Guardians of Plaxas

Prologue

"They're here. They're here. They're here."

The whisper spreads through town, quiet at first, but like a wave breaking the beach, it booms and crashes. One they actually arrive, everyone knows it.

People tumble out of their houses, and they stand at their doors, waiting respectively as the van rolls past. As soon as it has passed, though, they crumble with relief, sinking back into their houses, memories of past Choosings fresh in their heads.

As the last house on the block, we have longer to wait. The van turns down the end of our one-way street, but it still feels miles away. Mom, dad, Ruby and I watch as people disappear into their houses after the van passes them, pale and frightened. Even if they have nothing to fear. Even if this isn't the year that their children will take the test. The test that decides their life. We used to be those people. Watching as the van rolled past, shivering with emotions, with nothing to fear. Not this year, though. This year, that fear is real.

Mom's hands feel like claws on my shoulders. I glance at Ruby and find that she's looking at me. Staring at me with a fierceness in her eyes.

I meet her stare and suddenly I feel a wave of her emotions. Terror. But excitement, too.

As the van grows closer and closer, mom's grip tightens. It's as if I'll be taken away just by its passing. But I understand why. If I'm taken away, if they decide that I should go study at the school, than this will be one of the last days that I'll see her.

The van passes and turns the corner onto the next street. Both mom and dad sag visibly, but there's still a stiffness in my shoulders. Ruby's too.

"Mom," I say softly. "We should get dressed. We need to be ready,"

She looks down at me and nods. "Yes. Yes, of course. Come, girls, let's get ready," my words, repeated almost exactly.

Ruby leads the way to our room. I can see a stain on her shirt, and it makes me less nervous, somehow. It reminds me that this is still Ruby.

I rummage in my closet and quickly pull out a red knee-length dress. "Will this work, mom? I've got that red ribbon that I can put in my hair, too,"

She nods absently and turns to Ruby's closet. Ruby hasn't moved. She stands in front of her closet, ramrod straight.

"Ruby, come on, open your closet, let's see what you've got." mom says, moving around her.

I wince. "Mom, be careful...."

It's too late. As mom opens the closet, Ruby steps back just as clothes come cascading down. Ruby never organizes.

Mom yelps and jumps backwards, tripping on my bed. "Geez, Ruby, what is up with your closet?" she cries.

Ruby, who's strangely quiet today, shrugs. "I guess I have better things to do than organize," she whispers quietly.

"Well, then, let's take a look at this," mom says, kneeling down in front of the river of clothes. A crease has appeared between her eyebrows.

I head to the bathroom to get dressed. As I come back, I hear mom say, "Ruby, do you have any dresses?"

She pulls a green one out from the back of the closet. "I could wear this one. It's the match to the set that Opal's wearing," she gestures to mine.

Mom looks at it, brushing a few dust bunnies off of it. "I suppose you could. It does hide the grass stains....better than your other dresses."

As Ruby heads off to change, I grumble. "Great. Now we'll look like christmas. How will the inspectors ever take us seriously now?"