I Am Elite (A Colors novel Book 1)

by Kimberly Westra

  I move in and give them both a hug.

  “We love you pumpkin,” Dad says.

  “Love you too,” I return squeezing a little harder.

  “You can do all things Mera, you are just as good as those Elite.” Dad speaks.

  I want to believe him. I want to believe him so bad. Mom tries not to sob all over my pretty dress. She also does not believe Dad’s words. She is saying goodbye to her only child. And my heart breaks for her. I need to speak. I need to tell them all will be ok. If only for my mother's sake.

  “Yeah, things will be alright. I will try to write. And when I get a paycheck I’ll send it here. If you need anything in the meantime, make sure to ask Gil?”

  The goodbyes feel like forever and only a second at the same time. I glance back to my house one last time. The roof sinking, the wooden walls cracked and the window that broke over a year ago.

  It hurts looking back, but I need to remember this place. I need to make sure I will never forget where I came from. Even if these Elite are trying to make me something I am not.

  I am so grateful that Gilanna is an Elite. She can accompany me to the airport and I hold onto her like she is my lifeline.

  The limo is something I have never seen before. It is a really fancy car, but so stretched out it reminds me of a Dachshund dog. I would have been just as happy in a normal size car. Or a horse. The doors open automatically, sliding up. The roof looks black from the outside, but once we get inside it is as if there is no roof at all. There is just way too much space for the two of us and I feel silly. Even Gil seems in complete awe of this luxury. We spend some time pressing buttons, exploring the grandness. Then, when we are sure we have seen it all we sit in our seats.

  Silence hits us. The excitement makes way for worry.

  Gilanna looks at me with her orange eyes and I can tell she is trying to think of what to say.

  “It's ok Gil, I'll be alright". I hear my own lie.

  Her eyes become more gentle, loving and she nods. She is trying to be strong for me, just like Aran. She looks down at her feet for a second before pulling out a small gift box from her purse. It’s a small pink box, with a bow on top. I open it up slowly, willing the moment to last longer and gasp at the item inside. It is so beautiful, rich Elite would pay big bucks for this. Gilanna is very talented, but even with her talent it is very impressive to pull this off on such short notice.

  The locket is round, with beautiful flowers and small butterflies etched into the silver. The chain is long and thin, also made from beautiful silver. I turn the locket over and on the back it says 'you are loved'. I notice a small opening on the side and put my nail between the silver to click it open.

  "Oh."

  To my surprise it folds open into four pictures. How did she do that?!

  I trace the pictures with my fingers, lingering on each. Dad beams at me and Mom looks beautiful and complete. Gilanna her picture is one where she sticks out her tongue at me and I giggle. It captures her beautifully, she always makes me smile. And the last is Aran, his beautiful, droopy blue eyes stare into mine.

  I swallow hard and force the tears back down. "This is the most beautiful thing I have ever held."

  She moves closer and we hug. While my finger lingers on the picture of Aran I look up at Gilanna hopefully. Does this mean she knows what I was going to tell her?

  She replies my unspoken question with a grin.

  She knows. And she is not mad.

  “I asked him not to wait for me,” my voice hardly a whisper.

  “That’s probably for the better,” she says in return.

  The rest of the words are left unspoken. When will I come back? Will I be able to come back? And what happens to my parents if I don’t?

  She holds my hand until we arrive at the airport. I have never been at the airport, let alone stepped onto a plane.

  Another wave of anxiety and panic hit me.

  I stare into Gilanna's eyes and she returns the stare with a knowing nod. Telepathically she is telling me things will be alright. I am loved.

  I can do this.

  So we get out of the limo and slowly make our way to the plane waiting for me.

  It is smaller than the planes pictured in my school books. That must mean this is a private plane, just for me.

  A sigh escapes my lips when I see the camera's. The selected are carefully followed the whole time they are at the palace since it is such an honor to be part of this competition. The other selected are probably waving and smiling at the camera but I am mostly focused on NOT falling in front of everyone. Gilanna lets me hook my arm in hers and we make our way to the stairs leading to the plane's door. Next to the stairs stands the man who spoke with me in the region office. He seems to have put a lot of effort into his appearance with his hair carefully combed, his suit crisp. He won't fool me though. He was rather unpleasant during our meeting and I will keep as much distance from him as possible.

  I hug Gilanna one last time and she places the necklace around my neck. I hear the clicking of cameras and force myself to smile and wave. They must love this shot. A loving friend giving me a gift before I take off on this adventure. Inside I am dying, but my mask is securely in place.

  I make my way up half of the steps before turning for one more smile, but mostly to look back at my town and Gilanna one last time. She is holding in her own tears and I can feel a bonding moment.

  We are Elite.

  Then I turn, losing my balance, and trip.

  The region office man catches me, breaking my fall.

  I turn scarlet red as he pulls me up.

  "You really should watch your step, you might make a fool of yourself."

  I turn to him and in a small whisper I send daggers with my reply "maybe next time you should not force me into heels while you are making me abandon my life and my family, thank you very much."

  The chosen words are not very classy but I can’t help but feel angry at him for not letting my parents come. I turn and with my hands on the railing make my way up the rest of the stairs.

  Hopefully those pictures will not be in any newspaper. I sigh thinking about Aran seeing that on the front page of the paper and a jolt goes through me. I have to stop thinking about him, he will mess up my cool demeanor.

  I step in. It takes me a few minutes in self-pity before I realize where I am. I look around me in awe. It looks just like a fancy living room. There are sofas and comfy chairs. There are tables and a TV screen. Both the walls and the seats are creamy, and the tables are a dark brown. They match perfectly. The tables are filled with foods I have never seen, fruits I have never tasted.

  I choose a nice sofa in the corner of the plane which gives me a good view of the whole space.

  When I kick off my shoes a very stern lady walks in. She is tall, skinny to the bone with her hair in a tight bun. Her nose is a bit too pointy for her face and her black hair makes her even more scary. She reminds me of a raven. Her green eyes catch me off guard. I had not expected her to be a member of the House of Green. But how much do I really know about the colors? She looks like she has not smiled in over a hundred years and I can't help but be a little scared of her. She inspects me and lingers on my, now bare, feet.

  "My name is lady Debois," she says with a French accent, "I am to escort you to the palace where I will take it upon myself to teach you proper etiquette and grace. I am also one of few aware of your,” she pauses to make the next word pop, “predicament. Make sure to keep it that way.”

  Chapter 4

  The flight is exhilarating and horrifying at the same time. My nails dig into the chairs leather as the plane comes to life and I close my eyes as we take off. My guts are all over the place and I hope I do not have to puke. The feeling in my stomach is unlike anything I have felt before and I am not a fan. Once the plane steadies I dare to open my eyes again.

  I choose to ignore the looks Lady Debois gives me and peak out my window. The scenery is magnificent and only blinking twic
e makes me believe it is all real. The mountains, the fields, the waters and the towns. The higher we get the smaller the world seems and then the clouds take away the sight. I take my eyes away from the window to look at Lady Debois’s outstretched hand holding a large folder. I look at her questionably, but lean in to grab it anyways.

  “You should get a head start, it is clear that you have a lot to learn,” she says.

  I spend a long time looking through the folder. It has a lot of information about names, etiquette, rules and expectations. It also holds pictures of place settings, flower arrangements and more, but I look away. The plane is descending and I turn to look out the window again. The clouds have disappeared and the view is once again stunning. This time, I am mostly intrigued by the forgotten cities. Cities that were once big, now crumbled into ruins. Books taught me this part of the country had many of these ruins and it is magnificent to see them as we pass them by. Even though we are still high in the air the sheer size of them astonishes me. They are a symbol of olden days. A symbol of an earth without the Elite. What would life have been before the wars? Before the world was dying? What if we never had the wars? Would the Elite have stayed away? Would the world be a fair place?

  The ruins make way for a wave of small villages that become larger the closer we come to the capital. Then the flat landscape fills with large houses. We must be getting close, we are really getting a lot closer to the earth. I try to spot the capital, but I have no luck.

  Then the plane takes a turn enabling me to see the grounds drop into a large valley. On the outskirts are towns filled with white houses, first spread out, but more to the center of the valley the buildings become larger, more grand in every way. The buildings silver and glass glitter in the sunshine and I fear for our pilots eyesight. The plane shifts direction again this time enabling me to see the palace. It stands at the far end of the outskirts, high above the rest. We are too far away to see any details, but I see its size, and it is a daunting sight.

  The airstrip comes in sight at the other end of the valley and I am delighted to realize we have to go through the city in order to get to the palace. Being able to see the capital up close is something I have never expected to do in my life. The closer we get to the ground the more nauseous I become. I really want to look out of the window but I need every inch of me focused on my food staying where it should. So I lean back, close my eyes, grab my chair again and focus on my breathing.

  In through the nose, out through the mouth.

  In through the nose, out through the mouth.

  “Shoes on,” Lady Debois says pulling me out of concentration.

  If only there was a moment to thank God for our safe landing, but she is all business. There is no time to waste.

  I force the shoes on and wobble a little trying to stand straight.

  “Smile,” she says, stepping through the plane door unto the platform.

  “Wh..” my mouth drops a little.

  Hundreds of eyes are focused on me exiting the plane. They are not only photographers like in Springlake, but also commoners. My eyes move over the eyes and they are mostly bright colored. The Elite are enjoying this to the fullest. The Elite love the selection. They wave and yell at me. A small smile appears. I can do this. I have to do this.

  My hand goes up, waving.

  I am Elite.

  Maybe I should get used to riding in a limo. It seems like a normal car here at the Capital. This one is even more grand than the one I was in only a few hours ago. The outside white, with golden trims. The inside even more extravagant. A tiny chandelier hangs from the center. It is rather ridiculous. Who puts a chandelier in a car? If only Gil was here to see this.

  For a second my mind lingers on the memory of my loving friend and I grab the locket. My fingers softly squeeze the silver.

  I sigh, wishing there was a way for me to go back. Not knowing what is going to happen scares me. I am scared, nervous and still a little nauseous from the flight.

  We have started to ascend into the valley. Is it wrong for me to press my nose against the window?

  One look at Lady Debois tells me it is, so I keep my face from the cool glass.

  The houses are huge at first, but the road continues and I find myself staring at houses much smaller, but still quite stunning. The white walls make the bright lively colors of the window- and door frames stand out.

  Do the colors mean something? There are many different varieties. They don’t look like the traditional House colors.

  Lady Debois notices my expression and sighs, "the colors are there only for show, no specific reason other than beauty and splendor."

  I nod at her explanation and marvel at the use of colors. I have always compared colors to the Elite and their talents.

  "Do humans live here too? Or just Elite?" I ask, forgetting I was trying to ignore her.

  "Mostly Elite, some human.”

  I nod again and look back out the window. I know the King does not like humans very much, so it does not surprise me there is not a lot of human population here.

  "You should straighten up, we are almost there," she says, pressing her lips together and narrowing her eyes. She is no doubt wondering how the heck she will help me fit in.

  Right as I collect myself, the palace comes in sight. We first pass through enormous walls made out of a silver metal and thick glass. The glass shines as if it were diamonds. The gate alone is bigger than any house built in Springlake.

  We drive along the driveway surrounded by a wall of green. Trees, bushes and flowers all kept in perfect shape.

  The palace is the biggest, most beautiful structure I have ever seen. The closer we get, the more I notice and I am in complete awe. My collected demeanor disappears and I become an open mouthed tourist.

  The building is only three stories high, but it wraps around the grounds like a big letter U. The walls are an orange brown, with sand colored details. It really softens the walls and the detail is exquisite. The roof is a dark blue, with golden trim all around and frames the building as if it is a painting. On each corner of the roof, stand small statues, also decorated in delicate gold. The windows on the first floor are the grandest. They stretch all the way from the grass to the top of the floor with the most beautiful stained glass. The second floor windows have balconies decorated with black metal twisting and turning into flowers and leaves. The roof has fewer windows, but not any less impressive. Gold frames them and makes them stand out impressively.

  Lady Debois wraps her fingers around my arm, pulling me out of the limo and snapping me out of my thoughts. Probably for the better, I was just wondering if I may have died and this is what heaven looks like.

  The limo driver did a great job at getting quite close to the entrance and thankfully I only have a short walk to the door on these darn heels.

  It does not help that the cameras are all set up here too. Every year Elite all over the country love to watch how the selected fight their way to the top. I try to walk as elegantly as possible. I make it up the few steps and cross the threshold.

  Alleluia.

  As I enter the entrance hall a small giggle escapes. There is no way I am going to survive this place. I am truly, utterly out of place. If I keep staring and sporting this open mouth, I will for sure be kicked out before the end of the week.

  The hall is lofty, probably two stories high with, what have to be, the largest chandeliers known to man. They sparkle as the sun hits them and you should wear sunglasses if you glance at them for too long. The walls are decorated with gold trimming and paintings. While I look past the chandeliers towards the high sealing, I gasp. Even the ceiling is covered in the most splendid paint job I have ever seen. The colors so perfectly combined, the technique so beautifully executed that it seems we are looking at the clouds outside. In between the clouds are creatures with beautiful wings.

  The tables edged against the walls have vases filled with the most colorful flowers. A few chairs are set up in a way that makes me w
onder if anyone ever dares to sit on them. They look so grand and expensive.

  We continue walking until I almost bump into Lady Debois as she stops. Even the doorknobs on the large double wooden door in front of me are fancier than any knobs seen in Springlake.

  Lady Debois nods to the two guards standing by the door and they move to open it. Yet another beautiful room comes in sight, but this time my eyes do not go straight to the decorations, but to the people standing around the space. It only takes me a moment to realize these must be the other selected. And of course they are all Elite.

  I am Elite.

  Lady Debois gives me a little nudge into the room, although it feels more like a reminder to what we had agreed on. I am to never tell anyone here that I am just a human, and I am to fit in. So I check my mask and lift my lips into the faintest of smiles and walk into the crowd.

  A waitress passes me with drinks and I reach out to grab one. I nod at her in thanks, stopping mid movement. Elite do not nod to humans. So turning away from her I find a sofa with only one other person on it. Trying to talk to one stranger might be easier than talking to a bunch, so I take my chances and sit down.

  The girl next to me is probably around my age, maybe just a little older. She has an Asian look to her. I try not to stare but her dark, pulled up hair and her thin stretched out eyes pull me in. She is rather beautiful. Her skin has a yellow glow and sitting next to her makes me wish I looked less plain, ordinary. She catches me watching her and stretches out her hand with a soft smile.

  "Hey, I am Shanna."

  She has bright yellow eyes. It relaxes me. If she is anything like the Yellow's I know, she will be good company. Most members of the Yellow House are soft hearted and kind. They often take care of children, or work within the healthcare system.