After cleaning up the dishes, Yvette and Tressa sat on the porch looking out over the lower tiers of the city. The circling lines of the different levels below them caught the dying light of the sun as it dipped behind the western mountain ranges. Slowly each tier was swallowed up in darkness until only theirs was painted orange. Tressa whispered to Yvette, “Do you think I really have a chance to be one of the Chosen? I don’t think I’m ready.”
“Yes, I do. And if you are chosen you know Fergus will be there to help you find good stories to bring home. He’s been doing this for a while. In fact, some of the people he’s already mentored are even on the Council now.”
Tressa stood up and stretched before going inside. In the darkness she murmured, “Yeah, but so is that idiot Malcolm McDonnell.”
Chapter 4
Almost a week later, Tressa went to the closet in her room at the Institute. Upon opening the door, her eyes fell upon the only dress she had ever liked. It was a soft teal blue, with small white daisies scattered everywhere. Her mother had sewn this dress from some fabric that her father brought back from one of his trips. Her mother always said it made her blue eyes shine more than they already did, and that the white daisies contrasted her rich black hair. Tressa preferred athletic gear or tough clothing for rock climbing, but admitted the dress was very pretty on her trim frame, and she liked feeling a little girly now and then.
She put on the dress, preparing for the yearly Selection celebration that would result in two of her schoolmates being Chosen as this year’s Tellers. All this talk made her unsure of whether she would actually be one of the Chosen, or if it was just rumor, but she figured she should look her best regardless. As she examined herself in the mirror with her bright blue eyes staring back at her, she wished she could fake sick tonight, fearing that if she were one of the Chosen, she would have to give a short speech in front of the entire town. Then again, if she was Chosen, she would look like a fool if they called her name and she did not go on stage at the Amphitheater.
After convincing herself there was no getting out of the Selection ceremony tonight, Tressa met with the rest of her schoolmates in the Dining Hall at the Institute to walk over together to the Amphitheater before the rest of the town showed up. This tradition of being early seemed silly to her now, because the whole town knew that the first 5 rows were always reserved for the potential Selections. They all walked along the stone promenade to the Amphitheater, which was built following the lakefront. As it circled alongside the lake benches were built into the flagstone seawall where you could sit and enjoy watching the water. Inside the Amphitheater from the stage you could see a portion of the lake as well as most of the entire canyon. This breathtaking setting could make it very difficult to keep focus when telling stories or giving speeches.
The large glass panels that created the domed exterior of the Amphitheater masked what was held inside. Tressa walked through the 15 foot glass doors into the ornate foyer. Tables were covered with all kinds of refreshments, from mini cakes to spit roasted pig, for tonight was a grand celebration. The Uppers had spared no expense on the architecture of the building itself, nor on all the festivals and events that took place here. The foyer was constructed of marble, with pillars supporting the balcony seats. The entire building was designed to pay homage to the ancient Greeks.
The students weren’t allowed to eat the banquet food until after the selection ceremony, because a few years ago, a Chosen had thrown up on stage after having horrible stage fright. Tressa sincerely hoped that she wouldn’t get that nervous if she were selected.
In the hushed atmosphere near the stage Tressa turned and looked out at the empty rows rising behind her.
“There is a 14% grade from the orchestra pit to the last row under the balcony. The seating is designed to maximize the acoustics so well that only a few of the softest performances have been artificially amplified in the past two hundred years,” Roderick instructed anyone who could hear him.
“Hello, Roderick,” said Tressa looking at the shorter boy that had slipped up beside her. All the students were expected to dress appropriately, but he was the only one in a tuxedo. Tressa was sure the particular color of his suit was not one that existed in nature. The collar on his shirt was three or four sizes too large and he was adjusting the bowtie constantly.
Roderick leaned in and whispered, “I think this may be your big night. But, I heard Collin McDonnell bragging that he would be heading out soon with Mason and Fergus and the stories they would bring back would be ‘unbelievable’.”
“I don’t know if the first part’s true, but I certainly wouldn’t believe much of what Collin McDonnell says.”
Tressa tried to take in her surroundings. She rarely got this view of the Amphitheater. In its barrenness, she was able to truly see how large it was. The stage was made from a deep red cherry wood, with white velvet curtains on either side and across the top. The white curtains blended seamlessly into the white marble semicircular enclosure that surrounded the stage to amplify the speaker’s voice. The two aisles that led down toward the stage were lined with snow white carpeting. Tressa had never once in her life noticed any dirt or stains on those walkways, which must have been cleaned meticulously after every event.
Each seat had plush, soft, red, velvet cushions to match the color of the stage. In the back of each seat from the 20th row back, was a small projector that created a hologram of what was happening on stage, so the farther audience members could see all the activity on the stage, including a Teller’s facial expressions and small movements. As the students made their way further down the aisles, they noticed that the Light Men were adjusting the glass paneled ceiling overhead, testing and making sure that the panels emitted all the colors of the spectrum.
Tressa remembered her first experience here as a child, listening to a story about a great fire, and she had been delighted by the colors of the ceiling changing from blue to yellow, orange, and then red. The Uppers thought the color ambiance would set the mood for whichever story was being told, and they were right.
All the students sat in the first 5 rows, waiting for the rest of the town to show up. As people filed into the seats, the students became hungrier and hungrier from watching the others eat. Tressa was too anxious to even think about food, when she suddenly caught sight of her mother and sister. They had both dressed to the nines for the occasion, probably in hopes of Yvette being correct about what she told her mother and Tressa the other night. Seeing them calmed Tressa down significantly.
Finally, everyone had gathered in the amphitheater, and the Uppers took their places in their special box seats. Glass screens came down from the ceiling in the rear of the stage, which provided vivid, colorful backdrops for the announcer of the Selection. Charlie Rosemont, a Great Teller selected 30 years ago, was given the honor of conducting tonight’s Selection ceremony. He had a booming voice, which was always surprising to hear coming out of that short, stout body. Everyone stood as Charlie led the town in their credence, which basically said to help one another, always do good, and to do your best. Then the town heard two stories, one by Godwin Black, a previous mentor, and one by Fergus Mumfree, the upcoming mentor for the new Chosens.
Godwin mightily entertained everyone with his rendition of “Why Me?” and the laughter was so infectious even most of the nervous student body laughed along. When Fergus’ turn came he tried to tell the story of Jim, Tim and Kim. He got most of it right, but at the important part where the love triangle is finally straightened out, he accidentally reversed some of the parts, and Jim ended up with Tim rather than Kim. As he finished and bowed to a smattering of polite applause, he didn’t even seem to be aware of his mistake.
Finally, it was the time that everyone had been waiting for. Charlie was handed a white envelope that seemed to glow. The lights dimmed, and a spotlight suddenly appeared. Tearing the envelope open and pulling out the contents within, Charlie prepared to read the selections. Total silence struck the Amphitheater as he read the
top card and began to speak the words, “And now, based on a series of tasks, challenges, and wits, the Institute and this year’s Mentor have selected this year’s Chosens.” Looking up at the assembled audience he took a deep breath and continued, “I am pleased to announce that Mason Rockwell is the first student selected this year to accompany Mentor Mumfree.” Applause thundered down on the students sitting in the front rows.
The audience started to murmur amongst themselves as Charlie read the second card and seemed purely confused at the next name. Everyone knew Mason would be one of the Chosen, but the second person was a total wild card.
Charlie regained his composure and started again, “Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in all of Top Peake’s history, we would like to welcome a female, Tressa Tremaine, to the stage as the second Chosen!”
All of the glass panels in the ceiling, and the glass screens behind the stage produced images of fireworks. The small alcoves in the stage had large sparklers lit, to make the red floor glow with shimmering light. Mason stood up from his aisle seat and started forward. Stopping at her row he reached in and offered Tressa a hand, seeing as she was practically glued to her chair with shock. For fear of falling over, she held onto Mason as they climbed the small set of steps onto the stage and tried to paste a smile on her face. She was sure that the holograms of her appeared comical, with her frightened eyes and fake smile.
Mason was the first to give his Appreciation Speech. Tressa was unable to focus on the majority of what Mason said, but caught bits about “truly grateful”, “never thought I would be Chosen”, and “give this town honor”.
It was now Tressa’s turn to give her speech. Her mind went blank and she could not even begin to think of what to say. She attempted to follow suit with what Mason had said.
Quietly, Tressa started to give her appreciation, “It is truly an honor to be up here, one I was not expecting. Because of my age, I did not expect to be Chosen, so I seem to have not prepared a proper speech.”
She started to feel a stutter coming on from her nervousness, so she took a deep breath and searched for her mother and sister in the audience. The lights on the stage were too bright for her to see anything, and she felt her temperature rising what felt like 20 degrees from the spot light.
I may as well just get this over with and wrap it up before I make a complete fool of myself and the Uppers doubt my selection, she thought to herself, sincerely hoping she said none of it out loud.
With the amphitheater still silent, Tressa continued. “I appreciate being the Chosen for this year, and hope to make you all proud with the stories I bring back from my travels. Thank you!”
Mason grabbed her hand to do a quick bow in front of the audience, and the sound of clapping resounded off the Amphitheater walls. Tressa leaned over to Mason and whispered, “Can we please get off the stage now?”
Mason grinned and led Tressa down the steps back to their seats. She thought he was holding her hand a little tighter this time, but that may have just been the butterflies in her stomach getting to her brain. Music started playing from the orchestra pit, and the students were finally allowed file out into the foyer and eat.
Not being sure if it was the pure adrenaline rushing into her head from the surprise of being Chosen, or feeling like Mason held her hand a little tighter and a little longer than normal, but Tressa found it impossible to get any food into her stomach.
Chapter 5
The Selection celebration and congratulations afterwards had gone long into the night. Tressa had somehow managed to squeak out a thank you and a few short sentences about how she hoped to be able to bring back stories that everyone would enjoy. It seemed the whole town had come up and congratulated her and Mason as they stood in a receiving line in the Amphitheater lobby. Fergus stood next to them with Tressa between him and Mason. Every now and then he would put his hand on her back and ease her back into line. She had been slowly sliding back behind Mason and letting him handle the crowds. Tressa kept wondering when this part would be over and she would be allowed to slip out and go home for a quiet congratulatory snack with her mom and Yvette.
Mason seemed in his element. The more people came up to speak to him the more he glowed with excitement. He was able to laugh and be light-hearted with the Uppers when they clapped him on the shoulders and then instantly turn serious and nod as they gave advice on how to travel safely and handle obstacles.
Finally after all the hands had been shook, backs patted and pig eaten, the crowd dispersed. Fergus handed Tressa and Mason over to their families and as he said good night told them, “Enjoy the good feelings and sleep well tonight. Coming up is the busiest two weeks of your life. We have lists to fill, schedules to plan and meetings to attend. And after all that…the real work begins!”
Tressa went home with Gianna and Yvette and finally got her midnight snack with them on the porch. By candlelight, her mother came over and sat with her on the swing. “I am so proud of you, Tressa. I knew you were going to be selected at some point, but at 14? Your father would’ve been so happy. I think he’s looking down on you right now and smiling.”
“I hope so. I wish he were here to celebrate with us. Sometimes I wish he hadn’t saved those people. Then he’d be here for things like tonight.” Tressa sniffled and wiped her nose.
“I know, honey. But if you remember anything about your father let it be his unwavering desire to help others before himself. It was always his way to make sure others were safe, or happy, or fed, or clothed. You’re a lot like him, you know – look at all your clubs and activities you participate in. He was always looking for opportunities to help others, too.
“That’s a big part of why he was such a good storyteller. Helping others and always trying to do the right thing. If we all did that the world would be a much better place. I know he was there with you tonight.
“I remember after he died there were nights when you’d crawl in bed with me and cry and fidget. I’d have to kiss your forehead and let you know it would all be okay. I’d tell you he was there watching over you and finally you could roll over and go to sleep.
“Don’t stay up too late, girls…I love you very much Tressa.” Gianna hugged Tressa tightly and kissed her on the forehead. “He was watching over you tonight.”
“I love you too, mom.” Tressa whispered into her shoulder.
~
The next morning Tressa awoke early and after doing some stretching she climbed onto the roof of her house and started scaling the rock face behind where they lived. The cliff continued up another 300 feet and was cracked and broken in places allowing her to get a hand or foothold. She easily navigated her way toward the top climbing over a reconstructed area she had worked on with the Top Peak club. The reinforcement they installed was holding back the loose rock above from sliding down into the housing area below. Tressa checked the anchors and fittings to make sure they were still strong and securely fastened into the rock. Satisfied by what she saw she turned and sat on a narrow ledge overlooking all of Top Peake. Listening to the wind blow across the rocks Tressa leaned her head back to watch the hawks float on the updrafts coming from the valley. She thought I would love to be able to soar above everything like that and just watch what’s going on below. Farther up she saw the trees way above her perched on the cliff’s edge, their roots wrapping around the rocks and clinging tight to keep them from falling over. The sun on her face felt good and she knew it may be a long while before she was able to make this climb again.
Tressa descended from her perch slightly late for an appointment in town with Mason and Fergus. As she bounced and jumped from rooftop to wall to ledge to walkway all the way down the mountainside she couldn’t wait to have this meeting over and done with. Tressa entered the library at the Institute and looked around. Roderick was intensely poring over some book. She suspected it was probably an insignificant point in a math textbook that no one would ever care to correct. He looked up and waved then pointed to the seat across
from him at the table. Tressa managed a smile and shook her head no. She pointed past him at some chairs where her travelling companions were seated.
A group of leather reading chairs were placed in front of a set of French doors. The doors were open and the warm spring air lifted the bottom of the curtains into the room. “Sorry I’m late, I got hung up.” she muttered. She really hoped that she wouldn’t have to try and come up with something to say to Mason. Every time he was around, her tongue made all the wrong sounds and her brain didn’t help at all to straighten things out.
“That’s alright, my dear, we’ve just arrived ourselves,” said Fergus. He waved her to a chair across from him. “I thought we might have a bit of an informal chat today. Tomorrow is time enough for lists and jobs and things like that.”
Mason leaned forward and interjected, “I thought we were going to eat. I haven’t had lunch and I’m kinda hungry.”
Fergus laughed and produced a small satchel with apples and snacks and some juice bottles in it. “Every Teller I’ve ever mentored was hungry at this meeting. And at every rest stop when we travelled. And most especially at every meal time. And so on and so on. Now, I plan ahead.”
As Mason ate an apple Fergus continued, “This year things are a little different. With Miss Tremaine in the picture we’ll have to run our show with a little bit more delicacy.” Holding out both hands in a gesture of welcome he went on, “Not that we’re not happy to have you. It’s just that it’s our first time working a young lady into the routines we’ve had for years. It might take a little bit of cooperation on both parts to make things run smoothly. I hope you’ll be safe and comfortable and we, the men, will do everything we can to make things that way.”
“Thank you, Fergus. That’s very kind of you to go out of your way like that. I have been a little worried about some of the details. Sleeping arrangements and things like that.”
Perpetual Power Page 3