Page 74 of Darn Knit All
With a sigh, I let her go, watching her roll over to tap on her screen.
“Would I ever?” she prompted, sitting up in bed.
“Never mind. Let’s get ready for another day of competition.”
Dressed and with stomachs full of hotel fare, we made our way down to the giant conference room once more.
There was something in the air today, a kind of brimming nervous energy that set my senses on edge.
“A double elimination,” Michelle announced cheerfully as she outlined our next task. “This is a two-day challenge, and at the end of today, the team with the least creative vision, as decided by Erike, will be eliminated.”
I exchanged a wide-eyed look with Mai.
“Yes,” Michelle confirmed before anyone could ask. “We’re looking for bold designs—meek and mild has no place in this competition.”
Geeze, not even a chance to finish the design. Tough break.
“Tomorrow you’ll present your final product for judging. At which time, our judges will choose the top three teams to progress to the grand finale.”
I glanced at Mai, raising an eyebrow. “I thought this gig was meant to go for six weeks.”
She frowned. “So did I.”
“Your challenge today is something a little different,” Michelle said, a twinkle in her eye. “Today we’re off to the Royal Gala. You may choose any of the themes from the long and vivid history of the event—and we can’t wait to see which one you bring to life.”
She turned to the clock. “Competitors, your time starts….” She paused dramatically. “Now!”
Mai and I took off for the textile area, my mind racing as I tried to remember themes from previous years.
Surprisingly, I did remember one.
“Wasn’t there a year about Gods?”
“Heavenly bodies,” Mai confirmed, her gaze sweeping over the multitudes of fabrics at our fingertips. “That was the year Robbie Huynh and his wife, Astrid, were crowned best in show.”
“Wait, it’s a competition? What do they win? Rich people yachts?”
Mai chuckled. “Not quite. They did look incredible though.”
I glanced around, noting that the other contestants had already finished with their selections.
“What theme are we going for?”
Mai hesitated, then reached out to touch a bolt that seemed to be made of millions of sparkling tear drops.
“We’re going to do Awakening Beauties,” she said decisively. “I want a ballgown and the symbolism of the poisoned apple. We need to go with the romanticism and fantasy, the beauty and the drama.”
I nodded. “Can we add the mice into this?”
“What?”
“You know.” I held my hands up in front of my face, pretending to be a mouse. “Pumpkins and carriages, mice into horses.”
“That’s Cinderella.”
“Shit.” I held my arms out to accept the bolts of fabric she began to pull from the wall. “Which one has the bookstore?”
Mai snorted. “It’s a library, and that’s Beauty and the Beast.”
