City of Colors

Two

"Art is a lonely task." -Francesca Zappia

Year 145

Kira didn't know what to think when the doors of the testing hall opened. She had expected everyone to flood out, smiling and laughing. Because they had gotten ranks. They had gotten their tickets into academies. They had, in some way, grown up by taking the test.

But instead, the doors were thrown open, and two muscular guards held Aria's hands behind her back, like a prisoner.

"Aria?" Kira called uncertainty. "Aria what happened?"

Aria stumbled a few steps. "Kira?" She looked at Kira with tears in her emerald eyes. "KIRA!" She repeated again. "PLEASE HELP ME I SWEAR IT'S A MISTAKE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND I-!" Suddenly she stopped. A green light, emanating from one of the guards, wrapped itself around her throat. No sound came out.

"Shut it." One of the guards ordered.

A silencing spell.

-

Kira ran after the cart, chasing it down the streets. She couldn't believe it. It was the cart. The cart of banishment. The cart that locked away all of the cities horrible secrets.

Why didn't she see? Why didn't she see how cruel it was?

Tears streamed down Kira's face, blurring her vision. How could this happen? None of this was supposed to happen. Aria... She couldn't see Aria through the waterfall of tears. How did tears do that? Tears born of pain always burn like a fire.

She stumbled.

-

Aria watched the gates of Aurora closed behind her, and she let out a sob. Her home, everything that she ever knew, was being torn away. And she was being thrown into the wilderness, where surely no one could survive.

For the punishment for failing the test was banishment.

The guard lifted the silencing spell, but Aria had nothing left to say. She just cried. They unlocked the cart, and threw her roughly to the ground, coughing. She considered chasing after them, but it she was too tired, to broken, it was pointless. Her legs were too shaky. The wheels of the cart rumbled as they sped away, growing smaller in the distance.

Then she was alone.

She always ended up alone.

-

Kira staggered into the orphanage hallway, pale as a ghost.

Lee looked up at her older sister with concern. "Why are you covered in dirt?" She asked, running over.

Was she covered in dirt? She didn't notice. She had been running and running and running like she had never run before. Chasing the cart. But it had been like chasing a fantasy; it was unattainable. "I fell," She said.

"Kira look at yourself, your a mess!" Lee used the hem of Kira's sweater to wipe a spot of dirt off her face. "You're so pale! Are you sick?" Lee summoned a reflection spell.

Kira looked at herself in the magical mirror. Was that her? She looked the terrible. Vanilla blonde bangs flowing around her face, fiery brown eyes pink from tears, and her skin flushed a sickly white. She shook her head, dispersing the spell. "No, I'm not sick."

"Then what happened?" Lee asked, tilting her head. Then she paused, and something clicked. "Does it have to do with the test?" She asked in a harder tone.

Kira hesitated. "...Yes."

Lee's face fell. "I'll go tell Mrs. Armitage." Lee pushed past Kira roughly, a sign of hurt and disgust.