Perfection
Preparation
The two girls walked in silence all the way to Tama's house where, just as Aria had promised, the girl's mother was frantic looking for her only daughter.
"Knock, knock." Tama said while tapping on the front door as she slowly walked in with Aria following suit.
"Tama!" Linda said, frustrated with her once again. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" Tama sheepishly shrugged, losing all of her over-self-confidence as her mother, rightfully, chided her. "The Celebration is starting any minute and- and you look like a complete mess! When the Leaders expect everyone to attend, they mean everyone must attend. Don't you understand that, Tama?" The girl only stood there as Linda rushed around the house, looking for something.
The two girls exchanged a guilty glance just as Linda rushed back into the entrance room with a wet cloth, a towel, a long piece of fabric and a simple head-piece made of government-approved daisies. Within minutes, Linda had scrubbed all of the dirt off of her daughter's face, dried her semi-damp dress, gave her the fabric to use as a shawl and gingerly placed the head-piece on her head. Stepping back, she examined her daughter, now almost clean, and said, "Good enough. We don't have much time. . . Aria, is there anywhere you need to be?"
Aria, being one of the Leaders' granddaughters, was almost always doing something. Whether it was meetings or private balls, she was a busy girl. However, she never seemed to mind. She always did everything with a graceful smile, not over-done but not dishonest. At least, that's how Tama always saw her; graceful, quiet, humble, and always-caring Aria.
The girl shook her head at Linda's question. "I only need to be at the Celebration when it begins." Linda nodded and went off to get the long cloaks that hung in the closet by the window.
"I suppose you already have a date." Tama asked Aria, picking at her shawl. Like every year before, every first day of spring meant one of the few public Celebrations was about to begin. Every summer, they had the Celebration of Good Times where the whole village gathered for a "casual" party which was also one of the few times public dancing and drinking were allowed. Every autumn, they had the Celebration of Harvest where they would come together for a meal where everyone in the village was involved. Every winter, they had the Celebration of Light. This one didn't entail much except for the tradition of lighting tall candles around the Main Square and the few speeches made by the Seven.
Every first day of Spring, however, they had the Celebration of Youth. This one had all the eligible young men and women, typically around eighteen to twenty-five, gather for a sort of semi-formal ball. Yet, it wasn't just a ball; it was more than that. Once you asked someone to dance, it was like an open invitation to courtship. There have been several proposals made at this Celebration as well as courtships beginning. In other words, at this Celebration, any one person could enter a single person and emerge as a couple with someone else. Tama had been dreading this day since she learned about it from her schoolteacher so long ago.
"Yes, I have a date." Aria said, not seeming so thrilled about it. "But if my family ever found out who I would have taken, if I had the choice, they would probably have disowned me." This truly shocked her. Aria? Falling for someone who wasn't exactly . . . in her class? Not that Tama ever expected her to be shallow, but she always figured Aria was attracted to the clean cut, straight-toothed boys. "I'm going with Finn." she said. Of course he was a grandchild of one of the Seven as well. His grandmother, Elizabeth, was good friends, or at least good business partners, with Aria's grandfather, Doro. Tama had thought they would have been a good match, even if they were matched by someone other than themselves.
"He seems nice, though." Tama said, in all honesty.
Aria shrugged. "He's not who I want."
"Who is?"
At this, she became shy. "I can't tell you."
"But-"
"Come on, girls." Linda said, interrupting and handing Tama a cloak. "Aria, do you have something to wear over that?" Aria nodded and held up her own floor-length coat. "Alright, then, put it on. Let's go. We don't want to be late. . ." Linda looked over to her daughter and gave her a look that held a little indication but also paired with love. ". . . again."
"Knock, knock." Tama said while tapping on the front door as she slowly walked in with Aria following suit.
"Tama!" Linda said, frustrated with her once again. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" Tama sheepishly shrugged, losing all of her over-self-confidence as her mother, rightfully, chided her. "The Celebration is starting any minute and- and you look like a complete mess! When the Leaders expect everyone to attend, they mean everyone must attend. Don't you understand that, Tama?" The girl only stood there as Linda rushed around the house, looking for something.
The two girls exchanged a guilty glance just as Linda rushed back into the entrance room with a wet cloth, a towel, a long piece of fabric and a simple head-piece made of government-approved daisies. Within minutes, Linda had scrubbed all of the dirt off of her daughter's face, dried her semi-damp dress, gave her the fabric to use as a shawl and gingerly placed the head-piece on her head. Stepping back, she examined her daughter, now almost clean, and said, "Good enough. We don't have much time. . . Aria, is there anywhere you need to be?"
Aria, being one of the Leaders' granddaughters, was almost always doing something. Whether it was meetings or private balls, she was a busy girl. However, she never seemed to mind. She always did everything with a graceful smile, not over-done but not dishonest. At least, that's how Tama always saw her; graceful, quiet, humble, and always-caring Aria.
The girl shook her head at Linda's question. "I only need to be at the Celebration when it begins." Linda nodded and went off to get the long cloaks that hung in the closet by the window.
"I suppose you already have a date." Tama asked Aria, picking at her shawl. Like every year before, every first day of spring meant one of the few public Celebrations was about to begin. Every summer, they had the Celebration of Good Times where the whole village gathered for a "casual" party which was also one of the few times public dancing and drinking were allowed. Every autumn, they had the Celebration of Harvest where they would come together for a meal where everyone in the village was involved. Every winter, they had the Celebration of Light. This one didn't entail much except for the tradition of lighting tall candles around the Main Square and the few speeches made by the Seven.
Every first day of Spring, however, they had the Celebration of Youth. This one had all the eligible young men and women, typically around eighteen to twenty-five, gather for a sort of semi-formal ball. Yet, it wasn't just a ball; it was more than that. Once you asked someone to dance, it was like an open invitation to courtship. There have been several proposals made at this Celebration as well as courtships beginning. In other words, at this Celebration, any one person could enter a single person and emerge as a couple with someone else. Tama had been dreading this day since she learned about it from her schoolteacher so long ago.
"Yes, I have a date." Aria said, not seeming so thrilled about it. "But if my family ever found out who I would have taken, if I had the choice, they would probably have disowned me." This truly shocked her. Aria? Falling for someone who wasn't exactly . . . in her class? Not that Tama ever expected her to be shallow, but she always figured Aria was attracted to the clean cut, straight-toothed boys. "I'm going with Finn." she said. Of course he was a grandchild of one of the Seven as well. His grandmother, Elizabeth, was good friends, or at least good business partners, with Aria's grandfather, Doro. Tama had thought they would have been a good match, even if they were matched by someone other than themselves.
"He seems nice, though." Tama said, in all honesty.
Aria shrugged. "He's not who I want."
"Who is?"
At this, she became shy. "I can't tell you."
"But-"
"Come on, girls." Linda said, interrupting and handing Tama a cloak. "Aria, do you have something to wear over that?" Aria nodded and held up her own floor-length coat. "Alright, then, put it on. Let's go. We don't want to be late. . ." Linda looked over to her daughter and gave her a look that held a little indication but also paired with love. ". . . again."