Awkward Stars

Chapter 06

chapter six

emma montoya

"Emma?" A soft, callused hand rests on my sore shoulder. I sit alone in the courtyard quietly avoiding Jenna for the remainder of the day.

And though I was carefully avoiding Tyler too, he seemed to have found me. "I want to shows you something."

I push myself up and accidentally release a small moan that I can't help hold in. The rest of sports testing was nothing less than gruesome, only ending in a result of tennis. As it turned out, there were four levels of testing, ruling out one sport at a time. Each level more difficult at accomplishing than the last.

"Sports testing today?" he questions.

"Yes," I reply. "Where are we going?"

"I found something relating to your parents." His expression turned sorrow as those words, the ones I assume bring good news, escape from him. "Come here."

He ducks under a thick tree branch and guides me not into the Member Records room, but into what looks the study room of my dwelling back in Young City. It is small-not much larger than a walk in closet- dark and concealed. The only light is given off by a dusty lamp.

Tyler slides into a chair opposite to mine and removes a thin folder from a wooden drawer. As I play with it in my hands, he blows the remaining dust of the light and with a sharp click, the room becomes brighter.

I turn to open it, by Tyler stops me. "Before you look," he says concerned. "Answer me one thing."

"Sure," I nod.

"Do you have a small tattoo on the back of your neck?"

I short reply, I can only gulp. These are the few kinds of questions I hate. Most often, I can clearly detect what the right answer is, but in situations like these, it's hard too.

I've hid the little lion tattoo on the back of my neck from everyone in the County, only Jenna has ever seen it. It's small, about the size of an eye, and drawn as if I had doodled on myself while suffering through boredom- thin black lines. It's the only thing my parents left me.

Government conspiracies aren't common in the city and it isn't my best interest to start one now. "Umm," a final debate with myself. "Yes."

Now he seems worried. "Alright. You can look."

Clippings of different pictures and documents pour into my lap. There is a woman, short and smiling, that looks just like me. She looks into my eyes as though trying I reach out to me. My mother.

Under my mother's picture is one of a man. His is firm, dressed in a suit and tie and smiles without showing his teeth.

It's funny how through two pictures my heart aches for these people I have never met.

I slide the pictures into my lap and read their record sheets. My parents are here. I can find my parents.

My mother's name is printed in bold on the top of her page. Kate Montoya. Her birthdate is scribbled under it and understand that...

her death date.

My stomach churns and flips over twice. Death date. My mother is dead.

I pulled out my father's record only o face the same thing.

Death date. And it's on the same day.

I don't want to look at that thing ever again. I put each paper back in the folder, slap in down on the desk, and can't help but slam the door on Tyler.

Tyler. It isn't his fault yet I just slammed the door on his face. But my parents... they're dead.

I don't want to face anyone right now and with a swift turn of the lock on my door, I won't have to.

I didn't know these people, so I can't cry in grief for them. I feel as though frustration and anger are playing a cruel game, pulling the only thing I ever hoped for out of me.

This is wrong. What did I do to deserve this?

I am alone now. Alone in this world without anyone to help me through. The Leaders were wrong. You need a parent to guide you through everything life throws at you. They were taken away from me and I will never be able to see them.

I have no family now.

There is a small book resting on top of my empty bookshelf. I reach up to grab it, holding onto the hope that this isn't one I have read before. The only hope I may have left.

It is a Lion history book, titled with the numbers 3.0 on the bottom. It elementary schools,  I remember Teacher reading Lion history book (as well as all the other guilds) 1.0. I haven't read this one before.

Reading has distracted me from everything bad that has ever leaked into my life. I fold open the cover and guide my finger down the short table of contents. The first chapters entitled: Birth of a New Guild.

And I start reading.

-o-

It occurs to me that after reading a certain paragraph, people don't die under the age of 80 unless they possibly made the wrong choice, or suffered from a severe illness. Both occurrences possible at under 2%.

But is paragraph changed that:

As a guild striving in leadership and independence, the newest Lion Guild treasures their young members, not the elder ones, in belief that the young ones with more imagination will have a bigger impact. And for some reason unknown, there are never a significant amount of older members.

There is a knock on my door. I quickly shut the book and return it to the original spot while Jenna knocks again.

"Emma?" her voice is muffled through the door.

"Yeah, I'm here " I pull open the door.

"Time for dinner," she greets me with a smile.

If only she knew.

-o-

Hey Turtles!

Not a lot happened in this chapter, but important things were revealed. Hope you enjoyed!

Included is a picture of Emma's parents death documents MADE BY ME FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK ONLY :)

Dedicated to LizardMae ! Follow her and read her two brand new stories.

<4

KATHERiNE