One of the things that Emily, a seventeen-year-old teenager, desires the most is freedom. She wants to have the opportunity of exploring the world without wondering if her family will be able to have food on the table. However, an unexpected letter...
"Sweetheart? Open the door please, I only want to talk!", mom explained.
I stood from the floor and gave my mother access to my room, before sitting on a chair.
Mother silently walked to the bed and faced me, delicately taking both of my hands.
"Look... I only want what's good for you, you know that right?"
"Yes..." I answered.
"We should go visit Mrs. Brown to see if she can confection decent dresses for both of us."
"Wait. We're going? But you said-"
"I know what I said, and I still think that way, but you are right. We better accept now that they are asking nicely than to wait to be destroyed. Anyways, we can try to have fun and enjoy the food that they are offering."
"By enjoying the food, you mean stealing some and putting them in our pockets to take them home?" I teased.
"It's not stealing... It's accepting what is offered to us!" she giggled.
"Yeah, well you are right, we should enjoy this... we don't know when we'll get to do that again..." I said, "Thanks for hearing me out mom."
"I love you... Now stop being lazy and help me serve diner!" she ordered.
"Yes mom" I replied.
All week was pretty much the same, except for the occasional visits to Mrs. Brown's house for measurements for our gowns.
Mom already asked our neighbor to watch Kelly in our absence. And no, she only told Mrs. Brown that we were going to Maya's party, as I said before everyone hates her. If you accept something from her, you are instantly framed from the village.
She said we decided to go on a trip to the forest to search medicine plants for our collection, since collecting them the 21rst of June brings luck and health to our family.
The thing is that this is a celebration held to commemorate the alliance of the four ancient clans when a devastating sickness took over the region.
This union saved many lives, that's why normally everyone meets to exchange goods and have fun. It's like a sort of Thanksgiving Day per say.
We began our journey to the city the day before the party, after packing some essential things, our gowns, and enough money for our bus tickets and some food.
Past two painfully long hours, we arrived to the entrance village to the city, Mega. In the letter, they insisted that we had to stay there at an apartment they offered for the night, so that we didn't have to pay more money for the travel. My mother though, said that they only did that because they didn't want some low-class individuals walking in the city for too long.
Anyways, a shiny black car was parked in front of our residence at sunrise the next day. A tall man in his mid-forties wearing a suit opened the car's door for us saying that we should call him M. Smith, rapidly walking towards the driver's seat afterwards.
I could already see the high buildings in the distance creating a prominent contrast with Mega. The more we approached our destination, the more I could identify the economic power this metropole held, as well as Maya's control over it.
Almost at every intersection there was propaganda of Maya's face announcing her project of opening a new type of trade and changing some laws to make our society more 'just.'
My thoughts were interrupted when the car stopped in front of Maya's impressive mansion.
Like my mother and I, other guests were descending their cars and walking towards the entrance.
And just like that, a sense of nervousness and self consciousness took over me.
Of course, I expected that our gowns would show our social class in a way, since we couldn't afford for a fancy dress, but I didn't think that it would be that evident...
While I wore a simple dark platinum blue dress with a white ribbon and my mother a green dress similar to mine but a little longer with sleeves to the elbow, other women had longer and puffier gowns that varied with every single person making every style unique.
Noticing that I was tense, mom took my hand, giving me a reassuring smile while guiding me to the mansion.
As we set a foot in that place, a young man that looked slightly older than me approached us.
"Good morning ladies, welcome to Maya's personal party! May I know your names?" He asked.
" Of course, we are Amelia and Emily Johnson." Said my mother in politely.
"Oh, the Johnson family! I was notified that you were invited this year... You can call me M. Smith junior just like my father who took you here."
"Wow, I didn't know such a young man worked for Maya already!" Mother remarked, but M. Smith junior ignored her comment.
" Yes, well let me tell you that this party is divided by four sections like the tradition says it should be." He explained, " First we have the food area followed by the trading objects one, ( after there is the dancing section on the second floor, and finally the resting and discussing section is in the backyard.")
While the things in parenthesis were said:
As the boy was talking, I let my eyes cluelessly wonder around the room. Something about this place puts me uncomfortable. I could feel the muscles from my arms and legs slightly contract as-
"Pst. Emi... " a voice whispered into my right hear.
Promptly, I turned my head only to find, no one...
----
"Alright, thank you." I said quickly. I might be hallucinating. Yeah, that's probably it.
"Oh, and Maya will talk to you in a few. In the meantime, have fun!" Exclaimed the boy with, for what I could see, a very fake smile.
****************
A/N: Is she hallucinating? Is she ok?
For those wondering how the place looks like here's a drawing to give you an idea (sorry for my art skills.. hihi):
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