After 15 minutes of brutal waiting, finally, it was Aileen's turn. She watched as the boy in front of her with streaks of red in his hair walk out of the door. Aileen walked up in front of the table, her hands clenched and her heart up in her throat.
"Name?" the middle man with a white beard and white hair said without looking up at her.
"Aileen Cross." She said immediately.
"Age?"
"21"
"Do you have a family member as a spiriter?" he checked a box on the paper. Aileen didn't respond to that question. She was thinking about whether to tell them he died. The man, losing his patience, looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Was that question difficult?" he said again. Aileen shook her head, scared, and replied. "No. sorry, my brother was a spiriter, but he died." The man nodded and looked down. "Sorry, for your loss." He said, showing no remorse or sadness. "Here. you can leave." He said, handing her the filled registered form with a passport size picture attached on the top left side of the paper.
Aileen nodded and walked towards the door. She locked eyes with the guy who was holding the door open for her and then left when the man called his name. Roy. The name popped in her head, and Aileen resisted the urge to giggle. Roy. The name was imprinted in her head permanently, even if this was the last time she would see him.
She was led upstairs by a spiral wooden staircase. Aileen watched as spiriters went about their day-to-day activity. Some fill their belts with weapons, others laugh and talk in a group. She saw a girl not much older than her, reading a history book while eating pastry. This life, Aileen thought, this is what I want. She hid her smile and stopped in her tracks when an arm suddenly came in front of her chest. The woman who had led up here walked towards a double door and exchanged some words with the two guards. She nodded and waved at Aileen to follow her inside.
This is my chance to get it. I will not fail. She told herself multiple times while entering the room. There was no roof, so they could see the open evening sky above them. The room was round and huge. Aileen saw a bunch of kids separated into different groups and talking casually with each other. She saw glass shelves with glass doors concealing the old weapons inside. "it's their museum." A boy said to her, and Aileen turned her head to see the scrawny boy she had asked the question. "Oh." She replied, not interested in the weapons.
Someone clapped on the raised dais and spoke on the microphone. "Everyone gathers around. We will begin now." The woman who had led her turned off the microphone and walked off the dais. Everyone complied, and Aileen and the boy walked towards the crowd, which had gathered in front of the dais. "My name is Christian." He said, walking side by side with her. "Aileen." She replied with a smile.
The white-beard man came up on the stage and turned on the microphone. He then exchanged some whispered words with the woman. "Welcome everyone." He said, his voice booming in the round room. everyone stopped chattering and turned their attention towards the old man. suddenly Aileen felt a vibration in her pocket, and then the ringtone came. Every head turned towards her while she quickly took out the phone and hung up, noticing the caller ID as Anya. "Please silent all cellphones." The old man said, looking directly at her. She blushed.
"My name is Henry Barham. I am the Beta of the Spirit bones and in charge of training and assigning missions." he paused. Aileen could hear Christian breathing beside her. "In 10 minutes we will begin your medical examination, and then your training will begin." He paused again. Aileen felt Christian fidgeting with the strap of his laptop bag. "The training will be of a full week and then the following week will be your final exam. It is where we will decide who will become the part of spirit bones and who will go home." He paused and looked around the room, at the eyes watching him. "We will call your name and you will follow leader Danielle Norm in the room." Finishing his speech. Henry Barham got off stage and walked outside without giving a care.
"That was intense." Christian laughed nervously. "Yeah, but we expected that," Aileen replied, looking at the doors where Henry exited. "So what made you volunteer for death." He said, suddenly perking up. "I could I ask you the same thing." She said, meeting his eyes. He looked young from his figure. Probably still a teenager, she thought. "How old are you?" She asked.
"22," he answered with a genuine smile. "and you?"
"21. You look young for your age." Aileen told him.
"I know. I get that a lot." He said, looking down, feeling embarrassed. Shit, she thought, did I make him feel bad? "it's my dream." She said, changing the subject. He looked up confused, "to be a part of the spirit bones. I have always wanted this lifestyle." She told him the truth and sentence, felt good telling her deepest desire to someone who was not Anya. "Oh, my brother is a spiriter, he wanted me close to him." Christian said, pursing his lips. "that's nice of him." Aileen said in disbelief. He laughed nervously, "yeah, with our parents dead and- "he stopped mid-sentence, biting his lips as if regretting telling her. "He is a good brother." He finished it and turned away from her when his name was called.
As Christian walked away again, Aileen's phone buzzed again. She took out her phone and tapped the green button. "Hey, Anya. I told you I can't pick up my phone right now. I am in the Bones mansion."
"GET OUT OF THERE," Anya yelled at her in desperation. "What why?" Aileen asked. "Ok, listen to me carefully. It was not my fault." Anya said, Aileen, could hear the worry and anxiousness in her tone. "What happened?" she asked sternly. "Aileen, I don't know how, but your mother knows that you are at the Rayborn Valley and she is coming there to pick you up."
"WHAT?" Aileen yelled, and some heads turned towards her. She lowered her voice. "How did she know?"
"I don't know. She called me and asked for you. I told her you were with me, and she said she wanted to talk to you-"
"And?"
"I told her you were in the bathroom, but she said that is coming over to pick you up."
"oh god." Aileen placed her hand on her forehead.
"I am so sorry I did what I could to hide your whereabouts, but she sniffed the whole place and didn't find you. "
"So?"
"she must have sniffed your green dress you wore that day to the Valley. I think she was onto us since that time. She just didn't have evidence. Aileen, please get out."
Aileen thought about it for a while. Of course, she couldn't mask the smell of the Valley, but this is my last chance to become a spiriter. Mom will have the authority to take you according to the policies, a voice answered her. Yes, no matter what your age, if your parents wanted you out, they will respectfully oblige to it. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let her mother ruin this chance for her. Before Aileen could think more, a woman called her name. Aileen walked inside the medical room, worrying about what will happen next.