Audacious

Chapter 8: The Mysterious Man

I follow him down a less elegant hallway that has no lights. I run my fingers along the wall, for the only thing I can see is his dark brown, disheveled hair, gleaming in the darkness with a certain beauty.
His shimmery hair disappears around a corner into a much more lit room. Torches cover the wall, each separated by about three feet. I hide behind the corner, peeking my head around the wall.
He spins around, revealing his face. He reminds me very much of an old friend I used to have back in third grade who was about two years older than me and transferred to Sector 5 the same year my brother decided to stay home. He came from England when he was four. Although, he is much more matured. He has dark, thick eyebrows and a smidge of facial hair on his chin that wraps around over his lips and up to his sideburns. He has very, very dark brown eyes. Almost like dark chocolate you could say. He definitely has a strong looking figure. His clothes well fit his physical image. Jet black leather jacket. Brown combat boots, similar to mine. Grey t-shirt. Black denim jeans.
I turn back around the corner, hoping he hadn't seen me. I hear him walk closer to the corner and I close my eyes, holding my breath so that I don't make any sounds. His presence is very close. So close that I feel him breathing on me.
"Hello, ma'am," a deep, British accent breathes into my petrified face. "I believe I've seen you before, perhaps around Sector 10?" I open one eye and there he is. Standing right in front of me.
"Jace?!" I scream. I hug him and jump back, holding his shoulders and smiling. "Where have you been? It's been years!" He smiles, teeth straight as straw, pearly white. "Why are you here?"
"Okay slow down. Let's go somewhere more comfortable to talk." He guides me back down the hallway of darkness and up the golden stairs.
"This is my room," he says, pushing open a door that leads into a room very similar to mine. We sit on a lavender couch and he starts. "Well, when I turned fifteen, I transferred to Sector 5. Two years later, I hear that you are having your Choosing Day so I figure I'll sneak out and see you! I follow through with my plan of reuniting with my long lost sister," he winks, "but then when I saw you come sit down next to me, I felt something uneasy fall in my stomach. I shyly turned away when you turned to me, hoping you wouldn't recognize me."
"What do you mean you felt...uneasy?"
"Well, you didn't seem like the third grade Kiera that I had known. You had much less of a feminine side and loads more of a darker, courageous side. I was hoping that if you went with the instinct of Sector 5, I would meet with you then."
"So how are you in Sector 1 then?"
"When I saw you in the Sector 5 transfer room, I followed your group out to the jet and hid in the storage compartment. I heard you yelling at Lance so I took a look out the door. Everyone was jumping so I waited until you had reached ground to follow. While you guys walked, I stayed with some other kids in the front and we conversed for a while. Now we're here."
"Oh." I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing that he saw me as a darker person. From the way he said it, I think he sees me as more of leader. I hope that's the case.
"Well I apologize for leading you away from your meal. You best return and we can catch up sometime later."
"Oh no!" I say, a little too suddenly and he stares at me with wide eyes. "Sorry, what I meant was, we have way too much to catch up on. I can eat some other time." He laughs at me and I smile. I never realized how warming his smile was. I'm sure that the girls in Sector 5 had melted over him for the past two years. They already had in third grade.
We talked about normal things for another hour or two like, 'do you miss your family', 'how's school going', and other things. We eventually decide to head back downstairs, back to civilization.
Jace takes me into a vast room where most of the people seemed to have relocated themselves into after their meals. Someone taps on my shoulder and I turn around to see a tall, very beautiful African American lady with astounding blood red hair, that sits in a cute fuzzy bun on her head. She has extremely long false lashes on and is wearing a charming blue maxi dress that fits her slim body perfectly. Next to her stands a boy who looks to be the same age and height that has snow white hair that completely covers his ears.
"Excuse me," the girl says, "My name is London Stovall and this is my friend, Kyle Escalante," she says, pointing to the boy next to her. "We are looking for a couple from Sector 5 to interview for our paper on their stay in Sector 1. You two look like a very nice couple." She smiles and I laugh.
"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am. We're not couples. Just really close friends."
"Oh! Of course!" She replies. "You see my friend, Kyle and I, are couple therapists and from the way you guys stand with each other it seems like you are dating. Our predictions aren't always accurate as you can see." I blush and try to look away from Jace so that he can't see me smiling. "Well we'd still love to get to know you two! We're throwing a party tonight in room 128 with a couple of other friends if you'd like to join?"
"That sounds great! We'd love to!" I say answering for both of us. "I mean if you don't have any other plans Jace?" I say, finally looking to him again.
"Not at all, I'll be there," he smiles.
"Alrighty then," says Kyle. "See you at 7:30 tonight." They walk away and Jace begins to speak.
"Can I meet back up with you at 7:25? I can come to your room and get you so that you have time to get ready."
"That's perfect!" I say and we depart. I return to my room and rummage around the vacant space, checking if any past guest left behind any cosmetics or wardrobe. I hear a knock at the door and yell, "Come in!" Lacey walks in with a another girl beside her.
This girl is slightly shorter than Lacey and has beautiful aqua colored hair. Her skin is perfectly tanned and she has a very silky pink dress on that is completely plain and reaches her knees.
"Hi, Kiera!" says Lacey. "This is my friend, Raven! We met during supper after you left." Raven gives me a warming smile and surprisingly hugs me. "She's very welcoming as you can see."
"Yes, very," says Raven as she pulls away. "You have very nice eyes," she says.
"Aw, thank you. That's very kind of you. I love your hair." She thanks me and looks around at the mess I have created in my room while trying to find something to wear.
"Looking for something?" she asks.
"Well I was invited to a party this evening but I have just arrived so I unfortunately have nothing to wear."
"Is it in room 128?" asks Raven. I nod. "Lacey and I were invited as well!"
"Oh, you must let me do your makeup!" says Lacey.
"Yes! And I can lend you a dress!" I nod again and they rush off to gather materials.
Lacey removes the mirror on my wall because she wants me to wait until they are finished for me to see what I look like. Lacey applies various colors over my face and fiddles with my hair. Raven pulls out an elegant baby blue dress that looks like it should be worn by a princess. It has thick straps that droop over my shoulder and a cut off at the center of my stomach, leading down into a huge gathering of beautiful blue roses. The straps circle around the top lining of the dress that is silky smooth. Raven and Lacey take a final look at their finished product and sigh.
"Kiera, you look absolutely fabulous!" Lacey remarks. She hangs the mirror back on the wall and I take a look at the new me. My eyebrows are perfectly carved, where as before they were disheveled and uneven. My eyelashes are long and full. Lacey applied a beautiful job of blue and black eyeshadow on my lids and of course, red lips. As red as red can be. My hair is pulled back into a curly twist up, pulled together with two braids.
"Oh my gosh. Lacey. Raven. This is amazing! But what about you guys?" They smile.
"Oh we'll just be late getting ready. It's well worth helping you." I sincerely smile and lift up my dress. Even though I belong in Sector 5, there's no saying I can't feel a little pretty while I'm in Sector 1. But just to feel a little more in place, I wear lace-up sneakers under my dress. No one will know. Jace knocks on the door and I run to answer it.
He opens the door in a strapping tuxedo. I smile and he smiles right back.
"You look divine, Kiera," he says.
"And as do you." I say, blushing again.
He takes my arm and asks me, "Are you ready?"