warns me about placing the IV through my skin. There’s a sharp pain that makes me cringe with having that needle under my skin. A nurse injects an anti-allergen into my IV, and all I do after that is lay back and think about what happened. She told me that drowsiness was a common side effect of the medication.

Some night it turned out to be. It actually was pretty enjoyable, getting to hang out with a lot of the girls and having the chance to make dinner plans with the prince, running through the palace halls as I had a bad allergic reaction. I guess I could call it a day.

After a few minutes of just laying back on that bed, I hear the voice of my head maid, Veronica, asking if I was okay. She helps me change into one of my pajamas, and hands me a make up wipe to clean my face. After changing into more comfortable clothes, I reach out for my phone and check my social media account one last time, and taking one last update for my story on snapchat before succumbing to the effects of the medication.

A/N: Thank you so much for @domschreave for RP-ing with me and special shout out to @ladykatdempsey and @isabellafaulkner for giving me some of the things Vad mentioned in this chapter. Sorry that it seems a little shorter than my usual length, I’ve been a little busy with school and stuff.