(Note: I do very much appreciate all the comments, but I don't see any reason to reply to them since you'll receive the answers to your questions below!)
"I
deserve a chance to be heir," Grace insisted, holding her ground in front of her mother. "Now, I fulfill all the requirements and I'm a thousand times worthier than that prissy wimp. I want everything that I should have had since I was little--my own room, whatever clothes I want, and real food every day!"
Receiving no answer, she hurried on, "I'm a thousand more times like you than Treasure is. I'm smarter, tougher, more capable, and not a goody-two-shoes like she is. I mean, I've been with her boyfriend from the beginning, and she hasn't even noticed!"
"Besides, I've brought an offering to make up for my disobedience . . . three spires of pure Tiberium. Together, they'll be worth over one-hundred thousand dollars." Grace neglected to mention that she had received the Tiberium from Melody--she had the feeling that Mist wouldn't be happy to hear about her sister's involvement.
Mist analyzed the situation for a moment. Here was the child she had ignored, and bullied, and treated like garbage, and for the first time she really looked at her. And for the first time, Mist saw how identical she and Grace were on the outside.
Mist didn't love Grace, but she was proud of her for standing up and ordering to be given the opportunity to become heir. She loved Treasure, but she seemed too soft to follow in Mist's footsteps. "Welcome to the competition, Grace. I'm so proud of you."
"Now, what's this I heard about the boyfriend?" Mist never overlooked an opportunity for a bit of fun, especially at her children's expense.
"We're in love, but he has to stay with Treasure because she was going to be the heir--until now. Now, I don't know what he'll do."
"Well, that's simple enough!" Mist grinned widely, a delightful idea forming in her head. "Jason has to stay with whoever becomes the heir, either you or Treasure. That way, it's all nice and fair!"
"Thanks, Mist. You're the best."
Treasure and Jason were flirting in the living room, with no idea of the conversation Mist and Grace were having.
As always, Treasure went off to her room without the slightest hint of paranoia, and the other two teenagers met up in the darkness behind the house. Grace explained the deal to Jason, who assured her that she would win heir but was secretly relieved that he wouldn't have to make the choice.
She then showed him her new bedroom, the one she had been waiting for since childhood. It was just as wonderful as she had dreamed.
It still wasn't enough for her, the room and the clothes and the chance to be heir. She needed to take Jason away from Treasure, completely and totally. Grace was confident that she would become heir, but first she wanted to cut off Treasure and Jason so there wouldn't be any loose ends when it was time for Grace to claim her birthright.
"Look, Goldie," Grace told Treasure one day, cornering her after school. "You're supposed to be smart, even though I've never seen that before. If you're such a genius, you should have already figured out that you're boyfriend has been cheating on you since the beginning of time."
"Go hide where Jason can't see you coming out, and then you'll see what he's like when you're not around."
"Jason?" Treasure asked in confusion. "What are you doing?"
The Imaginary Friend knew he had been caught in the act, but he'd made a plan for this, too. He disengaged from Grace, appearing disgusted, and hurried over to his girlfriend. "Your sister just attacked me! Do you know what's going on?"
"Oh my God. You're lying to her? You're lying about me? And you know she'll believe you!" This wasn't what Grace had expected to happen, not at all. She had to salvage the situation fast, or be left with nothing. "Tell the truth, Jason. You love
me, not her!"
A little bit of Mist showed itself in Treasure that night, as she stepped up and slapped her sister, so angry that she barely even looked like herself. "Stay away from my boyfriend, you ugly
spare! You think you're in the running for heir, but you're not. It's
mine, and it always will be! And so is Jason."
"Girls, girls, I think we should calm down . . ." At this point, Jason was considering the likelihood of both girls killing him if he suggested some sort of deal where he could date both of them--one for the first half of the week, one for the second. It seemed perfectly logical to him, but he had a little feeling that the sisters wouldn't be so agreeable.
"
No! I will not calm down! You know what?" she growled, finally regaining composure. "
We are over until you break it off with her. No more kissing, no more midnight rendezvous--I'm done waiting."
Who is the real loser in this situation? Definitely not Treasure--she hasn't lost anything. Jason? Well, he still has his girlfriend who thinks the world of him, even if he is pining after someone else who he loves just as much and is really quite conflicted. Grace has finally received everything she has wanted since childhood, and she knows she can easily find someone just as good as Jason--besides, he's still pining after her, so that's a nice compensation.
No, ladies and gents, the real loser is definitely Wogan. You see, after Grace was discharged from maid service, Mist knew she wasn't going to do any of the cleaning herself, so guess who took over the dusting and mopping and cooking?
