So, I'm really hoping that I can still enter. I'm pretty darn close to the deadline. *crosses fingers* My brand new graphics card (installed a week ago today) decided to have a meltdown yesterday, but I managed to get some shots before it completely died.

Also, I uploaded with MYP, but I didn't know how to resize. Do I just do it with the photo editor program on my computer? I hope that my ignorance will be forgiven for the first round.

Please let me know if I forgot/need to change something. Thanks!

Round 1: Flawless



Flawless. The word flitted around my head like a pesky mosquito, mocking me with its evasiveness. Nathaniel waved at me, his face breaking into a relaxed smile, and for the millionth time today I wondered how someone could be so completely and utterly flawless. Ava called to him, and he hurried away. I felt my stomach drop with disappointment, but I tried to keep smiling anyway.



He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. As she leaned in and stroked his cheek, her long hair draped elegantly over her shoulder, I couldn’t help but feel envious. She moved with such grace, such poise, that by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl. A skill that she had somehow managed to master while I was still busy trying to learn the basics.



It was supposed to be my day, a party to celebrate my high school graduation, but as usual it became about my sister Ava. She and Nathaniel were getting married in a couple of weeks, and the entire town was invited to the wedding. It was going to be the event of the year, and naturally everyone was eager to congratulate the happy couple. Everyone except me.



My great aunt Mildred approached me, a large glass of sherry already in her plump little hand.
“Congratulations Lily!” she slurred. “You must be so proud.”
I smiled at her benignly and nodded my head, silently begging her to leave me alone. She may have been drunk, but the old lady made me nervous. It was a well-known fact that Aunt Mildred’s late husband Fred was the richest man on this side of the Big Muddy river. After his death, Mildred took over the estate and became the matriarch of my family. Angering her was akin to angering a hungry lion. You were sure to pay for your crime dearly.



“So Lily,” she continued, her beady little eyes gazing at me expectantly. “Can I expect another wedding any time soon?”
Almost as if he sensed my panic, Dad appeared at my side with another glass of sherry. He handed it to Aunt Mildred, and with an amicable laugh he said, “Oh, Milly, are you bothering my poor daughter again?”
I stared at him in disbelief, my mouth agape with shock. No one called great aunt Mildred “Milly” and lived to tell the tale.
Mildred blinked a couple of times, not fully absorbing my father’s words, before shrieking with laughter.
“I like you Bob,” she said after a minute. “You’ve got balls.” Then she walked away, on to find her next victim.



I smiled faintly at my dad, and he winked back at me. It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived. Surely I would never have the courage to speak to Mildred that way, to stand up to her the way he just had.



With the party wrapping up and the last guests departing, I eagerly returned to my bedroom to work on my latest project. Last month, a prestigious university in Bridgeport had accepted me into their writing program, but my parents just could not afford the tuition. When they asked Aunt Mildred for help, she flat out refused, claiming that higher education was better left for the men.
“Why don’t you find yourself a nice, young entrepreneur?” she often asked me. “Like I did with your great Uncle Fred.”
The idea left me cold. No, I wanted to make something of myself. I was going to become a famous author one day, and if Aunt Mildred wasn’t going to help then I would make my own way.



I heard a loud knock, and I jumped out of my chair. Before I could answer, the door swung open and Ava strutted into my room.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, her face pinched in disapproval.
“Nothing,” I replied feebly. I hated conflict, but my sister looked ready for a fight.
She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “The night of your high school graduation, and you’re staying home?”
I looked down, embarrassed. She always knew how to hit where it hurt.
Ava snickered cruelly. “Figures,” she said. “I just came in to remind you about the dress fitting tomorrow. If you’re going to be my maid of honor, you’ll need to at least try and look the part.”
I nodded, and she left. Her words, however, continued to sting.



Feeling discouraged, I headed to my mother’s garden to get some fresh air. The soft evening breeze fluttered through my hair as I weaved my way through rows of flowering bushes, the pale moonlight illuminating my path. I glanced up and shivered. Thousands of stars adorned the black night sky, painting a breathtaking scene before my eyes.



“What are you looking at?” He spoke quietly, his voice echoing the stillness of the night.
I turned around slowly and came face to face with Nathaniel. “The stars,” I whispered, smiling.
He chuckled softly. “I thought as much. Your mother wants me to tell you to come inside before you catch a chill, but I’m tempted to stay out here and join you. Ava is talking wedding gibberish again.”
I laughed. These days, that’s all Ava ever talked about. The wedding. “I would welcome the company,” I told him.
He shook his head. “I just wanted to say congratulations. I’m proud of you Lily.” As our eyes met, I felt my breath catch in my chest. How I longed to tell him that I loved him, to beg him not to marry my sister, but the words simply would not come. I sighed sadly as he turned and walked away.

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Keywords: Graduation, Forbidden Love
CC Used: Skins, the World (Anne Arbor by My Sim Realty), and Store Content