Noise
Escape
When the students were finally dismissed to their dormitories that evening, Orrin sped through the hallways, trying to escape the day's crushing revelation. Heaving the heavy bronze door of his dormitory open, he rushed to his room, ignoring shouts of 'hello' from his fellow students. He flopped onto the rock-solid, standard-issue mattress, sighing as his head hit the lone pillow at the head of the bed. Thoughts of his apparent impending doom whirled through his brain, fighting off any wink of sleep he may have gotten otherwise.
Getting up from his restless position on the bed, Orrin walked over to the solitary window on the opposite wall of his room. Perching himself on the narrow ledge of a sill, he glanced around at the pathetic room the Elder's called a dorm.
Grim iron furnishings were stuffed into the corners of the perfectly square room, leaving a bleak, empty hole of miserable gray flooring in the center of the room. Pitiful flakes of white paint, yellowed over time, were slowly crumbling off the walls, leaving them naked.
Everything was perfectly angled and squared, adding to Orrin's mechanical, heartless view on the room. How was it that the outside of the city was dazzling and beautiful, sparkling and bejeweled, yet the inside of its own offspring's rooms was so depressing?
Turning away from the unbearable pressure of the room's bleak atmosphere, Orrin looked out of the small, confined window. It was night now, and the moon was well on its way through an inky sky devoid of stars.
At this moment in time, Orrin felt as if he had never been more apathetic in his not-quite sixteen years of life. At that moment, he didn't care anymore whether or not he would be specialized. Elder Julien could have come in right then and sentenced him to exile in the deep forests on the outskirts of the city and he wouldn't have cared. And then it clicked.
Orrin's eyes strained to see past the edges and corners of sketchy buildings and through the ever-growing darkness. There. There it was. The menacing mass of deep, blackish green and brown had never seemed more inviting. Of course. He didn't have to wait around for them to make him disappear. He would do it of his own free will.
He flitted around the desolate room, opening the wardrobe and pulling out the old knapsack he had used as a small child on academy trips to different buildings around the city. He stuffed two extra shirts and two pairs of pants into the largest pocket of space, reserving the smaller area for the flask of water on his bedside table. Stepping out of his indoor shoes and into his winter boots, he swung the pack onto his shoulders, not bothering with any other provisions. He didn't care if he ended up dead anyways, what was the point?
Inching his door open bit by bit, Orrin peeked out into the dimly lit corridor. Everyone was asleep, just as he had thought. All the better, no one to have to say goodbye to.
Doing his best to keep silent, he padded softly down the hallway, ears alert and listening for any stray noises. Reaching out for the door handle, he sucked in his breath, hoping the old door wouldn't make a sound. It didn't. He let out the breath he had been subconciously holding in as he eased the heavy door back into it's frame. He was free.
Orrin fought his feet to keep from skipping down the streets as he swiftly moved from shadow to shadow, making his way towards the edges of the grand city. It was just ahead. He could almost taste the sweet sugar of unbridled freedom as he neared the city limits.
Piper. He glanced back in the general direction of the dormitories, hidden as they were by the rest of the city. How could he have forgotten her? He glanced forward, then back again. there was no time now. He couldn't risk going back and getting caught by the city wardens, hard-edged individuals who did the Elders' dirty work for them.
I'll come back for you, Pip, he thought to himself as he once again turned back to face what lay ahead of him. He sucked in his breath, closed his eyes, and forced himself to put one foot in front of the other, expecting some hidden alarm to screech out his whereabouts and wardens to be descending upon him within seconds. But no such thing happened.
He'd done it. Orrin had expected the step over the invisible line to have been bigger, more exciting. But it was just that. Another step. Only now he was free. He let loose all his pent-up, restless energy and raced headlong into the dense foliage, not caring what came next.
Getting up from his restless position on the bed, Orrin walked over to the solitary window on the opposite wall of his room. Perching himself on the narrow ledge of a sill, he glanced around at the pathetic room the Elder's called a dorm.
Grim iron furnishings were stuffed into the corners of the perfectly square room, leaving a bleak, empty hole of miserable gray flooring in the center of the room. Pitiful flakes of white paint, yellowed over time, were slowly crumbling off the walls, leaving them naked.
Everything was perfectly angled and squared, adding to Orrin's mechanical, heartless view on the room. How was it that the outside of the city was dazzling and beautiful, sparkling and bejeweled, yet the inside of its own offspring's rooms was so depressing?
Turning away from the unbearable pressure of the room's bleak atmosphere, Orrin looked out of the small, confined window. It was night now, and the moon was well on its way through an inky sky devoid of stars.
At this moment in time, Orrin felt as if he had never been more apathetic in his not-quite sixteen years of life. At that moment, he didn't care anymore whether or not he would be specialized. Elder Julien could have come in right then and sentenced him to exile in the deep forests on the outskirts of the city and he wouldn't have cared. And then it clicked.
Orrin's eyes strained to see past the edges and corners of sketchy buildings and through the ever-growing darkness. There. There it was. The menacing mass of deep, blackish green and brown had never seemed more inviting. Of course. He didn't have to wait around for them to make him disappear. He would do it of his own free will.
He flitted around the desolate room, opening the wardrobe and pulling out the old knapsack he had used as a small child on academy trips to different buildings around the city. He stuffed two extra shirts and two pairs of pants into the largest pocket of space, reserving the smaller area for the flask of water on his bedside table. Stepping out of his indoor shoes and into his winter boots, he swung the pack onto his shoulders, not bothering with any other provisions. He didn't care if he ended up dead anyways, what was the point?
Inching his door open bit by bit, Orrin peeked out into the dimly lit corridor. Everyone was asleep, just as he had thought. All the better, no one to have to say goodbye to.
Doing his best to keep silent, he padded softly down the hallway, ears alert and listening for any stray noises. Reaching out for the door handle, he sucked in his breath, hoping the old door wouldn't make a sound. It didn't. He let out the breath he had been subconciously holding in as he eased the heavy door back into it's frame. He was free.
Orrin fought his feet to keep from skipping down the streets as he swiftly moved from shadow to shadow, making his way towards the edges of the grand city. It was just ahead. He could almost taste the sweet sugar of unbridled freedom as he neared the city limits.
Piper. He glanced back in the general direction of the dormitories, hidden as they were by the rest of the city. How could he have forgotten her? He glanced forward, then back again. there was no time now. He couldn't risk going back and getting caught by the city wardens, hard-edged individuals who did the Elders' dirty work for them.
I'll come back for you, Pip, he thought to himself as he once again turned back to face what lay ahead of him. He sucked in his breath, closed his eyes, and forced himself to put one foot in front of the other, expecting some hidden alarm to screech out his whereabouts and wardens to be descending upon him within seconds. But no such thing happened.
He'd done it. Orrin had expected the step over the invisible line to have been bigger, more exciting. But it was just that. Another step. Only now he was free. He let loose all his pent-up, restless energy and raced headlong into the dense foliage, not caring what came next.