Empire

Chapter three

   We enter a large ball room that is already crowded with people.
    I hope we don't have to talk to anyone. These people scare me and I've never been in a room with this many people.
    We are ushered to a table where the rest of the contestants are already sitting. There are twenty eight of us in all. Most of them are sitting with the people from their country. I walk over to Tretan, who is seated beside the Canadians, and sit down. Flair follows me and sits down beside Grey. I hear them talking in whispers, something about a wallet.
    I stare at my plate, hoping the evening won't last too long. It's kind of hot in here.
    A bell rings and the chattering mass of people sits down at their tables. A line of waiters and waitresses come out of a door and start serving the food. I realize how hungry I am, I haven't done much today but breakfast was small.
    The meal seems to last forever but I'm full by the third course. The food keeps coming but I don't bother trying to eat anything else. Most of the things I ate I can't name. Although once I'm pretty sure it's venison. So they do make use of "the emperor's forests" after all. What a surprise.
    Flair takes tiny bits of everything. Her strategy seems to be working because she lasts way longer than I do.
    After at least two hours the meal is finally over. The tables are cleared and music starts playing. A few couples gather in the middle of the room to dance. I get up and leave our table hoping I can leave but am immediately surrounded by people who start firing questions at me.
    "What's your last name?" "Who did your makeup?" "Are you really a princess?" And "Have you ever killed anything?"
    It's like a swarm of bees and I don't know who to swat first.
    "Do you wanna dance?" That's Tretan.
    I gladly except and follow him to the dance floor.
    "You looked ready to hurt someone so I figured I'd rescue those poor Emorians." He says.
    I laugh "Thank you very much for saving them."
    I don't recognize the song playing and I've never danced with a partner. Sometimes I dance by myself but it's not like this.
    "We don't have to actually dance, I just figured it was a good excuse." Says Tretan.
    "Thanks again," I say.
    The song ends but we stay close to the dance floor to avoid getting mobbed again. A new song begins playing but it sounds different. It's slow and eerie, sending chills up my spine. The dance is different too, the last one was beautiful, this one is disgusting. I am suddenly fascinated by the marble floor along with Tretan.
    After a few minutes the music stops and a new one, cheerful and upbeat this time, starts. I look up hesitantly but it's alright.
    Flair is dancing with Grey, they are very good. The music cheers me a little but I still feel tired and sad.
    Finally an escort finds us and tells us we can leave.

    Maroon is in my room when I get there. She washes off my makeup and takes all the pins out of my hair. I change into a simple dress that's meant for sleeping and lay down on the floor with a blanket.
    I wake up around midnight when Flair comes in. I hear her laughing at the door, someone says goodnight, and she crawls into bed.
    In the morning before Flair wakes up I take my bible out of my bag and read. It's been awhile since I've been able to just read because I've been copying for so long. I start in Romans hoping to get some encouragement.
    "What are you reading?" I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize Flair was up.
    How do I say this without lying or getting in trouble.
    "It's about Jesus." I say.
    "Who's that?"
    I figured she wouldn't know. I don't think there are many Christians in Emor.
    "Someone I believe in." I say.
    She's about to say something but Indigo and her team walk in and I quickly put the book away.
    "Today we are going to the first place you'll be competing." She says.
    "Where are we going?" Flair asks.
    "Canada." Says Magenta.
    I don't know many other countries but I've heard of Canada. My mother has a map of the world at home that she copied from one she saw in Berlin. She said that it's not perfect but at least now I know a few other places.
    "Oh, I was hoping to go somewhere a bit warmer." Says Flair.
    I was hoping to go home.
    Indigo tells us that we won't need to get very dressed up today.
    Magenta starts getting out her kit "Um could I not have makeup today please?" I ask her. She seems startled and a bit hurt.
    "It was beautiful yesterday I'm just not used to it." I assure her. She blinks at me but then moves to give Flair makeup.
Maroon braids my hair. She enjoys doing hair I think and does a very good job.
Indigo wants me to wear pants with a longer shirt over top. I don't want to but I have a feeling I won't get out of this one.
I put the clothes on, they feel very strange
but aren't completely uncomfortable.
    We are hurried out the door as soon as we're ready. I barely manage to grab my bag on the way out.
    We all get into a long yellow car. It brings us to the airport and we board a plane.
   I've only been gone from home two days but it feels like years.
   The plane ride takes almost all day but I sleep most of the way or at least pretend to sleep.
    A few other people are in the plane as well but they're in different rooms.
    Around supper time the plane lands and we get off. We are each given a tiny green pill "It's so you can adjust better to the time change" Magenta explains.
    Indigo makes us change in a small building to long dresses, before the dress we put on something Indigo calls a bustle.
    "Why are we changing?" I ask.
    "You will be staying in Toronto, and the people there are still in the 19th century" Magenta tells us.
    A carriage is waiting outside the building. It is simple and black and drawn by two matching brown horses.
    "We're riding in that?!" Flair asks incredulously "I thought that horses where only in movies!"
    News flash, they're real.
    I follow Indigo into the carriage and sit down. It's a bit cramped with all five of us in there.
    Maroon and I are the only ones not complaining. The drive is long, they have to place their airports far away from the city. I'm guessing they have a camouflage system on the planes as well.
    Indigo hands out fancy umbrellas that we're supposed to carry around.
This dress is hard to walk in, I'm not used to so many layers. I hope I can take it off soon.
    The buildings in Toronto aren't nearly as big as in Emor. But they look more beautiful. You can tell whoever made them put time and effort into it.
    I wish I could see a tree. On the drive the windows where closed and the airport was bare of everything except concrete.
    We stop in front of one of the tallest buildings I've seen here. Indigo brings us inside to a room where we'll be staying.
    I guess I'm staying with Flair again.
    The room is smaller than the one in Emor but I like it better. There are two small beds against the wall, the closet is smaller, and the room they call the washroom is simple. It doesn't have a shower but there is a fancy tub in the corner. The room has two rectangular windows and a pretty dresser with an oval mirror. Flair can't believe there isn't a tv or a place to plug her phone in.
    We ate breakfast on the plane and they bring us supper in our room. I feel very lazy, I've done nothing all day and I can't help with meals or clean anything or go hunting.
    We are left alone all evening.
    "So, tell me about yourself." says Flair when everyone is gone.
    I don't really want to so I keep it to the bare facts. "I live in Germany, have six siblings, and wish I was home."
    Oops that was a bit rude.
    "Sounds fun. But isn't this way more exciting?" She asks.
    "No, I miss my family." I say more gently, "what about you?"
    "Oh." she says uncomfortably. "I'm not very exciting. Where I live money matters a lot and we've never had quite enough."
    "I know how that feels." I admit.
    "But can't you just grow whatever you want to eat?" She asks.
    "We have to give half of everything to the government, and some years things don't grow." I say "We're better off than most people though, no one's ever starved to death."
    There's a pause and then I ask "Do you have family?"
    "Just my dad, my mom died last year." Flair says softly.
    "I'm sorry."
    "It's fine. Neither of them really care about me, so why should I waste time caring about them."
    I can see that she does still care, and that all that caring without ever receiving any in return has made her hard beneath her surface of cheerfulness. She just needs someone to love her.
    She falls silent for awhile then asks     "Can you read your book to me please?"
I hesitate, if she realizes what the book is she might report me. But if I don't read to her she'll be even more curious and more importantly she will be lost forever if I don't tell her the truth. Well, if I perish, I perish.
    I decide to read John. The story should keep her interested and the whole book exudes good news.
    "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" I love those first few lines, they sound like poetry.
    I keep reading and occasionally peek over at Flair. She seems interested.
    I stop at the end of the first chapter.
    "I don't get it, what's a Christ, what's getting baptized, and who is John?" Flair asks when I stop.
    "Should I keep reading?" I ask her "I think you'll understand after awhile"
    So I spend the rest of the evening reading to her. She's like a child learning something for the first time. She often has questions but accepts everything I tell her as fact. I stop at the end of every chapter to answer her questions and make sure she understands. I don't know what she believes in but she is very enthusiastic about what I'm telling her. 
    It feels good to share with her and soon I'm very excited as well.
    It's a while before we go to sleep. When we do she says "Thanks Susan, can you read more tomorrow?"
    "Sure, but one thing, you can't tell anyone." I say.
    "Why not?"
    "Because believing in Jesus is illegal"
    "Well then why do you follow him"
    "Because he's the only hope I have"