I awoke to the sun rising. It was blinding, really. I was used to it being distorted through the water. Now it was just glaring at me relentlessly. I covered my eyes against it until they adjusted. I was going to have to find something to cover up the window. I don't want to be woken up by that every morning. Why couldn't it be the sun's playful beams on the lake floor? Little spots of light beckoning you forward into the deep blue paradise? Homesick. That's what I am. I'm homesick on the first day of Training. I should be excited. I should be so excited to get started, but all I can think about is home.
For a year, I won't get to hear my sister yelling through the water at me. I won't get to race Jujo, my best guy friend who is a year younger, through the Kelp Forest. I won't see my mom or dad for a whole year. It almost doesn't seem real. I'm finally in Training. I'm here for a year to see who I really am. What element will be the one I truly can control. At this point, it could be any. That goes for every Trainee. The slate has been wiped clean. The only tethers you have to your old division is through your memories. Here, after you are sixteen, you are released from your family. You are independent and will never live with them again, especially if you are in a different division. I might not see my family again and the goodbye I gave them was a simple wave.
Maybe it was for the best. If I went through a long and teary goodbye, I might not have went through the gates. In my land, you don't get exceptionally close with your family. They are simply meant to raise you until you go through Training. We almost sound like small toys that are put into someone's care until they are needed back. My family, though, went a little farther than that. I believe that my parents actually loved me. I hoped they did at least. I loved them. I know I did. Even down to little annoying Bee.
After those depressing thoughts, I rise up and stretch. My muscles protest slightly, still sore from yesterday's swim with Clarisse. Thinking of her, I remember that I was supposed to find her, but have no idea where she is. Classes will not officially start for a week. The workers need time to distribute schedules and make sure everyone is set. There are at least 3,000 Trainees here. That equals a lot of things that could go wrong. I look around my room and see that nothing has changed. I notice a small button near the door that says ONLY RING IN EMERGENCY. I already tell that button will be pressed by one or two idiots for fun. It is severely frowned upon to play jokes in the event that someone thinks you are in danger. Still, there are people who will press that button.
I suddenly realize that my clothes have begun to smell. It is fairly new to me to smell things like this. Underwater, I can smell things, but it's much different. Actual smell is almost unknown to me. I lift up my clothes to my nose and smell them. They smell like the lake and I almost fall over in happiness. I won't wash these clothes. I need that smell almost as bad as I need air. The smell, I know, will fade eventually. Until then, I'll keep them. I quickly shed these clothes and pack them into a dark corner of my closet. Only to be used when my homesickness takes over me. I pull out a different pair of clothing, a loose tee and kapris. They fit nicely and I vaguely remember giving my measurements to the Center six months back. I smile and walk out of my room, pocketing my key.
The halls have already filled with lots of people. There are girls of all sizes here, tall, short, thin, and thinner. No one here has much excess weight. It is rare to see a person with fat. It's almost unheard of in my division. I suddenly realize that it's getting harder to distinguish the division girls by their voices, as we all now look alike. I can still tell, but it's like they are slowly losing their accents. I bump into someone and mumble, "Sorry." The girl doesn't even look at me, but I notice something. My voice has changed too. It isn't as smooth as before and it has lost its flowing lilt. I am slowly losing my identity. I need to find Clarisse fast.
I rush down the stairs and out the barrack. I hit the ground running and search for her frantically. I don't even know where to start. Rooms aren't assigned by division or name. It's almost random. I begin to wander aimlessly, looking for my friend. I should have waited for her after I got out of the line! Why didn't I wait? But, did she get out before me? Did she not wait for me? Or did she? Questions buzz through my head as I walk around the barracks. Clarisse is a morning person. I have no doubt she is already awake. I just have to find her in all this chaos. I finish looking in the third barrack and find no sign of her. I round the corner to the fourth and bump into someone. I mumble an apology and keep going, but the person stops me by grabbing my arm. I glare at them and realize that it's a guy. I take in his short/long gray hair and flashing silver eyes. Strong jawline and well-define muscles are just two more things I add to the list labeled ATTRACTIVE about this boy.
