The Ace of Swords

Chapter 13

I was right about cooking. It sucked. The woman I  met earlier hated me. I never got her name but I was on the fifth strike by the end of the day. I also have many bruises from the times that wicked witch pinched me. I didn't make it to dinner before she kicked me out. At dinner time I took my normal place amongst the Yellows.

"If you guys insist on staying with us you have to pick a permanent position," Leo picks at his food as he says this. I don't think he wants to say it. Everyone else around the table avoids eye contact except for Scar who just smiles at me.

"I want to be a cook. That was so much fun. The ladies back there were really nice," Will smiles as he says this. Will can't cook at all so he will fit in back there. All the women doted on him and were willing to get him anything.

"They creep me out. I can't cook at all but I can clean. Can I go with you today?" Callie asks Luna. She nods enthusiastically and looks genuinely excited. Even Scar nods as if already accepting her.

The others look to me and I try to avoid their eyes. No one else speaks up about the positions they want. I like the people here but the options I'm given are awful. I hate cleaning and the cooking ladies hate me. Lee won't let me do his job because he says I will get him in trouble. Apparently I'm a trouble maker.

"Okay well in that case you guys need to find a new table. If you find that you hate all the other tables then you are allowed back," Leo states with very little emotion. Either he is holding it back or he really doesn't care.

"You can't just kick us out!" I glare at all the Yellows. How dare they?

"Yes,we can. Will and Callie have already expressed that they want to stay and where they want to stay. You, Decker, and Erin have not. When you guys make up your mind you will be allowed back. I suggest you stick together. I would hate for you guys to go off alone," Lee steps in to help his brother get rid of us.

Just like that we are shunned. Some of them turn their backs and others just avoid eye contact. Pink looks up at me and mouths an apology. She is the only one that looks a little sad. I glance around the cafeteria and everyone is staring. They seem to know what just happened. It probably happens like this all the time. I leave my tray and stand up. I look over at the Reds table. I see them lick their lips as if ready for fresh meat. They always look at us like that. Pink told me once that they always want new members. Some of them they kill when they're done with them and others they might keep. I glance over to the Oranges. I know next to nothing about them but they can't be as bad as the Reds. I head over to their table. Decker and Erin follow my lead.

I sit down in the chair closest to the end of the table. Decker sits a couple of seats down and Erin disappeared at the other end of the table. I sit there awkwardly not sure what to say.

"So you think you have what it takes to be an Orange?" One of them sneers. He has a baby face with light blonde hair and sweet brown eyes. His face is too angelic for the disgust I see on it. I wonder why they don't have to dye their hair brown like us.

"We already accepted a new member in the last group of newbies. Do we have to accept anyone else? I say we send them on their way," another girls adds on.

"We should try them out except for the big one. He needs to leave. He's too scary for our job," the boy nod towards Decker," go to the Reds. You don't belong here".

I wait for Decker to argue but it never comes. He stomps away leaving me here. He goes to the Reds table and I watch as they begin talking to him. One girl plasters herself to his side. He looks uncomfortable. Good, that's what he gets for leaving me.

"So what's your name girl? I haven't bothered to learn it yet," the boy from earlier says. He looks down to me and I feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I don't like being looked down to like I'm some worthless piece of dirt.