Middle Of The Spectrum

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there lived a girl just like any other, named Scarlette Dubois. Now, Scarlette was seemingly plain. She had straight raven hair which went up to her middle back, sparkly brown eyes, and had always been somewhat chubby. When it came to talent Scarlette could sing and dance - not well enough to make a career of it. She was smart but never the smartest in her classroom. In all, Scarlette was perfectly average.

Although a bit misfortunate when it came to her attributes, Scarlette did the best she could to make sure she stood out. Unfortunately for her, this task came across seemingly impossible due to one thing: It seemed that the land where Scarlette was born was full of people who were more beautiful and talented than she was. Despite this, she believed that everyone deserved to be noticed, and that deep down, there was something special about her.

Although life was not hard for Scarlette, as she had many friends and enjoyed many things, she was not everyone's first pick. Her elder sister Pearl - who was definitely at the beauty side of the spectrum - managed to steal the spotlight when it came to their family, while her brother, Jackson - the youngest sibling - managed to steal the spotlight when it came to talent. Her 2 closest friends, Mariposa and Rose were known throughout the kingdom for their many successes in athletics and performing arts.

As she grew older, Scarlette became more accustomed to her way life. Everyone she loved abandoned her for someone more beautiful or talented. Despite this she always had the constant belief that everyone should be noticed.

After so many years of people telling her that she was nothing more or nothing less than just herself, Scarlette became distant and cold and lost the belief that she would become someone. Thus, she closed of her heart, turned off her mid and banished her soul to avoid the hurt and humiliation of being nothing but the Middle of the Spectrum.

By the time she was 17, she had almost completely covered herself in a veil of darkness. Although her friends had tried to pull her out, one by one eventually they stopped trying. Her family persevered for a while longer but there was only so long that they could last. At the age of 18, Scarlette was the shell of who she used to be.

Those with talent yearn to be with the beautiful and those with beauty yearn to be with the talented. Who then shall yearn to be with me?

~+~+~

On the other side of the kingdom, however, lived a man of quite the opposite situation. Prince Draco was not only the heir to the most prosperous kingdom the world had ever seen, but he was also blessed to have an abundance of both talent and beauty. Rather, it was a curse to him. Ever since the young age, the prince had been forced into activities he hated just because he was good at them. He hated horse riding but he was the best equestrian in the kingdom. He hated art and the smell of the paints but his paintings were worth more gold than a house. But most of all, he hated how people acknowledged him only because of his talent, beauty and the status in the society and not for who he actually is. He felt that he is only a mere puppet to be used for entertainment and to exert control.

The worst of it was that he didn't get to choose whom he married as that had been already done by someone else. The name of his betrothed was Pearl. He had met her once as they were young. Even then Pearl was the most beautiful girl he had laid his eyes upon. She was petite and athletic, had long chocolate brown hair and eyes that seemed to hold galaxy in them. Everything about her screamed ethereal. Yet, Draco hated her on sight. He hated her for the same he hated himself. She represented a way life he wished didn't exist. They both represented the fact that you cannot become more or less than whom you were born to be.

Every night since his first meeting with his betrothed, Draco would sneak away to pray to Mother Nature. He prayed for a way out of this system. He prayed that She would send him away from the cycle that She had created. She never answered... until that day.

The day he had finally met the family of his betrothed. He didn't notice her at first. Pearl's family greeted him at the door and ushered him inside. He was bombarded with questions and compliments. How was he supposed to notice the quiet girl that sat in the corner of the large living room, reading?

He noticed that she was plain. Her raven hair and her brown eyes which seemed to shine in the bright light of the living room, and her sightly chubby figure were nothing like her sister's feature. Due to this, he had automatically assumed that she was on the talent side of the spectrum...that is until he heard her speak.

"Father, Mother, I feel as if I have had my fill of socialization for the night. May I retire?"She spoke as if she had a thousand armies behind her. Each word held as much prestige as the next. Draco found it hard to believe that his girl was anything but confident.

Her mother spoke in response, "You have not said one word to anyone all night, Scarlette. How have you been socially fulfilled if you have done nothing but read?"

"We both know that I don't need to talk to understand what is going on. In fact, the less attention I pay, the better. See, as I was reading, I managed to deduce that our lovely..." Draco noted the sarcasm and venom in the words and winced. "...Prince Draco seems to have no interest in marriage just as Pearl has no interest in men."

Gasps rang throughout the room and Scarlette quickly excused herself and went towards her room. Adoration and respect for the girl shone in his eyes and he knew right then and there that his prayers have been answered. Scarlette has no care for the orthodox thinking and conduct. Somehow, he was enticed by her brash honesty.

"Pearl...", her father started questioningly.

Pearl cut him off. "Scarlette is right. I only went with the marriage because I could see no other option. I met someone. She is from the town over and her name's Jennie. We're in love and I was planning on running away with her tonight and explaining it all in a letter."

Draco could see the fury raging in her father's eyes. Before there could be any outburst, Draco interrupted. "If I may, as right as Scarlette may have been, she was wrong about one thing. I am interested in marriage but I've come to realize that you have offered me the wrong sister."

"You are choosing me over Pearl?" A small voice echoed in the grand room. "I am!" Draco admitted as he made his way to the doorway in which Scarlette had been standing, hidden from the view. "May I ask why? I mean, I am nothing but mediocre and I don't excel at anything and I definitely wouldn't win any beauty pageants." Scarlette lifted her head so that she could look into Prince Draco's grey orbs. "I don't want all of that. All my life I have been surrounded by people who excel at everything and I have been forced to do the same. You, you're like a breath of fresh air. You speak the truth, not just what people want to hear. You have the ability to ignore the surface and see what's underneath. You don't seem to care about the talent, the money or beauty. To be honest, I wish I had found you sooner."

I seem to have everything in the world but now that I have met her, everything is nothing to me. All I want is her and her approval.

~+~+~

Scarlette and Prince Draco were married in the autumn of the following year. Their wedding was anything but extravagant. Scarlette's dress was simple yet beautiful. And as she gazed upon the colorful autumn leaves, Scarlette found herself wondering how it was that she got there. It was only at " I do" that she told herself that sometimes it's better to be the odd one out because maybe your odd is what exactly someone else is looking for.