Nothing.
The only thing that rich people need and that poor people have. Currently, it was also all I could see.
I tip-toed quietly across the creaky wooden floorboards of the small cottage I shared with several other orphaned girls. Every step taken was part of a memorized pattern that I had picked up over years of living in the homey space.
I reached my hand forward and grasped onto a familiar brass handle. Tugging lightly, the door opened; allowing a sliver of light to spill out into the kitchen. I opened the door wider; squinting slightly to adjust my sleepy eyes to the refrigerator's fluorescent glow.
'Wow. We really need to go grocery shopping.' I thought, rummaging through the few choices I had for a midnight snack.
Kidnapping the last chocolate pudding cup and a spoon; I shut the fridge and shuffle back up to my room.
When I enter the room I share with three other girls; I'm surprised to see Ms. Junely, the orphanage director, and my surrogate mother, sitting on my bed.
"Samantha dear," She starts, and I cringe at my full name coming out of her mouth; she only ever calls me 'Samantha' when we're about to have a serious talk. "You know I love you; but don't you think you're getting a little too old for this?" she said softly.
"I'm sorry Junely. I just get a little hungry around this time, I'll put it back." I pivot quickly, eager to get away from the real conversation.
"Sammy! You know I'm not talking about the pudding!" Junely's wrinkles crease in an annoyed manner; her dark hair in night curlers shook slightly as she raised her voice. Her gray eyes widened in surprise at her own frustration. Taking a deep breath, Ms. Junely folded her hands politely.
"Sorry Sammy, I just don't want you to end up like me." The fair skinned older woman sighed.
"What do you mean? Your life is great." I sat next to the woman who watched over me for as long as I could remember and slung my arm around her shoulders.
"We are similar Sam. We both were conceived by parents of opposing nations. Because I was afraid of what people would think of my heritage; I've stayed in one place my whole life." Ms. Junely cast her eyes solemnly to the ground.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to feel safe. Protecting ourselves; it's a natural instinct, it's how we survive." I smiled at the older woman.
Junely chuckled, "how did you get so smart?"
"I learned from the best." I grinned.
"You are certainly right Sammy; but if you let the fear of not being safe control your life, then you're not really living." Ms. Junely smiled softly, "You're almost 18 Sam and you've never left Makapu Village."
"But I don't want to leave; I want to stay with you and the other girls."
Junely stood up, allowing me to lie back onto my bed.
"Sammy, when you come back, I and the other girls will still be here. Don't miss your chance, live while you're still young. I wish I had." With that, Junely turned on the heels of her fuzzy green slippers and headed back to her own room.
The minute she shut the door, I looked around at the other girls in the room; all clearly pretending to be asleep.
"I know you're awake! Which one of you stole my pudding?!"
No POV
Sam woke to the ever so pleasant vibrations of her younger 'sibling' jumping up and down on her bed.
"Wake up Sam!" Brown curls tickled the 17-year-old's face as a 10-year-old girl hovered above her and shook her arm.
"Why?" Sam grumbled as she turned over in an attempt to block out the disturbance.
"Aunt Meng is coming to pick an apprentice!"
"Not interested." Sam groaned, pulling the bed covers farther up.
"Well, she's also going to tell us our fortune! Don't you want to know who you're going to marry?!" The young girl's blue orbs sparkled in excitement.
"I'm not getting married Rann." Sam sat up slowly; her golden eyes cast a sad look upon the hopeful water tribe orphan. Noticing the slightly crestfallen look on Rann's face, Sam quickly added, "But don't let me stop you from getting your fortune! You're a beautiful girl Rann, I'm sure you'll marry a handsome prince one day."
With that, the young girl smiled and hugged Sam.
"I know you won't believe me, but one day you'll marry a handsome prince too," Rann said softly, letting go of her golden-eyed 'older sister'.
Sighing at the sound of 15 pairs of young feet pattering across the floorboards, Sam rolled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom down the hall. Almost all of the other girls had already gotten ready for Aunt Meng and were eating breakfast downstairs so there was no line at the door this morning when she got there.
With warm water cascading down her back, and steam relaxing her nerves; Sam thought about what Ms. Junely said to her the previous night.
'…almost 18 Sam and you've never left Makapu Village.'
'…then you're not really living.'
'Don't miss your chance…'
'I wish I had.'
It was the expression of regret on Ms. Junely's face that really shook Sam. It had always seemed to her that her surrogate Mom had the best life ever! One where she could hide from eyes wanting to judge her for being of both Air and Earth decent; and live happy with people who love her. What more could a person with mixed heritage ask for?!
'I wish I had.'
The phrase haunted Sam as it continued to echo in the back of her head. True, she loved where she was now; but what if Junely was right and there was more to life that she was missing out on. Then again, what were the chances that her exploring would earn her anything more than the right to say that she was 'well-traveled'? What could she find out there, that she couldn't find here?
Questions like this weighed heavily on Sam's mind as she dressed herself and persisted even as she took her seat at the breakfast table, shoveling two sugar-banana pancakes onto her plate.
"So who's going first?" A woman calls from the orphanage entrance. She smiles as many of the girls jump up in excitement waving their hands.
"Girls! Where are your manners?" Ms. Junely called from Aunt Meng's right side, "What do you say to your guest?"
"Good Morning Aunt Meng! Welcome to our home!" Chorus the girls, only slightly out of sync.
"Good Morning children, are you ready?" Aunt Meng smiled brightly. The woman, although only being 42, was already looking to retire. While this was strange to people with average jobs, this was quite normal for Fortune Tellers as it was a stressful job. The previous Teller, Aunt Wu, had been one of the longest lasting ones as she had no other obligations but of those to her Job. Meng, however, was married and was looking to expand her family, so she needed an apprentice to take over some of the work's load and eventually take up full responsibility.
Aunt Meng looked over all the hands raised to go first.
Sam had never once raised her hand whether to be first or last anytime Aunt Meng came. Throughout all her years at the Makapu All Girls Orphanage had never once asked for her fortune to be taken since she had already figured that the orphanage was her future. So when she felt her right hand tremble its way up into the air, it wasn't just a surprise to Aunt Meng, it was a surprise to herself too.
"Uh…Okay. Sam, come this way." A look of shock was still clear on Aunt Meng's face even as she led Sam to a modest-sized tent that she had set up right outside the orphanage.
Each took a cushion and sat facing each other. The only thing between them was a small pit of fire that contained the remains of wishbones from previous fortunes told.
"Turn your palms up," Meng instructed.
Sam did as she was told, then brought her arms toward Aunt Meng. The dark-skinned girl shuddered at the feeling of Aunt Meng running her fingers lightly over her palms, examining every crease in her hand.
"I see you are at a crossroad in your destiny." Meng started, not looking up from Sam's palms, the fortune teller briefly let go of Sam's left hand and grabbed her right hand. "One path will allow you to live comfortably as you have, you will be at peace and face very little trials; however this path also has regrets at the end. You will die happy with people who love you surrounding you."
Taking hold of Sam's left and letting go of the right, Aunt Meng continued. "The Other path is filled with troubles. But along this path, you will find change, not in just yourself, but also in the world. You will truly come to know yourself and your origin. You will die, but your spirit will live on happily in the ones who have become your family."
Letting go of both of Sam's palms, Aunt Meng looked back up at the golden-eyed girl to gauge her reaction.
Sam stared intensely at her left palm, at the fate that rather her travel than stay complacent with her current lifestyle.
"To change the world or to not change a thing," Sam muttered her options out loud; making the decision, even more, real to herself.
"I think I'll…"