Clouds

Part 2-24 Matthew

Chapter 24

           

I can’t understand anything anymore.  It is like the day’s defeat is dragging me down, putting an invisible weight on my shoulders.  I am being left to die, heave stones on my chest while I lay face upward towards the sky. 

In reality I am just a normal girl, training for a cause: defeating a dictator whose family has ruled over us for generations.

            My name is Victoria Hart. 

            Of course everyone over camp has come to know this.  I can see it in their faces as they look up to me, along with the rest of the A group, as if I am a goddess.  I can see it in their expressions: they want to be our friends; they want to hang out with us; they want to be us.

            And for once in my life I am with them.

            Normally I would expect them to be snotty brats that take advantage of their followers in the worst ways.  Well, I’ve learned differently.  They’re all so sweet and kind.

            Dakota is the best of them, with his sweet smile and charming attitude.  And then there is his puppy dog, Claire, who adores and follows him everywhere he goes.  She is goegeous, with pure natural blonde hair, dyed pink on the bottom tips. 

            Claire’s best friend, Kristen, is also a natural beauty.  She has dark skin and the most gorgeous black eyes a person could ever hope to see, and is tall and skinny like a model.  Not even her short hair can counteract it.

            And then there is Roy, who could end up being her boyfriend at any given moment.  It took me awhile to notice, but his bright ginger hair and freckles match Henry’s.  They must be brothers, but not twins.

            Lastly there is Jake, with his bright blue eyes and blonde hair, similar to Colby’s.  Of course, his eyes are not nearly as dazzling as Colby’s green ones.  They could light up the sky.

            And then there is me, the formally social outcast.

            I was never pretty growing up.  My jet black hair was always short and wild and never trimmed correctly.  I was never fat or bone-skinny, just in between.  I was very athletic, but have never been smart until a few years ago when I learned to infuse it with my training so that I could understand the concepts.  That was when my mind clicked.

            But now people would go out of their way to look in my direction.  Some stared, while others looked and then glanced away shyly. 

            My hair had grown longer, and my eyes were brighter than their usual dull navy blue.  I appeared more like Claire and Kristen: stunning.  I was the kind of girl everyone wanted to be, and the kind every boy wanted to date, as Kristen would say.

            It’s so strange how your life can take a turn so quickly.  I always loved the Glade and thought I would never feel at home anywhere else.  But, here I am, in Misty Mountain, having the time of my life.

            This must be what it feels like to be a guard, I think to myself.  Or anyone training to work for the Queen.  I think they call it college, but it’s only for boys and the smartest of girls.

            I feel a tap on my shoulder and look behind me.  My thoughts of the past few days fade away, all into the eyes of Dakota.  Their warm blue completion amazes me and I nod, following him to lunch.