CHAPTER 10 (FINISHED EDITING)

I imagined my mum smiling as she fiddled with the dandelions trying to make a daisy chain. She was sitting in between dads legs leaning against his chest.

Sophia and I were playing with bubbles and we were both twirling around with bubble mixture and our bubble wands trying to make the biggest bubbles. We were having a picnic on our red chequered blanket on a field of dandelions.

I took a breath as I picked the first few notes, I opened my eyes and saw my parents in front of me sitting where the judges used to be, they smiled.

I closed my eyes again and I opened my mouth and sing softly, "And after the storm,'" I take a breath and picture my mum laughing, 'I run and run as the rains come but I look up,"

I take another breath, breathing in confidence, "I look up,"

I see dad pressing his lips to my mum's forehead and Sophia slapping her small hands over her eyes, "On my knees and out of love, I look up."

I open my eyes and see them sitting there again with Sophia, 'Night has always pushed up days,' In my mind I see the familiar wrinkles by dads green eyes, 'You must know life to see decay, but I won't rot,' I smile hearing my mums laugh in my ear, 'I won't rot.'

"Not this mind, and not this heart, I won't rot."

Sophia's playing with a ladybug she found in the grass; she wants it as a pet.

"And I took you by the hand, and we stood tall,"

Dad tries to take the ladybug but it opens it wings and flies away, "And remembered our own land,"

"What we live for,"

I open my eyes and they're gone. I see that I'm surrounded with mist and the bottles are floating around, some lit with candles but what catches my attention is the audience with their lights on their phones switched on waving them slowly around. I smile and sing for my parents, Sophia, my friends, the people in the audience, Xavier...

I sing with all I've got, straight from the heart,

"There will come a time you see,

With no more tears,

And love will not break your heart but

Dismiss your fears,

Get over your hill and see what you find there

With grace in your heart and

Flowers in you hair,"

I hold the note, my fingers knowing exactly what to play on guitar as my voice falls back, quiet but now confident, watching the audience, "Now I cling to what I knew,"

"I saw exactly what was true but oh no more,"

While I'm gazing across the sea of people in my mind my mums reading Sophia and I a bedtime story, Cinderella.

"It's why I hold, it's why I hold with all I have, that's why I hold,"

I tell my mum that I want to find my Prince Charming. Sophia agrees.

"And I won't die alone, and be left there,"

She laughs softly and tells me that Prince Charming will find me instead. I just have to wait.

"Well I guess I'll just go home, oh God knows where,"

She kisses us goodnight as dad comes in, my voice grows louder, "Because death is just so full, and man so small,"

He kisses us goodnight as well and tucks us in together. Sophia is scared of thunderstorms.

"Well I'm scared of what's behind, and what's before."

The song reaches its climax as I sing the chorus again,

"There will come a time you see,

With no more tears,

And love will not break your heart

But dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see

What you find there

With grace in your heart and

Flowers in your hair."

I repeat the chorus again, more softly as the song finishes on me holding the last word and then my hands come to a still as the final note is played.

My ears are blocked to the roar of the audience applauding. I hear whistles and cheering and the lights blink back on as the mist fades. I look to the screen and see my family photo and the words printed in white cursive at the bottom, 'Grace Kennedy 1965-2012, Adam Kennedy 1962-2012'

Tears fill my eyes but I hold them in catching my breath. I look at the judges and all of them are smiling. Mr. Matthews was about to say something but Xavier grabs the mic, "That was absolutely incredible, well done," he says.

I smile at him and after another round of applause walk off back side stage where Rose tackles me into a hug.

I can't hold it anymore and I lose it, sobbing over my friend as wave after wave of memories come crashing down on me.

From the last day we had together, to when we get home from school to an empty house, to receiving a door knock and opening it to see a pretty police woman standing at our door, to going to the hospital and seeing their bruised bodies one last time, to seeing Aunt Rose, mum's sister, kneeling over sobbing, to the funeral where the bodies are laid out in two coffins next to each other, not crying until it's my turn to give a speech, I stand in front of everyone and burst into tears making Sophia cry, Aunt Rose rubbing my back as I give a teary speech and finally going to the burial sight for the first and last time. They're buried together right next to each. People throw red roses in and everyone leaves. But I stay and see the cemetery keeper pile the dirt back on top of their bodies and I see the headstone being laid. And when he leaves I drench the newly turned earth in my salty tears. Aunt Rose finds me at dusk where I had fallen asleep.

Slowly my mind comes back to the present but everything is a murmur. Rose holds me and I feel Taliah rubbing my back. Soon I pull myself together.

I hate feeling weak in front of others. It gives them an advantage.

I pull away and see Jo hurry in. She gives me a teary smile and dabs my eyes with tissues and cleans up the smudged make up. She touches me up and kisses my forehead just like my mother used to. She hugs me and says, "You made my cry, why'd you have to do that for?"

I give a small laugh before taking in deep breaths like my counsellor used to tell me to do. Taliah had taken my guitar and put it against the wall. Another guest star, Bruno Mars, performs as the judges decide who wins.

I drink lots of water.

After the performance and and the ad break Elliot comes on stage, "Wow!" He says simply and the audience applauds, "What a talented bunch of girls we have."

The audience keeps applauding.

The judges walk onto the stage and Xavier takes the microphone and says, "The winner of the talent show is given immunity and will be staying another week for sure," the audience claps as all us are walked onto the stage. Taliah and Rose holds my hands as I stare at the ground so the camera doesn't pick up that I've been crying.

"The winner of the Search for Cinderella talent show is,"

They had a drummer play out the drum roll, "Rose Carter!"

I grin and wrap my arms around her, "Good on you Rosie," She hugs me back until I push her forward where Xavier gives her a friendly hug and a red rose, the immunity rose. Elliot wraps the show over the craziness of the crowd and soon the cameras stop rolling. I see the dancer come and talk to Rose who then starts screaming "YES!" before calming down again. The dancer laughs and hugs Rose before walking off and giving her a card. Rose sees me and Taliah and runs over to us, "Guess what!?" she says excitedly. She doesn't even wait for a reply.

"She wants me to study at her famous dance school!"

I smile at her, "Congratulations Rose!"

Soon we are driven in two limos back to the mansion, all the girls clearly exhausted. I say goodnight to Rose who heads into her room.

Me, I was also mentally and emotionally exhausted and ready to sleep but before I could go to my room someone grabbed my arm and I knew it was Xavier as his scent washed over me. I drowsily followed him upstairs and collapsed onto a massive, comfy beanbag and curled up into a ball.

He laughs at me and kneels beside me, "You can't go to sleep yet Belle, you've still got your make up and your shoes."

I mumble but then sarcastically say, "Well if you let me go to my room I could get it off."

He chuckles again and then I feel his warm hand cup my chin as he moves my face. A damp tissue, probably some make up wipes, gently rubs across my cheeks and forehead taking off all foundation. Then it's moved across my eyelids and eyelashes and then my lips and my face feels fresh and clean but also warm from Xavier breathing close by.

"You did incredible tonight Belle," he whispers. I mumble a thank you and open my eyes a little bit to see him giving a small smile.

He stands up and walks to his desk he picks some stuff up and carries them back to me, "Do you want to sleep here tonight?"

I nod, too tired to move. He hands me some trackies along with one of his black shirts and some socks, the bed socks given out in aeroplanes.

He helps me up and I stand in a corner and change while watching him to make sure he doesn't watch. Soon I make my way back over and fall back down on the bean bag. He covers me in a heavy patchworked quilt with his scent all over it.

Surprisingly he lies next to me and whispers, "You know you were going to win but they couldn't have you winning immunity twice in a row."

"I don't mind," I mumble, "Rose deserves it."

I feel him smile and he carefully places an arm around my waist hesitating to see how I would react. I snuggle closer to him as he was keeping me warm in this cold attic, "My dad was impressed you know."

I smile against his chest too exhausted to say anything. He rubs my back and says ever so softly, "Go to sleep, Belle."

A/N: Wow, I feel emotionally drained writing this. What do you guys think? Is it ok? How do you feel about Xavier and Annie? (See, even I call her Annie. Belle is reserved for Xavier only, haha) the song Annie sang was After the Storm by Mumford and Sons, one of my most favourite songs in the world! Much love, Alexis xx

Question of the update: Let's go beauty pageant style. If you could change one thing in the world what would you change and why?