I wake up with a chip on my shoulder. Both metaphorically and literally. My room that I share with my brother and sister is painted dull green and the paint is peeling. I brush off the green paint chip and get up
I'm unusually ticked off today. I quickly pull on a dull purple shirt over my faded blue pants and quietly walk over to the kitchen, careful not to wake my brother and sister.
When I walk into the kitchen this morning, though, my father is already there. "Good morning." He says with a smile that says he is hiding something.
"Give up already, dad. I know you have something." Everybody says that I am great at telling when people are lying to me. My dad huffs because of his bad secret keeping skills and hands me a form. I glance over it, catching two words only: The Selection.
Finally! This was my chance to leave this boring life as a factory worker and get away from my brother Umben and sister Amphora. I love them, but it's time for me to leave. I let out a little shout in my excitement and my younger brother, Umben comes running. "What happened? Is there a fire? Amphora! Get outside! There's a fire!"
We try to calm down my brother, telling him that there is no fire. Umben has been scared of fires ever since he was four and almost died at my aunt's house in a fire. My aunt died, but people got Umben out safely.
We catch Amphora on her way outside. Amphora, being the middle child at age twelve, always listens to us no matter what. Umben assures her that there was no fire and they all calm down.
"Where's mom?" Asks Umben. Even though he is eight, he isn't as smart as he should be. We always have to look out for him. Sometimes his innocence is a way that the older kids get to him.
"Mother is at work. She'll be gone for a while. We might not see her for a week." Umben seems to be processing the words as and then he breaks down crying.
Finally we calm down Umben and let him go back to bed. We tell Amphora that she can go, too, but she wants to help me with my Selection Form. "You know you probably won't get in." She says. Sometimes I am surprised at how intelligent she is. "You are only sixteen and Prince Rhode is nineteen. There are older girls and better castes." She says and my confidence lessens. I'm almost about to not fill out the form because I feel so defeated.
"But you are much more pretty and are nicer than the rest of them." I smile at her and pick up my pen again. I'm just thinking about making my answers as honest as I can be, because I am sure that they would want to know the real me and not a made-up plastic doll that every girl is making themselves seem like.
I am just filling out my eye color when Amphora shouts out:
"No!!! Don't just put grey when you can say 'moonlight silver'." She states. "Doesn't that sound prettier?"
I sigh. This is going to be tough being myself while Amphora is around trying to make me sound gorgeous.
"Amph, I want to sound like myself. I'll just say grey."
"You just don't want to get in, do you? I know you don't want to leave us with dad while mom is off being sad over her many miscarriages."
The look on my face shows how shocked I am that she knows that. She sees my expression and quickly continues.
"I'm not clueless, Caspian. I've always known that she's wanted a big family. Five is her lucky number, anyways. I can tell the way she gets bigger and starts making plans. She's been doing that for eight years. And now she's sad. But don't worry, Cass, I can help us. Take up extra work at the factory. We'll be fine."
I take in her words. She's known all along about mom. Even me hiding it didn't help. After I get over my shock, I give her a tiny smile.
"Fine," I continue, "but I am not saying my eyes "are silver and sparkle like the moonlight in a navy sky." I exaggerate her words and she lets out a little giggle.
"Okay, okay. That's a little overboard. But at least try to make yourself sound desirable. Honestly, the way you are describing yourself, you'd end up with a goat." And with that she walks out of the room.
I take her words into consideration, but I really say the honest answer I can find.
Name: Caspian Beckers
Caste: Four
Province: Waverly
Age: Sixteen
Hair color: Chocolate Brown
Eye color: Grey
Talents:
I sigh. What are my talents? I mull over it. While I'm thinking my Umben and Amphora walk into the room without me noticing.
"Good story teller." Whispers Umben in my ear. I practically jump out of my seat, scared out of my mind.
"Ben!!!!" I yell at him, using the nickname I know he doesn't like. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry, but it's true." He says "tell me again the story of how you named me."
I sigh. I've told him a million times, but it's always nice to relive the past. So I start;
"When mom was pregnant with you, she asked Amph and I what we should name you. Amphora didn't have any ideas, since she was only four, but me, being eight, I felt like I should have some wonderful ideas.... But there was one problem: I didn't have any ideas. I was scared that mom would make fun of my for not having any ideas so I said, 'um.... Ben?' Which I thought was silly because Ben is such an old name. But mom says, 'Umben? I like that name. It's traditional, but different'. I felt so happy that I got to choose your name, without even meaning to."
Umben laughs. "That story makes me laugh every time. You have to put 'good storyteller' for you talents."
"No. Nobody cares about storytelling."
A look of stubbornness passes on his face. Before I know it he snatched up my form and the pen and writes in sloppy handwriting, 'story telling'.
"Ben!!!!!!" I tear away the form. "Look what you did! You ruined it! Amphora, please take him somewhere else. I can't deal with him right now."
Amphora does what I say and I go look for my dad. I find him outside, tending to our small and meaningless garden.
"Dad, look what Umben did!" I show him the form. "Is there another one."
Sympathy washes over his face. "Sorry sweetie. Only one per girl."
I am so mad. I storm back inside. Now I have no chance of leaving this stupid province because of my annoying brother. I just want to get away from him! Waverly is so boring. I need change. I need to get away.
I huff and continue my form.
Talents: STorY TeLLing
Thanks to my brother, that's all I have down for talents so far. It looks totally different than my handwriting, but I decide to add a little note to it just in case they think it was me.
I write: 'sorry about that. My little brother think that I am a wonderful story teller and that it is my best talent.'
I go through all my other talents. Or, lack of talents, I discover. I am utterly normal, I decide. So I keep it blank besides what my brother wrote and my little note. I hope they understand.
I hold on to my form until tomorrow when they are taking pictures. Then I will hand them my note and then they will attach my photo and send them in.