by S. L. Baum
“See you tomorrow, then.” I waved and started to walk backward toward the door.
“See you tomorrow.”
***
“Hurry,” Lily squealed. “It’s almost eight. It’ll be on soon.”
“Yes, Blue. Get back in here!” Stone yelled.
“Now!” Fisher added.
“I am getting something to drink. Hold on,” I huffed.
“Bluebell, are all these people really necessary?” Aspen asked as she walked through the kitchen.
“Well, I certainly can’t send them home without seeing the video. What ungracious hosts we would be. I’m sure that would reflect badly on the Lush Ambassador for Concord,” I smiled sweetly. “Plus, I don’t think that four people can really be classified as all these people,” I added.
“I meant to ask you about one of the boys. Thorn, is it? Well, is he the kind of person you should be associating with? What will people think?”
“What could you possibly mean by that?” I asked, completely thrown by the suggestion that his association could somehow tarnish my reputation.
“His mother passed away so long ago and his father never sought to enter into another Marriage Contract. He has been living alone for over a decade, and now it is just the two of them with no female influence at all. I find that strange. Concord would like us all to be happily connected to a well matched mate,” Aspen explained.
“There is no rule or mandate about that,” I reminded her.
“There should be,” she concluded. “No good can come from a single man. It takes a woman’s touch to guide a man onto the correct path in life. I firmly believe that.”
“Stand firm in your beliefs, Aspen. Stand firm,” I told her as I marched out of the room holding a tray filled with mugs of hot chocolate. A special night deserved a special treat.
“Bluebell, you are a lovely girl. Don’t let Fish tell you anything different,” Stone told me as I put the tray down in front of him.
“Thanks, I’ll remember that,” I smiled and then playfully cut my eyes at Fisher.
“Nice! Real nice, Stone,” Fisher shook his head.
“She is a lovely girl,” Thorn agreed. “But this hot chocolate is even lovelier.”
“Ssshhh,” Lily hissed, staring at the wall screen. “I think this is it,” she said as the screen went black for a moment… and then my face appeared on the screen. “Blue, sit by me!” She ordered.
Five minutes later the video ended and my friends all clapped their hands together in a roaring applause.
“I loved it,” Lily sighed. “They made you look so beautiful. I wish I could do my make-up that perfectly.”
“Yeah, me too,” I agreed. “Their people are amazing.”
“Nice speech, Blue,” Fisher said.
“It was shot well,” Stone added.
“You looked very sure of yourself. That’s a good thing. If you want to make people trust you, you should be sure of yourself,” Thorn remarked.
“So it’s good?” I asked.
“Very good,” Lily squealed.
Stone exhaled a bubble of air. “Excellent job, my friend.”
I covered my Brand with my right hand. “Should I be nervous about tomorrow night with The Pets? Because I am.”
“Nervous is good,” Lily said. “Nervous energy will keep you on your toes. You don’t want to get lazy and forget things.”
“You’re right. I don’t want to forget anything. I want to remember,” I said while looking at Thorn.
“Yes. Remember,” Thorn repeated.
“Lily, do you remember anything about your life before Training Tech?” I asked. “I know we were all so little, but I was just wondering.”
“I remember my bedroom. When we first came home from Incorporation, it was pretty much the way I pictured it in my head. And I remember making cookies with my mother, but that is it. I can’t really recall anything else. As you said, we were so young. I’m surprised I can remember that much.”
“I remember absolutely nothing from before, and hardly anything from Year One,” Fisher said. “What about you, Stone?”
“I remember lots of stuff, but I’m never sure if they’re real or imagined memories. I think it’s that creative thing in my brain. Works overdrive sometimes. I think most of the memories, the ones that I am certain are real, began in Year One. Why do you ask, Blue?”
My new memories began to feel like stolen items. I had pulled them out of the recesses of my mind. But was I supposed to? Was I allowed to?
“No reason. It’s just that Thorn…” I looked at Thorn and he gave me a small shake of his head. It was barely noticeable.
He interrupted me. “I was just writing a new story and I wondered if I could have my character remember something that happened to him before he entered Training Tech.”
“You could,” Lily said. “But I think it would have to be a pretty fuzzy memory. Very vague.”
“Exactly. Just something general,” Fisher added. “Like being in a crowd or riding in a vehicle or playing with something.”
Stone blew out an air bubble. “I don’t like forcing myself to think about things past. I swear it hurts my brain. That’s probably why I just create scenarios instead. It’s more fun that way anyway.”
“Are The Pets ready for their Gala?” I asked, changing the subject.
Lily nodded her head. “Oh yes! Petunia and Petals are going to wear matching floral print dresses with big poofy skirts. Pet 1 will have a pink floral crown and Pet 2 will wear a purple one. They gave me all the details yesterday. They’re pretty excited to meet the two sets of brothers too.”
“Cimarron told me that a new gown will be delivered tomorrow for me to wear. Something the new Style Consultant they brought in picked out. What are you going to wear?” I asked her.
“Mother had a lovely yellow gown in her closet. We had that refitted for me. I’m still upset that you weren’t at Rosemary’s last week. I looked fabulous! Were you really that sick?”
“More exhausted than sick, I guess. It was awful. I could barely stand,” I repeated the lie that Aspen and my grandfather had decided upon.
“That Cimarron works you much too hard,” Lily frowned. “I missed you. It would have been so much fun with you there.”
“I’m sure you had fun with Fisher there,” I winked.
“And Stone!” Stone exclaimed. “You can’t have fun without Stone!”
Lily laughed. “Yes, and Stone.”
Stone looked at Thorn. “Why didn’t you go?”
“Wasn’t invited,” Thorn shrugged.
Lily looked from Thorn to me. “You two are close all of the sudden.”
“Instant friendship, I guess. I’m reading his stories,” I said.
“She gives excellent feedback,” Thorn added.
“Are you going to the Gala together?” Lily asked.
“Not together. Cimarron would never allow that. My grandfather wouldn’t allow it either.”
“I didn’t realize I was so undesirable,” Thorn said with an exaggerated frown.
“Don’t worry. So am I.” Stone mirrored Thorn’s expression. “Lily told me that she wanted Blue to ask if I could escort her to their Gala next week. But that isn’t going to happen either. She’s crushed us both.”
I looked from Stone to Thorn. “Boys, boys, I am at the mercy of The Council. I promise.”
“Joking, Blue,” Stone laughed. “You’re all wrong for me, anyway. I’ve decided that I have a weakness for freckled red heads with light eyes. Freckles on bare shoulders are irresistible. I just want to connect the dots with my fingers. You’re a great girl though,” he winked.
“Thanks, Stone,” I winked back at him. “Maybe I’ll grow some freckles and become more appealing to you.”
“Might work.”
Aspen came into the room, and declared that it was time for everyone to leave. She said that a full night’s sleep was necessary for such an important day. If I was to look my best then I neede
d to be well rested.
I had to agree with her. When I didn’t sleep well, it showed.
I hugged Lily, Fisher, and Stone, said goodbye, and then turned to Thorn.
He placed a little box in my hand, gave me a hug, and whispered in my ear. “Wear this tomorrow.” When he pulled back he said in a louder voice, “You did great, Bluebell.” Then he left.
“Upstairs and to bed,” Aspen repeated her orders after I closed the door.
“I’m going straight to bed. I promise,” I sighed as I climbed the steps.
When I was alone in my room, with the door closed, I opened the little box Thorn had placed in my hand. Inside was a little gold ring with a flower in the middle. It was the ring… the one that had been tied to the ribbon around my neck that day, years ago. I remembered it. I took it out of the box and slipped it onto the middle finger on my right hand. It fit perfectly.
Chapter Twelve
Stepping into the Spotlight
“I feel a bit ridiculous with this collar. I mean… the dress is eye catching enough with this huge red skirt. Isn’t the collar a bit much?” I asked.
“Not at all,” Aspen scoffed. “This is a one of a kind creation. It is the perfect gown. All eyes will be drawn to you. The color red commands attention. This is exactly the kind of dress that a girl in your position needs,” she insisted.
“A girl in my position,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Bluebell, you are a reflection of the auspicious 1.15 family, a descendant of the original twenty, and you are being groomed to live in the public eye. Any other young Citizen would trade places with you in a moment’s notice. But they can’t, they aren’t Lush. But you are, so act like it!”
I stood up a little straighter and put a smile on my face so she would think that her little speech had worked. Hoping that if she saw it, she would let me be.
I stared at myself in the tall mirror. The red and white gown had an exaggerated full skirt and a high tulle collar. I had to admit that the collar framed my face in the most amazing way, but I knew it would draw attention. When Aspen had been going through her tablet, looking at all of the pictures of gowns, I hadn’t spied one that looked anything like this.
This new Style Consultant was determined to make me the center of all attention, though at Petunia and Petal’s Gala, it just didn’t seem right. But Cimarron, Aspen, Father, and Grandfather had explained that since Concord was sponsoring the Gala, then Concord was entitled to highlight its new Lush Ambassador – and that meant I was to be paraded around. They kept telling me that it was a shared event, but it still felt wrong.
The make-up and hair people had just left. The gown was on (and it was wearing me as much as I was wearing it). I slipped my feet into the shoes that had been delivered with the gown: they were quite high, but had a thick enough heel that I’d be able to wear them for the whole evening. The little bag that would hold my mini tablet (I was up to three of those things) was waiting for me by the door. I was ready to be presented to Concord.
Aspen’s tablet vibrated in her hand and she looked at the screen. “Jackson, Bluebell, the car is waiting outside. Is everyone ready?”
“Oh, wait just a minute. I forgot something in my room,” I said over my shoulder as I rushed from the room.
I ascended the stairs as quickly as was possible in the enormous dress and high heels, and entered my room. The little box that Thorn had given me the night before was sitting on the table by my bed. I opened it up, slipped the ring on my finger, and then turned to go back down to where my parents waited for me by the door. I grabbed my little bag and we all walked toward the waiting car.
“It is such a lovely evening,” Aspen remarked as we started moving.
“Yes, dear, it is,” my father agreed.
“The moon looks lovely.”
“Umm-hmm.”
“I do hope they have the little canapés that I requested. They are the perfect little bite. Everybody loves them. Don’t you agree?”
My father smiled at her. “They are always enjoyed by all.”
After paying attention to that particular exchange, I tuned them out. Aspen said something meaningless and my father agreed. It was their common form of communication and it drove me mad. I couldn’t imagine such a boring existence. When I was with my friends we had discussions, laughed, teased, agreed, disagreed. My parents always spoke as if a high-ranking official were there, observing them to measure their compatibility. It was all so sterile. A public conversation was to be conducted that way; a private one should be full of life… at least that was what I believed.
I decided to pull my mini tablet out of my bag so I could read from it until we reached the Gala. Thorn had sent over another story and it was pretty good. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, because when I start reading, time seems to have no meaning anymore. I could read all night if the story was good enough, and gladly suffer the consequences the next day. I would brave a tired day when the story whispered, just one more page…
Aspen tugged at my skirt, pulling my attention away from my tablet.
“Where did you get that?” she asked, pointing to my hand.
“Cimarron gave it to me. She said that I needed a smaller one for the times when I was only carrying a small bag.”
“No, not that, you silly girl. That,” she frowned, pointing at my ring.
“Oh, sorry. I thought you meant the mini tablet. Because, really, who needs three of these things?” I asked, pointing to the mini tablet.
“The ring, Bluebell!”
“Right. The ring came from Thorn,” I answered.
“And where did Thorn get it?”
“He found it,” I said, giving her the truth but not much more.
“Where did he find it?” she pressed for more answers.
“Outside.”
Her mouth drew into a hard line. “Bluebell, a full sentence with more details would be nice.”
“Aspen, why all the questions? It is just a ring,” my father said. He leaned closer to get a better look at it.
“Yes, Mother. Why all the questions?”
Aspen rolled her eyes at the word mother and said, “I just want to know where it came from, and why you have it.”
“Should I not have it? It is mine, isn’t it?”
“Well the boy gave it to you, so it is obviously yours,” my father replied.
“Forget it, it is not important,” Aspen waved her hands in the air, washing away the current discussion. “We are here.”
From the way the conversation went it became obvious to me that Aspen remembered the ring, but my father did not. The ring held no significance to him, while the sight of it seemed to bother her. I was intrigued by the fact that a little flower ring visibly disturbed Aspen. It may have been wicked of me, but I’d made up my mind to continue to be as vague as possible.
We stepped out of the car and were ushered over to a side entrance. Petunia and Petals were inside, ready and waiting. Introductions were to be made soon and until then we were all to be kept away from the guests. The Pets and I squealed when we saw each other and rushed together to give air kisses and little hugs. We were each too worried about messing up ourselves, or each other, to do any more.
“Bluebell, you look divine!” they said in unison.
And I once again wondered how identical twins were able to do it. It was like they were in each other’s brain. It always amazed me.
“Thank you! The collar worries me, but it is pretty, isn’t it?” I twirled around and let the red skirt poof out. “I love your dresses, the flowers, your shoes. Did you ever think we would all look so nice in gowns?”
Petals laughed. “I think any girl would look lovely with a pretty new dress, her hair done in a flattering way, and the right make-up on her face.”
“I think you are correct in that assessment,” I smiled. “I can tell the two of you will excel in your given career.”
Petunia twirled around, making her dress flare out. “Fashio
n and Style will be perfect for us. I never knew that it was so interesting, until that first day at the CEC when we were told we had shown an aptitude for it.”
“Plus,” Petals grinned. “Who wouldn’t love to have gorgeous identical twins show up to be their Dressmaker or Style Consultant? We will be quite the desired pair, I predict.”
“Girls,” Cimarron whistled. “You two,” she pointed at The Pets. “You’re up. Walk through the curtain and stop about three feet behind the microphone. The announcer will take it from there.”
“Got to go,” they chimed together and then disappeared through the heavy curtains.
I could hear the announcer talking enthusiastically in a booming voice.
“Concord One has the most beautiful set of identical twins and I’d like to introduce them to you…” he began speaking, but I was forced to stop listening.
Cimarron grabbed my attention.
“Aspen, Jackson, and Bluebell, you will walk out together with Aspen on Bluebell’s left and Jackson on the right. The parents will be introduced first, then you two must walk toward the tables and have a seat at the one reserved for you. Just look for me. I will be out there to guide you,” Cimarron explained. “Bluebell, you will be introduced after that and will have a few moments of question and answer. You will need to draw on all those practice questions we rehearsed at the CEC. Keep calm, keep your voice strong and steady, and answer them the way a true Ambassador for Concord would. I have faith in your abilities. You’ll do great!”
I nodded, to show her that I understood and then tried to focus on the announcer’s voice again. I wanted to know what was going on out there with my friends.
“Girls, we have a treat for you,” he said and his words were followed by applause. “On your right side are Leaf and Blade; they come from Concord Three. Leaf is nineteen and Blade is twenty-three years old. Leaf is in the beginning stages of his apprenticeship in Peace Keeping, while Blade is an excellent chef.
“On your left side are Reed and Hunter; they come from Concord Four. Reed is just eighteen and Hunter is twenty years old, their parents moved quickly with these two! Reed is at the Career Education Center, learning to become a talented butcher, while Hunter is about to finish his apprenticeship in Landscape Design.
