Samantha - SO MAD.

I am so, so upset. I cannot believe I didn't win! I ma so, so, so, much better then that idiot Rebecca! She did NOT deserve to win - not at all! Sure, she's pretty, but so what? I have a better personality, and I am a hundred times more talented then she is. Everybody loved my singing! She is just some dancer who thinks she can come in here and ruin everything for me. It is not fair. I deserved to win! I wanted it so much. She doesn't even care! I cannot believe it, i just can't!

I guess it's not her fault that she won, though. I'm not really mad at her. Not really. It wasn't her fault. It's the judges I'm mad at, really.

Maybe next year, then.

Samantha

PS here are some backstage pics of us!

Lliyana - Winner!

They went to announce names of the girls who got the top twelve scores......and we all listened with bated breath. All three were called. They asked these twelve girls to come onstage. They started by announcing the five lowest of those scores - the five Honorable Mentions. The man with the big voice and mustache climbed onstage to read the names.

" Diana Sinclair. Samantha Parkington. Rita-Maria Johnson. Casey Townsend. Maisey Douglas. Please come up here to get your prize." He boomed. The five girls - an indian girl in a silver strapless dress, a blue-eyed redhead in blue chiffon, a blond with long curls and a pink dress, and a dark-haired, dark-eyed little thing in gold - And Samantha, with an expression of horror on her face -  walked up to get their prizes and pose for pictures. The dark haired one especially was very pretty. Samantha looked positively livid, and excepted her ribbon with a stoney face full of ice and annoyance. She shot evil glares at Rebecca and Melanthe; both of whom were still in the running. I felt bad for her; I knew how much she wanted to win. Samantha can be very competitive. 

Then, the man began to announce the top seven places - first, second, third, and the four runners up. Melanthe looked very excited and nervous, but Rebecca just looked indifferent.

"In seventh place, we have Jessica Nelson!" He intoned. A petite, skinny blond with her hair piled on top of her head, and glittering with jeweled bobby pins, a short silver sequined dress with thin straps, and silver lace up sandals gave a little shriek. She jumped forward to get her ribbon, smiling broadly.

"In sixth place, we have Nalana Handover!" He called, smiling at the crowd. Nalana was a tall african american girl in a short sleeved yellow dress with a tight bodice and a silky skirt that was cut at a diagonal angle. She was super pretty, and I thought she should have placed higher, but she had stuttered a bit in her poem, so I bet she lost points for that. I didn't remember her question section, but I remember that she played the cello in talent, and sang along in a clear, sweet, voice. She glided forward and accepted her ribbon.

"In fifth place we have Megan Tomalas!" The man announced, grinning. A pretty Latina girl with curly hair down her back and dark eyes stepped forward. She was wearing a green dress with a light black tulle overskirt and sleeves made out of the same material. She had danced in the talent division, a pretty ballet piece that even Rebecca had liked. I remembered Rebecca saying that Megan was in one of her dance classes.

"In forth place, we have Melanthe Rose Willins!" He said. Melanthe gave a bit of a a gasp, then strode forward, her blue gown sweeping the floor, her red hair glinting in the light. Me and Ani screamed and jumped up and down, cheering for Mellie. She smiled as she accepted her ribbon, and ran to join the other girls at the back of the stage, where she gave a huge wave o Rebecca. Only three girls were left now. Samantha was looking like the devil, all screwed up in anger.

"In third place, we have Christina Carlyle! "His voice boomed. Out stepped the pretty chinese girl with her long hair braided with red ribbon, wearing a long red strapless dress with a little train. I remembered that she had sung in the talent division, a pretty song called 'Nobody's Crying.' It was very a very haunting, mournful, ballad. I remember hearing a very different, country version of this song once, that I didn't like. Ani, who was sitting next to me, leaned over and whispered that Sutton Foster had sung the song on her album, but had changed it from the country version, to a prettier, softer one, which is the version Christina had sung.  I remember one line that went "I just have a secret hop/sometimes all we do is hope/but somewhere on the steepest slope,/ Theres an endless road,/ And nobody' crying." I clapped very hard for her. Only two people were left now. Rebecca, and a tall blond who's name I forgot.

"In second place, we have.......... Kaitlyn Masaka!" Kaitlyn was the tall blonde with an enormous chest who was wearing a lot of eye-makeup, and a short little sparkly green and silver dress with no sleeves. She also wore black fishnet tights, and green high heels. Her hair was braided and curled, hanging down her back in a beautiful mass of gold, entwined with bits of glittery clips and green ribbon. She looked like a mermaid. Evidently, that was the effect she had wanted, because if you looked closely, you could see a silver starfish charm around her neck. I remembered that in the talent division, she'd played the flute. She had been really good, too. I screamed for her, and gave a wild thumbs up for Rebecca! She was the only one left onstage. I could see Samantha with her face screwed up and anger in her eyes.

When Rebecca was announced as the winner, everybody went wild! She was graceful as she glided forward to accept her medal, her smile warm and pretty as cameras snapped. Her curly hair caught the light like branches on a summer day, and she glowed with pride as she posed for pictures. I glanced at the rest of the winners. They were all cheering and laughing. I saw Melanthe chatting with Maisey Douglas and Christina Carlyle. I looked around for Samantha, but I didn't see her. Oh no. Trouble was brewing.

Lilyana - pageant, the final part! (mostly pictures)

Okay guys, this last section of the pageant was for beauty....so this is mostly pictures. Let me tell you, watching 50 girls walk around in pretty dresses gets super boring....I wonder how the judges stand it?

Anyway, here goes. 

And finally, the judges went off in a huddle to talk and add up scores.....and we waited, and waited. Here are some pictures of the girls waiting backstage.

.........

Lilyana - Pageant part three

The third section of the Pageant is Question and Answer. In which the judges ask four questions of each contestant, and they answer.

First up was Rebecca!

Q – How to you imagine your death?

A – I want to live briefly and brightly. I want to live a passionate, exciting life that inspires others, and leaves its mark on our planet forever. But I want to die as I am winding down, not exactly in the middle of glory, but on the downward arc. I want to be remembered, I do not want to be just another meaningless life. I want to die while listening to music, alone under the stars at night. I shall not be buried.

Q – What do you regret?

A – I regret a lot of things, not I don’t want to talk about them today. If we spend all our lives thinking about what we should have done, we will never do anything, or be anyone in life. I want to look forward, not dwell on the past.

Q -  If you could take away either hate or war from the world, what would it be?

A – A lot of people might say hate, because hate is bad, and starts the wars which cause hunger, but I disagree. Often, it is fear and ignorance that starts wars, not hatred. It is hatred that grows from war, as hunger and poverty does. It would be wrong to end hatred, because it is one of the things that drives people, and makes them passionate, makes them do things. And a lot of times, hatred spawns goodness. Hunger is something that can be controlled, really, something we can really do without, and we need hatred. We can’t always control hunger and poverty, but we can learn to control our hatred. We can learn not to use it for bad. Hunger, however, causes so much problems in the world.

Q -  What have you learned from life? What do you want to learn?

A – I have learned that nothing turns out the way you expected – and you have to live with that. It’s a fact of life, and nothing we do can change it. We have to muddle along and try and make the best out of what we’ve got, no matter what. Everybody has problems, and everybody deals with shit in their lives. But that’s not who we are. Not unless we make ourselves so.

Samantha

Q – What was the happiest moment of your life?

A – When I first found out I had gotten into Sutton, I was ecstatic. It was all I ever wanted.

Q – Are you ambitious?

A – Yes, I am, and I see no harm in that unless it gives harm to others. I want to go somewhere in this world, and I want to work hard to get there!

Q – What is your biggest fear?

A – My biggest fear is fire. I am deathly afraid of burning to death on my bed!

Q – What trait to you like in yourself? In others?

A – In myself, I like that I’m a pretty dependable person. I try to be there for my friends. In others, I like honesty. I hate being lied to!

  

Q - How would you like to be remembered?

A – I want to be remembered as somebody who liked to live, as somebody who took pleasure from life and thrived on excitement and love. I want to be remembered as somebody special, but not fantastic, somebody ordinary who made her life count.

Q – How do you imagine death?

A – I imagine death as nothing – simply nothing; like falling asleep. No heaven, no anything like that. I don’t believe in god. But, like all matter is the same matter that was here from the start, we are ‘recycled;’ we are reborn, in a way. Not as ourselves, but as somebody else. In us right now, we have a million lives.

Q –  What trait to you like in yourself? In others?

A – In myself, I like that I am optimistic. I like being able to find the good in a situation, and see the laughter in something embarrassing. In others, I like friendliness; because i love making friends. I like people who are open to others; I have no patience for the people that back away; when you step forward, you get the light!

Q –If your friend stole something and you were there; what would you do?

A – I pride myself on being a loyal friend. I wouldn’t tell on her right then; in the store, but when we got out of the store; I’d tell her that I knew what she had done, and that it was wrong. I’d tell her that she had to stop, or else I would tell, because she could get in trouble.

And the score stands........

Samantha - 8.3

Total - 26.8

Melanthe - 9.6

Total - 28.4

Rebecca - 9.9

Total - 29.8

To Be Continued Tomorrow...................

Lilyana - Pageant, part two

Here we go with part two - Poetry!



First up was Rebecca, in a floaty pink dress with a soft skirt and flower embroidery, her curls framing her face, who recited 'The Highway Man.' The poem was about a highway man who goes and sees his lover, Bess, the landlord daughter. He tells her that he's 'After A Prize Tonight,' and will be back before the next midnight. Tim, the ostler, who also loves Bess, listens to this, and rats out the highwayman to the Kings men. They come and wait in ambush at the inn. Bess sacrifices her own life to save him. Once he learns what she has done, he gets killed in a futile fight for revenge. He dies with her love knot on his chest. At the end, it says that the ghosts meet again on spooky nights, "When the road is a  ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor." That poem is so sad, it makes me cry. It made one of the judges cry to, I think. It was a perfect choice for Rebecca; who does tragedy so well. She said it perfectly, and one could not help but imagine her as the dark-haired Bess. I was sobbing when she finished, her voice railing off on "Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair..." 

   

"And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, 

                               When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas..."     

Next up was Samantha, her dark hair pulled back from her face, wearing a simple blue dress with flowers on it, who recited 'Eldorado.' I'm not that big a fan of this poem, but it's one of Rebecca's favorites, she said, and she suggested it for Samantha. It's about a gallant knight who travels for his whole life in search of the fabled 'Eldorado', but a specter appears and basically tells him that he's wasting his time. Rebecca said that it was about how impossible it was to obtain true happiness and wisdom in life, and that those who spend their whole life looking for it will be wasted. I don't agree with that, because I think we can be happy, but that's just one of the ways Rebecca and I disagree. Anyway, Samantha said it fairly well. Although she did tell me that she doesn't really agree with it, it sure sounded amazing!

"Gaily bedight, a gallant night, in sunshine and in shadow, journeyed long, singing a song, in search of Eldorado."

Next was Melanthe, wearing a short red silk dress, her long red hair loose around her face, who recited the famous - but never old - poem; The Raven. I love, love, love this poem! It is utterly spooky and extremely sad. I feel so bad for the man, and I always wonder what happened to Lenore. The poem is about a man, sitting lonely and remembering the loss of his love, Lenore. He hears tapping at the window, and opens it to find a raven, who can talk. The bird keeps saying 'Nevermore,' indeed, it is the only word it knows. Basically, he gets really angry at the raven, who sits forever on this bust over his door. It is a really, really, depressing poem. Honestly, why can't people read Happy poems at these pageant? I just don't get all this gloom-and-doom stuff. Melanthe, however, likes gloom-and-doom, and therefor adores this poem. She said it really eerily, too. The audience clapped and clapped!

"Quoth the Raven - Nevermore!"

And the score stands........

Samantha - 8.9
Total - 18.5

Melanthe - 9.5
Total - 18.8

Rebecca - 10
Total - 19.9

To Be Continued Tomorrow...................

Lilyana - The pageant, part one - Talent

Here it is,  folks, the post you've all been waiting for.......well, posts, really. Ww decided to tell about the pageant in four separate posts; because we have so many pictures. And, of course, I am the one to talk about it, because I wasn't competing and am therefor impartial. In theory. But, well, why am I wasting time here? Let the pageant re-telling begin!

First up was Rebecca, who played 'Learn To Be Lonely' From Phantom Of The Opera on her guitar. 'Learn to be Lonely' is a really tragic, haunting, song, and it sounded superb on the guitar. She was wearing a long white dress, and her curly hair was loose. She looked really pretty under the muted spotlights, and the crowd went wild when she finished. Samantha, on the other hand, frowned, hoping that Rebecca would not pose to big of a competition.

"Child Of the wilderness, born into emptiness, learn to be lonely. Learn to find your way in darkness."

Melanthe was the next of our girls to go; taking the stage in a bed dress with ribbon at the throat and sleeves, and her red hair up in a dainty bun. Her song was on the flute, and as you know she played the song 'Perfect.' She played it almost flawlessly, the clear tones of the flute echoing through the dark theatre. She got a pretty good reception from the crowd to, and the judges looked pleased, from what I could see. 

Melanthe bows to the crowd after she finishes.

The last of us to go was Samantha. She, donned in a flattering black velvet gown with a full skirt and a low neckline, sang the song 'I'll Never Have That Chance.' The song was about a vampire trapped in eternal childhood, who wishes more then anything to become a woman. Personally, I think it is a rather touching song, and very, very sad. I feel bad for the little vampire girl, because it wasn't even her choice to become a vampire.  I also think Samantha made the right choice to wear black, because it is kind of a somber song. 

".......They look at me and what they see is one more painted china doll...."

"...Inside of me there is someone who could have been somebody's wife, who could have watched her children go, who could have had a normal life...."

 As Samantha reached the end of her song, the crowd went nuts! She bowed happily, and went backstage. There were still fifteen more people to go, but all of our girls were done, and changing for the next round.

And the score stands........

Samantha - 9.6
Total - 9.6

Melanthe - 9.3
Total - 9.3

Rebecca - 9.9
Total - 9.9

To Be Continued Tomorrow...................

Samantha - Nervous

I am so nervous for the pageant tomorrow. What if I don't win? What if Rebecca wins, again? I have to win, I want it so bad. I'm tired of not winning; and ever since Rebecca came thats all I've been doing. And she doesn't even care! She never talks about winning it, never seems to think about it. She doesn't deserve to win at all! So its not fair that she's the pretty one, the talented one. I should win this pageant, because I know that I deserve to win. Melanthe says I'm to competitive, but I'm not. Is it such a crime, really, to want to win a pageant? To want what is rightfully yours? I don't think so. Melanthe is to laid back about the whole pageant thing, and honestly, I'm glad. She can get pretty mean sometimes; look how nasty she was to Rebecca at the beginning of the summer, when we first found out we were moving.

I guess I should give you guys an update on that. As you know, my mother told as at the end of June that we would be moving, because we needed more space. The only problem was, the new house didn't have a loft like the one we sleep in now. Because of that, one of the boarders (Mellie or Rebecca) would have to leave. There was a huge fight - well, a number of them - about who would leave; Rebecca point-blank refusing, and Melanthe getting super mad. Fortunately, disaster was averted when we split up for most of July - Melanthe to her parents beach house, Lilyana to her father in Montana (Where more drama ensued), and Rebecca to dance camp. While I was here, however, things began to happen. First of all, we couldn't find a buyer for our current house, so things got paused for a while. We still don't have a buyer; so I guess this whole moving business is on a kind of permanent hold. I'm hoping that whatever happens, it happens in enough time that we don't go crazy like we did in july. It was kind of decided that it would be Melanthe that leaves, but nobody is really willing to talk about it. So.....what are we going to do? I have no idea. I just hope that things will work themselves out to a (preferably happy) conclusion. Since the house isn't sold yet, and the new house isn't bought yet - we're waiting until we sell this one, we don't want two houses- who knows? Anything could happen.

Samantha.

*See Notes From The Artistic Director

Melanthe - Choosing dresses for the pageant!

Today we looked through all our dresses to find the perfect ones of the pageant. Since Lilyana backed out, she helped all of us, and settled any 'Friendly Disputes.'

Lilyana helped Rebecca decide between a flowery pink dress, and a shimmery yellow strapless. Rebecca looks surprisingly good in yellow, but that pink dress also fits her perfectly. 

Samantha and I hunt through the chest of drawers to unearth forgotten garments. I found a black velvet dress that I didn't even know we had. It's very pretty, but I'm not to fond of the idea of wearing black in the pageant. I'm not sure that thats what the judges are looking for. Samantha was looking at the ruffley pink dress that i wore at the last pageant. Well, she can use that one, I don't think the judges liked me in it all that much. 

Here it is! This is the other dress I wore last year. It's one of my favorites, but I'm worried that it looks to little-kiddish. You know, with the polka dots and the ribbon. I don't want to look to childish, but I really do like it. They say Redheads can't wear pink, but I like pink. I'm not afraid to wear it at all, not like some redheads I know. 

Ah! The multitudes of dresses to be had. 

Lilyana, searching in the back of the closet, found the red dress I wore on the Forth of July, and thought that it was perfect for Samantha. 

"I don't know..." Samantha said, reaching out to hesitantly take the dress. "I have another that I like better."

"Well, you can wear it when you sing." Lilyana said, smiling. "You need a separate dress for that, right?"

"Yeah, I do. Do you think a red dress is to bold, though?"

"I wouldn't wear it; but I guess thats why I'm not going. You'd look great. And anyway, I thought the judges liked bold."

"Good point." Samantha said, taking the dress.

We all were mystified be this random purple dress that, although pretty, was something that none of us remembered owning. We were all mystified as to who's it was, until I remembered that I'd borrowed it ages ago from Maddi and never bothered to give it back. Oh well, if one of us wants to wear it for the pageant, I'm sure she won't mind. She doesn't look good in purple, anyway. :) 

Two days until the pageant! 

Melanthe