Status: active.
The Aristocracy
The Main Hall
The world controlled by the Aristocracy and its Officials has two primary goals: keep the men happy; keep the women oppressed. To do this, everything is regimented by the Aristocracy and enforced by Officials. Food intake is planned per person based on vitamins necessary and energy expended. Exercise is monitored and everyone is kept fit. In the month of their seventeenth birthday, each person attends a banquet. The Aristocracy writes in elegant script two things: the name on the outside of the envelope and a career track on a manila piece of card stock paper.
One more curled lock of hair fell from the hot tool. Behind her, an Official worked efficiently. Both were silent. The Official was dressed in their typical attire, even for this special occasion. Although, the white button down shirt and black pants were hardly casual. This woman's dark eyes focused on another strand of hair; Winifred watched her in the mirror deciding that it was the older woman's hairstyle that caused her face to appear to shallow.
"You're all finished," she said. Her voice was pinched and businesslike. The typical expectation from an Official. The young brunette’s curls hung to her shoulder blades and her bangs framed her beautiful face. The Official had wrapped the girl’s eyes in fiery make-up to match her red dress and make the blue of her irises stand out.
Boarding the monorail was always the scariest part she had heard. The other recent seventeens all seemed intimidating dressed in their silk garments. Winnie didn't have this experience. Walking down the street was the worst for her. The Official wasn’t helpful when it came to keeping her nerves from getting the best of her. The lack of conversation and the tangible silence set her on edge. They waited for the monorail.
The winter air was chilling. It wrapped around the two bodies and Winnie shivered beneath her sweater. Leaves lifted from the sidewalk and an eerie shriek was emitted as they tried floating along the breezy current but failed only to scrape across the rough sidewalk.
When she boarded the monorail, nobody else from her district had been seated; the car was empty besides a few boys dressed in tailored outfits sat in the seats. One, from what she could tell, was dark haired and eyed. He wore a blue silk button-down shirt under his black jacket. The second boy, who was similar in looks to the first, was wearing a red button-down shirt and a black tie with slacks. The red of the boy’s shirt matched her dress and inwardly she grimaced because of this.
"Hey there, pretty lady. Why don't you come over here and sit with us?" the red shirt clad boy hollered. From beside her, the Official prodded her waist. Rule number one: keep the males happy, she seemed to say.
With a sigh, Winnie disregarded her morals and sat in the now empty seat between the boys. An arm slipped over her shoulders, and with a quick simple move, slid down to her waist. The fabric of her simple silk dress rubbed against her skin and she was grateful for the soft material; the last thing she wanted was to feel his skin against hers.
"So, babe, wha'do you say we make a little good luck and hope that we get good things written on our papers?"
Saving her from responding, the monorail lurched forward and opened the doors at the next stop. A boy stepped on that the others must have recognized because they shouted their greetings and then became engaged in an intent conversation to play catch-up. Feeling relieved that the ride was almost over, the brunette rose from her chair and attempted to sit in the row in front of the boys. A hand latched around her wrist, stopping her though. It was the first boy, the one wearing blue. He pulled her to him once more and chuckled in her ear at her shocked expression. The boy’s breath on her face made her shiver. “He might not take you up on his offer, but I sure as hell wouldn’t mind some good luck.”
The monorail slowed to a stop, saving her once again from doing something that she would rather not have to. She had remained a virgin this long and she would prefer it to remain that way.
The Main Hall was alight with the glow of celebration. The high ceilings were lit across the room with beautiful chandeliers and candelabras sat on every table, brushing the faces of the people at them with a yellowish glow that faintly emphasized the perfection of the society as a whole. The yellow tint flooded the sidewalk and the young girl could feel her insides begin to twist and give way to butterflies. Inside the hall, young teens danced and laughed; the air hung with an edge of giddy. The youth filled hall was only pierced with gray where older parents and officials stood, watching the event with carefully considering eyes.
Silence filled the room as the song finished and everyone was invited by a male official to take a seat where their place-card had been set. In script, each honoree's name had been written on a manila colored paper. Under the paper sat the envelope. Winifred's breath hitched as she pushed the papers to the top left hand corner of her area. The food was delivered promptly.
Her parents were still home and that bothered Winnie. Her entire life her parents had been there for her and now for the most important time of her life, they had not been able to afford the expensive trip to the beautiful hall. The meal was delicious and mouth-watering; pasta that had been drenched in thick, cheesy alfredo sauce and bread, baked to perfection, that had been brushed with just the perfect amount of garlic butter and dusted with parmesan cheese. She savored every bite as her mind wound around all the possibilities of what could be written on the paper inside that envelope.
The seventeen year olds were invited to dance while the table was cleaned off. Time couldn't go by fast enough for any of the teenagers. A boy, tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, wrapped his arm slickly around Winnie's waist and swept her onto the dance floor. He kept his arms low on her waist. Every person on the floor had been taught from the time they could walk how to dance. Twirling pairs spun elegantly around the dance floor and for once, Winnie was not envious of the richer teens because this was something she did just as well, if not better than most.
Thankful for a reason to pull away though, Winnie smiled and thanked the boy she was dancing with when another male voice asked the teenagers to retake their seats. "Please, open your envelopes now. If you have any questions about your assignments, there are officials willing to help you placed sporadically around the room."
A roar erupted from the table as girls and boys alike opened their envelopes and chattered away about their futures. Winnie, not knowing anyone in the room or feeling the need to share, opened her envelope slowly. The anticipation with evident in the pit of her stomach as the butterflies bloomed from their lonesome cocoons and mingled within the confines of her torso but she felt there was only one thing to calm them. She took a deep breath before pulling the paper out just enough to see the beautiful script.
See Official.
One more curled lock of hair fell from the hot tool. Behind her, an Official worked efficiently. Both were silent. The Official was dressed in their typical attire, even for this special occasion. Although, the white button down shirt and black pants were hardly casual. This woman's dark eyes focused on another strand of hair; Winifred watched her in the mirror deciding that it was the older woman's hairstyle that caused her face to appear to shallow.
"You're all finished," she said. Her voice was pinched and businesslike. The typical expectation from an Official. The young brunette’s curls hung to her shoulder blades and her bangs framed her beautiful face. The Official had wrapped the girl’s eyes in fiery make-up to match her red dress and make the blue of her irises stand out.
Boarding the monorail was always the scariest part she had heard. The other recent seventeens all seemed intimidating dressed in their silk garments. Winnie didn't have this experience. Walking down the street was the worst for her. The Official wasn’t helpful when it came to keeping her nerves from getting the best of her. The lack of conversation and the tangible silence set her on edge. They waited for the monorail.
The winter air was chilling. It wrapped around the two bodies and Winnie shivered beneath her sweater. Leaves lifted from the sidewalk and an eerie shriek was emitted as they tried floating along the breezy current but failed only to scrape across the rough sidewalk.
When she boarded the monorail, nobody else from her district had been seated; the car was empty besides a few boys dressed in tailored outfits sat in the seats. One, from what she could tell, was dark haired and eyed. He wore a blue silk button-down shirt under his black jacket. The second boy, who was similar in looks to the first, was wearing a red button-down shirt and a black tie with slacks. The red of the boy’s shirt matched her dress and inwardly she grimaced because of this.
"Hey there, pretty lady. Why don't you come over here and sit with us?" the red shirt clad boy hollered. From beside her, the Official prodded her waist. Rule number one: keep the males happy, she seemed to say.
With a sigh, Winnie disregarded her morals and sat in the now empty seat between the boys. An arm slipped over her shoulders, and with a quick simple move, slid down to her waist. The fabric of her simple silk dress rubbed against her skin and she was grateful for the soft material; the last thing she wanted was to feel his skin against hers.
"So, babe, wha'do you say we make a little good luck and hope that we get good things written on our papers?"
Saving her from responding, the monorail lurched forward and opened the doors at the next stop. A boy stepped on that the others must have recognized because they shouted their greetings and then became engaged in an intent conversation to play catch-up. Feeling relieved that the ride was almost over, the brunette rose from her chair and attempted to sit in the row in front of the boys. A hand latched around her wrist, stopping her though. It was the first boy, the one wearing blue. He pulled her to him once more and chuckled in her ear at her shocked expression. The boy’s breath on her face made her shiver. “He might not take you up on his offer, but I sure as hell wouldn’t mind some good luck.”
The monorail slowed to a stop, saving her once again from doing something that she would rather not have to. She had remained a virgin this long and she would prefer it to remain that way.
The Main Hall was alight with the glow of celebration. The high ceilings were lit across the room with beautiful chandeliers and candelabras sat on every table, brushing the faces of the people at them with a yellowish glow that faintly emphasized the perfection of the society as a whole. The yellow tint flooded the sidewalk and the young girl could feel her insides begin to twist and give way to butterflies. Inside the hall, young teens danced and laughed; the air hung with an edge of giddy. The youth filled hall was only pierced with gray where older parents and officials stood, watching the event with carefully considering eyes.
Silence filled the room as the song finished and everyone was invited by a male official to take a seat where their place-card had been set. In script, each honoree's name had been written on a manila colored paper. Under the paper sat the envelope. Winifred's breath hitched as she pushed the papers to the top left hand corner of her area. The food was delivered promptly.
Her parents were still home and that bothered Winnie. Her entire life her parents had been there for her and now for the most important time of her life, they had not been able to afford the expensive trip to the beautiful hall. The meal was delicious and mouth-watering; pasta that had been drenched in thick, cheesy alfredo sauce and bread, baked to perfection, that had been brushed with just the perfect amount of garlic butter and dusted with parmesan cheese. She savored every bite as her mind wound around all the possibilities of what could be written on the paper inside that envelope.
The seventeen year olds were invited to dance while the table was cleaned off. Time couldn't go by fast enough for any of the teenagers. A boy, tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, wrapped his arm slickly around Winnie's waist and swept her onto the dance floor. He kept his arms low on her waist. Every person on the floor had been taught from the time they could walk how to dance. Twirling pairs spun elegantly around the dance floor and for once, Winnie was not envious of the richer teens because this was something she did just as well, if not better than most.
Thankful for a reason to pull away though, Winnie smiled and thanked the boy she was dancing with when another male voice asked the teenagers to retake their seats. "Please, open your envelopes now. If you have any questions about your assignments, there are officials willing to help you placed sporadically around the room."
A roar erupted from the table as girls and boys alike opened their envelopes and chattered away about their futures. Winnie, not knowing anyone in the room or feeling the need to share, opened her envelope slowly. The anticipation with evident in the pit of her stomach as the butterflies bloomed from their lonesome cocoons and mingled within the confines of her torso but she felt there was only one thing to calm them. She took a deep breath before pulling the paper out just enough to see the beautiful script.
See Official.