Lucy - A Selection Story

Lucy: The Story

"Ames!" May complains, as My Lady talks strategy with Officer Leger. Her face is creased, and her eyebrows are furrowed. 

"Ames!" May yells again, and Miss America walks over, handing her another bobby pin so she can uphold my hair. America walks over to talk with Officer Leger again, and doesn't seem to notice May holding out her hand again. I giggle quietly, and Aspen gives me  a tender look. I blush, and avert my eyes, trying to make it seem like I didn't notice. 

May shrugs, and seems to be finished, taking her hands away. There, in a bun, is my hair. It looks gorgeous, and glossy. It seems to be held together my nothing more than the air, while May looks on proudly. 

"Miss Lucy!" I hear another voice pierce the sound in my ears. Gerad, bubbly as ever looks up at me, his ball deflated. I chuckle, and rush into the garage to grab the pump. There, sitting all alone, is Kota. 

"Mr. Kota!" I curtsy, and he looks away. I grab the pump, and he slowly follows me into the house. 

Pumping up Gerad's ball, I come outside, only to see America, Kenna, Kota, Magda, and Aspen yelling across the room. 

"Aspen! Got get me a drink!" Kota demands, his eyes wild. 

America protests, her eyes angry and determined. Kota demands for another drink, and Aspen starts to walk towards the fridge. He shoots me a worried glance, and I shrug, looking at America. 

They start to shout, and America sends me, Aspen, Gerad, and May to a room. I sit down, curling into a ball. Gerad hugs me, his little hands barely curling around my waist. May stands there, confused, and disappointed to not be part of the excitement. 

Aspen bends down, and sits on a chair, feeling thoughtful. Gerad aches for some excitement, so he decides to ask me to tell a story. 

I smile.

"Are you sure, Gerad?" I ask, not sure if he wants to hear this story. 

"Yes!" his eyes are eager, and May, grinning, sits down as well. Aspen seems to hover near the door, as if a Rebel attack would commence any minute. 

"Well, there was a Six." I started, fumbling with my fingers. May seems intrigued, while Gerad seems to have lost interest. 

"She loved everything. The sights, the tastes, the smells. Everything was a wonder. Her name was Lucy. "

May grinned, "Just like you, Miss Lucy!" 

I smiled, almost laughing at how oblivious they were to the obvious. 

"But when she truly opened her eyes, all she saw was destruction. Discrimination. Chaos." 

Gerad stopped me again. "What's discrimination?" 

I shoot Aspen a glance. 

"It's when a person is excluded because of their caste." he answers simply. Gerad nods, seeming content with Aspen's answer.

I continued. "But all that fell away when she met a Three, one of the kind ones in the upper castes. They immediately fell in love. They were almost married. But something stopped them. the mother got in the way." 

Gerad stuck his tongue out in disgust at the word love, while May sighed happily. 

I shook my head. The shouting was getting louder. 

"Yes, Aspen and I were a thing." America shouted. 

"We were going to get married, but now I love Maxon." my heart deflated. Aspen seemed pale. 

"And if you think, you can blackmail me about my past, think again. Maxon adores me. He will not think, for a second, that your words are true. I won't even hesitate to put a caning to your back. And ruin you hands."  

America stormed out of the living room. I tried to not let my heart seem deflated again, as she entered the room. 

Aspen and America murmured quiet words, the only I was able to catch was, "You were a little loud." 

May and Gerad sat, their motuhs hanging open. America gasps again. 

Her eyes turned soft when they looked at me, but the last thing that I wanted was her pity. I turned away, brushing away the tears that were forming in my eyes. 

"Lucy." she paused, as if she were about to apologize. But she shook her head, and asked me to leave. I almost broke down once I was out in the hallway, and went outside, the treehouse being my only sanctuary. I crawled in, surprised to see someone already there. 

Kota.