"Dandelions please report to the Main Theater in 20 minutes. Dandelions please report to the Main Theater in 20 minutes. Thank you."
The monotonous and slightly artificial sounding voice echoed through the halls of the apartment building, making the walls by the speakers vibrate. Inhabitants of one particular set of rooms were bustling about, nervous about the up-coming ceremony of the Flower Choosing. Shadows danced about in the dark and messy living room, the only light was a dim lamp and the leak of light beneath the drawn shades. Two brothers sat on a couch, the older one running a comb roughly through the younger sibling's long brown hair.
"Let's go over what I'm supposed to do again. What if I mess up?" asked the younger brother worryingly, as he straightened his tie.
"Nothing will go wrong, Sammy. You'll be absolutely fine," said Dean, the older brother.
"Okay, but please remind me what's going to happen," was the reply.
"We'll walk over to the Theater. You'll sit down at the area for you and the rest of those old enough to be chosen. The Great One will come. He will announce your name, you'll go up onto the stage, then he'll say what Flower you are and why you were picked for it. You'll sit back down and when the ceremony is over we'll go home. What you are chosen for is important, as the remainder of your schooling and life will depend on what Flower you will be."
He finished combing Sam's hair and set the brush down on a little table already covered in plates and magazines. They both got up, and Dean dusted any specks or fuzzies off of the cheap suit jacket Sam was wearing. Remembering the extra hours he had spent working at the auto repair shop to save up for the suit, Dean was happy Sam wasn't going to the Ceremony in jeans and a t-shirt. He sighed softly, glancing at his watch. Their father had promised to be there by then.
"We should get going, wouldn't want to be late!" said Dean, trying half-heartily to be cheery.
It convinced Sam. "Yeah! But wait, what if I'm chosen to be an Orchid?"
Dean laughed, "I'll still love you, don't worry."
Sam faked a frown and punched Dean in the shoulder. The two of them walked out the door into the bright and bland corridor. Other families filed out of their homes, some with dressed-up fourteen year olds like the younger brother. The sound of feet pattering on the stone floors mixed with the hums of voices. Tearful children upset by not being old enough yet to be Chosen clung on their parents' arms and legs. Sam and Dean filed out of the doorway into the bright sunlight, squinting before getting in line with the rest of the people heading into the giant coliseum known as the Theater.
The stadium was divided into four sections around a circular stage, with a row of special seats for the fourteen year olds. Chairs with orange were for the Dandelions, blue-ish silver for the Roses, purple for the Orchids, and lastly green for the Daisies. Each faction had their leader in the front, Crowley for the Orchids, Michael for the Roses, Charlie for the Dandelions, and Kevin for the Daisies. They all looked smug, but everyone knew they wanted more people in their own sectors. Probably placed bets on who they'll get, thought Dean as he sat in an orange seat. Sam looked nervous, not unlike the other kids his age sitting besides him.
A trumpet trilled, sounding the beginning of the Ceremony. The leaders stood up for a bit so everyone could see their faces, before sitting back down again. A light beamed onto the stage, and the doors burst open. A gasp from the little children as usual confirmed the arrival of the Great One.
He settled on the ground, tucking his wings under his body. More majestic than the others, the Great One was the first dragon and the King of Caelum. The Great One was a creature of few words, and wasted no time getting started. Whipping out a piece of plain paper, he announced the first name on the list, which went by alphabetical order of their first name.
"Abbadon Deemon."
A girl with a creepy smile and red hair pranced onto the stage, and stood next to the dragon. "You have been selected for the Orchids. You are clever but not cooperative (unless to your advantage) and a leader. In school, when you chose between a feather, a pen, a knife, or a stone, you picked a knife, which is a generic trait of the Orchids. Take your seat please."
Abbadon flashed a smile at the audience, before flouncing back to her seat where she whispered to the kids next to her. People clapped until the Great One silenced them with a barely heard "ahem." The next person was a boy with a mullet, named Ash Lee. He was placed in the Daisies, for he picked the pen, and shared characteristics with the group.
Thus the ritual went on and kids got picked for Dandelions and Orchids and Daisies and Roses and Dean grew bored while Sam sat in quiet anxiety. The former had become fascinated with how many random objects he could stick in the person in front of him's gelled hair before they noticed. Dean had just stuck a paperclip in their coif when he heard a name that put him at quick and concentrated attention. "Samuel Winchester," the splendorous dragon had stated.
Sam got up very fast and stumbled a bit on the steps to the black and shiny stage. He was the last kid to be called and all eyes were on him, for most people wanted to go home and get the whole thing over with. Up close, the Great One was quite large and intimidating, and his big face looked down on the boy. This is it, Sam thought, what the rest of my life will be like depends on this moment. I know I should want to be a Dandelion like Dean, but I want to be a Daisy and learn and be smart.
He blinked back to reality and waited for the words, the ones in which his entire rest of his life would be based upon, the ones that would decide what the rest of going to school would be, the ones that laid the ground for job he could have. Sam held his breath and crossed his fingers and wished on every star out there he would be a Daisy and even though Dean would be a little disappointed he would be proud and-
"You have been chosen to be an Orchid."
Even though the Great One was still talking and explaining, Sam heard nothing but those words. He could feel his heart sinking to the floor and tears clouded his vision so he could hardly see. Clapping sounded through his ears yet seemed from far away. His feet were moving somehow, and Sam walked back to his seat while the conclusion of the ceremony went on. No, no, this wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't an Orchid! Orchids were bloodthirsty monsters. Sam was not a monster, this had to be a dream. Yes, this was just a dream and Sam would wake up and everything would be fine. His tears stopped flowing and he glanced up to see Crowley grinning at him. Sam felt the blood within him become cold as ice and that is when he knew this was reality.
People got up to leave and the lights in the Main Theater flickered back on. The sound of feet shuffling once again was heard, and Sam got up to find Dean. He searched everywhere. At every seat, through the crowds exiting, outside the theater, Dean was nowhere to be seen.