THE SORTING

THE GOODBYE

As I stared into the broken mirror, I didn't recognize myself. There is no way that's me. The long lavender dress pooled at my feet while my sleeves stopped just under my elbows. I was grateful that the dress was long enough to cover my dirty, worn out flats. I had never worn anything so...nice, so clean. It was hard to keep light colors clean when the only source of water for washing was a polluted river. Clothes and linens often became dirtier than before. Everything did.

This was...strange. My hair was done up in a pretty, yet simple braid, freshly washed, which is a phrase that should be taken loosely. I adjusted my glasses, covered in scratches, old and new, and headed towards my living room where my family was waiting. I also meant the term "living room" to be taken loosely.

Our house was quite small. With three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom, the total square footage had to be less than 1000 square feet. The bedrooms each had one twin bed and a small dresser. That was all they could really hold. The bathroom was covered in mold and dirt but worked...most of the time. The kitchen was problematic. It was small and had a mild rat problem. Also, the electricity was never guaranteed, and food often went bad, but at least we had it. The living room had one couch that couldn't fit all of us, but I preferred to sit on the floor anyway, so it was fine. I was thankful for everything we had because I knew people who had less. A lot of people.

In the living room, my mother sat, looking grim. I approached cautiously and tried not to startle her. One wrong move could send her into tears, and I didn't know if I could remain strong with her in that state. I noticed my father and brother weren't around.

"Mother?" I asked, in a light whisper. Her head jerked towards me and took in my finish appearance. She sadly smiled at me.

"Hello darling. You look beautiful," she replied. Even though we'd started this conversation, I could see in her eyes that her mind was somewhere else far away.

"Where's Father and Jaxon? Are they okay?" I questioned.

"Oh, honey, they're fine. They're making sure the car is fixed enough to take us to today's events. Come. Sit," she answered, gesturing me to be next to her. I knew she was struggling. I was too.

I made my way over to her and sat on the empty side of the couch. She pulled me into her side with one arm, hugging me tightly.

"Vivienne Lee, I love you so much and I'm going to miss you." Mother proclaimed, starting to tear up and I knew that this was not going to end well. I prayed that Father or Jaxon would come in to help me or I might completely lose it too.

Right on cue, Father trampled into the house and noticed the scene playing out. He immediately knew what to do. Mother felt helpless in this situation and though we all were, it was important to make her feel needed, give her something to do, something she can control.

"Elena, can you come help me get the rest of Vivienne's things from her room? It would really help everyone out, and you've always been better at organizing than I" Father rushed out. Mother released me from her hold, and I tried my best to give her a genuine smile. She headed towards my bedroom, well I guess it wasn't mine anymore, without saying a word. Father followed after, nodding at me. This gave me time to ponder what was about to happen to me. I stopped myself. Those thoughts would only bring me anxiety and stress. As I stood from the couch and brushed my dress free of wrinkles, my brother, Jaxon, walked into the house. He avoided looking at me. It made me sad, but I understood. It was better to pretend I wasn't here because soon, I wouldn't be. I'll be a memory.

"The car's all set. We should get going shortly if we want to be on time," he yelled throughout the house.

Do we want to be on time? I sarcastically thought to myself, not wanting to cause any drama before I never see my family again. I wanted the last moments with them to be happy ones, but, how can they?

Mother and Father showed up, each carrying a suitcase, which contained the last of my essence in the house. We all headed to the car in silence. I sat in the backseat, and stared at the only house I had ever known, in the only environment I had ever experienced. My whole life was going to change, but so was theirs.

The Sorting would change everything.