We all gathered anxiously around the bright campire as if we were moths. The Elder of our village sat opposite of us, alone against the black night. The dark outlined shapes of trees could barely be made out behind her. Towering snow-capped mountains loomed beyond those. She was staring at the orange flames intently, as if she was trying to find her words in flames. For a few moments, we sat in silence, listening to the sound of crickets chirping and the logs in the fire cracking.
The Elder's face had spiderwebs of wrinkles that extended from the corners of her eyes. The corners of her mouth seemed to always be upturned, which made it seem like she was always smiling. Her silver hair framed her face gracefully, and even in her old age, it was hard to argue that she was pretty. She was dressed in the standard ceremonial clothes that the Elder wore every Day of Discovery. Today was the day that celebrated the day when our village decided to move out of the caves and explore the world that had not been seen by anyone still alive in a long time. Her clothes were made of buffalo skin; it was specifically tailored for her. She wore many bracelets and necklaces made of animal bone and wood that clacked together every time she moved.
She smiled at us warmly. "My children," she began. "Legend has it that long ago, all the creatures of the world lived together in harmony. Though our variety was wide, we all managed to find a state of perfect unity and harmony. There was nothing to battle over, so there were never any fights. The world could not get any more perfect."
The wind howled around us as her smile faded. "But all that was lost. No one knows how, only that it forced the world to go into hiding and wiped out much of the population. That, however, is not what we are gathered here for. We are gathered to celebrate the end of hiding. To celebrate how our people bravely stepped out of the safety of their caves to see what there was in the world!"
I excitedly cheered and clapped along with the rest of my people. At that time, music began playing. I saw the musicians blowing into small wooden intruments, excitedly banging on deer-skin drums, and shaking dried-up gords and squash. My best friend Adela giggled and grabbed my hands as we began dancing together. Her dark chocolate eyes were full of excitment and her dark brown, wavy hair bounced along to the beat of the music. I tossed my own straight, black hair out of my face and jumped with her to the time of the music.
Slowly the music died down, and the Elder sat down on the bench again, motioning us to sit down as well. This was the part no one liked. I nervously sat down along with my people as our mood changed dramatically. She won't pick me, I thought nervously. Surely she thinks fifteen is too young to go on the Quest... No, she won't pick me.
She looked at us, her face saddening. "Now, since before we moved out of the caves, it was tradition to chose one person every year to go out into the world to explore. We did this in hopes of finding another village, to discovering the secret of our past, or finding anything that indicates how we ended up where we are today," she explained. No one ever comes back from the Quest. But of course, we continue to send people out. Our thirst for understanding has always outweighed the value of the life of an individual.
Then, she looked me directly in the eyes. "Azlena Mari Dalyell, I choose you for the Quest."
Our village went completely silent. I felt whatever color that was left in my face drain completely, I stared in utter shock as my mouth dropped open and I froze. Why did she chose me?! There's no way I could ever find anything, anywhere! I would be bait for all of the wild animals and creatures that lived beyond the safety of our village.
My mother reacted quickly. She jumped up and shouted, "She's just fifteen! Her birthday is only next week! She can't go on the Quest! She'll never make it! She-" Her words broke, but my mother never cried. She was too proud to give way to tears in public.
"I understand your concern, Emerald, but I stand by my decision. I have faith in Azlena. She is strong-willed and has a brave heart. I have faith that Azlena might yet be the one to find something."
"No one ever comes back from the Quest. You might as well be sentencing her to death! How could you do this?! You know we have already lost her father to the same fate!"
The Elder studied her face for a minute, trying to find the right words. "She has great potential. I sense that her destiny is beyond the safety of our village. She is going on the Quest, and that is the end of it."
My mother bit her lip and stared defiantly at the Elder. She couldn't talk back anymore, or she'd risk her right in our village.
The Elder tore her eyes away from my mother and looked back at me. "Come here," she said. I walked stiffly toward her, forcing my limbs to move forward. I didn't want to be chosen... "Now, Azlena, chose the Gatherer."
I scanned the faces of the crowd before my eyes locked with Adela's. She nodded eagerly and pointed to herself, smiling. I knew she'd be great for gatherering food, considering her family did gather herbs and edible plants for the village. She also would be excited to go on this quest. She had a really adventurous spirit and always talked about going on adventures to see what was out there.
"Uh... Adela," I whispered.
The Elder nodded. "Now, chose the Hunter."
This was were I didn't know what to do. I knew the best hunter in the village was my friend, Austin. He had dark brown wavy hair similar to Adela's, though they weren't related. He had striking icey blue eyes and slight freckles across his nose. Overall, he was pretty cute. Not someone I'd like to marry, though. He wasn't the brightest guy every. He was muscular, though, and I'm sure he could fight things off pretty easily... but did he want to be chosen?
I looked at him and our eyes locked. He glanced at Adela, with some emotion in his eyes, then back at me, and silently nodded approval. After a few seconds of considering, I finally said, "Uh...Austin."
"Very well. Tomorrow you three will have all day to prepare, then at dawn the next day you will depart. Everyone is dismissed," she stated, loudly enough for everyone to hear. Then, she leaned down and whispered only loud enough for me to hear. "I have faith in you." After that statement, she walked away.
We all headed back to our separate tents, but Adela came to mine. She sat next to me on the cold dirt. We sat in total silence, both of us shocked that we were going on the Quest tomorrow. Finally, she broke the silence.
"So you're chosen, huh," she stated as she ran her fingers through her long hair.
"I guess. You're okay with going, too, right?"
"Of course I am! I've always wondered what's beyond our clearing in the forest. Do you think we should head for the mountains, or the opposite way? I think the mountains. They look really pretty, especially when the sun is rising, you know? Oh yeah, and I'm really glad you picked Austin to go, too."
I looked at her and smirked. "Do you have a crush?"
"What? Of course not! I just know he's so muscular and strong, so he could take care of us pretty well. It's also nice for him to be our friend so it's not totally awkward. And anyway, he's nice to look at. The hair... and those eyes... That you sort of get lost in...." she sighed.
"Yes, you DO have a crush. You know, when I looked at him before I chose him to go with us, he glanced at you with some pretty loving eyes. He probably only agreed because you're going," I teased.
She punched me in the arm. "Shut up. I'm leaving now," she giggled, blushing. She got up and opened the tent, then stopped and turned around. "Fine, I DO like him," she admitted, sticking her tongue out at me.
"I knew it! Goodnight! Sweet dreams...about Austin," I replied. She glared at me in response and walked away toward her tent.
I pulled the deer-skin blanket over my body and rolled over onto my side, thinking about how I'll probably be dead in a week. With that comforting thought rolling it my head, I fell into the arms of sleep.
