Chosen (HOLD)

Chapter 2

“It will all be ok Larissa” the lady looks at me. I don’t look at her. I won’t ever look at her. “I need your father’s signature, would you please tell him to come in?” Anger fills my body, how can she be so calm right now? How did she accept this job of torture?

“No,” I respond firmly. I don’t know how I’ll tell my father, I don’t know if I will even tell him, but this is not optional, not in this society.

“Larissa Meffers” the lady repeats, I don’t know how her face looks like because I still won’t look at her “I need your father’s signature I repeat, would you please tell him to come in?”

“No” I state again, “I won’t,” and I can’t help but to look at her facial expressions; her eyebrows are twisted with anger, her face is red, and her hands are clenched in fists.

“Fine, I’ll tell him to come myself.” The lady stands up and walks towards the door, closing it with ferocity.

Outside I hear chattering; I hear the lady talking softly and then I hear my father words.

“I’m sorry” the lady tells my father as both of them walk in to the room. I know she doesn’t mean it. People from the Choosing Side don’t have those types of feelings, at least not for the Chosen.

My father walks towards me, gasping, and hugs me. I can feel his tears wetting the back of my shirt, but I don’t care, I love him, and this may be the last time I see him.

“Mr. Meffers, when you can, sign your name in this line,” the lady says standing up from the chair where she was scribbling all of the data on paper, “it will show that you were a witness to the choosing of your daughter in the Definite Ceremony.”

“Don’t sign it dad,” I imply almost about to cry, “At least not now, I want to hug you for some more minutes.” Tears start running down my cheeks, I inhale dad’s smell, “I don’t want to lose you,” I murmur into his ear.  He holds my shoulders and looks at me, I’ve never seen dad so sad, so deteriorated; His eyes are red and teary, he looks much older than what he really is.

“This won’t be till forever” he starts sobbing like if he was a baby, but he is not, he is my father. “I know it won’t.”

Dad stands up and signs the paper wiping tears that keep falling uncontrollably from his eyes. “Will she need any clothes; does she need to take anything with her?” He asks her.

“I have just called the Choosing family and they said everything is set for your daughter, she will be arriving tomorrow, so you still have half a day to say your goodbyes.” The lady stands up and picks up her microphone “George Ferren please pass into the choosing room; Eric Dannick, get next in line.” The lady looks at us, giving us the notice that it’s time to go, so I grip my father’s hand tightly and walk out the door.

I cannot let the kids outside see me like this, my eyes are swollen from all this crying, and my hands keep trembling for no apparent reason; maybe it’s because I’m nervous I suggest, but why would I be nervous about when I already know my fate? When it’s already definite that I got Chosen?

Outside I see Morgan waiting for me sitting on a bench; I can tell she was nervous by the way she desperately bites on her nails.

“Lara!” she runs to me again, but this time I’m not happy at her sight, not when I have the worst news you could tell anyone, and worst she being my best friend. “How did it go?” I hear hope on her voice, but her face shows the opposite.

“Morgan?” I ask her, my voice cracking up into weeps, “what would you do if I…” I can’t get to speak the words correctly, tears start pouring from my eyes. Morgan looks at me showing a blank expression on her face, I can’t tell if she is either surprised or scared. She comes forward and hugs me tight, pushing out all of the breath from my lungs.

“You got chosen Lara?” she whispers to me in a tone of sadness.

“Yes I did,” I cry out and collapse into her shoulder letting out all that I felt at the moment.

We stayed attached like that for what looks like hours, each of us crying and saying our goodbyes. Yesterday goodbyes could mean till tomorrow, or see you later, but today, our goodbyes mean till forever.

Dad and I both came back to the house at around nine, the typical time on which he came back from work on weekdays to find me and Ean asleep on his bed. Those were just memories now, things that will never ever happen again. Ean was younger than me, but next year would be his first Definite Ceremony attendance, that will be the year where the torture will start for him.

“Ean?” I called, waiting for a reply, but receiving no answer; He probably fell asleep already. I enter the kitchen and pick up an apple from the basket, then I hear dad’s scream.

Running as fast as I can and tumbling at toy’s that Ean left on the hallway I reach Dad’s room. My body shivers and I get goose bumps through my body when I hear the reason of why dad yelled so loud; Ean is not in his room, Ean is not in the house.