Standing outside of my door are two guards wearing similar clothing to the guards in the underground passageways. One guard was a very short and stocky man. His hair was buzzed so short that it spiked out a little bit. His head was large and shaped like a square that just sits atop another square, his extremely thick neck. His nose, is almost flat against his face, as if he had ran into something and smashed it.
The other guard was almost the complete opposite of him. Tall and bony looking. His chin is so pointy, I feel like it could poke a hole into something. His nose also comes to a sharp point. His hair is much longer than the other guards, but also very spiky.
"Miss Burks," I turn to the tall guard as a rather high pitched voice calls my name. The tall one raises his eyebrow at me as the person speaking clears their throat and I realize it wasn't him. Immediately my head snaps to the other guard and he gives a slight nod. "My name is Bronson, this is my partner slash trainee McQueen." The pointy man does a bow with his head. "We will be your guards for this season. We will escort you-" his voice does a sharp squeak, and he clears his throat before continuing, "Ahem, we will escort you to and from outing, dining sessions, dates-"
"Dates?" I asks and he clears his throat again while nodding."
"Yes. Dates." McQueen says precisely. Each sound with a slight whistle and hiss. With each hiss he has an abrupt stop, like he is calculating the exact amount of effort he should exert to say the word.
"May I continue?" Bronson squeaks out and I nod as I look back to him. "We will be spending a lot of time together, so I expect you to follow the rules, which you will be told at the introductory ceremony here in a few minutes." He and McQueen share a look before nodding and stepping forward on either side of me.
"Are. You. Ready. Miss. Burks." McQueen says so formally and calculated I begin to wonder if he had planned all of his words out previously. I give a nod and he turns his head to look ahead. "Off. We. Go. Then." In unison, the step forward, guiding me to what feels like my impending doom.
With each step, my stomach feels like it's falling deeper and deeper. My throat begins to itch on the inside, and it feels like it's getting harder to swallow.
Am I dying? Am I actually about to die? No no... I must just be nervous. It has been a rather eventful day so far. I have met and talked to more people today than in all the previous years of my life. Now, I'm off to meet more. So many more....
My heart slams against my chest and I begin to breath quicker than before. I don't want to meet more people... it's been too many already... far too many. My head begins to pound along with my racing heart and it feels like it is shaking my entire body. Get out of your head, think about anything. Anything at all.
*pat. Pat. Pat.*
I look towards the ground and focus on the source of the sound. McQueen's shoes. Each step, he seems to move at exact same amount of space. I look at his legs and they too seem precise in their movements, like his words. As he steps, one leg bends only a slight angle. Then when he goes to move again, the other leg bends at the exact same angle. His arms move in unison with his legs, and his face is emotionless as he stares ahead.
*tip, splat. Tip, splat*
My eyes flick to Bronson. He stares ahead, bottom lip jiggling with each step, pulling his mouth slightly agap. His arms sway slightly and his bends his fingers into his hand, popping them as he does. His right knee pops out to the right, almost like he is hurt, and I notice the same thing with his foot. He barely placed the heel of his foot onto the ground before slapping the rest of his foot with a splat.
How strange. Their walking patterns are like their voices... the pointy one, McQueen, is very calculated whereas the square one, Bronson, is almost like a little dance.
We walk down a grand staircase. At the bottom more guards stand. 2 at the bottom of the staircase and 4 at a large door I assume is the doorway out of the castle. We turn to the right and begin walking down a large corridor. At the very end of the corridor, 2 guards stand in front of a closed door. From that door, voices, soft like whispers, echo out from the room. The voices are high, I assume the other girls in the season. My heart grows louder as the voices become closer with each step. They mesh together to play a terrible melody that fills my ears. Laughter erupts from the room and my throat feels like it has closed on me, restricting my breath.
Breath... just breath. We stop in front of the door, Bronson speaking to them, but I'm not sure of the actual words he said, because my heartbeat and the voices beyond the door are the only thing filling my head. The guards open the doors and I feel like my feet are too heavy to move. The room ahead grew slightly hushed and when I finally manage to step inside, it goes dead silent. I pull me heavy head up from starring at the floor to looking at the people in the room.
Eyes. Eyes of all shape and size staring at me. Some narrow, some remain wide, and one pair has little crinkles on the edge, as if the person is smiling. All the sudden, as if the silent was water pushing hard against a weak plank of wood, hushed whispers break through.
"Oh my gosh I almost threw up in my mouth."
"Almost?! I totally did!"
"Look at her knees! They look like my door knob!"
"Her knees? Have you seen her face!"
"No I'm too scared to look at it."
"Yeah I bet they had to replace her mirror as soon as she looked into it!"
The words surround me, and I can feel myself sinking further and further into the dress. I have heard the whispers all my life, but never so many at once. I have never been trapped in a room full of hot breath whispering. I try to move but it feels as if I'm frozen in place.
"You're different than I thought you'd be." This voice what thick, thick and sweet sounding with a strange drawl to it. In front of me, slightly to the right is a tall girl with intricately braided blond hair. Her eyes, a deep golden amber, shine as she wrinkles her nose stepping closer. "Everybody says your ugly, but I don't think you're that bad." She paces around me before stopping in front and nodding. "Too thin though." Little wisps of hair framing her face bounces as she nods some more.
"Well of course she doesn't look that bad." A cool voice calls out and a hush falls over the group. The click of heels echo in now quiet room and a face emerges. Claire Bellacourt, the seasons number one girl. Her brown hair has be lightened with streaks of blond and it sitting atop of her head as if the shoved something up there to make it stand up that tall. Her dress is a bright white with an off the shoulder sleeve and hugged her body as if it were painted on. "She has the best makeup team to make her look good." She gives me a scowl as she turns her attention to the bubbly blond beside me. "Reena, as the number two girl, you ought not to hang out with the pigs from your farm."
Laughter and giggles fill the room and Claire's lips purse into a smile. Reena looks at her for a brief moment before turning to me. "Your dress is lovely! I would even say it's the best one here. That, of course makes sense, since you have Charles Bridger as your designer. I would die if he made my clothes."
"Reena, did you hear me? Hanging out with her is going to ruin your reputation." Claire snaps as Reena tilts her head.
"Juniper right?" I nod and glance towards a read faced Claire. "It's so strange I think I hear a horse." She mutters and looks towards Claire.
"What did you say?" Claire hisses and the once giggling girls went quiet.
"Oh! I am so sorry." She says and shakes her head with a slight laugh. "That's not a horse, that's an ass." Her eyes cut into a glare and the room is once again silent. This time, no one dares to breath as Claire and Reena stare at one another.
"Good evening ladies!" All head turn to see Sebastian smiling at the front. "Please, find a seat at a table, breakfast is going to be served shortly." The girls rush to find chairs by people they have already spoken to. I find a table with only a few girls sitting and go to sit there. Reaching for the chair a short and plump girl yanks the chair away and gives me a wicked snarl. "Dogs aren't allowed at the table." The other girls laugh and I pull my hand back and search for a different table. All the sudden, an arm links to mine and I look at Reena's bright smile.
"You can sit with me!" She cheers pulling me along with her to a table in the back corner. We pass by a few tables, people whisper as we go. We sit down and a young boy walks up quickly and quietly pouring water into glasses. As soon as he is gone she leans into the table peering at me. "Okay, I heard a rumor, can you really talk?" Her eyes are huge as I slowly nod.
"Yes, I can talk." Her face beams and she slaps the table, causing me to jump slightly.
"Well I be darned!" She says and lets out a hearty laugh as she takes her water and drinks. "Is that something. I heard rumors 'bout you my whole life! Momma always said 'bless her heart' or 'poor thing' 'cause your mama left ya." Her eyes narrow and she scoots her chair up. "So, did you really kill a wolf with your pair hands?"
"Uh... no." I say and she gives me a frown as she drinks and looks out over the crowd. "Are you sure you want to hang out with me?" I ask as she tilts her head in consideration. "They aren't wrong, hanging out with me will make you... dirty, for lack of better words."
"You know what you remind me of." She says as she waves off the boy who came to fill her water. "You remind me of a little chicken. One that is trying to get out of their shell. Pecking and scratching until you are plum worn out." She leans into her chair, the window behind her making her hair look like gold. "One of these days your gonna break out of that shell, while all the other chickens die inside and rot." She looks over the other girls who talk and laugh loudly, her eyes piercing, as if she was cutting them apart.
Our conversation dies after that. She sits like that, glaring across the room at each girl until food begins to be brought to each table. Soon, a plate with toast, eggs, potatoes, and various meats is in front of me. My mouth pools with water and I keep swallowing not sure why it keeps doing that. I grab the slice of toast and take a bite. I chew a bit and sigh at how fully and thick it is.
"Try this." Reena says as she pushes a small jar with a red substance inside. "Just slather it on top." Doing as she says, I use the tiny spoon in the jar to smear some of the substance onto the toast. I take a quick smell and it reminds me of the smell of the sweet berries from the forest I was always to weary to try. I take a small nibble and immediacy go in for a large bite. The salty taste of the bread mixes with the sweetness of the substance and my stomach lets out a loud growl. Reena lets out a laugh as she grabs an orange cube from a bowl with different colored cubes and round things. "It's strawberry jam." She says as she bites the orange cube and I nod.
I think Reena enjoyed watching me eat. With each object my eyes grew wider and wider, because I have never tasted something so good. My stomach would let out a loud rumble, and she would have me try something else. Soon, I feel slightly sick and Sebastian comes back up to the front of the room and begins to talk.
"Welcome ladies! As you all know, I am Sebastian and I am on the committee for the Marriage Process!" He exclaims and the girls in the room applaud as he smiles. "As you can plainly see, your potential husbands are not here at this moment." A wave of 'boo' and 'awww' ring out around the room, Reena sticks her tongue out while rolling her eyes. "Rest assured, you will get to meet them tonight!"
Tonight? So soon? I don't think I can handle anymore meeting of people. "Before you can meet the men, you must first learn the rules of this process." Clearing his throat, he pulls unfolds a letter and begins ready. "The first rule, no violence will happen between any of the girls." I catch his eyes cut towards Reena. A snicker comes from Claire's table and Reena lets out a scoff. "The second rule, dates will be on a set schedule between each man, on set days. Special dates can happen, but it must be confirmed by the committee. The third rule, during these dates no funny business. I do not care what you've done before, but you will not do anything during this time." A small but of grumbling comes from a few girls. "The fourth rule, to help ensure that no funny business occurs, your guards will be with you at all times, and a strict curfew will be enforced." He pauses and looks over everyone with eyes like stone. "The fifth and final rule, when the trials begin, and the final man stands before you, you will marry him." His voice, usually warm, is cold, causing the hairs on my arms and neck to rise with uneasiness. "It does not matter if he was your preference or not. Do you all understand?"
He has everyone's attention. Some girls have wide eyes, almost like they are just now realizing what they are involved with, others simply nod. Reena, adverts her gaze and begins to chew on her bottom lip. She wears an expression I cannot quite figure out.
After a bit of silence, Sebastian smiles and folds the paper up, placing it into his pocket. "Now! We are all done with the rules. It is strongly advised that each of you follow every single one of these rules." He takes a deep breath and the air feels less heavy than before. "Lunch will be brought to your rooms, after all, this is not only the first time you will meet the boys, but also the first time you will be introduced to the public eye!" He looks around the room, and I notice his eyes stop on me. "Remember, you are deserving of love." I must be crazy, he isn't staring at me is he? "Good luck to you all!" He cheers and a round of applause follows him as he departs from the room.
The girls begin to stand and guards that were posted around the room move into the crowd. "Well," I look as Reena stands, dusting off her pale pink dress. "I guess I'll be seeing you tonight." She gives me a smile as two men come alongside her and she walks away.
She is nice. Maybe too nice? I'm not entirely sure if she means what she says or not, so I will just try to keep her a good distance away.
Bronson and McQueen come up and I stand. "Did. You. Like. The. Po.ta.toes?" McQueen says and I give a small nod and he nods back. "I. Like. That. Type. Best."
"I prefer the meat myself." Bronson says as we begin walking. "Meat makes you strong, like me." He says and I look at his large, bulky body. Well, he does seem strong.
"He. Meant. Fat." McQueen says and a vein pops on Bronson's neck as he turns his head to glare at McQueen.
A small little argument unfolds in front of me and I walk along, listening. Even though they are fighting, the tension in my shoulders is already melting away.
***
Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you all next time!