Our Forbidden Love 2

1: Starley

Looking out at the whole population of Oceanum Villa, smiling brightly as Binah recites her speech of the importance of my new role and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Binah's empty chair is beside me and on my other side sits Whitney, who keeps glancing at me to smile. In the front row of the audience is my boyfriend, Alexander Stonal, who is smiling so bright I'm pretty sure you'd be able to see it from the surface. He's so proud of me, and I'm proud of me too. I was going to rock this new Scout-keeper role like there was no tomorrow, regardless of how much work the Government gave me. I was really looking forward to working with these other nine people; Whitney, Binah, Lucas, Rhylee, Hailey, Cameron, Piper, Liliana and my father, Walter. At first, I'd been hesitant to take the job because I didn't want to leave Alex alone everyday, but in the end he'd been the one who had encouraged me the most to take the job.
"Now, it gives me great pleasure to invite Starley Star-Bub to the front of the stage to give her acceptance speech." A round of applause from the audience follows Binah's statement and I smile at her as I get up from my chair to address the city.
"Good evening my fellow people. I am forever grateful for your attendance at my ceremony today and this is certainly a memory I will cherish forever. Now, as you know I am Sandy and Walter Star-Bub's youngest daughter. I am only just over sixteen years old and I know that many people will be against my Governmental position purely because of that; but I know that the Government has looked way past my sexuality, gender and age and has looked at the talents I possess, the future for me, my past actions and of course my Fate." I watch the audience exchange confused looks. I continue with my speech. "When my mother, Sandy Star-Bub was killed in the accident I'm sure you all remember, I was only two weeks old and my sister, Bubbles, was only another two years older than me. Neither of us were old enough for a government position which is why it was given to our mother's best friend, Coral. Even from the beginning, I was Fated to join the Government. Both of my parents were, and one still is, on the Government, Bubbles and I were always going to end up here, making this acceptance speech, it just happened quicker than most Readers anticipated. Well, for me it did anyway." The Readers in the audience nod in response and I feel their support. "Now, I feel that I've already rambled on enough," I laugh slightly, "but when someone is accepted on the Government, there is a procedure one must follow, and then Binah will do the honour of creating my mark. Thank you." The crowd erupts into a loud applause and I smile before turning around and starting the traditional procedure.

I swim to Lilliana's chair. I bow to her and she presents me with her gift: a crystal, slightly pink in colour but only as big as a human twenty-cent piece. I move along the line of chairs going next to Piper who gives me a turquoise and gold coloured bangle; next is my father, who simply kisses me on my forehead; next is Hailey who presents me with a snow globe, "it's filled with Flicker magic," she whispers. Next is Rhylee who touches my right shoulder and I feel their energy run in a diagonal line to my hip, "some extra magic," they laugh. Next is Binah who gifts me a small hard cover book; I skip my empty chair and go to Whitney who gifts me with a singular coin, "for the Memory Well," she says and I nod to her. I only have Lucas and Cameron to go but they give me a conjoined gift of a printed photograph for me to hang up in my new office. The photo is of the Government when my mum was on it. I look at the photo, all ten people are smiling, their arms looped around the people next to them. Mum, Dad and Piper are standing together, smiling as if no one would ever leave that trio. "Thank you," I whisper to them, standing up holding all of my gifts. Binah holds out a basket and I drop all my gifts inside then put the whole basket on my chair.

"We will now perform the ceremonial creating of the mark," says Binah, her voice loud and authoritative. This was the part I had been dreading. I hold out my left hand, palm down to the floor and Binah reveals her knife. She upturns my right wrist and cuts a small slit about five centimetres long. The tip of the blade becomes coated in my purple blood. She brings the knife over my left hand. Then she draws on the back of my hand with the knife covered in my blood. She draws the Scout-keeper symbol of a bow and arrow, neat and precise. I watch the symbol glow purple and sink into my hand and the blood stops dripping; then the rest of the Government stands from their chairs and creates a circle, in our order. They put their left hands into the circle, symbols up and look expectantly to me. I put my hand in the circle too and all ten symbols line up. Lilliana's thermometer, Piper's book, my dad's trident, Hailey's key, Rhylee's peace symbol, Binah's small group of ten merfolk, my bow and arrow, Whitney's jail bars, Lucas's mini city map and Cameron's briefcase. Purple magic begins to circle through all of the symbols. Then it creates a purple bubble which grows to encompass all ten of us. I feel the magic enter my head and then slowly travels through my hand that is still outstretched in the middle of the circle. It shoots out of my symbol and erupts into a firework above the Government. Then the bubble disappears. I look out at the audience and Alex is smiling at me like I've never seen him smile before. It's his smile of "I'm so proud of you, babygirl." And I know this, because I just read his mind.