Hope

Chapter 10: The Show Must Go On

The sunlight blinds me as we walk outside. I see Jake, in a black cloak in front of Lucy, I take my spot next to her. I look around in the Wandering for Mae, but she is nowhere to be seen. Maybe I wasn't the last one brought out? The hooded figure in front of the Glass Wielders looks at Jake, definitely not Mae. I look at the hooded figure in front of the Hunters, it's a guy. "Where could she be?" I think to myself. Suddenly the ground beneath us begins to shake. It rises up into a stage so the thousands crowded around may see us. Something turns on, it fuzzes for a moment. "Greetings everyone"a strange voice booms, it seems familiar, but I can't quite pinpoint where I've heard it before. "You are probably all wondering why you have been summoned here, well, all will be explained soon enough. I would like you to take a look around you, look at your loved ones, the people you care for and trust. Now, what if I was to tell you that some of these people may not be who you think they are. People of Daitoshi this is unfortunately true." The voice starts listing off names as families watch actors whom they believed were their family stand up and walk towards the stage. "Twyla Vance," the voice calls, I see my mother watch on in horror as the actress stands up and joins the line of people walking towards the stage. On the verge of tears her eyes scan the stage, they land on me, with the makeup she wasn't supposed to be able to recognize me, but I can tell that she does. I quickly force my head down as the speaker grabs my mothers teary-eyed attention. "Now let that sink in, you no longer have any idea what memories are real or false. Isn't it horrible, this is what happens when those in power put all their attention in persecuting those who are different. My name is Mae Adrif, and I am working to end this persecution." My mind begins racing as all of us on the stage collectively gasp. "Mae, silent, book obsessed Mae. Mae niece of Janalette, the head of the K.D.E. is Madame Adrif! Madame Adrif, leader of the Kulaaniwa rebellion. Holy crap." I think to myself. The speaker shuts off with a sudden beep and then silence. A woman in a burgundy velvet dress with a hooded and black silk cloth draped around her shoulders walks onto the stage. Its Mae, her hair tied up into a tight braided knot, the shadow around her eyes is a deep blue with teal highlights, and she is wearing a dull gold lip. She looks kind of crazy, but in a royally beautiful kind of way. She's barely recognizable, but her rare lavender eyes give away her identity to the few of us who know her in real life. She flicks her left wrist which, like her right, is covered in a black lace glove. I feel my jumpsuit start to move, my makeup runs and transforms into a black eye mask and my clothes tighten as the collar grows into a hooded robe. The same thing is happening to those around me, each of our robes has our Ukoo symbol on it and Mae's has the Kulaaniwa rebel sign. She raises her voice, "These are your real family members, and now that you know the truth, do you support us or not.?" She holds up both of her hands, we all dawn our hoods and ready our weapons. "Because if you do not..." she flips up her hood, "Then you are our enemy." Her hands drop down. "And you don't want to see what happens to our enemies.