chapter 5: the welcome banquet

“Here are the Candidates’ quarters. To allow for some privacy, you all have your own room and one servant has been assigned to every one of you,” Abby told Lila and the other Candidates. “You will have some time to relax before the welcome banquet with the Big 7. I would suggest you wear your best outfits.”

Abby escorted every Candidate to their quarters. Lila’s being at the end of the hallway, she found herself alone with Abby.

“So, this one is yours, Lila,” said Abby.

Before she could open the door, Lila asked: “Abigael… Uhm, I mean Abby… I was just wondering… How is it that I was chosen? I don’t seem to fit in among the other Candidates, if you know what I mean.”

“I knew that you would probably ask me that,” Abby answered, turning to Lila. “If by fitting in, you mean that you are smaller, you are right… However, I would argue that you do, in fact, fit in quite a lot. You see, when I heard rumors about a Second-Tier girl who seemed to blow up faster than anyone else, I put many scouts on your case.”

“Including the bakery owner?” Lila asked.

“Including Jerry. But not only him. You might not have seen them, but every week, scouts were checking on your progress. Not only did they report that you were indeed very serious about your weight gain, but they also reported that you were unlike other prospects. They reported that you were not only very smart and determined, but that, as the 6 months went on, you were developing confidence and powerfulness that you had been lacking at first. I became so interested in you that I even went on the field a few times myself to assess if what they told was true. And I was quite impressed. Therefore, although you might not exactly be at the same level as the other Candidates just yet, I judged that you had what it took to join them, and even, potentially, to exceed them.

“Thank you… That is nice of you to say,” Lila said, becoming red.

“But of course, you will need to show it to us during the Trial. Some do believe that a Second-Tier like you should not be here, even less become one of the Big Sevens. You will need to outdo yourself in every way in the next 6 months and really prove that you have what it takes. But for now, relax a bit, get to know the other Candidates, and see you at the banquet!” Abby said, finally opening the door.

After unpacking, Lila decided to go meet the other Candidates. She went next door and knocked.

“Yes? Who is it?” A male voice answered, from the other side of the door.

“It’s Lila, I am in the room next to yours. I thought I would try to meet the other Candidates, as Abby suggested!”

Matthew opened the door. As he stood a few centimeters away from Lila, she realized how big he really was. He was a lot fatter than she was.

“I’m sorry, but I have a lot to unpack. I don’t have time to talk to you.” He said, with a slightly condescending tone.

“Oh, okay… Then maybe we can talk during the banquet,” Lila replied.

“I think we need to clear things up. Even though you have been selected, to me, you are still a Second-Tier. We are not the same and I don’t want you to act as if we were equals. So, from now on, I would prefer if you refrained from talking to me. Is that clear?” He said, with a disgusted look.

“Uhm… I guess…”

After Matthew closed the door, Lila retreated to her room. Maybe he was right. She was not on their level.

As she opened the door to her room, she heard a female voice coming from further down the hallway.

“Hey! Wait! Lila, isn’t it?” said a girl walking towards her.

She too was quite bigger than Lila. She had dark curly hair and tanned skin.

“I heard what Matt said earlier. He can be a jerk sometimes. I’m Sarah, nice to meet you,” she said, shaking her hand. “Just to make it clear, I don’t believe you are beneath any of us. You have been selected just as we were. There are no Tiers here. Only Candidates,” she added, smiling.

They kept talking for a while, before both returning to their rooms to get dressed for the banquet. Lila was quite excited to wear her prettiest dress since she had only worn it a few times in the past. However, as she looked at it, she realized that she was in quite a predicament. There was no way that her dress would fit her after doubling in weight. How did she not think about that? Since she did not have an alternative, she nevertheless tried to put it on. However, halfway to her butt, the dress refused to go up any further. As she tried her hardest to pull the dress upwards, someone knocked on the door.

“Hello, this is Beatrice. I am your personal assistant. Can I come in?” A light voice said, from the other side of the door.

“Just a moment! I am having some trouble with my dress…” Lila replied, bright red.

Beatrice opened the door, and quickly closed it behind her. Compared to Lila, she was very small, maybe as big as she used to be before gaining all the weight. She had dark hair and very pale skin.

“I can help you if you wish. After all, that is part of my job,” she said as she got in. However, as she raised her eyes to look at Lila, she let out a light “Oh, I see…”

She approached Lila and, after getting her approval, tried to pull the dress higher, but it refused to budge. As she helped Lila, Beatrice pushed her fat, trying to create space for the dress. The feeling of a complete stranger touching her fat was quite arousing to Lila. After a few seconds, it was clear that the dress would never cover Lila’s fat ass, let alone her belly, so they stopped.

“Okay, I will see what I can do…” said Beatrice, leaving the room as quickly as she had entered.

After a few minutes, Beatrice returned, with a much larger dress. After putting it on, Lila looked at herself. The dress enveloped her body in a very flattering manner. Although it was just the right size, it magnified her features, showing how curvy, and fat, she was.

“I have asked for a new wardrobe to be brought to your room. Don’t worry, it was to be expected. After all, you can’t gain weight without your clothes getting too small. I also asked for clothes a few sizes too big. You will probably grow into them before long,” Beatrice said, winking.

“Thank you very much Beatrice! By the way, I am sorry that our meeting happened in such a… manner…” Lila said.

“Oh, don’t worry! It did not bother me at all… Quite the opposite…” Beatrice said, blushing. “I want you to be comfortable around me. I am here to take care of… all your needs,” she added, looking at Lila’s stomach. “Whatever you need, just press on the button next to your bed and I will come right away!”

As they talked, Lila learned that Beatrice was a Third-Tier who had worked in the Palace since she was a child. Until the day before, she had worked in the Palace’s kitchen. When she learned about the Trial, she had asked to be a Candidate’s personal assistant. That was quite a promotion and she took that opportunity very seriously. After telling her story, she asked Lila about herself.

“I heard that you were a very special Candidate,” she said. “There are rumors that you used to be very… small?

“Yeah… Well, 6 months ago, I used to be about your size.” Lila replied.

Beatrice’s jaw dropped, as she looked at Lila. “What? 6 months ago? But… You… You are…”

“Massive?” Lila replied, putting her hands on her fat stomach.

“Uhm… Yes… You have become so fat. How is that possible?”

“Well, I ate like a pig nonstop for 6 months. You don’t get that fat without work. By the way, I will need to redouble my efforts if I want to surpass the other Candidates. And I will need your help with that.”

“That would be a pleasure. Don’t worry, I will make sure you never go hungry. If you don’t gain at least a few hundred pounds, I will take that as my failure!” She said, with a big smile. “Oh! Have you seen the time? The banquet is starting in 5 minutes, follow me!”

After being escorted by Beatrice to the banquet room, Lila sat at the Candidate’s table, next to Sarah, and was greeted by a very underwhelming welcome. Some, including Matthew, even ignored her. As everyone was now seated, huge doors on the side of the room opened, from which entered the Big Seven, in the most unimaginable way possible: they were each seated on platforms held by servants, their number ranging from 6 for the smallest Seven up to 10 for the Prime Seven. They were even bigger in person, looking at least two times bigger than Lila, if not more. “Oh my God, they are so fat that they can’t move by themselves.” Lila thought, feeling herself getting aroused. After being dropped in front of her table, the Prime Seven welcomed the Candidates, after which she opened her mouth, and servants started feeding her. After the other Seven began eating, the rest of the guests followed.

“No wonder they are so fat if they are always fed by 10 servants at a time,” Sarah told Lila, to which they both laughed.

Lila started shoving food into her mouth, as was now her habit. She noticed Matthew increasing his pace, trying to follow her. No way she would let him out-eat her. She increased her pace too and soon, they were eating at least two times faster than the other Candidates, who were looking at them, shocked. One hour and many plates later, Matthew finally gave up, looking at Lila defeatedly. Wanting to shove it in his face, Lila looked at him and, slowly filled her plate one last time.

As the banquet ended and they all walked towards their rooms, Lila was slowly waddling behind the other Candidates. As she stopped, to catch her breath, Matthew stopped next to her.

“I wanted to apologize. You impressed me and it’s clear to me now that I won’t give up so easily. You won’t get fatter than me. I am going to be the next Seven,” he said before turning around and continuing on.

Lila smiled. The next 6 months would be interesting. But for now, she had to get to her room before entering a deep food coma.