Tranquilia

Chapter 9 Desperately Different

Instead of leaving my hair straight, like I normally do, I tried a waterfall braid that wrapped around to the other side of my head. I pinned it into place, and smirked at myself. The night Moss told me he wanted to be with me, we were at the waterfall, and that was mostly my inspiration. If I get to see him, then I wonder if he'll make that connection, or if I was just being silly. I need to stop with the what if's because it is very likely I won't get to see him.

When I walked out of the bathroom, and into my room, I could hear a few of the other girls chattering out in the hall. I was curious about their dresses, so I walked out as well, even though I knew this was a bad idea. Petal was the closest girl to my room, and her dress was a gorgeous off white that hugged her curves and flowed to the floor. She had sewed on a few colorful flowers towards the bottom which added interest, and she had one red carnation tucked behind her ear.

She sneered at me as I walked out, the only girl with a short, casual dress. "Well, well, look at Jupiter. She always tries so desperately to be different," she commented with a hand on her hip and a roll of her eyes.

Fern giggled next to her in her navy blue dress with capped sleeves, and an a-line skirt.

Breezy was standing next to them with a sky blue dress, and she cast her eyes away from me even though I could tell she had something to say. Her hands twitched and fussed with her tulle skirt, and I wondered why these girls felt the need to make such elegant gowns.

I felt beautiful in my own simplicity, but these girls needed to break me down to build themselves up. All I could do was smile at them, and nod my head. I was the reason we were still alive to show off our dresses, and compare amongst each other. They didn't need to know this, and they weren't worth my words. I shrugged my shoulders as more girls joined their group to tell Petal how beautiful she looked. I will admit, she did look gorgeous, but so did Breezy with her endearing gap between her teeth.

Only a few other girls incorporated lace in their dresses, but no one else had the pale pink color, which made me happy. I definitely did stand out as I always do, and I hoped Moss would like that about me. He has to enjoy my individuality, or he never would've told me he liked me, and he never would've broken the rules by kissing me.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't still filled with hope that he would be allowed to choose me. Maybe the war won't happen until after the ceremony, and then I could run away with him, so we would both be safe. Even if the war doesn't happen until later, I'm still not sure if the tribe leaders will allow me to participate. Maybe they don't know Moss has planned to pick me, or maybe they do. Maybe they just want to torture me emotionally before I die. There's too much I don't know, so I don't know what to prepare for.

By the time all of the girls were ready, it was three o'clock in the afternoon, and we were all wondering when the men would come home. Would it be after dinner? Then why did we have to get ready so early? Was their estimated time of arrival incorrect? They all had their own guesses while I thought I had finally figured it out. The men must not be coming, and I was correct before I let hope fill me. The men aren't coming, and they just wanted us to be hopeful. The war is going to begin at any moment.

As if on cue, Earth popped into our heads, and I could sense the other girls' excitement. Was this the announcement for us to go outside to meet the men, or was this the announcement for the war? "I apologize for interrupting the ceremony process, but I'm afraid I have grave news," Earth whimpered, but I could tell everything she was saying was fake. This was all rehearsed. "Another tribe is minutes away to begin another war. Everyone is to report to the Dining Hall, and please remember to remain tranquil." Then, she was gone, evaporated with all of our hope.

No one spoke, but they all stood there in disbelief. Even though I had expected this to be our outcome, my heart still ached in my chest. At least Moss would not be here to perish with the rest of us. When I looked around, none of the girls seemed to know what to do, but they were looking to Petal to be our leader, even though I was the one who knew how to stop this. I knew how to win.

Petal had anger behind her eyes, but she stood straight with all of her confidence. She looked brave, and when her eyes landed on me, she narrowed them. A few of the other girls looked to me, including Breezy, and I knew they were all thinking the same thing. This was my fault, I'm the one who ruined their way of life, even though I didn't. I didn't break the treaty. "You heard Tribe Leader Earth, we need to go to the Dining Hall," she commanded in a voice bigger than all of our crushed spirits. Then, she elegantly strode down the hall without a care in the world, or so she made it seem.

I trailed behind the rest because I didn't want to be trapped in the Dining Hall again, and I didn't want to see everyone being tortured as Breezy had stated. If I go in there, then I know I will run out again. There was something dragging me back, making me want to betray the tribe again just so I could save them. Maybe I could save them this one last time, and then bolt. Then these girls can have their ceremony, and I won't be here to be blamed, or killed. I'll be in the ruins like I planned, but I won't feel as guilty for abandoning them in a time of war.

Good idea, Jupiter.

The thoughts in our heads were fiercely calming, and I wondered if they were trying to put me into a coma, so I wouldn't ruin their plan. I'm sure my thoughts were worse than the others, but I tried to focus on other things. I thought about how I watched the boy die in front of me yesterday, the way the Residence Hall smelled like burnt hair and flesh, the way I was told to let everyone die, and the aching from the burn and blisters on my hand. All of this was able to fuel a fire inside of me that the tribe leaders could never take away, no matter what they tried.

And then, I saw the other tribe walking towards the Dining Hall. I was the last girl to go inside, but I froze with my hand on the door when I saw him.

He must have been the leader of this tribe's army because everyone walked behind him, and he had a sense of purpose about him. His chest was puffed out to make him look stronger, and he was the only one not wearing any sort of armor. His brown hair was slightly longer than the other men, who had neat hair cuts, and his grey blue eyes pierced right through me as he looked me up and down with a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, well, this seems to be the girl we were warned about. The Runner."