Not All Princesses Wear Crowns by Tzaara Jauhar

Not all princesses wear crowns

“Cleo-Rose Margaret Thorn! You are the princess of Fel’Daera. It is high time you start acting like it! Why can’t you be more like your sister?” Cleo-Rose’s mother yelled, fuming as she stomped out of the room. Cleo-Rose groaned.

Being a princess should have been amazing. Cleo-Rose could get anything she ever wanted. She had hundreds of servants at her beck and call. A whole country adored her. But she didn’t want that.

She stared into her ornate golden mirror, which was carved with inscriptions. Staring back at her was a 16-year-old girl with bright, green eyes filled with imagination, and loose, flowing amber locks. She looked uncomfortable, and out of place, like she belonged somewhere else.

She glanced at her gigantic mahogany bookcase, overflowing with books of all genres. Books could whisk her away to faraway places, show her people with more interesting lives than hers. They made her happy. She had hoped to write one day, but she knew that was just a dream. It wasn’t real.

She smoothed her gown and straightened her crown. Maybe she wasn’t the perfect princess, but she had to act like it. She left the room, knowing nothing about the news awaiting her.

Scene 1-The Heir

Cleo-Rose waltzed into her sister’s room, anxious to release all of her worries. Instead, she found it empty. Hayley’s belongings were gone. The bed was made, and her broad, oak table was bare, except for a single album.

Panicked, Cleo-Rose started pacing the room, her head spinning. A servant, Alex, entered the room and bowed. “My lady?” he asked nervously, his eyes down. “Your sister has left the premises of the palace, and she will not be returning.” He paused, waiting to see her reaction. It took her a moment to register the news in her head. The whole world around her was spinning. She stumbled and collapsed on her sister’s magenta love seat, her hand placed firmly on her head. “Your parents are deeply grieving too.”. He handed her the album and left, almost running.

“Wait-but-why-how ugh!” she started, but gave up as he had almost sprinted across the corridor.

 She opened the album. Pictures, and pictures and pictures. Memories and memories and memories. Inside jokes, and shared hopes. A true bond. Now broken. There was a note left on the last page:

Dear Cleo,

I am deeply and truly sorry. There are many things I have not told you. I know we promised each other that we would be sisters and friends forever, and I have broken it. I could no longer handle the pressure and burdens of being the crown princess, and one day, the queen. You are smart, strong, brave and beautiful, and I know you will make a wonderful monarch. Please do not try to find me, I have moved on, and you have to as well. Do not question anybody about my leave, you will not get the answers you are looking for. Fel’Daera looks up to you. I love you to the moon and back and miss you very much.

                                                                                                                                                         Love,

                                                                                                                                                          Hayley Elizabeth Thorn

Cleo-Rose was stricken with grief, and a deep sob was buried inside her throat. She was trying to make sense of the terrible world around her. Hayley was the perfect princess. She was always the better one of them. She was everything anyone could have ever wanted to be. And now she was gone.

Cleo-Rose had so many questions to ask, so many answers to find, but she felt numb, and lonely. She curled up in a ball, wishing she could just disappear, or turn back time, but those were just dreams. They weren’t real. She stroked the cover of the album as a single tear fell upon the page.

Scene 2-The Crown

It’s beautiful! My, darling, you look so lovely!” Lorenzo Fletcher grinned from ear to ear, admiring his creation. Cleo-Rose said nothing. These people disgusted her. Who knew where Hayley was, no search party had found her, and she was about to celebrate it with her whole country in a designer gown. Seriously?

Cleo-Rose’s hair was woven into a series of intricate braids, topped with a gleaming eagle-shaped headpiece, it’s wings spread, soaring through the air. How ironic. She was nothing but a free bird, a prisoner in her home, trapped in her own castle.

                                                         ***

Cleo-Rose composed herself and took a deep, shaky breath. The pain of Hayley leaving her kept coming back, and it never truly left her. And it never truly would. As she stepped onto the stage, her knees were buckling and yet, somehow, she managed to reach the center of the stage.

“And now, I proudly announce Cleo-Rose Margaret Thorn, the crown princess of Fel’Daera. Cheers echoed across the palace grounds. Banners and flags were held up, and whoops and whistles could be heard. She hurriedly scanned all the faces in the crowd, hoping to find the beautiful face of her sister, but couldn’t. With difficulty, she hid her disappointment under one of the many masks she had acquired over the years.

“And now, do you promise to put your heart and soul into running Fel’Daera?”

“I do” Cleo-rose choked out and received the jeweled dagger that had been passed on for centuries in her family. She pierced it through her skin, and pain coursed through her. Her bright, red blood fell onto the embers and sizzled. She was bond to this role her entire life. And it was a bond she couldn’t break. She wished she didn’t have to seal to this bond, but she knew that was just a dream. It wasn’t real.

Scene 3- The Death

Cleo-Rose stared at her bandaged hand, that was stinging with pain, pus and blood oozing out. She grimaced and turned away, her face turning green. Oh, how she despised the sight of blood. She wished she could turn away from everything else in her life. If only it were that easy.

The clock chimed. It was half-past two, and nobody had visited her room. She hadn’t gone for any meals or lessons. What was going on? Another hour ticked by, and another, and another. She waited and waited and waited. She had no desire, passion or energy to do anything else. It felt like days and days had passed.

Finally, at around eight o’ clock in the evening there was a soft knock at her door. She wriggled out of her silk sheets, and slowly walked over and opened it. It was Nerissa, her lady-in-waiting.

“My lady?” Nerissa was carrying a tray with a glass of rosemary-herb tea, a roast dinner, and a slice of Victoria sponge-cake. Cleo-Rose wrinkled her nose. She still wasn’t hungry.

“Please sit down. I have something to tell you.” she said, gesturing to a stiff, ivory armchair. Cleo-Rose dragged herself over, not really caring. Nerissa grasped Cleo-Rose’s hands. “Your parents, they…my lady, you see…they…they…they passed away, miss. It was peaceful…a car crash. They didn’t feel a single thing.” She explained and flinched, waiting for Cleo-Rose to strike out. Then, slowly, she walked out.

At first, Cleo-Rose’s face turned white with horror and shock. Then the whole impact of it hit her. She was terrorized. She was scared. She was sad. She was angry. She was alone. Really and truly.

She crawled into her sheets and cried. And cried. And cried. She cried herself to sleep, to gruesome nightmares where all her darkest fears and terrors were let out. And instead of wishing to turn back time, she wished that she too, could be gone.

                                                           ***

She stood at her parents’ burial sites. It was a quiet and peaceful valley, a beautiful meadow filled with daisies and daffodils and surrounded by tall willow trees. She was all alone as she walked over to the graves and placed her bouquets of carnations. There was so much she wanted to say, but nothing came out. The cold, heavy rain drenched her as she sat there, her eyes shut, a solitary black figure.

Scene 4- The Ash

Somehow, Cleo-Rose made her way back to the palace. She entered her room, and something was quite off about it. And she immediately knew what it was. Her bookshelves were missing.

Nerissa barged in and saw Cleo-Rose’s expression. Cleo-Rose could almost see the guilt on her face. “Well…what is it?” Cleo-Rose asked nervously. She had heard enough bad news to last a lifetime.

“You see miss, the ministers? The ones who have been deciding procedures? T-t-t-th-the-they-they-b-b-bur-burnt th-t-the-them!” she stammered, her face stricken with fear and guilt as she hurried out.

Another betrayal. Another loss of something she cared about. What did it matter? The very last bits and pieces of Cleo-Rose were gone. She was nothing but an empty shell. She didn’t know what she wanted anymore, or who she was. She could be dead for all she cared.  Surely anything could be better than living this terrible life…if that’s what it could be called?

Scene 5- The Coronation

Cleo-Rose woke up and was filled with a feeling of dread. She had known her entire life that this day would come. But not this soon.

She walked to her golden mirror. Everything she had ever known had changed, along with her. Her eyes no longer held their spark. She was thin and sickly. Her spirit was gone.

She no longer knew what she wanted anymore. All her dreams and hopes were nonexistent. So, she would do what she had to do. She would be the queen. She would do everything expected of her. She had to:

“Stand straight and tall”

“Keep her shoulders open”

“Keep her chin up”

“Give a diplomatic speech”

“Be the perfect queen”

                                                             ***

Cleo-Rose walked onto the stage, looking straight ahead at the distant mountains. She wasn’t nervous, or scared. She was above things somehow. She was emotionless, and felt nothing but nonchalance. She couldn’t feel the passing time.

She performed all the rituals, she followed all the rules, until it was time to give her speech. She walked forward. All eyes were on her, piercing through her, examining her. These people knew nothing about her. They had absolutely no ideas about what was truly going on. And yet they expected so very much of her.

“Citizens of Fel’Daera, we are gathered here today to celebrate my coronation.”, she started off confidently. “This country has grown so much under the reign of my parents. It has evolved greatly.”Lies, and more lies. She was sick of it. Anger coursed through her, she felt like she was drowning in a pool of lava. She needed to let it all out, she had to. “But really, why are we celebrating? Are we celebrating loss? Are we celebrating betrayal?” The crowd was stunned and murmuring to themselves. “Hayley left. She’s gone. And my parents, well they are gone too. For all these years I never understood them one bit, and they never understood me. And yet now they’re gone, and it hurts so much. Oh, so very much. But that’s life, isn’t it? And you people treat this like a TV show! Just watching, and waiting to see what happens next.”. There was a complete silence. Everyone was gaping at her. The ministers were glaring at her from above, outraged. But she felt so satisfied, so free, so unstoppable. A maniac-like smile curled around her lips.

The officiator hastily started the final ritual, and placed the gorgeous crown upon her head. It was pure gold, lined with diamonds and sapphires, and other precious stones. And at that moment, her smile disappeared. As did her satisfaction. The worst feeling she had ever felt filled her. It was a mixture of fear, guilt, worry, and true, deep sorrow. Her freedom was being taken away from her. She was officially the queen of Fel’Daera. And she wasn’t the only one unhappy about that.

Scene 6- The Surprises

Cleo-Rose rushed to her room, and locked the door behind her. She sat down, leaning against the door. She wasn’t ready to face anyone or anything yet. She kicked her heels off, and removed all the bobby pins out of her hair. She changed out of her orange coronation gown and left it crumpled in the corner. She crawled into her bedsheets and drifted off…

She was woken up by a strange noise, that sounded a bit like knocking. ‘I’m probably dreaming it’, she thought and closed her eyes again. But it kept getting louder and louder. Where was it coming from? It wasn’t the door. Was it…the window? That was absurd. Who could possibly be knocking at her window at this time of the night? And then she heard a voice calling out her name. It sounded a bit like…no that couldn’t be. Cleo-Rose grabbed a torch, put on her dressing-gown, and hurriedly walked to the window. She opened it, and her jaw dropped open. It was none other than Hayley Elizabeth Thorn.

It was like she was seeing a ghost. She stood there, unable to move. “Well, are you going to let me in? Hanging here isn’t the most pleasant activity one can do.” Hayley asked her. Oh, how Cleo-Rose had missed that sarcastic tone. She unlatched the window and hauled Hayley up. She was wearing a simple black t-shirt smeared with mud and dirt, and a black jacket that was in tatters. Her jeans were torn, and a few thorns were sticking out. Her hair was wild with a few leaves stuck in it, and her hands were covered with blisters. She was carrying an old black satchel that looked very weathered and worn out.

The two sisters embraced each other. A warm feeling filled Cleo-Rose, like unwrapping presents on Christmas Day. She beamed a thousand smiles.

“B-but Hayley? What are you doing here?” Cleo-Rose stuttered, confused.

“All in good time sister. Lend me something to wear, will you? And request the kitchen stuff for some peppermint hot cocoa and marshmallow squares? Oooh, and a hot shower would be nice.” Hayley replied, completely calm for her physical state.

“All right Hayley.” Cleo-Rose said an hour later as she entered the room carrying a tray. “I think you’ve got everything you wanted. Now can I hear you out?”

“Well, Ok I guess” she answered, wiping her sticky, marshmallowy hands on a napkin, and dabbing her mouth with it. She was so very well-mannered.

“Cleo, I couldn’t take it anymore. Mother and Father expected so very much of me. And I just had to leave. I desperately needed to. So, I decided to flee the palace. I would stow away on a ship to a different continent and start a new life over there. Cleo, remember how much I loved to paint as a child? Well, I think I want to pursue a career in art now.There was a brief silence for a minute. “I then found some relatives who live a couple of days journey from here. They were banished from Fel’Daera after a huge feud with our parents. You never met them, I myself was about three or four years old. They accepted me into their home with warm arms, and indeed agreed to keep my secrets. They will provide for me until I can earn my own living. But I was in town, trying to figure out transportation, and I heard about mother and father. And I was so worried about you, and I attended your coronation. After your speech, I had to see you, so I waited till late night behind great-grandma’s statue, and sneaked through the air ducts to my old bedroom. Then, I climbed out of the window and scaled the ivy to reach yours.” “Your turn, Cleo”.

So, Cleo-Rose told her about reading her letter, then discovering the death, the funeral, the burning of her books, then the ministers preparing her for the coronation, and finally about her anger and sense of loss.

Then, she asked Hayley the question Hayley knew very well was coming. “How could you leave me Hayley?”. Hayley’s pale glassy eyes were shining with tears.

“It was the most difficult decision I ever made. But I know you have a soul of fire, and can survive absolutely anything that comes your way. But now we can visit each other frequently. Listen, I have to go, but here is everything you need to know about my new identity. Don’t tell anybody about anything that just happened. I’ll see you soon” Hayley stroked Cleo-Rose’s hair, changed back into her clothes and left.

Cleo-Rose couldn’t stop thinking about what Hayley had said. Did she really have a soul of fire?

Scene 7- The books

It is amazing how much of us is tied to our beds when we wake up in the morning. When Cleo-Rose woke up, for a moment she forgot who she was, and everything that had happened to her. And then it all came flooding back to her. Seeing Hayley, and knowing she was an arm’s reach away. Having a soul of fire.

What time was it? Cleo-Rose wondered why no one had investigatedabout her. Realizing that it was nearly noon, she pulled herself out of her bed and opened her door. There was an old, large carton lying outside. With a great effort, she pulled it inside her bedroom. She slowly opened it, not that enthusiastic about it’s contents. She was completed shocked when she saw her rare book collection, and all her old journals.

She quietly dragged the carton to her bed, hoping no one would hear the noise. Reading through her old notebooks, she felt strangely disconnected from her characters, and she realized why. All her characters had dreams which kept them going through all their hardships. Cleo-Rose had left hers in the past and given up. Was that really who she wanted to be? The damsel in distress, who needed a knight in shining armor? The girl who gave up and wept? NO. She didn’t. It would take a long time for all her fire to rekindle, but at least she had a spark. She smiled, a real, pure smile as she opened the book on politics.

Scene 8- The Politics

Her whole life, Cleo-Rose had lived in a bubble. She didn’t know anything outside of Fel’Daera. It was time to go beyond.

She hydrated herself, and wolfed down three salmon and avocado sandwiches along with a jug of raspberry-infused lemonade. She cleaned herself, and took a stroll in the garden.

By afternoon, she had finished the book. She took a deep breath before entering the courtroom. She had no reason to be afraid of the ministers. She could fire them all if she wished. Confidently, she strode in. She could feel their angry stares on her.

“Good evening. How do you do?” she greeted them politely. Most of them looked at her suspiciously. “I would like to apologize for my atrocious behavior and conduct at the coronation. I assure you it will never happen again”. They didn’t look very reassured.

“Child, you made a fool of yourself. Don’t apologize to us”, a thin lanky minister dressed in a deep purple suit remarked. A few others nodded in agreement.

Not bothered, Cleo-Rose continued, straightening herself and lifting her chin up. “I am sure that many of you would not like me to be the current monarch.”. There was an uncomfortable silence. “But I have promised to fulfill my duties. So, I shall. In three days, ambassadors and emissaries from all over the world will be visiting the palace. They will be telling us about the various governments of their countries.”. There was a stunned silence as the ministers took this in.

“No, no, no!”

“Your parents would never have done that”

“Outrageous”

“Scandal!”

“Silence!” Cleo-Rose yelled, raising her palm. The ministers quieted down. “I know many of you are worried about change. But maybe there is something better for our citizens. Monarchy can’t possibly remain forever! Nothing truly can” she said wistfully. The ministers still looked unsure, but nodded in agreement. Cleo-Rose grinned.

                                                     ***

The palace had gone through intense cleanings and preparations for the ambassadors and emissaries. It was crucial for Fel’Daera to make a good impression if it wanted to be involved in world politics. Though they wouldn’t admit it, the ministers were bursting with excitement. The various representatives spoke about various government forms such as theocracy, oligarchy and even anarchy. But one caught her eye. It was called democracy.

“Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of the state, typically through elected representatives.” That would definitely work out well for Fel’Daera. She could see that the ministers thought this too.

When the conference was over, she held her own with the ministers. She asked them what they felt would be best suited for Fel’Daera.

“Oligarchy”

“Monarchy!”

“Democracy”

“Democracy”

“Anarchy…maybe?”

“Democracy”

“Democracy”

“Democracy”

And so, the poll went on. Towards the end there was a clear winner.

                                                     ***

Cleo-Rose cut the red ribbon. “I very proudly declare Fel’Daera a democracy!”. A huge cheer erupted. Cleo-Rose felt like she was on the top of the world. She looked at her parents usual standing area, and hoped that for once she had done something that would make them proud of her.

                                                            ***

Cleo-Rose stood in front of her golden mirror and glanced around her room. Everything was packed up, and boxes and crates were stacked against the walls. A month ago, if someone had told her that she was going to go to high school, and that Fel’Daera was a democracy, she wouldn’t have believed them. But look at her now!

Nerissa knocked at the door. Cleo-Rose opened the door and curtsied to Nerissa. The poor girl looked shocked! “I know you gave me the books. Thank you for everything, and I wish you all the best for your career in politics, and everything else you do.” Cleo-Rose grasped Nerissa’s shoulders. The girls hugged.

“Thank you” Nerissa whispered before leaving. Cleo-Rose started walking. Memories hit her from every direction. Playing in the gardens with her sister, wearing her first crown, giving her first speech. And she knew that everything was going to be different. She was a hard-worker now, and strongly opiniated. She knew that as long as she had dreams, and hopes, she would face anything that came in her way.

“Are you ready?” Hayley asked her, waiting outside the castle, as she reached the final steps. She gave one last look at the castle she had lived in for sixteen years. She nodded, ready to begin a new chapter of her life.

At Point Blank by Vivaan Tinwalla

At Point Blank

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1:Welcome To This Book I’m Quenchar Nice To Meet You  3

Chapter 2:Hey! I Got News For You! 5

Chapter3:The Sadness Rages. 8

Chapter 4:The Extraordinary “Thanks”. 9

Chapter 5:Rehearsal Time. 11

Chapter 6:The Time Has Come. 14

Chapter 7: Execptional Ending. 16

Authors Note:

Hope you readers enjoy my book, and always give it thumbs up if you guys loved it and tell me what I can do to make my books better in the future.

Regards: Vivaan.T Author of At Point Blank

Chapter 1: Welcome To This Book I’m Quenchar Nice To Meet You

 Quenchar was in deep slumber, he heard a voice calling to him to get up. He just ignored straining to open his eye’s he looked at his clock which was on his side table. It was 3 minutes to 8 o'clock. Quenchar tried to rollover and get up but he fell off the bed. He tried to get up and go back to the bed but he was too lazy. He prefers to lie on the ground gazing at the celling

He is in the 7^th grade. Quenchar is 5 foot 6 inches; he was one of the tallest boys in his class. He was 11 years old, but he looked way younger for his age. Quenchar was a fair complexion boy and hated to go outside and play.In his free time he loved to read books and play his favorite game: ROBLOX®. His friends love to play the game with him, but mostly his very good friend Drax, plays ROBLOX with him the most. Mainly Quenchar plays Elemental Battlegrounds® with Drax. Quencher was often scolded for spending too much time on the game. Quenchar had lost his father 5 years ago due to cancer, he lived in a house with his Mom and two elder sisters, Jemma who was 16 years old and was in the 10^th grade, and Jane who was 17 years old and was in the 12^th grade.  Academically Quenchar was miles ahead of his grade. His favorite subjects weremath’s and Physics. He had won many prizes for Physics and math’s competition. One of the things Quenchar loved to do was sing.His preferred genre of song to sing was hip hop songs. Usually in the mornings Quenchar used to go to his boom box and playhis favorite song. Today Quenchar did not feel to sing, but he was eager to play ROBLOX®.

Quenchar dragged himself from the ground and he on is feet. Quenchar stretched and cracked his back knuckles. He was ready to brush his teeth, eat his breakfast and play ROBLOX®.

“Quenchar, Your breakfast is ready!” his mom yelled 

“Coming, let me brush my teeth!” said Quenchar yelling back

Quenchar glared at the calendar which was in front of his bed. It was a Saturday 

He seemed pretty happy about it, He rushed to the bathroom and grabbed 

His tooth brush and took the tooth paste. Quenchar squeezed it but it went all 

over the mirror 

“Oh great” Quenchar groaned

He ran outside of his room and creeped into his elder sisters room.

“Okay, this is one of the world’s dangerous missions” said Quenchar.

He looked at the door knob, and reached for it as he slowly turned it he leaned 

towards the wall and the door swung open. Quenchar took a peek inside the room, it was pitch black,he tip-toed on the bright polished wooden floor trying not make a noise. He managed to reach for the bathroom handle, at the same time someone stepped out of bed. He grabbed the tooth paste

“Mission accomplished” Quenchar said with a smile

Quenchar turned around and was about to get out of the bathroom but the 

door opened. It was the moment of truth and Quenchar hid behind the curtains of the bathtub. It was his sister Jane and she was looking for the tooth paste 

“What the-?” said Jane confusingly 

“Jemma, have you seen the tooth paste?” said Jane calling out to her younger sister 

 “Okay, now I need to get out of here.” thought Quenchar 

The moment Jane and Jemma were arguing Quenchar made a run for it to his room. Quenchar successfully reached his room and brushed his teeth.

Chapter 2: Hey! I Got News For You!

“Hey Quenchar” Said a voice

“Ghaaa!” screamed Quenchar in fear, but when Quenchar turned around. It was his best friend Drax Johnson “My god, Drax.” “Don’t ever scare me like that, ever again!” saidQuenchar as he yelled at Drax

“Okay” Drax said simply. “I’ve got some news for you”

The two boys sat on Quenchar’s bed,and were discussing about the news that Drax was going share with Quenchar.

“Okay, now.” “You are going to listen to this ‘Amazing’ news” “There is this event called “The Sacred Voice” it is related to singing and you, Quenchar.T.Jaxson loves singing and I think it would be a great idea for you to sign up for this event.” Said Drax with excitement.

“Okay, what do I get if I win?” Quenchar asked Drax

“Can you handle it?” Drax asked Quenchar

“You are talking to Quenchar.T.Jaxson, I can practically handle anything” Quenchar said bravely

“Okay, then.” “One million dollars” said Drax

Quenchar almost fainted sputtering out word, as he was trying to speak. He was lying on the bed with a smile!

“One million dollars!” “Oh my gosh. This is just exciting!” exclaimed Quechar

“If you want that money, you need to go to Comic Man’s ® Comic House and sign up for this event. Remember this happens once in every 4 years ®” shouted Drax

The boys ran down stairs skipping them in 2’s, they ran to the garage grabbed their bikes and started to cycle to Comic House®. Comic House® was in the middle of Quenchar’s neighborhood; the lucky thing is that it is in the last stretch of 12th Westlock Street. It was where Quenchar’s house was. It took them a while because there was traffic in the cycling road. When the traffic cleared Quenchar was looking at the most beautiful sun set he has ever seen. He sped up to Drax and started blabbering

“Do you think I may win?” Quenchar asked Drax

“Well it depends, this competition is worldwide.” “You are first going to compete in regionals, then you will go to nationals and internationals, if you win in internationals you get the money and a big trophy, autographs a t-shirt maybe a sponsor too.” Drax explained to Quenchar

“Oh, that is amazing” Quenchar said with a gulp

“What if I tie with someone?” Quenchar asked Drax

“If you tie with someone, you are going to go to the original Comic House® which I think is in India, and you are going to have a death match with the person who you tied up with.” “I think the theme for the death match is rapping, I don’t know so don’t trust me with the theme thing that I said” Drax replied

The two boys cycled along the traffic free cycling road and saw the newly refurbished Comic House®

“OMG!” “It has changed, it has become bigger!” Quenchar said excitedly

“Nice work Comic Man®!” Drax said with smile

The boys observed a very long Que. When they looked at the front it said ‘The Sacred Voice sign up’. Quenchar looked very grumpy. The Que was so long that it would have taken 4 years for him to sign up and the competition would just fly away in front of his eyes. The Que contained people of different ages, height and weight. Quenchar always hated to stand in lines because he had no patience 

“You have got to be kidding me!” Quenchar said in an anxious voice. They ran to the desk which says ‘They Sacred Voice sign up’

“Uhh…excuse me lady is this the-“

“Yes it is boy, now get in line if you want to sign up” the clerk lady said interrupting Quenchar

“But” Quenchar sputtered

“Get in line now child or I will call security”

He looked back and saw a big Que going all the way inside of Westlock Public Park. Quenchar looked down on the ground and walked back to his cycle as if he lost all hope. Drax did his best to cheer him up but it did not work and stop trying. Quenchar walked in the house, he did not want to play ROBLOX, and he did not want to sing. He passed the evening doing nothing. He also returned the toothpaste to his sister’s room. Later in the evening Quenchar had his dinner without making a noise and went to bed very sadly

.

Chapter3: The Sadness Rages

It was a sad Sunday morning. Quenchar was living the event what happed yesterday. He felt that he was in a time loop. Living and re-living that moment again and again. Quenchar felt devastated. He was sitting down on the dining table and he was eating favorite cereal.

“Hey, Quenchar!” said his older sister Jemma

 “Why are you making such a long face” she said trying to imitate the long face Quenchar was making.

 Quenchar did not really like his sister Jemma. His sister Jemma loved to annoy him, his oldest sister (older than Jemma) Jane, treated Quenchar properly and didn’t trouble much.

“Stop it, brainless baboon” Quenchar snapped at Jemma

“Oh, you are going to take that back!” Jemma said to Quenchar with a yell

“Oh my, I am so scared of Jemma” said Quenchar teasing Jemma

“Make me” said Quenchar again

“That’s it-“said Jemmastomping towards Quenchar. Fortunately their mom saw what was going and stopped it from getting worse.

“Hey, what is going on here?” Their mom yelled at both of them

“She started it” said Quenchar pointed to Jemma

“M-Me how-“Jemma sputtered

“Stop it Jemma.” “I don’t want to hear it” “You are supposed to take care of your little brother and not fight with him!” said their mom increasing her tone at the end of her sentence.

“Okay fine” Jemma said as she stomped her way to her room

As Jemma was going to here room she took her finger and sliced her neck making a noiseand pointing it to Quenchar.He just ignored it.

“Okay” mom said“Drax told me about the singing event and he sent me this” said his mom as she pushed a piece of paper towards Quenchar. He was looking at the small piece of paper without any interest but something caught his eye, Quenchar saw this on the other side of the small sheet. The paper said“Lucky Scratch Card’under that it said“The Sacred Voice event”. Quenchar saw a small paragraph 

“This card contains a very lucky chance for you to get straight to The Sacred Voice stadium register. You’ll personally meet the judges and head straight to the Comic Center®, your name will be on the leaderboard. Good luck” said Quenchar reading out loud from the piece of paper.

“I mean-This is-Oh my-“said Quenchar trying to find words so he could speak

Quenchar felt a lot of happiness rushing through his body. He finally felt his way out of the maze, but it was not enough. He knew that it was all based on his luck to get in. Quenchar was just ignoring the fact he might not get through and thought positive. Quenchar had lost his train of thought as he heard his mom talking to him. “I know, how about you get Drax, thank him and head to Comic House “said mom

“Okay mom, bye love you”

Chapter 4: The Extraordinary “Thanks”

Quenchar took his bike from the garage and cycled as fast as he could go. So he could stop at Drax’s house and thank him about The Scratch Card for The Sacred Voice event.

 On the way Quenchar saw the amazing view of the Drax’s neighborhood which was at the bottom of the hill. Quenchar cycled downhill, he felt the wind go through his hair and he felt that he could fly because the speed at which he was going was pretty fast. Drax’s neighborhood is quite humongous; the neighborhood covers 730 acers of land. This would have taken a lot of time to reach but Drax lived right in front from where his neighborhood started. Drax lived in a street named: Whemy Whimlock Street, this always made Quenchar laugh. He peddled his way through the pavement trying not to hurt anyone and he finally reached Drax’s house.

Drax has a big house. In Drax’s house there are 5 bedrooms, 2 big servant rooms, a very big backyard which has a swimming pool and a huge front yard.  Drax uses one of the servant rooms as his conference room, in that room there was a long table which had 4 chairs and a projector.

“Drax, can you come out please? Quenchar yelled.

Drax’s mother opend the front door from the living room balcony and said:

“Hi Quenchar, how are you doing”

“I’m doing fine Mrs. Johnson; can Drax come out to play?” asked Quenchar

“Oh, you boys want to go to Comic House®?” asked Mrs. Johnson

“Yes” said Quenchar

“Okay, come in while I bring him to you and you boys can decide what to do and where you want to go” said Mrs. Johnson

Quenchar walked into their house and admiringly looked around. He saw how big their house was; Drax walked down the stairs happily and saw Quenchar

“Hey Quenchar, what’s up” asked Drax

“Well of course the celling, but thank you so much for giving this to me” said Quenchar with a smile on his face

“Have you opend it?” asked Drax

Quenchar shook his head and said

“I want to open it with you”

“All righty lets go to our conference room.” Said Drax escorting Quenchar to their big backyard

“Okay, let us get started”

“Quenchar, this is right now depending on your luck and if you don’t get in you are going to stand in line to get through” said Drax

“Okay” said Quenchar

He took his finger nail and scratched the silver part and saw this:

“You’re In Congratulations”

“Oh my gosh I’m through”

“Great going buddy” said Drax

“This requires a celebration!” shouted Quenchar happily!

Quenchar had never felt so happy, and he had found his way out of the maze. Quenchar thought that this is the whole world to him. Now I need to practice like I never did before thought Quenchar. 

Chapter 5: Rehearsal Time

Quenchar was delighted that he got selected, and he just couldn’t stop thinking about it. He cycled uphill until he passed a neighborhood called Mid-Point. Quencher got tired because from Mid-Point to Frenzical (another neighborhood) the hill got very steep. He decided to walk with his bike until he passed Frenzical. It was 10:55 AM when Quenchar got home. He realized something smelled good at his house; the smell of the house was different. It smelled of a baked cake.

“Mom?” “Have you baked something?” Quenchar asked his mom expecting a reply

“Yes, I have.” “I have baked your favorite cake” said his mom’

Quenchar had a huge smile on his face. He loved his mom’s homemade cake. Quenchar remembered on his 5^th birthday just a year before his dad died, his mom made this cake for the first time and it made him really happy.

“Thanks mom for baking this cake for me” said Quenchar

Quenchar’s mom smiled at him

“Well, I got good news” said Quenchar

“You’re in!?” exclaimed his mom

Quenchar nodded

“OMG” “This is amazing!” “You’re in” said his mom in excitement

“I’m going to go and meet the judges, okay” said Quenchar

“Okay, go now” “Do you want me to come?” asked his mom

“No, no need.” “I’ll go by myself” said Quenchar

Quenchar did not feel to take his bike to Comic House® and decided to walk. Since he wanted to avoid the crowd in front of his neighborhood’s mall named ‘Crowdex Mall’ because of the huge discount of 75% off in a few shops. He had to go through the woods as a short cut, Quenchar dislike the woods a lot because it creeps him out. He had no choice since it was a short route to Comic House® which leads him to the Ordlexo National Park where he can walk easily to Comic House®.

 Quenchar felt really excited about meeting the judges and he felt that they were going to like his spirit and let him win the million dollars itself but that is not possible because there might be a better singer than him which is like one in a million. He finally reached Ordlexo National Park where he could see the big Comic House® comic mall. The big mall was well decorated with neon’s and a big sign saying ‘The Sacred Voice’. Quenchar noticed a small reading next to the big writing; he couldn’t read it because he was standing too far. As Quenchar moved towards Comic House® he read the paragraph, ‘This event happens once in four years. To be voted as ‘The Voice Of The World’ you need to bring out the most unique part of yourselfand let the world know who the best singer was. You can also win a title named as ‘Magic’ for most upcoming talent. The title ‘The Singing Impediment’ for your disabilities or larynx infection, 500 thousand dollars will be given to you if you have won this title. ‘The Rookie’ this title is the second best singer in ‘The Sacred Voice’ event. Quenchar seemed very impressed about the competition as he walked in the Comic House® ‘The Sacred Voice’ event

Quenchar went and met the judges. He saw 4 judges standing together. He was eves dropping on the last person who was here and they just plainly say hi and introduce them self like they were programmed to do that only. Quenchar walked in front and looked at all 4 and guessing that they were going to do the same thing, it turned out Quenchar was right

“Hi, I am Nattie” said one of the judges

“Hello, I am Shlock” said the judge standing next to Nattie

“Hello there, my name is Trafaquer” said the judge standing up straight like he was saluting the flag of Ordlexo next to Nattie

“Hi, I’m Julie” said the judge standing next to Trafaquer

“Hi I am Quenchar” said Quenchar with a faint smile

“Wow, that is such a unique name and it sounds really nice” said Nattie

“Quenchar, huh, nice name buddy” complimented Trafaquer

“Thanks” said Quenchar putting his hand behind his head

“Well, welcome to the show” said Julie

“Oh, I know I am saying this again, keep practicing”

“Sure thing” replied Quenchar

Quenchar has been practicing for days. Sometimes he sang too loud and other times he sang to soft. This time he sung very loud so loud that his mom had to personally come to his room and zip it up

“Okay, honeys please do not sing that loud please.”

“Sure thing mom” said Quenchar

Quenchar continued to practice to sing because he wanted to win those one million dollars fair and square.

Chapter 6: The Time Has Come

It was time and Quenchar was dressed up for his show. Quenchar was wearing jeans, a black T-shirt with a bowtie and a pitch black polished Jimmy Gorickson shoes. Quenchar was going to sing in front more than 1500 people and the whole of Ordlexo would be watching him. He just realized that his throat was paining.Oh no Quenchar thought to himself, this was not supposed to happen now. Quenchar practically had his heart in his mouth panicking saying:

“Oh god no!” “This is wrong!” “This is not supposed to happen now!” “Go away you useless pain in the throat”

As the pain in the throat was still there, Quenchar went downstairs and poured hot water in a glass mixed with turmeric and salt. Quenchar looked around to see if anybody was watching him and speed walked into the bathroom to gargle with the mixtureof water that he was holding in his hand to try and calm down the swelling. He looked at the bathroom mirror and shook his head in shame, thinking that he should have been more careful when he was rehearsing.

“Quenchar we have to go!” “Come on before the traffic hits the road” said his mom

“Oh, Quenchar I have to drop Jane and Jemma at their friend’s houses for the night, luckily it’s on the way”

The Jaxson’s ran to the car and their mom hit the gas. Quenchar thought that he is going to fail and rather not sing and just flee the competition. Since they were already on the road there was no turning back.

Comic House® was really packed. There were people all over the place, Quenchar felt really scared and his heart was racing. He felt like jumping into a volcano. Quenchar could feel his body burn as he could imagen himself jumping into a volcano. Quenchar thought that it was a bit too brutal to imagen himself burn and just stopped to think about him burning in molten rocks.

“Okay sweetie” “You are going to go in there and show who really is boss” said his mom with a smile.

When Quenchar walked in Comic House® and felt the cold windy A/C breeze coming onto his head and chest. He looked around the place and the most common thing he could see was people. Everywhere he looked at there were only people.

Quenchar walked through two big doors which had a curve at the top. It was like he was walking inside a big carnival at an English auditorium. He and his mom had split up because she was not a contestant. Quenchar was still panicking. He was waiting patiently and realized he can’t run from participation. He had to go and face his fear and everybody is going to be watching him. The one thing Quenchar hoped that they will not make a meme out of his singing and his voice.

“Hey” “Buddy, you’re going next” addressed one of the back stage members.

“Okay, thanks” said Quenchar flatting his shirt and correcting his bowtie, okay here it goes. Quenchar walked on stage looking at the ground, out of the corner of his eyes he saw how massive the crowd was.

“Okay, let’s see what you got”

 said the judgesQuenchar realized that he can’t sing with the problem he has got with his larynx, and he decided to walk out of stage and just go home, when he was just about to leave, he thought that leaving would not do any good forhim. With his courage and confidence he pulled himself up and walked right back on to stage and he was ready. He realized that this competition was not about winning that one million dollars, it’s about finding the key to the lock, so that you could see more, do more, read more, and most of all,‘Be more’. “I’m ready” said Quenchar

“All righty, here we go. This is the music. Now just sing” said Shlock

Quenchar gave his best and he just hummed and tried his best to sing, the moment the song was over he walked off stage. Even though his voice was cracking. Quenchar could not feel anything. He felt hollow, he felt that his soul had disintegrated and his mind was perished.

Chapter7: The Exceptional Ending

It was a fine Monday morning. There was no school due to an event which was taking place at his school called theMulti-Achieving Scholars Cap. Quenchar seemed really joyous that he did not have to go for the event. He woke up normally. He just got up stretched and. It took him a while to notice some big card on his table. He tried to read it with his strained eyes, ‘Congratulation. You have not won the million dollars but you have won 500 thousand dollars and the title ‘The Singing Impediment’ of the season. We hope you continue singing after your discovery of your disability or infection. Get well soon Quenchar was just very happy that he did it; he went on stage and gave it the best he could have givenwith that larynx. Well we all have happy endings thought Quenchar, but he felt this one as a stupendous ending.

THE END