Lily Allison Rose

Chapter 2

(Thank you for reading the previous chapter and continuing to read! Enjoy!)

Me. I'm next.

I walk foward slowly, one step at a time. Only a step to go and I'm on the platform that determines my fate for the next ten years. I can't do it. I just can't.

I turn and start to walk away... or try to. Something is holding my wrists. Not a human, but some sort of mysterious force field that refuses to let me leave. I give up and stand in the spot.

"Next?" says a woman in the room. She knows that there is one more left. Can't I just go back home?

"Next!" she says again. I decide not to get off to a bad start so I step in the room onto the platform.

It begins to turn slowly to the left in the pitch black room, and the large door slams closed behind me.

I see a red flashing sign that reads "Swarthin"

A little farther to the left I see a sign that reads "Luminan"

Spinning faster I see a blue sign that reads "Dauntle"

Then I watch as a green one passes by that reads "Impertin"

Then we come to the one that happens to be beside "Swarthin" that reads "Scalawa"

I think about my vocabulary practice from school.... I don't want Swarthin or Scalawa. I'd like to have Luminan, but that depends.... hmm....

The platform keeps spinning constantly, faster, faster, and faster. I watch each sign as I pass it. Eventually it all just becomes a big blur of colors and I get dizzy. When I collapse on the platform it slows down.

Nearly stopping at Swarthin, it's still moving. Very slowly, but it's still moving. I cross my fingers and whisper "Just a little farther. Just a little."

I close my eyes and hope for the best. Then, it comes to a complete stop and clicks. I look up to see a glowing yellow sign that says "Luminan".

I smile, glad to be in a group that I know cannot be bad. Once I take my place under the sign, the lights in the room turn on. I turn to face nine other people that I don't recall the faces.

"This will be your so-called 'flock' for the next ten years. Now, I will reveal to you what each of the flock names mean. Swarthin represents the darkness and what it holds. Dauntle represents the importance of knowledge and success. Luminan represents the light and protectors. Imperten represents all that kindness and caring will do. And Scalawa represents how natural beauty and money can really change someone." she sighs. "Now that you are assigned your flock, you must explore the school and find your way around. And each flock will have a leader. I will assign those once you get back from your tour."

One girl behind me gasps in amazement. "Is it really?"

I turn around and give her a questioning look. "What?"

"Are you... Lily?"

"Uh... yeah."

She nearly faints. "So you're in my... flock...?"

"Uh yeah."

"And you're talking to... me???"

"Um I do think I am. What's your name?"

"My uh... names... I-Isabel! Call me Izzy!" she smiles from ear to ear.

We walk out of the platform room and down the hallway where we entered. Izzy walks by my side asking me thousands of questions.

"What's your favorite color? Do you consider me your friend? How long have you been here? Did you even know this was a place? I did. What's your favorite food? Can I take a picture with you?"

"Purple. Sure. Less than a few hours. No. Lasagna. No. I don't like pictures." I reply.

"Okay." she says and stays quiet for the rest of the tour.

We walk down the stairs and go to the ground floor. The walls are all glass, so I can see the brown grass outside along with the purple sky. This place is not natural.

We walk into one of the rooms and find a man with short, brown hair sleeping. I think he's one of the teachers or professors or whatever they call them here. I look above me and see nothing but endless amounts of floors. This might take a while.

When we finally get to the top floor, I look out the nearest wall. This is a dome shaped room, so I can look directly at the sky and not think that there's any more floors. I'm out of breath. Those are a lot of stairs.

I lay down and stare at the purple sky as the clouds slowly pass overhead. I love this place much more than home. Although I do miss my... dare I even say it? 'Dad'. I mean I know now that he's not my real dad, but I can't think how he might never know that I'm gone. I know my step-mum and brother won't notice. But my 'father' was kind, when the others were not.

I realize that while thinking this, I let out quite a few tears. The floor beneath me is drenched.

"Lily? Are you okay?" One of the flock members say.

"I-I just need some alone time." I sob and run out of the room. I dart down the stairs and back into the platform room. The lady yells after me that I'm never supposed to leave my flock, but I mean seriously... who cares?

I run into the Luminan section and dart through a hidden door. Within that door is a room that has 10 different doors in it. I choose the one on the far left and throw my self on the bed that is conveniently placed near the outside wall. I cry into a pillow until eventually, after a long fit of anger and homesickness I guess, I am finished.

One of the flock members, which I guess to be Izzy enters the room. "Lily, we heard you crying. What's wrong?"

"I just... I'm... okay. I'm good now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah...I-I'm fine." I say, tears still streaming through my emerald green eyes.

"Let's go down and get you something to eat, eh?"

"A-alright." I say. Izzy wraps her arm around me supporting me. I'm glad she did, because if she didn't, I'd probably be collapsed on the floor again.

We walk down a few sets of stairs into a room with a circular table in the center. The table is filled with dishes of various kinds including my favorite, Lasagna.

"Is this a buffet?" I ask.

"Yeah." she says "Isn't it brilliant?''

"Wow." I say "Simply breathtaking." Suddenly, I feel like I haven't eaten in days, which I probably haven't. I grab a plate from the side table and fill it up with everything that I could possibly imagine. I first got Lasagna, then a beef broth in a bowl, and some chocolate chip cookies, a salad, and some rice to go with it. And to top it off, I put a brownie in there too.

"Hungry much?" says someone behind me. I'm not sure... I don't recognize the voice. I turn around.

"Yeah. Haven't eaten in days."

"You're Lily, aren't you? Everyone in the academy has been talking about you being here, but I didn't believe it." says the girl. She has waist length light blonde hair and large hazel eyes.

"Yeah. I'm Lily. I didn't believe it either."

"Well, nice to meet you, Lily! I'm Ember."

"Nice to meet you too, Ember. What flock are you in?"

"Yours!" she smiles sweetly.

"Awesome! Friends?"

"Friends." she confirms.

I carry my plate back up to my room and eat it almost all in one bite. Now I'm stuffed. The broth was really good...I think I might....nah.

After filling my stomach, I sit the plate beside me, turn on a TV that I didn't spot before, and doze off. A strange day its been. What a strange, strange day.

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