The contest was over and it was time to announce a winner. The audience was still and silent, as everyone held their breath. Dawn and two other young women, Olga Wick and Trina Lakes, stood on stage praying they would be the winner.
The announcer picked up the envelope and walked to the podium. Dawn's heart was pounding, her hands wringing with sweat. This win was the last one she needed.
He opened the envelope slowly. Carefully read the card that was inserted inside and then he spoke.
"Ladies and gentleman, let's give all of our lovely contestants a round of applause. They all worked extremely hard to get here and each one of them deserves this win." The audience cheered for all three young ladies. The three girls looked at each other nervously and really had no animosity towards each other. They had been lifting and competing with each other for years and had formed a kinship. Then the announcer read the card.
"Our second runner up and the winner of five thousand dollars is...Miss Olga Wick." Olga hugged her two competitors. He then started to read again. "And the winner of the Miss Beach Body of Scranton and the prize of fifty-thousand dollars is Miss Dawn Marcolini!" The announcer yelled. Gunther rushed to his younger sister and held her in the air. She'd done it. His baby sister took the championship.
The three girls screamed and were genuinely happy for each other. Although Dawn took home the big purse, her two friends had sizable winnings as well. As first runner up, Trina was walking away with ten thousand dollars in prize money.
Dawn Marcolini had just turned eighteen and was headed to college, not just any college, but the Walter Williams School of Therapies. Dawn's dream was to become a physical therapist.
Gunther Marcolini was proud as he celebrated for her because she'd worked hard and deserved this win. He recalled when she first came to live with him. It was a tough time for both of them. Their parents were killed in a traffic accident a year earlier, dying instantly leaving their thirteen year old daughter orphaned.
When then, 20 year old Gunther learned his parents were killed, he was a mess. He was on the circuit, drinking, gambling, and sleeping around. Taking on his kid sister was something he wasn't ready for, but he had to sober up and grow up quickly. It took almost a year, months of rehab, but he was able to gain custody of his baby sister.
Dawn came to live with her brother when she was fourteen years old.
Small, quiet and not sure where she fit, Dawn stayed away from people when she first arrived.
The loss of her parents devastated the young girl and she internalized a lot of her grief. Gunther had no idea what to do with his sister, who was hurting so badly, but he knew she would stay with him and he'd protect her.
Every night he'd listen as she cried herself to sleep not knowing how to help her with her grief. He even asked the other lifters for help and they pitched in as much as they could.
No one seemed to be able to comfort the heartbroken little girl that had lost everything.
One day, Gunther was at work when he got hurt and his friend Tasha picked Dawn up from school.
Dawn walked out and saw Tasha standing, "Where's Gunther?" she asked the much older lady.
"I'm sorry sweetie. He's fine, but he had a accident at work." She explained.
Dawn went ballistic. She'd lost her parents in an accident and now her brother was in one as well.
Tasha tried to calm the girl down, but Dawn was near hysterics at the thought of losing Gunther as well.
Tasha managed to drive back to the park where they were staying and Diane, her companion, came out and extracted the sobbing child from the car.
Tasha called Gunther and quickly put Dawn on the phone. Hearing her brother's voice calmed her down tremendously. He promised her he was fine.
"Little Sis, I won't ever leave you, alright." Gunther promised.
Dawn calmed down and stayed with his friends for a couple of nights until her brother was able to come home.
It was then that Dawn started lifting. She wanted to be strong like her brother and make him proud of her one day.
Gunther worked with her an eventually became her personal trainer.
Dawn was a lovely young girl with a sweet disposition that was gregarious and drew people to her. With a clear peaches and cream complexion with smooth blemish free skin. With a striking figure and voluptuous lips that were full and firm, she was a sight to behold.
She was fit and exercised regularly because she was fanatical about her health. Lifting with her brother helped her deal with the loss of her parents. Although he was a lot older than her, Dawn idolized Gunther. She was able to find a new focus that helped her deal with her loss.
By the time she turned sixteen; she was competing and could easily out press any one that challenged her.
As time passed, Dawn had many admirers. Her lack of a social life intrigued men as well as women. Dawn spent the majority of her time in the gym working out with the guys and very little time with other women so some women assumed she was lesbian and a few propositioned her. She quickly disabused them of that notion, explaining that she was attracted only to men.
Over the years, Gunther started a college fund for his sister and all of her winnings went into the account while he used his earnings to support them. Life on the circuit was hard and he wanted so much more for his sister. She'd have a normal life; he'd make sure of it.
Tonight's competition was the icing on the cake. She needed this win to secure the money she needed to cover her tuition. She could focus on school now and not worry about money.
Tomorrow Gunther was driving her to the campus to pay the rest of her fees and get her dorm assignment. In two more weeks, she was headed to school. She'd finally get to do things normal girls did.
After the contest, Gunther was approached by his friend Henri. He knew that Henri was attracted to his sister, but he was too afraid to approach her. He also realized that his baby sister had never been taken on a proper date. She was extremely shy, so she never dated.
When Henri approached him and asked if he could ask Dawn out, Gunther had no problem with giving his permission.
Henri stood outside the locker room waiting for Dawn to exit. She walked out, her hair still damp from her shower wearing a simple pair of jeans and an AC/DC shirt.
Dawn stood before him, around six feet tall, with long, dark hair that hung well past her shoulders. Henri stared, transfixed by the sight of her. She had a rather plain face, thick lips, a round nose with a straight bridge, and a square chin. She was wide and flat across the chest and muscular.
Henri could see her biceps rippling through the short sleeves of her shirt. Her hips were slim but her thighs, encased in form fitting black jeans that that fit her body perfectly, leaving nothing to the imagination. She was a perfectly sculpted bodybuilder's dream.
She looked like she could bench press 250 pound weights easily. But it wasn't her plain face or her huge, muscular frame that caught Henri's attention. It was her stoic stand, the way she carried herself that attracted him. She walked and moved with grace and confidence, never doubting who she was. Hidden behind thick, dark lashes were the grayest, most vibrant eyes he'd ever seen, set in a plain face, the color of peaches.
Henri was struck dumb and froze. She fascinated him and he was overjoyed at the thought of spending an evening with her.
"Um, Dawn," Henri walked up to her."Congratulations, I'm happy you won."
"Henri, Thanks" replied Dawn, her voice although feminine, deep and throaty, simply powerful. Laughing as she bumped into his shoulders in a show of solidarity, she asked "What's do you want?"
Henri's was her brother's friend, and even though they chatted on occasion, she wasn't a person he hung around.
