Chapter 42: The Speech

The Gamma warriors fell back into the shadows. I told Susan to go take her seat in the audience and she obeyed.

I felt my body relax. Lily was satisfied.

And so was I.

It’s in your blood, she said to me.

You know it’s true. You were born to be their queen.

I looked out into the cheering crowd. And for the first time, I started to believe Lily a little. Maybe I did have something noble inside me.

Microphone feedback sounded as one of the judges picked up a mic and tapped it. He cleared his throat noisily and said, “Miss Yena, with perfect scores across the board, it’s clear to see that you are our winner today.”

The judge wanted to go on, but the audience rallied at this announcement, even though they’d already known I won.

I stood beside Lucy again and clasped her hand.

The judge pleaded with the audience to quiet down before he continued. “As we do each year at the end of this show, we welcome you to speak briefly about your collect