“Imagine never opening a textbook or sitting at a
desk. Imagine having the information you learn in school being handed to you
without lifting a finger. For the kids of today and tomorrow, this can be a
reality….”
The
words blurred together and Raven Montgomery rubbed her eyes. No homework? No
tests? She squinted at the tiny writing in the right hand corner. New York, it read.
That’s in the Other World. Maybe it’s magic after all.
On
the bedside table, her mirror flashed green. She snatched it up and found a new
message. She touched the screen, and the Ruler’s face appeared.
“Good
evening, Zoarians. I am pleased to announce that starting at nine tomorrow
morning, the Competition Board will be accepting applications.”
Raven
turned off the mirror and took in her wall-to wall bookshelves. In less than an
hour, she’d gather with kids who owned as many books as she did. Today she wasn’t the lone girl no
one understood, unable to control her need to voice the information running
through her head.
Bet everyone there can pick up one of their books and
recall every single word of information on every page.
She
slowly moved to her chair and was halfway to the closet when her bedroom door
opened. Her older sister, Kate strode into the room, already dressed in a
white short-sleeved dress, a black belt around her waist. She'd pinned her
long, straight red hair in a bun. What stood out most was the red
lipstick, almost like blood next to her whitish complexion. Raven bit back a
laugh. She looked like one of those women in the magazines she’d found in the
attic once—perfectly put together.
“What?”
Kate cocked her head to the side. “Stop looking at me like that. I want to look
my best.”
Raven’s
giggle died, and she put on her signature pout, used only in the presence of
her family. Since when did Kate care about looking her best?
“And
I don’t? Gee, thanks.” She glided her hand along the row of dresses. “I
have no idea what to wear. Where’s Ava? She promised she’d help.” She usually
threw on the first unwrinkled dress, much to her other sister’s dismay, but
today was important.
“Ava
said to wear this.” Kate tossed a solid blue short-sleeved dress onto the
bed. “Hurry! Mom said we gotta leave in an hour.” She patted
Raven’s shoulder and walked out of the room.
Raven
peeled off her nightshirt and slipped on the dress. She ran a brush through her
long, straight black hair, pulled it back into a high ponytail and dug out her
heels from the back of the closet. With the folded application in her
pocket, she made her way into the living room. Ava, Kate’s twin, sat on the
couch with her best friend Maggie Tisdale,who was clad in her favorite red dress
and black heels. Maggie’s long blonde hair wasn’t in its usual
braid, but flowed freely down her shoulders.
“There
you are.” Ava said with a smile. “You both look beautiful. Blue is the perfect
color on you. Brian says there’s already a line.” She wrapped her
flowered robe around herself, her red hair in a messy bun—a far cry from the
usual dresses, makeup and fancy heels she wore every day.
“Let’s
go! We’ll be waiting in line until next Tuesday,” Maggie said, tugging on
Raven’s arm. “I want to get there before I lose my nerve.”
Raven
started for the door, but a sharp pain slicing through her temple and down her
right arm and leg made her freeze. In all the excitement, she hadn’t
anticipated pain this early.
How stupid can I be? Mom will probably make me take my
chair, too.
Tears
prickled her eyelids, but she refused to let them fall. She stood at Kate’s
waist. People already jumped to conclusions.
“Here,
honey.” Her mother’s hands were steady as she injected Raven with the needle
and took a step back. “Let me get a picture of you two.”
Raven
sighed and put her arms around Maggie’s shoulders, their heads touching.
There was no one else could she stand next to and not feel like an insect.
Since Maggie’s family had moved in across the street four years ago, the two
were inseparable. She was grateful every day to have someone to share her
unusual height, brittle bones, pain that felt like needles down her legs
and arms and headaches with. Not to mention the need of a wheelchair.
I better not need it today.
“Okay.
All done. Go have fun.”
“Thanks!”
Raven followed Maggie outside. At the end of the drive a carriage waited, its
doors open. Brian, Ava’s fiancé, stood next to it clad in his green Guard’s
uniform. His light brown hair was slicked back, a mischievous glint in his
brown eyes.
“You’re
the best guy Ava could’ve picked to marry,” Raven said. She dangled the folded
up piece of paper in his face. “You think your new job can get me instant
results?”
Brian
laughed and patted her arm. “Not a chance, little lady.” He opened the door and
helped her and Maggie inside. “I’ll be up front with the driver.”
She
took in the familiar scenes of the city as the carriage bounced down the
street: people walking along the sidewalks past the one-story brown houses that
lined the street on both sides, children holding hands as they walked to the
schoolhouse, parents on their way to work. It wasn’t hard to pick out those
that were turning in their application. People dressed up for the occasion. To
have your name picked to take the exam was an honor, and everyone took it
seriously. The square already swarmed with people when they approached the
palace and the carriage stopped a few blocks away. The line ran down the
sidewalk, past the diner and clothing store.
The
early morning breeze blew a strand of hair into her face as Brian lifted her
out of the carriage. Once Maggie was down, the two linked arms and made their
way to the back of the line. The sun radiated intense heat from a light purple
sky, and Raven fanned her face.
“I’ll
see you shortly.” Brian waved and disappeared through the gate to join
the other guards. The line inched forward and Raven could not hold back a grin.
In a few short minutes they’d deliver their application.
“I’m
so nervous,” Maggie said, twirling her hair around her left hand. “Why did I
let you talk me into this?”
Raven
gently took Maggie’s hand in her own. “You’ll be fine. We both will. We can do
this.” The line started to move and she pulled Maggie after her.
“Everyone,
please hand your application to the nearest guard and be on your way,” a
guardsman shouted.
Murmurs
floated through the crowd as Raven searched for Brian. He’d know what the
announcement was about. He arrived by their side seconds later, his expression
grave.
“What’s
happening?” she blurted.
“The
Ruler was found dead.”
I really enjoyed this story. Mathias, the main
character, was not perfect and had a lot issues which made him interesting on a
lot of levels. The story does well portraying his journey from changing from a
suspicious, foul-mouthed, pained youth into a respectable, fully-functional
member of the vampire fraternity. 
