DESTINY

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

 Stepping off the bus, there is no turning back. There is no room for thinking of my family, my past. There is no room for thinking of States Division, my future that could have been there. I don't think there is room to think at all. All I am aware of is the large crowd surrounding us. But large is underrating the crowd. Shouts and loud talking pound my ears. I'm not truly aware of what's going on; I just follow the person in front of me.

 Blake and Georgiana follow behind me. I have no idea where Emanuel Saxon is, he's gone somewhere in the masses. Looking around at everything, I definitely see why they call this place a city. States Division, even Colombian Division, has nothing on this. Diverse Division is better. Something about it makes it... different. It is diverse.

 Only now do I realize I don't know where I am. "Where do we go, again?" I ask, turning around to face Georgiana. She isn't there. My heart starts pumping a little faster, making me look around frantically. "Georgiana? Blake?" I say aloud. Now I wish I had been paying attention. There are many faces around me, so many faces, but not the two I am searching for. I feel lost, so lost in the bulk of the occupants. 

 I am stopped abruptly by a stiff body. Dizzy, I have to place my hands on the person. The dark gray thermal shirt he wears feels nice under my fingers. I don't get a chance to look up at who the guy is before he walks me to the line of occupants, Georgiana and Blake at the end. I stand behind them now, in awe at what just happened. The guy isn't there when I turn around to see who it was. Whoever it was, I thank them for saving me from ultimately losing my mind.

 We stand before a tall stage, Emanuel walking around to the different people around him. He smiles wide as he shakes hands or gives side hugs. One guy makes him explode in a huge laugh. Their greeting consists of a slap on the shoulder to bring them into a big brotherly hug. Emanuel is noticeably older than the other guy he now hugs, but not by much. 

 "He's a very energetic man, isn't he?" Georgiana says. Blake laughs, turning around to look at Georgiana. He sees me and his face turns very bright.

 "There you are!" Blake says. Georgiana turns around to see me. She does the same thing Blake did, only she places a hand on my shoulder.

 "We thought we lost you! One moment you were in front of me and the next you were walking off but someone told us to keep going." She says. At the mention of a 'someone', I automatically thinks of the guy who helped me get back to the group.

 "Did you see who it was? The guy who told you to keep going?" 

 "It wasn't a boy, it was a girl." Georgiana corrects, finger out in front of her.

 "Oh... ok." I say. I know it was a boy. Were there two people? A loud cheer brings all three of our attention back to the stage, where Emanuel stands with a microphone in one hand.

 "Woo!" Emanuel says through the mic, an echo of his voice going through the city. Everyone cheers; he smiles and nods his head, satisfied with the response. "Welcome to Diverse City!" The cheers and yelling are even louder this time. Georgiana looks back at me, face red and thumbs up.

 "This is awesome!" She says. A smile plays across my lips. "You look as excited as I must look!" She tries to tell me over the loud voices.

 "Then you must be being sarcastic!" I yell back.

 "No! No, you really look excited, too!" 

 Do I? I thought my face would have shown utter shock. This is nothing like what I expected! The culture differences absolutely amazes me! 

 I love it.

 "Diverse occupants, welcome your newly committed fellow occupants!" Emanuel says into the microphone.

 "Welcome!" They say all at different times, making it sound like an awful choir. My lips spread apart even more. 

 "Diverse City got mass appeal, right?!" Emanuel wails. His face shows he is happy, again, with the response from everybody. "Man, it's like a freak show up in here." Everybody laughs. "Alright, alright. We about to do this thing fo' real, so take your hand in the hand of someone beside you, come on. Come on. Take hands." 

 I hear the shuffling of feet as people turn the right way to hold hands. Georgiana takes my hand, and someone else takes my other hand. I look to the person beside me. No dark gray thermal, but I'll take this gorgeous looking guy's hand any day!

 "What are we doing?" I ask him. My speaking to him surprises me. I would have never done that in States Division! No one would ever dare answer me back, because I just didn't belong. But this guy, and probably anybody else who was beside me, answers. This makes me feel right at home. Like I truly belong.

 "We've got to share the love, right?" He asks jokingly. I laugh, and so help me I would have died if it came out like a little girl laugh. But it didn't. I smile at the guy who smiles down at me.

 "Ha-ha, I guess so."

 "You guess so? C' mere." He pulls my arm around his back so it's like I'm hugging him.

 "You feel the love bursting forth yet?" He asks.

 I definitely feel my heart racing faster than light itself. "Uh..." I am at a loss for words.

 "Awe, man! One thing you gotta understand," He moves closer to me, even though I didn't think we could have gotten any closer, "you live here now, and we want to be sure you all feel safe, loved."

 My heart flutters. "That sounds like a dream." I say.

 "Doesn't it? But it's yours, now. All of you new occupants... you can feel at home." Feel at home. I already did feel at home, and now with him saying this is my new home, I can finally relax and just follow along without any hesitations. 

 "We will never be a Diverse City until with all you're heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind you open your arms to us!" Emanuel shouts, not even using the mic but able to get his voice out to everyone. 

 "What is he talking about?" I ask. I thought we had already opens our arms to one another and said the welcome.

 "Spreadin' the good news, baby." He says. My frown goes away instantly. What is replaced is the widest smile I think I have ever displayed. The guy says something that I didn't quiet understand, but I don't ask for him to say it again for fear I would mess up the nice moment we all have here. So instead I just nod, making him smile.

 "Together, we make diversity!"

 The shouts afterwards and the shouts that follow every time Emanuel says something makes the few sparks inside me that I felt building before we reached the city burst into flames. The guy notices that I am on fire, but suddenly his smile dwindles. Had I done something wrong? He notices my curious look. "What's wrong?" I ask.

 "Nothing." He says.

 "What is it?"

 He looks around, his eyes landing on the new occupants. All of them look as excited as everyone around them. "Time." 

 I shake my head, confused. "Time?" He nods, confirming that I am correct.

 "Time is needed. Much time."