Chapter Three: Recruitment
It had been three days living and hiding in that shed. We survived by once again honing our street skills of stealing a pick-pocketing. We were biding our time, we knew something big was going to happen. The fourth day it did.
"Hey! Where are you!" Fortune came running in our little shed as fast as she could.
"Shhhhhhh." I was sitting cross legged on the cot, I use as a bed listening to a radio I had "found." The newscaster's voice was tinny and far away sounding: "OZ taken over. . . .colonies at odds. . . .recruitment starting. . . .diately. . .and women over the . . . .14. . .to. . .roll. . ."
"The time to enroll is now! They are asking everyone who can to enlist at the Square." Fortune's eyes were wild with excitement, her curly hair bouncing.
I looked at her and closed my eyes for a second. It was now or never. . .
"Let's go."
We ran all the way to the Square and it was packed. Not necessarily with new recruits, but with mothers crying and begging their children not to go. Some were alone looking around the area for people they knew. Then I noticed him.
He was a blonde boy, had to be 16. He had a pretty pair of light green eyes and was wearing a pink shirt. He did not seem flustered at all. He was looking intently at Fortune. Maybe he knew her.
A whistle blew and a loudspeaker message came on over the hot and stuffy square. "Get into lines and we will begin enrollment procedures."
The mob shifted and became five rough, but slightly manageable lines. The blonde guy was three people ahead of us.
"Do you see that guy, Fortune? Fortune."
It seemed that she did indeed see the guy. She was looking so intently at him the back of his head should have caught fire. I saw something as she stared at him I had never seen in her face before: Desire.
"He's absolutely beautiful.", she whispered. "I wonder what his name is."
"Now we get to know, Fortune, it's his turn in line."
A fat greasy looking youth with craters and pimples galore was taking care of the recruitment. "Name?" he asked apathetically to the young man.
"My name is Quatre Raberba Winner."
"Age?"
"15."
"Okay, here's your forms, go in."
Fortune was sparkly eyed. "Quatre", she murmured. "What a beautiful name for a beautiful guy."
I let her in front of me, so she could get a better look at him.
"Name."
She did not answer, she was still recovering from the sight of Quatre.
"Name!"
"Kim Howell." Her fake name sounded so natural for her.
"Age?"
"18"
"Okay, proceed."
Fortune was given her papers, and went through.
It was my turn. Time for business.
The same greasy teenager asked me the same question he did Fortune and Quatre. However, he didn't ask it to my face, he spoke to my chest.
"Name." His face turned red and he looked utterly distracted.
I was annoyed beyond belief and I had work to do, and my tongue has a way of getting sharp when I become annoyed.
"Those two are Helga and Olga. They happened to be deaf and talk through me, so you have to speak to my face."
I heard a laugh and turned around. And I saw him. The sharpness of cynicism flowed out of me like water in a colander. I felt tingly, as if two hundred static shocks were happening to me all at once. Eyes, the color of the first touch of blue at dawn when the sun first kisses the sky. Hair, a supple brown like some rare mink touched softly with a few gold strands held in a braid down his back. His smile was lopsided yet charming however, the smile did not touch his eyes. His eyes looked so much older than he was. It took three seconds, but I was struck by him. The book bag in my hand fell through my now nerveless fingers.
"Ah, let me get that for you." I bent down with him to make sure nothing fell out.
The side of his head brushed mine ever so softly. His lips, warm and soft rested by my ear. "My name is Duo and I hope more of the faces in there look like yours."
I remained knelt. Stunned and shocked. Never had anyone said anything like that to me. I stood up quickly and once again stood in front of the greasy youth. I proceeded to give him my fake information while trying not to shake from happiness and desire.
"My name is Carenda Martin."
"Age."
"19."
"Here are your forms."
I took them, and walked in, but as I did, I heard a parting shot ring through the air: "I'll be seeing soon, baby, you can bet your life on that!"
It had been three days living and hiding in that shed. We survived by once again honing our street skills of stealing a pick-pocketing. We were biding our time, we knew something big was going to happen. The fourth day it did.
"Hey! Where are you!" Fortune came running in our little shed as fast as she could.
"Shhhhhhh." I was sitting cross legged on the cot, I use as a bed listening to a radio I had "found." The newscaster's voice was tinny and far away sounding: "OZ taken over. . . .colonies at odds. . . .recruitment starting. . . .diately. . .and women over the . . . .14. . .to. . .roll. . ."
"The time to enroll is now! They are asking everyone who can to enlist at the Square." Fortune's eyes were wild with excitement, her curly hair bouncing.
I looked at her and closed my eyes for a second. It was now or never. . .
"Let's go."
We ran all the way to the Square and it was packed. Not necessarily with new recruits, but with mothers crying and begging their children not to go. Some were alone looking around the area for people they knew. Then I noticed him.
He was a blonde boy, had to be 16. He had a pretty pair of light green eyes and was wearing a pink shirt. He did not seem flustered at all. He was looking intently at Fortune. Maybe he knew her.
A whistle blew and a loudspeaker message came on over the hot and stuffy square. "Get into lines and we will begin enrollment procedures."
The mob shifted and became five rough, but slightly manageable lines. The blonde guy was three people ahead of us.
"Do you see that guy, Fortune? Fortune."
It seemed that she did indeed see the guy. She was looking so intently at him the back of his head should have caught fire. I saw something as she stared at him I had never seen in her face before: Desire.
"He's absolutely beautiful.", she whispered. "I wonder what his name is."
"Now we get to know, Fortune, it's his turn in line."
A fat greasy looking youth with craters and pimples galore was taking care of the recruitment. "Name?" he asked apathetically to the young man.
"My name is Quatre Raberba Winner."
"Age?"
"15."
"Okay, here's your forms, go in."
Fortune was sparkly eyed. "Quatre", she murmured. "What a beautiful name for a beautiful guy."
I let her in front of me, so she could get a better look at him.
"Name."
She did not answer, she was still recovering from the sight of Quatre.
"Name!"
"Kim Howell." Her fake name sounded so natural for her.
"Age?"
"18"
"Okay, proceed."
Fortune was given her papers, and went through.
It was my turn. Time for business.
The same greasy teenager asked me the same question he did Fortune and Quatre. However, he didn't ask it to my face, he spoke to my chest.
"Name." His face turned red and he looked utterly distracted.
I was annoyed beyond belief and I had work to do, and my tongue has a way of getting sharp when I become annoyed.
"Those two are Helga and Olga. They happened to be deaf and talk through me, so you have to speak to my face."
I heard a laugh and turned around. And I saw him. The sharpness of cynicism flowed out of me like water in a colander. I felt tingly, as if two hundred static shocks were happening to me all at once. Eyes, the color of the first touch of blue at dawn when the sun first kisses the sky. Hair, a supple brown like some rare mink touched softly with a few gold strands held in a braid down his back. His smile was lopsided yet charming however, the smile did not touch his eyes. His eyes looked so much older than he was. It took three seconds, but I was struck by him. The book bag in my hand fell through my now nerveless fingers.
"Ah, let me get that for you." I bent down with him to make sure nothing fell out.
The side of his head brushed mine ever so softly. His lips, warm and soft rested by my ear. "My name is Duo and I hope more of the faces in there look like yours."
I remained knelt. Stunned and shocked. Never had anyone said anything like that to me. I stood up quickly and once again stood in front of the greasy youth. I proceeded to give him my fake information while trying not to shake from happiness and desire.
"My name is Carenda Martin."
"Age."
"19."
"Here are your forms."
I took them, and walked in, but as I did, I heard a parting shot ring through the air: "I'll be seeing soon, baby, you can bet your life on that!"
