Voiceless Bird

Chapter 2

A Mistake

I walked towards the school gates from the inside, my mind churning with questions, should I wait for Misty like usual?

What if she walked past me without a word? But then again, she only said to make new friends... not that I would no longer be friends with her.

By the time I had finished debating whether or not to wait, I was already at the gates and hearing the familiar clop of heels.

The minute I saw her I knew I had missed something. Not only was Misty early but she was wearing a tight fitting, short red dress, a white fur coat- fake, hopefully- around her shoulders and black, glossy high heeled boots that matched the black stone necklace around her neck. 

Compared to the black loose sweater and jeans I was wearing, she looked like the spoiled princess that she acted like.

Did I just think that?  I shook my head, hoping that my negative thoughts would disappear.

She was wearing the Royals' colours; white, red and black. Misty looked me up and down and wrinkled her button nose, and as she walked past me I heard her mutter under her breath, "I guess it wasn't as though she had a chance in the first place."

At least I'm wearing more black than you!

My thoughts were cut off as I trailed behind her into the school into a barrage of red, white and black. Was I the only person oblivious to this? Misty might've told me over and over again about the Academy but I had always blocked her out. 

The Selectors were coming today and I had actually thought that I would try to be the perfect friend to Misty for the remaining week.

A different bell rang and everybody trailed toward the courtyard, which was a very big place. Not only was our school there but the children of Royals that were home-schooled— instead of attending our one and only school in the country— had also come.

 "Mother!" Misty called out sharply, catching the attention of her mother who was already in the crowd. Her mother aimed a smile at me before taking hold of Misty's arm and pulling her towards the middle of the courtyard.  

There was a golden stage at the front—one that I had never seen there before. It was grand and large, with gilded statues adorning the front.

Silence quickly descended over the crowd and I tried to look over Misty to see what was going on. I caught a slight glimpse of the six Selectors, each of them holding a small silvery-white scroll.

One Selector stepped forward, long white clothing softly trailing on the ground. He smiled, gaze sweeping over the large crowd full of hopeful students and parents.

"We welcome you all on this prestigious day. The Choosing is a system that has been in place for centuries and only the best will be Chosen." He stepped back, and another Selector came forward- this time female.

"Only six of you can enter... and not all of you will stay. We wish you all the best." With that she stepped back too, soft smile on her face. One of them unfurled the silvery-white scroll and the atmosphere in the air quickly became anticipating.

Out of the six teenagers that could enter, three were girls and the other three were boys, although only those who passed the year end trials would go to second year and beyond. I had heard that in some very rare cases instead of three girls and three boys, there had been more boys—or more girls.

I wondered if these potential Royals would look or act any different. The ones selected could be anyone, even if your parents were Royal it did not guarantee your place in the Academy.