I Am Elite (A Colors novel Book 1)

by Kimberly Westra

  Focus.

  Perhaps singing songs might help. It’s not as if I’m a great singer, but music has always been something to lose myself in. The trick seems to work, making it easier to continue the packing process. I sing and hum the well-known tunes. They calm my soul a little. By bed time I have packed most of my belongings, and finished quite a lot of work in the living room and kitchen. I lay my exhausted head down and thankfully drift off quickly.

  Will holds my hand and my eyes find his. He is wearing his black tux, the one he looks so unbelievably handsome in. Happiness rushes through my veins while looking at this wonderful man. He pulls away his hand and I let go reluctantly. Only to feel his touch around my shoulder and I settle in against his body. He is quite swoon-worthy. He pulls me in closer and I let him. My chest presses against his chest, and I gulp in his cologne. My knees buckle but he holds me upright. My fingers trace the lines of his face. He closes his eyes and a small smile lingers on his lips. My finger goes from his eyes, over his eyebrows, to his temples, to his nose down the bridge and then trace each lip from left to right. His mouth open a little from my touch and I breath heavily. Gosh, I love him.

  I love him.

  I love him.

  I sit up straight in my bed.

  I LOVE HIM?

  O my goodness I can NOT love this man. He let me walk out, he hates me. Him walking away from me only confirmed what I have always been told. As a human I am worth nothing. I am not of any importance. This cannot go on like this. I really have to stop hurting myself. I must forget him. I had really thought he was different. The way he had spoken about things back at the movie theatre made me believe he really cared. But man, was I wrong. The moment he found my secret he left me to die. I am worth nothing to him because I am human.

  I get up angrily. I need to snap out of this. My emotions are making me weak. I need my Elite mask.

  I am Elite.

  I gulp down a glass of water before checking the time. 5:30 am. Might as well just stay awake, plenty of things left to do. So I get myself dressed and start packing the rest of our items. I have never noticed how little we really have until it is all neatly stacked up next to the front door. Almost everything is packed. Only the last few items we might need remain unpacked.

  When my parents wake I tell them I am going to town to say my goodbyes. I wave to them, an apple sticking out of my mouth. They wave back, both busy with their own last minute errands. My shoes are left untouched, going barefoot gives me strength right now. Grandma would tell me it was because of my connection to the earth. She told me that the earth would give me extra strength if I needed it. And since I am no longer an Elite who has to wear shoes, I am quite happy keeping them boxed up.

  Hopefully grandma was right, some extra strength could come in handy with what I am about to do. This moment is enviable, for both of our closure, but I have been dreading it terribly.

  At first I walk swiftly, but the closer to his house, the slower my walk becomes. I tell myself it is because I have not finished my apple, but that is a lie. I am really just scared to face the man I once had feelings for. He seemed so different when he picked us up at the airport. And now that I know what has been going on I cannot really blame him. Why bother going to him at all? Do I really want him to rub his anger in my face? Do I really want to hear what he has to say? Still I continue walking, I need this closure, I need to see him one last time.

  After knocking I check if my outfit is in place. My long hair hangs in a braid down my back and I wear simple jeans and a button up shirt. It is nothing compared to the outfits I had on at the palace but it feels like me. My bare feet are dirty from the sandy streets and I try to brush them off a bit in the grass by the front door.

  He opens the door, his expression changes when he sees me. A worried, angry look fills his face and his eyes become dark.

  “What do you want?” he speaks with a heavy tone.

  “I, “ I stop to look at him. He has been my friend for over eight year and I thought we knew each other so well. But his look, this gaze is new. In all those years, I have never seen him this way. My eyes move towards the floor and silence hits us.

  “Well? I do not have all day,” he continues.

  I look back up at him, this time with anger. Excuse me? He has the right to be mad, but if he even knew me a little he would know none of this was my idea. He would know I only did what had to be done. He would forgive me, or at least have the decency to talk to me. The King almost killed me for being at the palace.

  And kissing his son.

  I might have a really low opinion of myself right now, but I am sure I have not deserved this, not from him.

  I glare at his face, looking down at me with so much anger. While lifting my shoulders, making my back a little straighter, I put on my Elite mask. This whole thing hurts like hell, but I need to push it away. If I let the feelings in now, it might be like opening Pandora’s box.

  I am Elite.

  “Well, sorry to bother you, Aran,” I almost spit the words out to him, “I will be moving away tonight and just wanted to let you know. Not that you care, apparently.”

  I shoot him one last look, hoping I look strong, determined and well, Elite. His eyes seem to shift, only for a split second. It is as if sadness takes over part of his anger. His mouth opens a little, ready to speak, only to close again. His droopy eyes drop even further and I force myself to look away. I cannot handle this. I cannot watch him break, it will break me.

  As I turn, there is the faintest whisper.

  “I miss you.”

  It is so soft, so quiet. Did he really say it? I do not turn around to find out.

  I am Elite.

  I do not need him, so I keep walking. I know these thoughts are completely ludicrous. I am not Elite. I miss him too. I am only human, and not exactly a strong one either. I do need him. I need him to tell me everything will be alright. I need him to tell me he does not hate me. But that is selfish, so I keep walking. The further he stays away from me, the safer he is from all the drama I have created. It might not be fair that he blames me for everything, but life is never fair.

  My next stop should be a little more pleasant and I almost run the last block towards her house. Gil sees me coming from her bedroom window and waves at me. Her front door is unlocked so I let myself in, run up the stairs and straight into her arms. She can probably tell I am having a bad day so far. She can always tell. Her arms feel like home and I just let her hold me for a moment. I do not want to break the spell just yet.

  “What’s up Mera?” she asked with worry in her voice.

  I look at her eyes, the orange bright and beautiful. Envy hits me. She does not have to pretend like I have to. She is strong as it is. It is not fair.

  “Gil, I will be leaving tonight. We are no longer safe here and I have a .. friend.. willing to take us in,” I am not sure how much of the truth she should really know.

  Her eyes grow even larger than normal, the orange even more bright. “Oh,” she speaks, unable to hide her worries and sadness. Her eyes mist over and I have to look away.

  “I will miss you,” I say, laying my hand on her arm.

  Maybe she notices that I am not able to tell her the full story, maybe she does not care, either way she does not press on and I am grateful for it. After wiping away her tears we sit on her bed. We spend some time chatting about nothing at all before I have to get home. I hug her tightly and she doesn’t let go for a few moments.

  Once I am released from her grip I remember my phone.

  “Got some paper and a pen?”

  She nods and opens a drawer to grab the items asked for, then she turns to me and gives them with a small question mark in her eyes.

  I scribble my mobile phone number down, fold it up and hand it to her.

  “In case of an emergency, you can reach me.”

  Then I turn and walk away, forcing myself not to look back, I need to keep moving. These past few days have been terrible. I have
not stopped moving in days. My whole world is caving in and all I want is my best friend. I miss her already.

  Back at the house my parents are busy packing up the last items. Sadness lingers and the guilty feeling rises again.

  It is all my fault.

  I wish they could have been spared. If only we had grown up Elite, nothing would have worried us then.

  When we finished packing we sit on the floor. We nibble on some carrots given to us by the neighbor, waiting for the van to come. What if it doesn’t? What if Steve is a fake? What if this only puts us into more danger? My mind is spinning out of control.

  After an hour of silent panic, and looking out of the window, a van stops in front of the house. Two men exit the van and close the distance to our front door.

  “Hello, we are here for buttercup flower,” the taller one says.

  “Yes, that would be me,” I reply, reaching out my hand. He does not return the gesture though, and my hand lingers between us. Withdrawing it to my side I look at my feet, embarrassed.

  “Alright,” the shorter but wider man says, “let's get going.”

  He looks over my shoulder into our humble house and pushes past me. He grabs a box and starts loading up the van. Mom and I follow suit, Dad points out breakables with his one arm.

  Once everything is loaded I walk through the house one last time remembering every little detail. My fingers trace the walls starting at the front door, all the way through the house. When I return at the front steps I close my eyes. While taking a deep breath I find courage. I should not linger. I need to be strong.

  I am Elite. Not really, but I can pretend.

  So I turn, lock this piece of my heart away and close the front door.

  My parents look small sitting in the van, peaking out of the window. Mom is holding on to the teddy bear, and Dad holds on to Mom. They both stare at our house. The house they have lived in for as long as I can remember. I let out another sigh and step into the van next to Mom. If only I could make this all go away.

  The motor comes to life with a soft hum and I close my eyes for a moment. When I open them an orange star catches my eye. Gilanna runs next to the van, her orange red hair makes it seem as if she is a flying flame. She has her hand in the air, waving me goodbye and for as long as she can muster she runs with the van. Both my hands rest on the window, my nose presses against the coldness and I suck in every inch of her. She becomes smaller and smaller and I have to turn further and further in my seat to see her. When she is completely out of sight, yet another piece of my heart crumbles.

  We drive for a long time. My muscles are tense. I try to keep track of where we are, but with every turn I get more confused. It’s probably better to just forget about it. Let go of where we are going, what we are going to be doing there. The sun has gone down and my mind feels exhausted. I have been pushing myself for so long. My body is starting to fail me. Cold sweat runs down my back, making me shiver. Mom places a hand on my lap and the gesture makes me ache for the good old days.

  Another hour passes and exhaustion sets in. My mind is no longer under control. My memories flow without any dams holding them back. I even allow myself to think about Will. Closing my eyes I go through the motions.

  By the time we stop it is far past my usual bedtime. I yawn and rub my eyes to get a better look. It is impossible to make anything out while sitting in this van. So I jump out, turn, and then turn again. I focus my eyes. And then I focus them even more. I see nothing. There is nothing here. All there is, is darkness. Panic rises in my body as I search around me. I am standing in a dark place, with strangers and my parents. This is bad.

  I blink and blink again. Slowly my eyes adjust a little more to the darkness surrounding us. The moon gives me a tiny light. Shadows of trees and hills. Maybe further on there might even be some mountains. We stand in a small meadow. I hear nothing but sleeping wildlife. There are no lights and no trails. The two men are unloading the van. But there is nothing here? Are they going to leave us?

  Mom and Dad seem to be just as confused. They are huddled together against the side of the van with a worried look on their face.

  A twig breaks somewhere in the bushes, I turn towards the sound. Focusing low on the ground, waiting for a rabbit or another small animal to depart, I jump as two large feet emerge. The feet are attached to a sturdy man. He is hardly visible, his clothing and his skin dark as the sky. His head, bald, shines in the moonlight. If he were to hide, the shine of his head would be the only thing that could give him away. He must be around thirty-five years old. He stands tall and regal. But then his regal face turns into a easy smile and he reaches out a hand.

  “Welcome, I am Steve. You must be Mera.”

  A smile spreads as I look up at him. This is the man I have spoken to on the phone. Thank goodness, he seems normal enough. Hopefully he can be trusted. I shake his hands and then move towards my parents to introduce them. Once he steps out into the meadow I hear more breaking of twigs and more men emerge.

  “Oh,“ I say stupidly, caught off guard.

  Ten men stop, nod and then take up some of our personal items and walk straight back into the woods. It is a very strange sight. Where are they taking our stuff? Not really knowing what else to do, I grab a box and follow. My parents stay close to me. We make our way through the forest and I have to catch myself from tripping once or twice. The hike is intense. The men do not seem to have any problem with maneuvering through the darkness with heavy boxes in their hands. It makes me wonder how many times they have done this before.

  We walk in silence, all focused on our feet and I try to keep track of time. We walk for well over an hour, if we had no boxes it would have taken us less time. For most of the walk I have my head down towards my feet, only to look up at the moon once in a while. As I peer up at the sky my box bumps into one of the men's back. I really should look in front of me more often. I sigh as memories of walking into Will overflow my heart.

  The man I walked into steps aside, letting me pass him and my mouth drops. The sight in front of me is so beautiful and strange, I must be dreaming. As I try to collect my thoughts I close my mouth, hopefully looking a little less shocked. We stand at the foot of a large mountain towering over us. In the woods we had only had the moon for light. But here, the mountain seems to glow. It is as if the stars have been carved into them, lighting the mountain with a soft glow. The mountain is beautifully lush, covered in trees and bush. I turn around to take in all of my surroundings only to turn back to the mountain. This mountain glows. Mountains don’t just, glow? It takes my eyes a moment and my thoughts a little longer before I realize it must be holes, carved into the mountainside, with a light in them. Still I am not sure why they have placed lights on the outside of a mountain. The lights are carved in such a way that you cannot really tell they are there from a distance, it is not until I am right in front of them that I can spot them. So why place them at all?

  If it is not for our outside view, maybe it is to hide something on the inside?

  Inside?!

  All of a sudden it makes sense. I cannot believe it did not occur to me sooner. The way the lights are shining it is clear they are being blocked by something. It must be curtains. But that means.. There must be something INSIDE the mountain.

  Chapter 14

  What looks like a small cave to the side of the mountain turns out to be the entrance to a full blown mountain fortress. We are standing in the center of the mountain. I turn a full circle to take it all in, and then I have to do it again and again only to see more. Large winding stairs circle all the way to the top, where the mountain opens up, letting in a beautiful set of stars. The stairway is large, made of metal and it winds all the way to the top. The steps flow into platforms on each level of the mountain. Every level has several corridors emerging onto the platforms. The higher up, the more corridors. The lower corridors are less in number, but much larger in size.

  Even though it is in the middle of the night there are p
eople walking around with purpose in their eyes. They all seem to know where to go and they do not seem to notice our staring eyes.

  “This is magnificent,” Dad speaks in awe.

  “It’s like..,” Mom starts, “an ant farm!”

  That is it! It is exactly like an ant farm. Ants all have purpose, just like these men and women. I check the eyes of people passing and so far they are all humans. Are there no Elite here?

  “Come on, this way,” Steve grins at me, with a proud face.

  We follow the men carrying our belongings.

  “Let me take your box,” Steve says.

  At first I want to protest. But one look at the endless steps make me rethink that answer, “thank you.”

  It is quite the funny sight. The convoy of men with boxes are swiftly moving up the steps. Dad, Mom and I try to keep up, we are close to running. It is obvious they have done this many times before. We, on the other hand, are breathing hard. My lungs are screaming and my legs are pounding by the time we reach half way up the mountain. Finally we step onto the platform.

  I do not dare to look down, afraid the height might make me faint. I am not scared of heights, but I have also never stood on a platform halfway up a mountain before either. We follow Steve through the corridors. The first corridor leads us into a labyrinth of more smaller corridors with small wooden doors. We make two rights and then a left. He comes to a halt in front of a door with the number 714.

  “Welcome home,” he says pushing the door open.

  We bend down, stepping through the small wooden frame. The atmosphere around me changes the second we step into the room. I am surprised by the homely look of it all. The corridors all have bright fluorescent lights, but this little apartment is cozy and warm. There is a little seating area, including a sofa and a desk with a chair. In the right corner a little kitchenette is built into the mountain wall. Next to the kitchenette an open door shows the master bedroom. The left side of the apartment has two more doors. One leads to my bedroom and one to the bathroom.