Palace Life

Chapter 1-The birthday

My 16th birthday is the day I have been dreading for my entire life or at least since I have known what it would entail. My 16th birthday symbolises everything I hate about our world. My 16th is the birthday that is going to tear my world apart.
Explanation would be useful here I suppose. In my country Trianta, when a girl turns 16 they have to go work at the palace. Well, that's only if you are in the lower bound. I'm in the lower bound. There are five bounds that our little big world lives by; Elite, Upper, Middle,Lower and no bound. The no bands are comprised of the homeless and the people that have no reason to live. But ending your own life is against the law here.
Anyway, my birthday isn't always an extravagant affair due to the fact I'm in the lower bound. My younger siblings try their best to gather materials to make homemade cards and I sometimes am lucky enough to have a cloth banner with the words "Happy Birthday Audrey" written in scrawny illegible writing due to the recent cut in education help for the lower band. Presents were a rare pleasure in our household. You can probably see a running theme here.
We get by. Life's hard but I like to see it as an endurance test that will one day end and we will be rewarded greatly for our achievements. Yes, that's never going to happen but it it's certainly nice to think it might. We don't have it as bad as the no bounds but we aren't far off. We live in Trianta Government funded housing that can only be described as a shed with benefits. We barely have enough food to feed to five of us. My dad works in a factory making weapons for the Trianta armed forces, my mum works in a factory making clothes for the upper and middle bounds, the twins Mary and Joseph are only 8 but they have been working on a nearby government owned farm since the age of 5 and I am baker in the house of the Reynolds, an upper bound family. Despite being paid the bare minimum, we always seem to be able to make it work.
But I guess I'm not working for the Reynolds anymore. I'm going to be off the palace to do who knows what. Will I have to fill out a application form? I probably will have to. Oh god.  I hadn't thought of that. What if I can't answer one of the questions? I have heard rumours about girls that "didn't make the cut" and that they became no bounds. I shuddered at the thought. I don't want to be a no bound. No body wanted to be a no bound.
Back to my birthday celebrations, I woke up to Mary and Joseph lurching by my face with big gleaming grins that spread from ear to ear. I laughed at them and dragged myself away from the floor boards I so humbly called my bed and looked at the twins. I could tell something was up.
I followed them into the kitchen/living space and there on the table was a bowl of red, juicy, ripe strawberries. I almost squealed with delight at the thoughtfulness. Strawberries were my favourite.
"How did you manage to get strawberries after the new rations? We only get a few month if we are lucky."
Mary was almost bursting with pride, " I know! Read the card and find out! "
I smiled with a tad of curiosity and looked at the folded cardboard with my name written on it. Opening it, I gasped. The card read " To Audrey, we know you love strawberries so we got this gift for you. We knew we didn't have many to spare, so we thought of some people who might. We went to every house in our village and everyone obliged with great ease and gave us one strawberry. Soon, we had collected a whole bowl full and everyone wishes you happy birthday. So, happy birthday Audrey, love your family"
My eyes welled up with tears and my family's seemed to do the same. This was a special birthday and we all knew it. Because it was going to be my last one spent with my family in a long time.

Thanks for checking out the first chapter of my book! I enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy reading it!

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:) - katesstorybook