Adrianna went ahead near Fleur and looked at the huge poster. The poster was like a film running in a huge photo frame setting that was suspended in the air. The film showed girls dancing with their partners in a circle on music that was playing the background. The dance got over with each of them bowing. All of them were wearing exotic gowns and looked beautiful.

"What is this about, Fleur?" asked Adrianna as she rested her hand on her shoulders.

​​

"This is just a fun event of winter carnival in which mostly people from the age group of sixteen to thirty are allowed to participate. We all have to create our own dresses and then at the end of the day, we have to dance with our partners. The girl with the best dress usually wins the crown of the 'Belle of the Ball'," explained Fleur with a glint in her eyes. She loved the way the girls were dancing there in the picture.

"When is the competition?" asked Adrianna thinking that it would be a week or two later considering the exotic outfits the girls were wearing.

"It is going to be tomorrow. So let's participate. We have plenty of time to prevent our partners for dancing."

"Tomorrow?" Adrianna was shocked. "We cannot stitch our dresses by tomorrow! Plus I don't have those kinds of gowns. So it is better that you participate in it."

"Come on Adrianna, don't be such a spoilsport. You must take part in this competition," coaxed Fleur.

"Fleur, it is impossible to stitch a dress like that in a day. The tailor would take at least a month to come anywhere near those kinds of dresses," reasoned Adrianna.

"If it is about the dresses then you don't have to bother," said Fleur. She held Adrianna's hand and dragged her inside the hall where they were registering the names of the participants. From the corner of her eyes, Adrianna noticed that Lile was also standing in line to register her name. Their eyes met and Lile ignored Adrianna. Adrianna remembered how Lile had misled her in the Second stage of competition. Adrianna also ignored her.

She turned to Fleur and said, "I really don't want to take part in this competition. I mean I cannot see myself as the Belle of the ball." Adrianna chuckled.

"Hush," said Fleur by putting a finger on her lips. Dimitri and Liam had followed the girls inside. They were standing in the corner watching this with interest. They were excited to take part and dance with their partners. When the registration finished, the girls came to them. Before the girls could say anything, Dmitri asked, "So how are we going to get the partners? Is it random or do I have to necessarily dance with Adrianna?" He sounded thrilled at the thought.

Adrianna narrowed her eyes and answered, "It is random. The girls get to choose their partners to dance with."

"What?" Dmitri's face paled. He wouldn't allow Adrianna to dance with anyone else. He had thought that this joke would provoke Adrianna instead he started feeling insecure. "In that case I am sorry but Adrianna cannot take part in this competition."

"Who said so? I will take part," harrumphed Adrianna and walked away from there asking, "How do we get the gowns?"

Dmitri ran after her. "Baby, it was a joke," he was heard speaking behind her.

Fleur laughed as Liam shook his head. Dmitri was beginning to become such a flirt and tease and Adrianna was getting wiser by the day.

"For the competition, each registrant is given a mannequin on which they can create a dress," said Fleur.

"Huh? How can a mannequin make a dress?" Adrianna was intrigued.

"You just have to think what would you want and tell the mannequin your design. The mannequin starts working on its own pace and will stitch the dress for you," said Fleur, which made Adrianna all the more interested in it.

"Where are the mannequins?" asked Adrianna enthusiastically.

Fleur took out two token from her pants pocket. She handed one to Adrianna and said, "Here's your token. We are going to give this to the tailor master. He will note down the number and give you a mannequin to work upon."

"What about the dress material? Will the tailor give that too?"

"Of course! Everything belongs to the competition organizers."

Adrianna became all the more excited. She had never been in this kind of a competition. More than the competition, she looked forward to making her gown. They walked around the hall on the outside and reached a small shop where the tailor master was sitting. There was once again a line of boys and girls standing to take the mannequins assigned to them while some of them were going back carrying their mannequins.

The tailor master handed them their mannequins after noting down their numbers. He was so busy with all this that he didn't even have the time to look at them.

Fleur guided Adrianna to yet another hall where people had kept their mannequins. All the mannequins were kept in a neat line. There were rows upon rows of those and some of them had unstitched dresses on them, while some of them were waiting for their owners. It gave an eerie look.

"What about the material? Do we have to go elsewhere to fetch it?" asked an eager Adrianna after keeping her mannequin next to Fleur's.

"No!" blurted Fleur. "Watch me."

Fleur imagined her dress and instructed her mannequin as to what she wanted. At times when she couldn't instruct, she only imagined. Slowly a green colored net fabric appeared on the mannequin. The fabric started arranging itself into the design Fleur had thought. Stitches started appearing on their own. Green colored beads appeared and arranged themselves on the neckline.

Then Fleur looked at Adrianna and said, "All you have to do is imagine a dress and instruct the design to your mannequin. It will automatically start stitching the dress. The material will be taken from the tailor's shop."

Adrianna eyes became wide with amusement. Even Dmitri and Liam, who had followed their girls, looked interested.

"What if someone steals my dress?" asked Adrianna. She wasn't sure that the mannequin would even remain stable on the ground.

Fleur looked at her with a weird expression. "Nobody can steal your mannequin, let alone your dress!"