By: Elena Luo
Alina sighed on her bed, holding up the candle. Twirling her light brown hair, she carefully stepped off the bed. She shuffled around in the weak light and blew on the dusty “Noct” engraved onto her bed. She made her way down the stairs. After reaching the door, she extinguished the candle’s light and stepped outside.
“Alina Hart”, she announced to the darkness. Sighing, she raised her arms as an automated robot checked her into the system. Wind flew past her, and she saw flashes of light, each making her flinch. The next second, she was at Elud. Squinting, Alina stepped out of the harness.
“Blin Agelworth”, greeted a voice out of nowhere. Alina whipped her head around and bowed towards the voice. She already knew what to do, it was all part of the schedule.
“Today, I will be your guide.” said Blin, “Please fill out this paperwork before we proceed to Corelud.”
“Pardon me?” Alina whispered, “Pardon me, it’s just that, aren’t we … today … going … to the factories?”
As she took the paperwork, she noticed the date at the bottom of the sheets. Her eyes glittered as she read the words May 76th.
“It’s the 76th!” she exclaimed, and tears filled her eyes. “It’s time to promote!”
“Not until after we visit Corelud.” Blin replied, almost smiling.
* *************************************************Corelud*************************************************
Alina sat down on a chair next to Blin, sliding down a little for the beginning introduction. The same thing every day for the newcomers.
“You have chosen this world.,” came a disembodied voice, “Children without parents, parents without their child. But you have chosen to live with us, in the perfect society. Those assigned to Elud, which is where Corelud is, will live constantly with light. But Earth only has so much to share with us. Contrary to math and physics, light is something limited. Once you use it, it is gone, and everybody has their own proportions. Given this, another group will be assigned to Noct. Each day, you will be given enough light and fire to light a candle. Any more than that, just won’t be possible. Your guide will tell you everything else. It’s time for sorting.”
“Number 1, Noct, Number 2, Elud, Number 3, Noct, Num … – there was constant cheering and shouting …
But Alina wasn’t listening anymore. Her mind was somewhere else. The day that she and her parents got sorted into different groups. Thay had come as a family. Many people choose to come as families, but everyone has their own sorting. She reached towards her pocket and took out an old parchment. She stared at it for a long time. Her grip slipped, and the paper fluttered on the ground.
A boy sitting next to her picked it up, “District 2. Who is this?”
She hurriedly took the paper and shoved it back into her pocket.
“My dad and mum.” she whispered.
“Alina, Joe, Casey, Fred, Tonks, Oliver, and Slick.” Alina looked alarmed, not knowing why her name was being called.
“I will repeat this one more time. Those who will go to the Elud Ceremony district are, Mary, Linda, David, William, Alina, Joe, Casey, Fred, Tonks, Oliver, and Slick.” Alina sighed and sunk into her chair again.
****************************************************ECD ******************************************************
Clutching the paperwork as tight as a life line, Alina stepped into the Elud ceremony building. She peered around. She had never seen anything like it, not even Corelud was as good as this. She saw bits of floating metal assembling by themselves to form a model of Earth. Turning around, she saw platforms high up in the sky with people shuffling through. Bits of blue, splotches of red, swirls of different colors.
She wiggled through the crowd following Blin. And sat into her seat.
A few minutes later, the ceremony began.
“Today is a promotion! And we have a surprise for this generation of 14-year-olds. As today you will officially become old enough to live on your own, starting from now, each of you will become a member of Elud for 2 years if you are not already!” Cheers erupted from the crowd and Alina felt her heart jump.
“Mary, District 3, Linda, District 6, David, District 7, William, District 14, Alina, District 2, Joe … ” Alina’s heart skipped a beat.
“That’s where my parents live.” she whispered.
Image Credit by Pixabay