The Argonauts - On hold

One

The Argo's bell rings loud enough for the entire Plain to hear. The soothing hum of the motor is simply a vibration because of it. I've been on the Argo for a whole year. And it's my birthday. Jane and Beau are probably already at the ceremony with my seat saved next to them just in case I actually plan to come. I sit up and rub the itch in my eye, and I swing my feet off of the edge of my bunk. I rub my eye again, the itch not seeming to go away. I leap down, my feet landing softly on the cold metallic floor. I stumble around in the darkness, trying to find the light switch. My hand rubs against it, and I flick it up. The light blinds me, but I eventually get used to it. I moan. I need coffee, or sugar, or morphine. Something to either wake me up or knock me out. I open the drawers built in to the wall and pull out a fresh pair of pants and a shirt and drowsily put them on. My key is on top of my desk, but I don't pick it up. I just sit on my bunk. I just sit there and numbly glare off towards the wall next to the wall with my dresser. I don't want to go to the ceremony, I don't want to step outside of my room, today I just want to lie down and fall asleep to dream of a simpler time with no chosen destiny, no Argo, just me, Jane, and Beau. I shake my head, letting my daydream sink in to merely a fairytale. And grab my key. Just as I unlock my door. My stomach lurches, and so does the ship. We're going down, I think. I grab the railing next to me, and attempt to stand my self up. Finally, I prevail and am on my feet and begin to walk down the hall, hooking my key ring on to my lanyard.

The Argo lurches again. I almost fall on the floor but I carpet have myself on the railing. I can see the exit from the hallway though so I keep going. I can finally feel the descent. It's a strange feeling. It feels like your falling but still stable because your feet are on the floor. Walking down the last stretch of the narrow hallway gives me some relief because the long hallway and the lurching ship has given me a headache. I turn the corner and am lead into the room with a metal ladder on one side and some computer that can apparently access hidden cameras in the rooms--or so I've heard. I turn right to climb the ladder, but pause, and wait for another lurch. Nothing. I climb up the ladder two railway at a time, not wanting to be stuck on it if it lurches again. Climbing doesn't make my headache any better, but at least if the ship lurches, I know falling will put me out of my misery. Second floor of housing. I keep climbing. After the third floor of housing I climb past the leisure ward and continue on my way towards the colosseum. Two more levels. Finally I climb past the last ward, the elderly ward. I end up stopping for a second, tying my long, blonde hair up into a ponytail to get it out of my way. Then I continue my climb. When I open the top hatch, I am welcomed by surprisingly empty hallways. Everyone must be upstairs, I think. I walk around the empty hallway, my shoes clanging on the black metal floor, and I rub my hand along the granite walls. Noise begin to echo from the other side of the hallway. I smile, they didn't desert the massive ship while I was asleep. The chants get louder. It's the same chant that was chanted when I was a newbie.

"Kalosórisma! Kalosórisma!" The crowd chants. A smile creeps across my face. I keep walking, slightly faster. I'm late, but it's worth it. "Kalosórisma! Kalorsórisma!" The newbies are here. I see the door. It's only a few yards in front of me so I do a half-jog for half of the way, and then just stick to walking. Light emanates from the door as I approach it. It's wide open, providing light for the dim hallway. I step through, in to the blinding light. I squint, but the light of the summer radiates from the sun, being closer to space than any place in the Plain doesn't help, but it's still amazing once your eyes get used to it. Finally, my eye focus and I get to see the bright-white colosseum.

Every Argonaut, young and old, are crowded inside of the massive gathering space. The newbies are crowded in the center and people are chanting "Kalosórisma!" I feel a tug on my pant leg and I look over to see Jane sitting next to Beau with one seat next to them.

"Knew it," I say, cracking a smile as I sit down in the cushioned chair.

"The Archon is about to give his speech." She shouts, barely audible over the sound of the crown chanting. Beau just looks at me and smiles, knowing it's a waste of oxygen to try and say something. There is a tap on the microphone and the crowd settles down.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the one-thousand and forty-fourth commencement ceremony!" The Archon says into the microphone in the center of the circular stage with newbies sitting around him in a circle. Some of the newbies are even crying, but the crowd goes nuts. The Archon taps on the microphone and the crowd immediately settles down again. "Today, we honor these new members of our family. Since we were merely the primitive nation of America, we have flourished in to the unstoppable. Back when we were just a small town trying to survive after the Crusade, we never thought that we would come out on top as the best nation in the new world!" The crowd goes wild again. I just sit there. He is delivering the same speech he apparently did last year, when I was fourteen and just trying to figure out my new situation on the Argo. I have never actually heard the words he said, or anything the crowd reacted to, I was mainly focused on trying not to cry in front of a giant audience. The Archon continues, "some nations fear us, others are destroyed by us!" And the crowd goes insane. He now calms them down with another tap on the microphone. The silence in the colosseum is almost deafening as he waits for a second.

"On a more serious note, you are here for a purpose. Your parents have each assigned you to a destiny. Your destiny is determined by how much your parents think you can take. Some of your parents maybe assigned you to kill the dragon Astamatiti, not because they think you can handle it, but because they want you to slay the dragon. Astamatiti is an unstoppable dragon made by man. We created him to protect the Plain, but went rogue and began to destroy the northern Plain. Parents of the child who slays Astamatiti get winnings each week as well as you. Another thing that is popular is fame, because the parents want to be able to find you later on in life. The truth? Every single person here has a journey decided by their family. The reason behind the thought that all people are prepared to be tested, challenged by life's challenges. People before the Crusade, were fat, worthless creatures who did nothing but destroy the land that is now ours!" His gray beard floats around as he talks. "Yes, they are our ancestors, but they destroyed the future that we could not have!" He is becoming emotional. I'm actually surprised, he normally does get too angry. The three times I personally have talked to him he seemed so nice, mainly quiet and would never get so worked up about an origin story.

"We need leaders. Heroes. That's why you're here. Every one of you has a purpose." Yea right, I think. "I hope you find you stay enjoyable, and welcome aboard the SS Argo!" He gets the entire crowd in absolute chaos with everyone screaming and standing up while clapping, whistling, or shouting, sometimes even all at once. He steps off the stage and a new person steps on the stage, someone I've never seen before, a woman. The crowds dies down as she takes the stage.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the one-thousandth and forty-fourth voyage of the Argo." There was no rally in her voice, she was completely serious about why she was here. "I am Elder." She looks old, but not too old. The only thing that sets her age over sixty-five is her hair. It is completely silver. The silver is like an old lady silver, it's a metallic silver. The sun shines on it, making the silver glisten. How could she possibly be named elder? She's so young looking. "Today is a special day recognizing these new recruits to the Argonauts initiative. Most of you have had questions about the history of the program, and why we call every fourteen-year-old to be on the Argo. We believe that everyone, at the age of fourteen, should be able to leave their house and embark on the journey of life. Of course, due to the earlier age of leaving the house, we make you embark on a journey assigned by your parents, to gain maturity. When you complete this destiny, you are able to leave the Argo. Some people never actually complete their quest, some die, and some just never are able to complete theirs. Those are the people who are staying in the elderly ward. We believe that at age sixty-five you are no longer capable to prove yourself and you are bound to the Argo forever. I hope you enjoy your voyage, and as Archon already said, let the Argo set sail!" She ended with a smile, and thenWalked off the stage while the crowd went nuts again.

"I bet nobody noticed her leave," Jane says, leaning in so I can hear. I crack a smile and just sit there. I realize the impact of my destiny.

I just sit there. My mom gave me a destiny that I couldn't fulfill. It was impossible. I had to find love.