Divinity

Chapter 3

I don't know how long I've been sitting on this painfully hard wooden floor. It could be minutes, it could be months. I can't tell, and I really don't care. To me, nothing matters anymore.

I've allowed the rain to deeply soak my shivering body like everyone else. We sit there in dead silence, too afraid to say anything, and besides, what is there to say? We are all familiar with each other in some way, but now is not the time to acknowledge that. We may never acknowledge that.

I look around, desperate for something to do. To my right is a tall boy with wavy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He stares blankly at the wooden floor, holding back tears and aimlessly fiddling with his thumbs. He breathes deeply, in and out, in and out.

I turn, and to my left is a girl with the oddest hair color I have ever seen. It's baffling and enigmatic, but I can't help but compare it to an old candy I used to eat, Twizzlers. Then I sigh, because that's my mothers favorite candy. The red-head has dark brown eyes and looks on the verge of tears, but she's obviously determined not to let them show, like me. She frantically looks around the truck, quickly moving her eyes from the window to the bare ceiling to a small, frail blonde in the corner. I don't recognize her, probably from some other city that collected victims today.

It seems like it's been hours, and maybe it has, but I have no way of keeping time in here, so I just sit and wait, and I keep waiting until the only thing I can do to occupy myself is bite my nails until they're almost nonexistent. I can't wait any longer or I'll go insane from being inside a small space for so long. I suddenly realize how exhausted and thirsty I am, but I can't fix that problem until we arrive at President's Hart's mansion.

And then the truck stops.

Everyone immediately scrambles up, thinking of no one else but themselves, to glance out the window, recklessly pushing to be at the front. President Hart's mansion is a brilliant sight, or so I've been told. Mother used to tell stories about it's majesty and grandeur, and I would listen intensely, taking every word. I would dream at night about the wonderful moment of finally getting to see it. I had determined that it would be the best moment of my life. I was so wrong.

Some people stray towards the back and stand on the tips of their feet attempting to see over the people in the front. I'm one of those people, as is the girl I noticed earlier. She's taller than me by a couple inches, I suddenly realize.

As a boy moves his head to the right, I see it: white, majestic and beautiful, just as I had always imagined it. Dozens of marble columns hold up the marvelous structure, reminding me of the old Roman buildings we learned about in History class, and, as I look closer, I catch a glimpse of a fountain spewing water into the crisp afternoon air at regular intervals. I'm desperate to see more, but the boy moves his head, blocking my view.

I hear the red-head gasp under her breath, shocked. I don't blame her as her hazel eyes widen and her lips slightly part. We are used to luxury, as it's an essential in life, but nothing this extreme. I can only imagine how beautiful it is inside if the outside is like this.

I realize it has stopped raining, and the sky is now a brilliant blue and cloudless, telling me how far away from home I am, as it was supposed to rain all day. It's certainly not walking distance as I had hoped. It could be a thousand miles away, for all know.

Suddenly, after we all hear an ominous creak and freeze, the back door is opened, revealing the bright sun and blinding us. I cup my hand around my squinted, blurry eyes and take in the scene.

If I stare straight ahead, the mansion towers above me, finally revealing its full radiance. I have to tilt my head up to get a glance of the roof, where I know there are cameras. In Divinity we're kept under strict 24/7 surveillance. They wouldn't want anyone escaping, though I don't see why anyone would. Why run away from luxury and bliss?