[Discontinued] Not Equal

eleven//incredulity

The world is spinning as I step off the bus, wearing the white dress. Or, what used to be the white dress. The dress is now pink and flowing with a translucent silk alternative. There is a butterfly etched onto the silken fabric, a darker shade of pink than the dress. Fake pearls gleam next to the butterfly, where the red rose once stood. Pink roses blanket the bottoms of the translucent skirts. Everyone stares at me as I walk onto the curb, my dress flowing behind me as I smile. My hair is braided into a French braid crown, and I have pinned it with a jeweled hair clip.

"You look pretty." Faith whispers to me once I reach her side. I smile at her. "As do you," I say. I stroll after the Advisors, the train of my dress flowing behind me. The crowd of girls surrounds me quickly, and the claustrophobia gets to me immediately. "Your dress!" A girl exclaims, her eyes wide and full of jealousy. "It's pink." Another girl hisses, her voice low and dangerous. I recognize it immediately. Celeste. I turn my head to face her. "Yes," I smile at her. "Thank you for pointing that obvious fact out."

Celeste growls, wanting to reply or ask a Question, but she bites her tongue once one of the Advisors turns his head towards us. I stare forward blankly and look in the distance, not making eye contact with anybody. I lift my chin and straighten my back to show that I am not slacking in my tidiness.

When we enter the Central Square, there is no applause. The entire courtyard lacks any sign of sound. We are positioned just behind the incoming Fifteens and in front of the incoming Seventeens.

The Chief Elder appears in front of us, wearing majestically luxurious clothes, his arms spread to welcome the applause. People clap eagerly, but I can tell from the gunshots that not everyone has applauded. "People of the City, we welcome you to the 355th Ceremony of Aging!" He calls into the microphone, his voice slow, letting the words echo in my ears.

A new wall has been placed between the Males and Females so that we cannot see the Males, but I know that it is so that they do not see us. I close my eyes anxiously, wondering where Cole is in that massive crowd of Males. The crowd of Females all around me seem to close in on me, and I feel my claustrophobia amplifying my anxiety.

My fingernails dig into my palm. I have to wait for every age before me before I can find out who my Pair is. The anxiety and curiosity take over me, surrounding my head with Thoughts.

The Chief Elder stares down at the Females, his eyes gleaming a strange, sickly white color. His eyes bore into mine, but I refuse to think that he is looking at me. He must be looking at someone else. There is no way that he would remember who I am.

The newborn babies are brought up to the front of the courtyard. The baby Males are on the right, the baby Females on the left. I gulp nervously.

The Chief Elder calls out the numbers of the babies. Before they are assigned a name, the Chief Elder calls them according to the number of their last name alphabetically.

First, the Chief Elder calls out the Male numbers, and when they are brought forward, he smiles thinly and declares the name of the baby from a list in front of him.

When he calls the Females, his eyes narrow with disdain, and he does not make an effort to hide it. It is evident that the Chief Elder hates Females, and that is what all Males were taught to believe.

The babies are ushered away quickly, and the incoming Twos are brought in. The Twos are slightly taller than the Ones, but they still have round babyfaces. The Female Twos receive a more extensive set of clothes and a tiny spoon.

I take a deep breath. It must have shown that I was nervous because Faith holds my hand. I feel ashamed that I let my guard down so quickly, but Faith's hand in mine makes me feel better. I smile at her, mouthing a thank you.