A Girl Like Her

10• Our first kisses

The morning breakfast siren rang, and I relentlessly busted out with energy as I walked out of the tent. It was a bright, sunny day and the feel of nature made me wish my father would be here. After a deep breath, I focused my attention on the sound of the nearby river and morning birds. It was indeed a splendid view to have wakened up to.

The morning was filled with young, energetic volunteers who rushed through the grounds filled with leaflets and flowers that dropped from dry branches of nearby trees. "Inform section 10 that there will be a delay in their roll call!" The teenage Alpha dressed in a blue security shirt yelled as he rushed past me.

"Which team is instructed to survey the mountains for today's events?" Two ladies discussed. I yawned, a little thankful for my dismissal of the training. Thereafter, it took less than five minutes to reach the main dining hall. When everyone in section one was settled, the final bell rang in the hall. The volunteers under the hospitality department began serving the guests.

When all was served, I felt a growling noise from my tummy and that made me giggle shyly. I was comfortable by myself before four girls joined my table. I heard the pink haired girl click her tongue loudly after she gazed at me.

"I haven't seen you before." The girl beside her whispered as she twirled the folk between her chubby fingers. I felt the sudden urge to change seats, but failed because of the eyes that were fixed on me — filled with anticipation to either befriend or tarnish my presence.

I rubbed my thumbs unconsciously, then swallowed hard on the spicy meatball. A little smile crossed my face as my hand held on to my warm cheek — immediately, vivid memories of the spicy wings with Noel crossed my mind.

"Is she ignoring you?" A soft voice muttered. "Who is she?"

"Uh, I'm Aurora." I whispered, "what about you?"

"Oh?" The girl who muttered earlier smiled widely. Her black, half-shouldered hair moved gracefully when her head titled. "I'm Fiona; this is Rose, Emily, and Tasha."

"Which family are you from?" Emily crossed her arms, a little sarcastic as her eyes rolled. Slowly, my eyes were fixed on the wooden table that was beautifully decorated with flowers and white table cloths.

"Hexion." I placed the folk down, ready for the usual comments that I had always received at school. Several seconds passed as the quietness filled the area.

"... Your family might not be well–known." Fiona smiled, her mono-lid eyes closed. It seemed genuine, unlike the others who giggled at her mannerism.

"In short, she's irrelevant." Emily chuckled, then snorted. "They let anyone on the VIP lists these days."

I closed my eyes, then took a deep breath. My hands shivered at the thoughts of any further humiliation. Truthfully, I being a media-addicted person and uninformed about their identities meant they were irrelevant too. With that, I stood up and walked out of the nosy dinning hall.

When outside, I heard the mid-morning events siren. "To all volunteers, immediately report to your respective departments." The calm voice echoed through the speakers. "Participants, the dinning halls, must be evacuated immediately."

I had been immersed into the announcements that I collided with someone. The short-lived bump caused my loss in momentum; as my body uncontrollably fell to dusty grounds. I frowned at my misfortune, then dusted off the leafs stuck to my short, black jeans. A creepy smile crossed my face as I mentally tried to formulate a lie.

"I apologize for bumping into you." I calmly smiled, then froze when my eyes fixed on dark brown eyes and messy straight hair that caressed his thin, dark eyebrows.