Chapter 11

DAISY

I took a deep breath and headed into the studio, wishing above all else that I didn't have to come here and start reliving all of the mistakes I'd made yesterday, especially because I wasn't entirely sure what most of them were. The frog I'd made wasn't that bad.

"Ah, Daisy, you're here," Denise said.

"I am," I responded to the assistant producer.

"Good, you're needed in the studio." She seemed harried, as if she was dealing with something out of the ordinary.

I frowned. "Not the interview rooms?"

"Did no one tell you?" She gave an exasperated sigh. "I knew I should have done it myself. There's a knock-out round."

"A what?" I stared at her while I tried to work out exactly what was happening and why.

"All of the eliminated contestants are back, and the person who wins this round is going to be back in the competition and have a chance at winning the commission from Jinx."

Something akin to hope sprung up within me. "If I win, I can go back?"

She nodded. "So hurry along, they want to get started in about five minutes."

My heart raced, and there was a part of me that wasn't entirely sure I believed what was happening, but I was also determined to make the most of it. If I could get back into the competition, then it could mean that everything I'd hoped for was going to be possible again.

I made my way to my station, nerves higher than they'd been for any of the other rounds in the competition.

"Hello, hello, hello," Rosie said cheerily. "Isn't this a twist? We have four of the eliminated competitors back today all fighting for their place in the next round!"

"I didn't expect this, Rosie," Duncan responded.

I rolled my eyes. Presumably, they were prepped on exactly what was going to happen today and did expect it. But I wasn't about to judge them too harshly when I knew they were only giving the watchers what they wanted and this was all scripted.

"I'm sure you all want to know what you're supposed to be doing today," Rosie said to us.

Someone murmured to my left, but I was reasonably sure it was the guy who was eliminated in the first round and I couldn't remember his name.

"We're keeping it simple, and considering the commission is for the Jinx Dating Agency, we want you to create a sculpture that captures the idea of love. The interpretation is up to you. The sculpture should be at least one metre high, and you can use whatever materials you want to," Rosie said.

I let out a relieved sigh. Freedom of materials made things a lot easier to make something that would wow the judges. And love was such a vague concept that it should be easy to work within what I was good at. Maybe a heart and some roses, or something like that.

"You have four hours," Duncan said. "And it starts...now!"

I hurried back to my station and made a rough sketch of what I was going to make. Having seen what the art department had done with my previous sketches, I wasn't too annoyed at this part of the process any more. And with it done, I could focus on what I was trying to do.

I found a few sheets of metal that would work perfectly and let myself get lost in the process of shaping it, making sure to do what I could to listen to the metal and not force it into shapes that it didn't want to be in. That was where I'd gone wrong with the frog. I'd been too worried about the time limit and not focused enough on making sure that everything felt right.

But this time was different. If I didn't win, then it was fine. I was no worse off than I'd been this morning. If I did, then I'd have a shot of winning the competition again, but that was only going to happen if I did everything I could to prove I had what it took.

The time passed in a haze, and I was barely even aware of the hosts coming and asking me questions like they always did. It wasn't until the timer buzzed and I stepped back from my sculpture that I even realised I was done.

Vines twisted around with flowers and hearts dotted about, and all of it flowed . It wasn't as good as if I'd spent a few days on it in a less stressful situation, but I was pleased with how it had come out.

I went to get myself a coffee while the staff took my sculpture away to be judged. I was going to miss the fancy machine they had in here. It was even better than the one I had on my wishlist for my own studio.

None of the others made a move to talk to me, which was just fine. I didn't really have anything to say to them while I was focusing on keeping calm and not trying to overthink what was going to happen next.

There was a small part of me that wanted to leave the studio and go to where the interviews were held to see if Thor was on his break, but I dismissed that idea. I had no idea where things stood for us after our drink last night, and I was still kind of embarrassed that Danny had put me in the situation to begin with. I was lucky Thor was a decent guy who clearly hadn't intended to take advantage because it would have been easy enough for him to do that given the state I was in, and it wasn't the drinks that had made me that way.

The bell sounded surprisingly quickly, and I made my way back to my spot. I folded my hands in front of me and tried my best to stay calm. This wasn't going to be any worse than being knocked out of the last round.

Our sculptures are wheeled in and placed in front of us, letting me see what the others have done for the first time. All three of their sculptures are good, but I still thought mine was the best. I just had to hope that the mysterious judges would agree. I was surprised that they hadn't been introduced to us, though maybe it was to keep the integrity of the blind judging going.

"It's time to reveal the results," Duncan said, a serious expression on his face. "It's always difficult to say goodbye to anyone, and now we have to say goodbye to three of you for the second time."

Rosie clasped her hands together. "The judges were very impressed by your sculptures today and said that it was a very difficult choice for them to make."

"If it were up to us, then we'd put you all through," Duncan added.

It was all I could do to keep a straight face, but I knew I had to. There were going to be cameras everywhere just waiting to catch a shot of our reactions.

"Congratulations, Daisy, the judges voted your sculpture as their favourite, and are inviting you to continue in the competition!"

I let out a shaky breath. "Thank you." I almost choked on the threat of tears.

"We're sorry to the other competitors, but your time in the workshop is now at an end," Duncan said.

I couldn't believe what was happening. After being so convinced that I'd lost, I was heading back into the competition.

And this time, I wasn't going to ignore my instincts and I was going to make sure that I did everything I possibly could in order to win.