The girls were all quite motivated to win the competition, but not for the same reasons.

Jane grinned to herself envisioning herself winning the contest. Jane stood before the crowd, a smug smile on her face as Leah, Eva, and the other contestants looked on with envy. “I’d like to thank you all,” Jane cried out, as the dainty tiara was set carefully upon her head and an oversized bouquet of flowers was placed into her hands. As the prize money was handed to her, she added, “I’m going on a shopping spree!” Jane grinned to herself, imagining the clothes and makeup she would buy with the money. And I’m not sharing a penny of it, she added to herself. And Mom can’t tell me what I can or can’t buy with it! I’m totally going to win this!


Eva sighed happily. She imagined what she would do with the prize money. Eva peered into the microscope and scribbled down a series of notes, then stepped over to the telescope and peered through it into the night sky at the twinkling stars. She wrote down more notes, then nodded contentedly to herself. “Yeah, definitely a telescope and maybe a microscope,” she muttered to herself. “The ones I’ve been wanting practically forever.” Plus, I can use them pretty much the rest of my life, she added. If I use them until I’m eighty, that’ll be less than pennies a day! A lasting value!


Unlike her older sisters, Leah had no desire for makeup, clothing, or scientific equipment. She was very much a typical child, and like most children her age, her wants were much more simple. She knew exactly what she wanted to buy with the prize money: candy. She gleefully imagined a room filled with candy, enough to swim in, much like Scrooge McDuck’s room of money. She looked around at her sisters, then giggled to herself. I’m going to get some candy! she thought joyfully.


Tiffani sighed and stood in line at the registration table. Around her, mothers and their daughters chattered eagerly and eyed the competition. She noticed, with some displeasure, that the little girls were generally dressed like miniature adults. And this is just registration! The contest isn’t for another few weeks! she thought bitterly. The mothers themselves, she noted, were either overweight or appeared to have gone through a great deal of plastic surgery.

“Well, well, what are you doing here?” a voice said behind her.

Tiffani whipped around and found herself face to face with her older sisters, Nikki and Becky. Beside them were their children. Tiffani put her arms protectively around her daughters and responded in as neutral a voice as she could muster, “I’m registering my daughters for this competition.”

“So are we,” Becky replied, smirking a little. She set her hands upon her daughter’s shoulders and added, “This is Mykaela. She’s ten.” The girl looked embarrassed to be the focus of attention. She was a somewhat gangly child and did not look comfortable in this room filled with her overdressed (or, as some might have argued, underdressed) peers.

“And these are my youngest, Rayne and Katana. They’re twins,” Nikki said, indicating the pair of petite girls beside her.

Tiffani sighed inwardly and quickly introduced her children. Becky asked, “So, how come we haven’t seen your kids before, Tiff? It’s like you’ve disowned us or something.”

“That’s funny, I thought it was the other way around,” Tiffani responded.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nikki asked.

“I thought the family kicked me out. Marrying AJ was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“No, it was you getting knocked up and having to marry him,” Becky muttered.

Tiffani shot her a dirty look. “Whatever the reason, I would appreciate it if you not take the family problems out on the kids,” she said, then turned her back on her sisters.