THE SORTING

THE BEGINNING

The car ride was quieter than I ever could have imagined. The air in the car was still. It felt as though everyone was holding their breathes. I know I was. I wished I could've said something to make everyone feel better. I wished I could've taken the anger, sadness, and confusion away from my family, but I didn't know how. There was nothing I could do. There was nothing anyone could do. I also wished I could've told you how many times I adjusted, cleaned, or moved my glasses. It was a nervous habit I had. I wished I knew what to expect from The Sorting but those who leave never come back to tell the tale. 

Now, I was sitting in the middle of a field with about 50 other women my age. We were surrounded by our families, sitting on the bleachers placed around us. They all looked on, hoping we are all the few that stayed. The stage was in front of us and was currently empty of people but held five chairs, arranged with two on each side and a giant one in the middle. A medium sized podium stood as the side of the stage. Without notice, a screen started to scroll down in front of the stage and we all awaited patiently.

The lights suddenly dimmed, and it quieted us all. We squirmed in our seats, anxious for the show.

I had heard from my mother that every year before The Sorting, there is a video played to explain the history of it all, like we could ever forget.

September 8th, 2034 was a day of great sacrifice and great order. We thank our King Alpha Lennox for our freedoms and happiness.

Werewolves and humans lived together in this world for many years. Humans, however, had started to participate great violence and anger, not only towards werewolves, but towards other humans as well. King Alpha John, may he rest in peace, took notice and wanted to find a way to help us all in the long run. He found that humans were detrimental to both werewolf and human survival and it was due to their high population. Because there were so many humans, there was a higher chance of violence. The only way to save the future was to cleanse the human population. Though many humans were cleansed for the greater good, we still remember the sacrifice they made for all of us to live better lives. Now, under King Alpha Lennox's rule, humans and werewolves exist cohesively and violence has dropped significantly. This year we celebrate twenty five years of harmony.

The video stopped. I refrained from rolling my eyes. A lady walked out on stage as the screen rolled back up. She stood rigid, and started her very own monologue.

In order to steady human population, every year females who are 21 by September 8th, are sorted. Each female is moved to one of four packs of Alpha King Lennox's choosing, where she will live the rest of her life and the pack will decide where she fits in best. Only 5 females are allowed to remain with the human population.

We will start this process by introducing the four packs that will be in attendance today.

First, we have the North Pack, with Alpha Jonas Young in attendance.

The North Pack was known for their intelligence and Alpha Jonas was one of the smartest werewolves around. His slender body sauntered on stage, slowly, and he nodded his head towards the lady and then towards the crowd as he took his seat. We stayed silent, waiting for something and on edge about everything.

Next, we have the East Pack, with Alpha Brett Truman in attendance.

The East Pack was known for fighting. They had amazing warriors and were feared by many humans and werewolves. Alpha Brett was very large and very intimidating. He took long strides on stage and kept the straightest face I had ever seen. He didn't address the lady or us. I'm glad he didn't. He sat down roughly and the woman continued.

Next, we have the West Pack, with Alpha Celeste DuPont in attendance.

The West Pack was known for spies. It was a mostly female pack, having taken many of the females from last year. King Alpha Lennox wanted to use them to get intel from threats around the area and what is better to get information from a male than a female. A female Alpha was very rare, but Alpha Celeste definitely earned it. She was not born into the position but that didn't matter. She was a strong and fierce leader. She didn't let any man walk over her and I had admired her for that. She strutted across the stage with such elegance and confidence. She smiled at the crowd, and some smiled back. I didn't. She sat with grace and the woman started again. 

Finally, we have the South Pack, with Alpha Paulson Cooke in attendance.

The South Pack was known for protection and defense. A lot of threats came from the south, so it only made sense to use them as such. Alpha Paulson was an odd one though. He was always too happy and bubbly, which did not reflect in the other alphas. He bounced on stage and waved to us all before verbally expressing his greeting. We all stayed silent again, not knowing how to respond. He dropped into his seat, giving smirks at the rest of the Alphas. They looked more annoyed than anything.

The larger thrown in between them was still empty. The lady continued.

And now for the guest of honor, please welcome your King Alpha Lennox.