X-Marks: Rising Shadows

Gala

I waited, seated on the plush pink seat of my vanity. It felt strange to be here, alone in my dorm. The high ceilings felt taller. The steel fixtures that hung like willows above me felt as though they could reach down to strangle. I let the icy metal of the chair hit the bare skin of my back.

In the mirror, I examined myself in every detail. The way my pale pink dress shimmered atop my freckled skin. How my rust-colored hair framed the tear-drop shaped jewel at the center of my chest. I even had my lips painted a rosy pink to match. Every detail was carefully planned days before by Gen's assistants, but somehow it felt unfamiliar when all together.

As I continued to watch, I tried to avoid it, look at something else if I could. The wispy hairs above my brows or maybe the pitted scars above my ear. Even these scars were less painful to remember.

The dotted black mark at the center of my forehead was all anyone could see, I was sure. Like a picture frame stained with a smudge. If only I could wipe it away. Hide it, if just for a moment like tonight. But I knew not to ask.

"Reminders of your past, although painful, will help you heal," Gen had said many times during our talks.

I was glad to have Gen to talk to. The others weren't speaking to me after Court's announcement party, but I was okay with that. Even with my mark, I was starting to feel at home in the strange new place. With it's neat and organized structure I had something I never had before, a purpose.

I wiped my damp palms against each other before I rummaged through the boxes atop the vanity. Within a glittered blue envelope, there was a silver plated invitation marked with large swirled letters. I circled my fingers around its edges, feeling grateful to have something that could be touched and not sent through wires or beam into thin air.

I read over the last line, "For Ms. Valen Shadow, Guest of Honor."

Honor. It made my skin turn cold all over again.

Another chill of dread washed over me as the sound of someone at the door chimed through the room.

•·················※·················•

The ceiling of the gala entrance was made of glass arches, giving it appearance of a tunnel. Each arch was decorated with golden lines that crossed into complex shapes. Beside me, the walls sprouted with people from every corner. From each entrance, a portrait bust was displayed in the nooks of the walls with names below on a golden plate.

I walked close beside my escorts, making sure I could see the backs of their white coats at all times. Without knowing where I was going and who I was to meet once there, I could not lose them. But it wasn't hard to spot them. The rest of the residents were dressed in nothing but their best. From shimmering gowns that trailed far behind across the floor, tall hair of pale hues and suits that changed colors. It was clear the other residents had been planning for this moment for some time.

I stretched my neck as high as it could go, barely breaking the shoulders of those in front of me. From as far as I could see, the checkered floor below went on for forever.

If I had felt small in my own room, I was about to feel like nothing more than a speck of dust here.

After sometime shuffling through the crowds, we reached the gala. I was still well below the shoulders of anyone else, but it wasn't hard to know we had reached our destination.

A wavering purple light beamed from the gala doors. A kind of purple that reminded me of ocean waves crashing against a shore at night. The memory tore into me as the lights flashed on.

Inside the gala, roundtables bordered the corners, leaving the center of the room bare. Each table bloomed with tall stacks of glass flowers. Above, crystals of every shape and length hung from the ceiling and dangle above our heads.

At the center of the gala, there was a single long table whose chairs faced a raised stage in front of it. The escorts walked me through the roundtables where Evee, Mat, and Nate sat.

I sat furthest from them. Their cold stares and shifted chairs told me I had made the right decision. I could see their lips moving but could not hear anything over the growing orchestra and the chatter building throughout the room. I let the members of the lifetime committee seat on each of my sides. This was all for the best. I knew for sure.

I watched the other residents pile into their tables with smiles and excitement. Each took a sharp glance at the long table where I sat. I shifted my eyes from them hoping they would not notice me, but I still felt their eyes burn onto my mark each time.

Before I my skin could flush, a sound chimed through the hall, bouncing through each of the hanging crystals and shaking the water in their glasses.

On the illuminated stage ahead, Gen walked to its center. She wore a gleaming pale blue dress covered in delicate lace leaves. Her long flowing dress was sheer, allowing the winding leaves to cloak her in parts. Her white hair was cut into a sharp bob that hit just below her pale red lips.

With just one glance at her, the room fell into silence.

"Good evening, residents," Gen said with her smooth, calm voice, "It is my pleasure to host all of you here tonight on this most special of occasions."

The room erupted into claps and cheers from the crowd. Gen's face softened into a gracious smile.

"Tonight, I would like to applaud each and every one of you for your tireless efforts that brought us here today. You're legacy, and the new future of this Union begins tonight. We will no longer be a species bound by the limitations of our biology. We have achieved something far beyond what nature could have ever accomplished, and for that, I would like to celebrate you."

The crowd erupted into cheers once again, this time louder than before.

Gen held up her hand, "I would, more importantly, see that we also remember those we are unable to express our gratitude to tonight. It is because of their vision we are here today, about to embark on the new horizon of human evolution. Let us not allow their teachings to go in vain."

The face of the crowd turned somber, a few breaking into tears.

"Finally," Gen said and lowered her hand, "Please take a stand."

The entire room stood from their seat. The chorus of cheers echoed around us. Everyone's bright faces beamed with delight and their smiles welcomed me closer. It was a warm embrace I felt from afar. It was something that filled a deep part of me that made me realize it had been missing all along. We really did belong here.

I arched my back to look at the others from across the table when I saw Evee. She was walking away from the table, disappearing into the glittering bodies of the crowd.

My stare froze until it could no longer see her.

What was she was up to now?

She had ruined many things, and I knew she was about to again.