Sin Sector

Chapter two

I stood there, rooted to the space where I stood like a tree, completely unable to move. I took a haggard and halting breath, the air seeming almost foreign in my hardly expanding bubblegum lungs.

With an encouraging caress on the small of my back, and a more than slight push, I somehow forced my legs to function well enough to lead me to the stage beside Lolita. In slow motion I took my place in the line beside the other five Chosen. Looking out across the crowd I straightened my back and shook my hair out in a golden halo as I tried to act proud and confident. The truth is though, terror trembled through the marrow of my bones.

I watched as the audience, (the lucky ones, from my point of view at least) applauded us and congratulated us. After a second of respective silence The Eldest cheerfully dismissed them and turned towards us with a glowing smile.

She spoke to us in a sickly sweet tone and I felt as if I was drowning
underwater; her words were only waves of sounds that soon became thick and distorted by the liquid shock in my ears. The only thing I could focus on was how much her teeth seemed to shine like bleach beneath her thick red-painted lips.

She must have said something about going somewhere because everyone followed in a quiet and morose procession behind her. She led us through the stretched and darkened halls towards the Restricted Section that was hidden away in the corner of the Officials Room.

She stopped in front of one of the heavy red oak doors and smiled at us confidentially before unlacing one single strand of pink ribbon from around her coffee-coloured neck. On the end of the piece of ribbon was a long, thin, golden key which she quickly fitted into the lock. The click that it made as it turned made me think of breaking bones and I flinched.

She pushed open the door with her slim toned arms and quickly retied the ribbon around her neck. She motioned for us to enter and then followed us in, closing the door behind us with a resounding click that held a deep note of assured finality.

I looked around the small circular room that was simply furnished with only a small table and six wooden chairs; they could so easily have been our coffins. As everyone took their seats I looked around at my once upon a time friends and neighbours.

Leena, a girl with long, blue-black, razor-straight hair that pooled around her sparrow-bird collar bones. I didn't know her well, she had a reputation for undeserved cruelty towards those that supposedly wronged her and it was visible in her golden, hawk-like eyes.

Braysen, a lithe yet strong boy with a messy mop of burgundy curls that burdened his slightly elvish looking ears. His normally soft blue eyes met mine with a steely cold determination; painful like a sword piercing my soul. With that one look I knew that any childhood friendship we had was forever eradicated because now, I was simply one who might stand in the way of his chance at becoming part of The Noble Society.

I turned away from him, my cheeks stinging with a bright shade of hurt. Instead, I looked over at Zax. I didn't know him well either but he was friendly and approachable enough. He had short cut, wiry looking brown hair and almond brown eyes that were wide and childish. He was tan and thin but unlike Braysen, he wasn't muscular.

Sasha, one of my friends, was the epitome of slyness, of seduction. Her eyes were a slanted hazel brown that were full of a bittersweet seeming deception. Her hair was a soft ginger that was sharply layered and incredibly long, almost down to her pencil waist. She was generally sweet but had both a bark and a bite that could kill when she was provoked.

And, of course, Lolita. My best friend since we were separated into the same Sin Sectors at the age of six. Her honey glazed hair curled down over her now darkened and downcast blue eyes. She wouldn't look at me at all.

I was pulled out of my observation when The Eldest spoke, "Congratulations on being Chosen. I have faith in each and every one of you. I believe that each and everyone of you will do your best not to shame this Sin Sector. In just a few minutes you will be gathered up by a representative of The Noble Society and will be take to Sin City. Once there you will wait until the day The Deadly begins. Good luck children."

Then, she left with one last blood red grin.