U.H Book One // Hegemony {ON HOLD}

• Chapter Sixteen •

     We walked back to the house after quite a while of chatting at the snow-cone place. I noticed dark clouds had began rumbling in the distance, taking over the beautiful sunny day.

"Looks like it might rain.." Silas said softly as we made our way back to Leila's house.

"Oo!" Star suddenly exclaimed, "Perfect for telling scary stories!"

Thunder rumbled distantly as the clouds blocked the sun from view and the wind picked up.

"Uh..maybe we should hurry back." I mused. Everyone agreed and morphed into their animal forms, sprinting towards the house, meanwhile I (only slightly envious), struggled to keep up with their amazing speed and agility. (I was also extremely cautious of Violet).

Luckily they made it just as the first drops of rain began, then I shortly followed, as the rain began pouring down heavily and the wind forced it through the front door. Leila slammed the door shut and we all stopped in the slightly darkened hallway, laughing giddily and panting as the sound of rain heavily landing on the roof echoed through the building. They morphed back into their human forms and Silas collapsed on the couch.

"So now what?" Star asked.

"Now-" Leila began but I cut her off.

"Now I'm going to see what the color of the tickets meant!" I exclaimed excitedly, throwing myself on the floor and zipping open my bag. I could see them all give each other confused glances.

"I...I brought a book just in case." I said, pulling out the book labeled 'Magical Objects'

Star let out a small snort, "You think that book will have what you're looking for?"

"Yeah...it was a ticket. Not a magical object." Violet said with a grin she was attempting to hold back.

"Hey, maybe it is in there! She's the smart one here." Leila said optimistically. I giggled quietly to myself and smiled at her as a thanks.

Again I noticed Star's head zip towards me in the corner of my eye. Was she...jealous? I felt a twinge of happiness in my heart but shook it off. Now was not the time to get flustered.

I leaped on the couch next to Silas as I began flipping through the book. Everyone joined us and examined the pages. Luckily it was in alphabetical order.

Q...R...S...T!

Ta..Te...Ti!

Ticket!

"It's here!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Wha-really?!" Star couldn't help but gasp. Violet's jaw dropped. I don't know why they were so surprised.

"How often do you guys read?" I asked, amused.

"I read!" Violet said, red-faced, "I just don't read dictionaries."

Everyone laughed and I began reading aloud.

"Certain tickets used for public events such as competitions or races, are called Aura Tickets. These blank tickets are given to Containment Orbs, and once a contestant has entered, the Containment Orb spits out the ticket to the proper contestant, which will now glow certain color(s), due to the chemicals inside Containment Orbs. (Containment Orbs pick up on certain qualities of people and transfer the qualities into colors, which embeds itself into the ticket). You can never have the same exact ticket as anybody else in the contest. And, through studies, we have find out the colors meanings." I glanced up and smiled enthusiastically at everyone who also smiled back at me with interest. This time I didn't read aloud, instead I skimmed the page, while everyone else read it as well.

' Red - Red shows compassion for the competition. A desire to win, a need to win. A way of showing determination.

Dark Red - Dark Red shows strength. The more dark red, the more likely the contestant is to win the competition. It shows strength of the body.

Orange - Orange shows unwillingness. If a bearer is given an orange ticket, it means they are either being forced to enter or reluctant to play.

Yellow - Yellow shows integrity. This means they will always remain honest and moral no matter how gruesome the competition may get. Bearers with these tickets are trustworthy.

Green - Green means responsible. If a bearer has green it means they will most likely never break the rules of the competition. This doesn't necessarily mean they won't play dirty, it simply means they play by the rules.

Lime Green - Lime Green means to be a natural leader. Someone who will always do what's best for their team. If it's a solo competition, they will do what's best for themselves.

Neon Blue - Neon Blue means the bearers abilities are very powerful, whether they know it or not, it is not muscles or strength, but the powers and abilities they posses.

Dark Blue - U N K N O W N

Navy Blue - Navy Blue means the bearer is able to trick others easily, and may do it for evil or good during the competition. Navy Blue bearers must not be trusted.

Black - Black means stability. The more black the bearer has on their ticket, the more stable and confident they are in themselves

White - White means instability. The more white the bearer has on their ticket, the less stable and confident they are in themselves, which may result in loss of the contest.

Purple - Purple means intelligence. They are keen in mind and (whether strong or not) have the mindset to complete the competition. Bearers with purple tickets are incredibly intelligent and may be useful to others.

Silver - Silver tickets mean the bearers five senses are fully alert and they can use this to their advantage. Maybe even OP.

Gold - Gold shows emotion and dedication. It is also slang for 'Golden heart'. Golden ticket bearers are more likely to win the competition with their 'heart of gold'.

Brown - Brown stands for lack of determination and motivation. If one has a brown ticket it means they are unmotivated and unwilling to win the competition.

Grey - Grey shows danger. If one has a grey ticket, it means they aren't compassionate, but rather dangerous and willing to do or hurt anyone to win.

FUN FACT: The most amount of colors on a ticket is six.'

   After we all finished reading what we wanted to, we looked at each other in interest.

"So I'm smart...but uncertain?" I mused, followed by a shrug, "Makes sense."

"But...do I have a gold ticket or a yellow ticket?" Leila asked. We all looked at her.

What did she have?