SWNOVELS Chapter 38 - I Won!
Tanya's POV.
I watch the clock on the wall with massive strain on my heart, the seconds ticking down at a pace that can't be considered slow or fast. Only agonizing, like it's mocking my slow inch towards demise. When it lands on one, dread succumbs to my system and I face up to the fact that it's the end of my time in the competition.
But before I'm left to accept failure, Marco bursts through the door with cosmic conviction. His perfectly placed golden blonde locks swaying with the movement of his body as he jogs over to my station.
The moment equates to a scene in a book. Marco as a knight in shining armor, returns from his quest with the only ancient artifact that could save his kingdom. I stare wordlessly into his eyes as I take hold of the utensil that he hands me. Completely in awe of his desire to see me achieve this dream of mine.
Hopefully my expression of pure admiration is enough, as I don't have time to thank him. I must focus now on making my perfume and saving the Blue Moon Tree. The bell rings to signal the start of the final round, and we begin making our individual perfumes according to our specialized designs.
I may have been weak in every other aspect of my wolfish existence. But perfumery is the one certainty that I never doubted myself on. I know what I'm capable of. That, and I also am in love with and immensely passionate about the craft. As I work. I find myself falling into a certain rhythm of motion as I drip drops of essence oils from pipettes, swirl liquids, distil and funnel certain mixtures. It's almost like a waltz, only the music is in my head, and I am dancing with my finest ingredients and tools to produce my best work.
My focus remains on my own station, but every now and then I notice Lily's movements at the corner of my eye. For she is still just as talented, and I recognize the precision and fluidity in her movements. She showcases perfection, like she's practiced and practiced for days to make her actions look utterly flawless.
Returning my gaze back to my work, I scan over my notes and calculations one final time to ensure I haven't missed anything. Confident, I'm ready to add the last ingredient. Using a sharp needle, I prick the end of my finger, placing it over my concoction and allowing a few drops of blood to plunge into the solution. I give the flask one final swirl before carefully transferring it to a perfume bottle just as the bell signals the end of the final round.
My heart pounds both excitedly and nervously in my chest as the judges come to critique my perfume first. My perfume is encased in a delicate clear glass bottle. The liquid shines through as a shade of sapphire blue, glowing proudly in demonstration of the Blue Moon Flower's beauty.
Because it's the main ingredient, the liquid gives off an iridescent type of shimmer. And the Blue Moon Flower's natural glow gives the perfume a crystal-like illusion that is very beautiful to look at.
After considering its appearance, the judges take turns spraying my perfume onto their skin, and also spray the fragrance into the air around us for good measure. Along with the Blue Moon Flower, I added fragrances that depict the essence of first love. Such as soft floral notes of fresh cut flowers like jasmine and lily, mimicking the typical sensations of butterflies that people get when they first crush on another.
I also added a touch of lavender. This melds well with the colder scents like vanilla and white gardenia, since new love is fresh and alluring, and wakes you with a jolt of passion to chase it blindly. There are also a few aquatic notes combined to match the blueish hue of the Blue Moon Flower, that can be interpreted as the dark depths of the sea, sparkling with magic and mystery.
Finally, I included a subtle hint of woody spices that creates a tiny splash of bitterness that comes through at the end. Representing the understandable worries and insecurities that come with first love and getting to know someone. The judges take a moment to smell the scent, and I watch apprehensively as they silently judge, before one of them speaks. "This perfume is a meld of different elements, but they all make perfect sense and create a temporary illusion of falling in love."
I smile in somewhat disbelief, I'm relieved that my perfume matches the theme. I also think back to the fact that when I added a drop of my blood, I was thinking about the romantic memories I had with Marco under the Blue Moon Tree. I can imagine those memories create a special function through my blood, creating an essence of "temporarily experiencing sweet love".
"I have one more thing to show you," I say, before turning to one of the staff members. "Please turn off the lights."
As we're now surrounded in darkness, one of the judges notices how my perfume sparkles on their skin and the test paper, they then go ahead and spray it into the air. As my perfume diffuses into the surrounding atmosphere, it leaves a trail of dainty twinkling stars that glow fiercely in the dark.
I explain this to judges as they gape in awe. "My inspiration for this bottle of perfume is from my interpretation of love. Like the Blue Moon Flower, love sometimes may appear soft and fragile, or weak in its brightness. But just like the stars, they will always shine for you, even if the light is not as bright as the moon. You might not always see them, but they are always there."
I bashfully bow as I receive a round of applause from the audience and the judges, before watching them move on to Lily's perfume. They repeat the actions of spraying the perfume and smelling and analyzing its fragrance, till the same judge that spoke to me, speaks up.
"While the perfume is precious and elegant... it's emotionally insufficient," I watch as Lily's face pales as the judge continues. "It lacks a lot of true emotion that we saw in Tanya's perfume," he says shaking his head in disappointment. "Your work this time has regressed immensely in comparison to your previous submissions," as he says this, I see Lily's fists clenching in reaction.
Finally, the judges turn to one another away from both of our tables, speaking quietly amongst themselves. I see them all nodding in affirmation before one of them turns the audience and speaks. “We declare Tanya the winner of the perfume competition."
I stand grounded in shock. I can't believe it! I won!
I can't help but notice the mixed set of emotions from the audience. Gasps ignite in their expressions, while others look incredibly upset with the outcome of the competition. I remember the bet that has been going on throughout and I realize nearly everyone has betted on Lily, believing she would win.
A man in the crowd moans as he drags a hand across his face in a deliberately aggravated facepalm of exasperation. Clearly in distress about all the money he's now lost due to my unexpected win. His friends beside him showcase the same level of upset, completely silenced by the verdict, they stew in both anger and grief.
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I also see a woman in and amongst the sea of shocked faces. She gapes at me, then at the judges, then at Lily, and then back at me. Unable to comprehend or fathom this decided outcome. I hear her speak to another woman beside her in disbelief. "But how can this be? I've been following Lily's progress and watching her competitions for so many years now! She's never lost!" She exclaims, while the woman beside her nods in agreement, muttering under her breath. "It's unbelievable, how can she lose to a nobody like Tanya?"
The crowd's surprise and unsettlement create an awkward atmosphere of muttering and silent curses, but none of them seems to bother me. I won! In earnest elation, I rush down the stage to the one person that does matter. I run into Marco's arms, giving him a massive hug as I rejoice. When I do this, finally the crowd seems to accept their loses, breaking into massive applause all around me. Buried in Marco's arms I cherish the moment of glory as they finally cheer for me. As I hug Marco, I'm able to see over his shoulder, somehow my gaze picks out Caspian from the rest of the crowd, probably because of the way he's staring at me. His hazel eyes glimmer with a strange form of fascination, they shine with desire as he smiles in awe directly at me. And he doesn't at any moment seem to look anywhere else but me, unwavering and seeming like he's lost in thought as he subconsciously claps.
I'm slightly frazzled by the way he's staring, but I assume it's in thanks for helping him protect his pack and saving the Blue Moon Tree, so I smile back, and offer a wave. And I can't help but chuckle as he realizes I'm looking at him. He comically jolts out of his daze, quickly adjusting the faraway look in his eyes as he smiles back and returns my wave, trying to appear more reserved in his actions of praise.
Everything is going just as I hoped, and it's turning out wonderful. That's until Lily's voice rings out in the venue. "Hold on, the winner of the perfume competition can't be awarded to a copycat."