Apple

Chapter 9

The Ceremony
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"Sit down Maple!" I hissed at her as I tugged her down on the chair beside me.

"I'm searching for someone." She said as she yanked off my hold on her.

"I know what you're doing, just sit down and we'll discuss it later." She looked down at me then sat down on the said chair.

After witnessing one of the weirdest moments in my life at the gates of the Apple ceremony— which consisted of a bunch of doctors, and by a bunch I mean like a thousand or more, and each one of them had an iron-like bracelet with a vice grip wrapped around their wrist— we went down and sat in our designated seats in front of what seems like a stage.

A big one as a matter of fact

This action at the gates drove Maple and I crazy. It was like they were keeping tracks on them, paparazzi everywhere talking pictures of the event like it is royalty. The doctors seemed to love the attention they were receiving from the event, waving at them— the cameras— and smiling their million-dollars grin at them.

I wanted to gag, these attention seekers and what they do to yearn it! I'm one of the people who can relate to it; the public life. Growing up with two major medical fields and one of them being a multi-millionaire, I had problem living freely, getting chased down sometimes and other times getting blinded by the bright camera lights.

I never liked it, it lead to me leaving the house once I turned eighteen and living humbly like there is no tomorrow, people forgot about me at once, I never minded though. You could spot the fake relation between my father and I from a thousand miles afar.

Why I hated him ever since I was young would always be a mystery for both him and I, and my dear mother was always stuck in the middle. But something is just off about the guy.

Back to the matter at hand— and by matter I mean the electronic bracelet— all the doctors sat at their assigned seats. Moments after, the whole stadium-like arena was filled with people.

People of all races, different colors, ages, status, genders, and styles. And they all had the excitement glint swirling in their eyes.

Without prior broadcast, a voice boomed in the speakers making me cover my ears from the aching of it.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first apple ceremony this year." A baritone voice burst around the arena, I could recognize neither the voice nor the person standing on the stage. But like all of his fellows he was wearing apple's red uniform with some black jeans and black shoes.

His brown hair was in a crew cut short and a clean face with no facial hair and dark brown eyes. He was pretty tall if you ask me, then again I was too far to confirm the truth in my statement.
Nope, never heard of him

"You know him?" I asked Maple as I nudged her, she looked up from the chip bag she was eating from.

"What?" She asked with food still in her mouth, I gave her a disgusted look as a joke in which she shrugged. I liked that she acts freely around me but I also like mocking her. "Nope, never seen him before, I thought you knew all your father's cast." She reasoned.

I shrugged, "He must be new then," I said as she nodded.

"I'm Collin Reed and Mr. O'Neil will be with you now."

"So he just went up there, blew our eardrums, then came back down again? All for nothing?" She asked.

"But first, we would like to welcome our representative today, Adam O'Neil!" At the mention of my name, my head snapped up towards the stage, me?