It was the big night- the Ceremony of Choosing, as it was being called. I was understandably nervous. I loved it here at this school, despite Tara and the other snobby fire users. They weren't half as bad as the silly, prejudiced, ostriches with their heads in the sand at my old school. I didn't want to leave.
Sarah came in, and helped me straighten my ceremonial robes out- the moons on our pink robes marked us both as spirit magic users. I grinned at her a little nervously, and she whispered in my ear, "Don't worry."
That didn't stop me from worrying, however, as we made our way down to the ball room, where we met up with Kelsey, in red robes with small fires drawn on them, Samantha in blue with waves, T.A. in green with an elaborate and beautiful tree (stab of jealousy toward earth), Mia in brown robes with great red rocks jutting up on them, and of course August and Chris in robes like ours. The air magic users were in white robes with streaks of light blue and leaf patterns.
We lined up by element on two sides of the ballroom, spirit, gold, earth, and wood on one side, water, fire and air on the other.
The electric lights went out suddenly and the chandeliers turned on, twinkling, as everyone stood at attention.
Then the gods and goddesses entered.
They came in slowly, minor gods and goddesses first, increasing in power...they were mot in their true forms, but they were still the most beautiful people...I think we were all gaping, at least a little, even calm, collected Sarah.
August was swept away rather quickly from my left side by a goddess with a lute and a flute tucked into her pocket. I heard her introduce herself as Euterpe, muse of music.
Samantha was chosen not long after that- she was across the room, so I couldn't hear, but the goddess trailing a rainbow was probably Iris, the rainbow goddess. (I didn't take a year of myth for nothing!)
Chris was taken from where she stood to the right of Sarah by a beautiful, soft goddess, introducing herself simply as "Eos", but I knew her as gentle Dawn.
T.A. was taken from down the line by a goddess I didn't recognize. I wondered out loud why so many of my friends were being chosen. There were only twenty or so to be chosen! "Birds of a feather flock together," Sarah replied calmly from where she stood at my right hand.
The stronger gods were beginning to enter and choose now.
Kelsey was taken from across the room by a shining goddess, with the image of a sun behind her. I guessed her to be the only sun goddess I knew of, Amaterasu.
Mia was taken by a woman I recognized immediately as Diana, the huntress of the Romans, and gave a smile. Figured. Diana was so...Mia.
And Sarah and I were the only ones left of our group of friends. I began to figet nervously. "Stop it," Sarah scolded, taking hold of my sleeve. "Don't _worry_. I know the future, or at least some of it, and you have a great one." She winked.
Suddenly, a deadly hush seemed to spread throughout the ballroom. Since it started with the gods and goddesses, our thoughts on the matter was that it would be a _very_ good idea for us mortals to be quiet. Standing at the entrance to the ballroom was an old woman, who suddenly blurred and became three. The youngest held a spindle, and the oldest, a pair of shears.
The fates! The gods all feared her, and they said even Zeus had not the power to sway their decisions. Atropos, the oldest, began advancing down the line. "Come here, dear," she said, and with a start, I realized that she was addressing me. I gulped and hurried forward, to stand at the front of the ballroom with the others who had been chosen.
"Sorry we can't stay for the dance," Atropos said, "But work always calls for us." She handed me a pen. "Do a good job."
"She will," a mysterious voice seemed to float through the ballroom, and a young goddess popped into the center of the ballroom.
"Skuld!" a god exclaimed.
Skuld- as feared as the fates- Norse goddess of the future.
Somehow I wasn't entirely suprised when she stopped in front of Sarah, who predictably didn't look suprised at all.
A few minutes later, some unseen cue took place, and the gods and goddesses who hadn't chosen disappeared. As the ceremony dictated, we spread out on the dance floor for a dance with our patrons. (One week of fighting class had, instead, been dedicated to learning to waltz.) As Fate wasn't there, I stood a little uncertainly, until Polaris swept me up. He explained with a grin that his patron had elected not to show- after all, he already was chosen- so could be my partner.
The SIT's who weren't chosen had the option of staying for the dance (and refreshments, I noted, drooling), but most of them wandered off dejectedly to pack, since they'd be leaving in the late morning.
I began to count those chosen, and noted with suprise that there were only fifteen, rather than the predicted twenty. I didn't know how that would work...after all, one was supposed to be the new moon ruler, plus her three guards, plus at least one guard for every royal family and five new guards for the Neo-Queen and her family...it made my head spin. Eighteen needed, fifteen had...
Another problem to overcome.
Sarah came in, and helped me straighten my ceremonial robes out- the moons on our pink robes marked us both as spirit magic users. I grinned at her a little nervously, and she whispered in my ear, "Don't worry."
That didn't stop me from worrying, however, as we made our way down to the ball room, where we met up with Kelsey, in red robes with small fires drawn on them, Samantha in blue with waves, T.A. in green with an elaborate and beautiful tree (stab of jealousy toward earth), Mia in brown robes with great red rocks jutting up on them, and of course August and Chris in robes like ours. The air magic users were in white robes with streaks of light blue and leaf patterns.
We lined up by element on two sides of the ballroom, spirit, gold, earth, and wood on one side, water, fire and air on the other.
The electric lights went out suddenly and the chandeliers turned on, twinkling, as everyone stood at attention.
Then the gods and goddesses entered.
They came in slowly, minor gods and goddesses first, increasing in power...they were mot in their true forms, but they were still the most beautiful people...I think we were all gaping, at least a little, even calm, collected Sarah.
August was swept away rather quickly from my left side by a goddess with a lute and a flute tucked into her pocket. I heard her introduce herself as Euterpe, muse of music.
Samantha was chosen not long after that- she was across the room, so I couldn't hear, but the goddess trailing a rainbow was probably Iris, the rainbow goddess. (I didn't take a year of myth for nothing!)
Chris was taken from where she stood to the right of Sarah by a beautiful, soft goddess, introducing herself simply as "Eos", but I knew her as gentle Dawn.
T.A. was taken from down the line by a goddess I didn't recognize. I wondered out loud why so many of my friends were being chosen. There were only twenty or so to be chosen! "Birds of a feather flock together," Sarah replied calmly from where she stood at my right hand.
The stronger gods were beginning to enter and choose now.
Kelsey was taken from across the room by a shining goddess, with the image of a sun behind her. I guessed her to be the only sun goddess I knew of, Amaterasu.
Mia was taken by a woman I recognized immediately as Diana, the huntress of the Romans, and gave a smile. Figured. Diana was so...Mia.
And Sarah and I were the only ones left of our group of friends. I began to figet nervously. "Stop it," Sarah scolded, taking hold of my sleeve. "Don't _worry_. I know the future, or at least some of it, and you have a great one." She winked.
Suddenly, a deadly hush seemed to spread throughout the ballroom. Since it started with the gods and goddesses, our thoughts on the matter was that it would be a _very_ good idea for us mortals to be quiet. Standing at the entrance to the ballroom was an old woman, who suddenly blurred and became three. The youngest held a spindle, and the oldest, a pair of shears.
The fates! The gods all feared her, and they said even Zeus had not the power to sway their decisions. Atropos, the oldest, began advancing down the line. "Come here, dear," she said, and with a start, I realized that she was addressing me. I gulped and hurried forward, to stand at the front of the ballroom with the others who had been chosen.
"Sorry we can't stay for the dance," Atropos said, "But work always calls for us." She handed me a pen. "Do a good job."
"She will," a mysterious voice seemed to float through the ballroom, and a young goddess popped into the center of the ballroom.
"Skuld!" a god exclaimed.
Skuld- as feared as the fates- Norse goddess of the future.
Somehow I wasn't entirely suprised when she stopped in front of Sarah, who predictably didn't look suprised at all.
A few minutes later, some unseen cue took place, and the gods and goddesses who hadn't chosen disappeared. As the ceremony dictated, we spread out on the dance floor for a dance with our patrons. (One week of fighting class had, instead, been dedicated to learning to waltz.) As Fate wasn't there, I stood a little uncertainly, until Polaris swept me up. He explained with a grin that his patron had elected not to show- after all, he already was chosen- so could be my partner.
The SIT's who weren't chosen had the option of staying for the dance (and refreshments, I noted, drooling), but most of them wandered off dejectedly to pack, since they'd be leaving in the late morning.
I began to count those chosen, and noted with suprise that there were only fifteen, rather than the predicted twenty. I didn't know how that would work...after all, one was supposed to be the new moon ruler, plus her three guards, plus at least one guard for every royal family and five new guards for the Neo-Queen and her family...it made my head spin. Eighteen needed, fifteen had...
Another problem to overcome.