Dreamed This Up (Dreams, Book 1)

Chapter 14: Flashback

(Slightly stuck with the story, so I'm going to take a moment to show you a bit of Sophie's childhood ...)

They were riding home on the bus. Sophie was tired, and they had their bags. As she leaned against, him, Rofin asked her to tell him about the day she first saw him ...

~*~*~

It was a beautiful spring day. Little Sophyania hugged her knees to her chest and peered out between the branches. The Masters were conducting a visitation, and she wanted to see what would happen. Safe in her perch in the tree near the village square, she watched. 

Silently the Rifans entered the square. Tall as they were, they moved like shadows, robed in grey. Several had a bright colored border on their robes. Sophie could only guess at the meanings. She watched as they took their seats on the platform that had been set up on the far side. Music began, and the first act, a dance troupe, entered. Whirling, their brightly colored skirts seemed like pinwheels and they wove back and forth between each other. Sophie clapped in delight, this was a favorite of hers! The music built up, the dancers whirled until BANG! they stopped in unison and collapsed, at just the right moment for the brilliant costumes to spread on the ground and form a living tapestry of color.

She waited anxiously, as the dancers stood. The grey clad figures seemed to be conferring, and the troupe waited. Finally an accolade was called out, and the dancers cheered before leaving the area. 

Next came a male singer. Sophie couldn't out the words, it was in high Rifan, not the pidgin variety she was used to, nor even the tongue used by the humans among themselves. But there was no mistaking the tone. It was plaintive and haunting, weaving a spell of sorrow over the listeners. Just when she thought her little heart would break listening, the song finally ceased. There was silence, and then a slow cheer arose. But this time the man did not exit after the accolade was given. Instead, a green clad figure ran up at the gesture of the grey ones, and led the man away. He didn't seem upset, but Sophie was puzzled. Didn't they like the song? "Huh."

"Psst!" she looked down. "Hey, can I sit by you?"

It was her friend Laurelinanzana. Linza. Sophie waved, "Yeah, come on up! They just took somebody away. Did he do a bad job?"

With a little effort, her friend climbed up. "No, I don't think so. Maybe they want him to go work in the city."

Sophie nodded vigorously, "That's it!"

At seven, she all but idolized her friend, a "big" girl of nine.

Together the watched the next act, a group of tumblers, then another singer, then one who stood and gave a speech the two girls couldn't make out.

"Hey, Linza."

"Mm?"

"Do you ever think of going to the city, like that singer did?"

Linza laughed, "No, why? I like it here! And I wouldn't want to go as part of a troupe or act, you are still owned by many Rifans, and they can send you anywhere. No, I'd want to get assigned to just one!"

Owl-eyed, Sophie asked, "What's that?"

Linza poked her. "I heard that's what happened to my sister Nisa. She left for her Race last week, remember?"

"Yeah."

"And she didn't come back. But she didn't go to one of the other villages with her new husband, she got picked for private service."

"Pri- what?"

Her bigger friend shrugged. "I dunno. I just know she didn't go to a new village, an' she didn't come back here. One of those greenies took her to one of the grey ones and they left together. Milika came back, she got paired with Uley, you know the boy she liked? An' she said the grey and Nisa hugged and then they left. Like they knew each other, but tha's weird, 'cos Nisa was super shy. "