Contradicting Worlds

I tried fake-sleeping but they wouldn"t budge. They stood there, watching me as I try to convince them that I was asleep. The next day the changed guards then by the night my former guards came back. So I realized that they just took their time to sleep. How do they know that I wasn"t sleeping? I had no idea either.

Half of my time, I demand things just to p.i.s.s them off, but most of the time I spent is directed on a.n.a.lyzing them. Their movements, how they talk silently, where their weapons are located on their body. I only have one shot on escaping this h.e.l.l so I"ve got to plan it thoroughly.

On the night of the third day, a nudge on my shoulder woke me up. My eyes readjust themselves under the blinding gaze of light. I shook my head as soon as my vision clears to take away the grogginess left. I sit up and found a girl standing a few inches away from the edge of my bed, holding a tray of food. I told her to just leave it there and that I"ll eat it later but she just keeps on staring at me, holding the tray. "Okay, I"ll eat now." Although she"s acting oddly today, I decided to let it slide.

I get that tray from her and start eating. I can feel her staring at my every move intently as if she"s memorizing or calculating me. I squirm a little, suddenly feeling uneasy under her scrutinizing eyes.

Five minutes or so pa.s.sed and finally I"ve had enough. I put down my spoon to face her. "Uhm. Do you want to join me to eat?" I ask her. She shakes her head. No. "Then what do you want?"

She looks from left to right and I let my eyes wander around the room. That"s when I notice that we are alone, even my guards have abandoned their posts. "Here," she reaches to her behind, searching what is hidden under her hair. After some time, she produces a small white ribbon from beneath her hair and she tied it on my wrist. It is not hard to recognize the ribbon since the dove from the end of it is visible enough. I look at her, confused. "She told us to give it to you."

"Who..."

"She told us you"ll know once you received it." She paused to lick her dry lips. "We don"t have much time before the guards come back, so save the questions for later. My name is Aimee and the other one, who"s guarding the door right now is Lia. We"re here to help you and your a.s.sociates to escape. She told us that you will know how and when to escape once you heard the dove speaks. We are to escort you back to where you belong safely. But in the meantime, while you are trying to figure things out, play the games smartly. Tonight, you will be the new Commander in Call. The Director will announce it publicly and you will gain more enemies which is what she wants. The Director is a genius in playing games but you have to be more cunning." I didn"t realize that she was leaning to me and whispering until she forcefully grabbed the tray from me and stood up straighter just as the door burst open. I heed to the guards who are now panting at the doorway and eyeing us curiously.

Aimee regained her posture and walk towards the guards who parted to give her room. "Madame said that she needs her to be ready by six so we will return by four. You are to accompany her en route to Filasca, the ride will be an hour and a half. Madame had already prepared your vehicle which will arrive by six-thirty. The party will start at eight and will end at midnight. Goodbye," With that she and Lia stride along the hallway while I am left to stare at their retreating figure with questions hanging in the air along with my head or mind or whatever"s left of me.

Five hours later, I found myself standing in the middle of the dressing room while the servants--who are still refusing to talk to me--are getting my dress ready. Shortly later, I am getting a little bit self-conscious because I am wearing a black killer dress. It is a spaghetti-strapped dress that shows a great deal of my fortune because of that V-line hanging dangerously low to my chest, it is wrapped around my waist tightly then from there it flows smoothly to the bottom. The tail of my gown is incredibly long and covers a wide range of the floor while at the front it was cut just below my knees. They put on -what they said is--choker around my neck. My hair was tied in a half-bun so the rest of it curtains my back. They also frame my face with a few baby strands of my hair.

Just like always, the guards are outside waiting for me to come out, my eyes take a quick scan of the room to search for CCTV but there"s none. I cleared my throat to speak but one sharp look from Lia made me stop. She mouths words while using her hands to portray what she"s saying.

Talk. Later. Sleep.

I manage to get the idea so I nod. Aimee mouth the words bugs and I give her a tiny nod to indicate I understand. Now I get it why this room has no camera.

Aimee tugs at my hair causing me to scowl at her then I perceive why she did that. She is using my ribbon to tie my hair. I gave it to her earlier while they were cleaning my body so it wouldn"t get wet. She reaches in the pocket of her maid dress and pulls out a small mirror. I gasp out loud but cover my mouth swiftly then I stare at her in disbelief. Why hadn"t she said she has a mirror all along? She shrugs as if she can hear my thought.

She holds out the tiny mirror in front of me and I look at myself. My jaw must have dropped because the two girls giggled. I gape at myself. I look so different. I know my eyes have always been small but somehow the make-up makes it noticeable. My dried lips are now rosy red. I look as lethal as this dress is. Aimee gestures for my hair.

I turn my head slightly to look at it although it does not help very much I can see the ribbon tied in my hair like a normal tie. My eyes swell with tears but I am afraid I"d ruin their work so I just smile and touch both of their hands gratefully. They gave me a small smile and they both nod, signaling that it is time for me to go.

Minutes later I am sitting inside a car with my two guards on the front seat and driver"s seat. I lean my forehead at the window and stare casually at the busy streets of Ayala. Actually, the city or the main city has a name. It is called La Mayor which is the Spanish term for The Greatest. Why do we call it the main city? Well, aside from The Castle is there. It is also--kind of--the king of all cities. High-ranking officials, judges, doctors, sorters, and everyone who is powerful enough to gain the leverage to live inside that dull city can be found there. You can consider it as the richest city of all or something like that.

Mind you South is big, large enough to hold countless fancy cities. La Mayor is large, enormous, things like that. It acts like a wall surrounding the other cities. Locking everyone in and out.

Ever wonder how we got inside the city so fast when we conducted our mission? Just because it is called as the main city doesn"t mean that it has to be in the middle, it is surprisingly behind the gate entrance. Why? Because although it is the main city and many important persons live there, it also grasps numerous amount of warriors. So La Mayor also became their--sort of--shield. What is the Heart City? That is where we are heading now, Fiscala.

It is where the actual events happen. Parties, gambles, etc. People living there? Businesswomen, traders, gamblers, s.l.u.ts, and many other non-important people. Why is La Mayor protecting this city? That is what I am going to find out while I am being held as a prisoner.

If you lost your memories and just left to remember your name, why do you know so much? Great question. From the moment I found myself somewhere in the middle of nowhere with nothing to survive, my first thought was. What the h.e.l.l?! But weeks later, I became accustomed to what they do to people like me. They hunt us like we are animals and then they kill us and we will be dump to feed mother nature.

I had no idea, what I am or who I am I. I didn"t even know that I was considered an exile, all I have known is that I have to fight in order to survive. After months and months of trying to stay alive, I finally conclude that I should just let myself die to stop my privation. Then that"s when Chelssey came along. I found her crying, tucked under the shadow of the tree. I was supposed to leave her but then I saw that she was being chased down by warriors. I knew what would happen if she was caught so I made the decision to save her. I didn"t normally do that back then, because I can barely feed myself but there"s something about her that made me want to run to her and just shield her away from this cruel world.

She was just a toddler when I found her so I couldn"t bring myself to leave her after I saved her life. So I strove harder to survive, I hunt rare animals, I take whatever food trees can give us. I even made us a shelter. So life goes on. We are NPAs. No permanent address. Because you know, we can"t really just stay in one place since those stupid warriors kept coming back to kill us.

Even though that was the case of our life, I was contented. Because I have a family and a friend and a home. But so soon they took away what had kept me on fighting. They killed her. They killed Chelssey. They took away my light, my hope, my home, my only family. That night I had thought of going inside the city alone and surrendering myself since there"s no reason left for me to fight anymore. That"s when Mica became my other surprise.

She became another gift, my another ray of sunlight. She helped me regain my hope. She is the one who helped me learn all of the things I need to know about the city. She gives me the knowledge I needed to destroy the La Mayor.

Her death didn"t become another misery, another lost ray, another dimming light. No. It sparks up new anger, new hunger, new thirst. They will pay for what they did. To Mica, to Chelssey, to the other exiles and to me.

The car came to a stop. I hadn"t realized that my nails are digging my palms until now. I blink the tears in the corner of my eyes away. The door open, I unbuckle my seat belt and came out.

People immediately gather around me, holding out microphones and asking me questions I don"t know how or don"t want to answer. Cameras are flashing everywhere and I cover my face with my hands as I try to walk. I, for once, am grateful towards my guards who are doing their best to avoid me getting pushed down and stomped down on the red carpet.

The journey towards the entrance is a real challenge but we made do because another guest--who is more popular and important than me--arrived so the reporters dissipate into thin air as soon as they heard a car skidding to a halt. I didn"t bother to look back to check out the person who arrived after me as I walk towards the woman standing by the entrance of the elaborate building. She is in a suit so I figure she"s just one of the staff here. She held out her hand, palm"s up. "Invitation."

"Uh..." I look at the two warriors behind me. The one on my right pulls out a gold card from her suit pocket and hand it over to the woman-checking-invitations in front of us. She scans it then she frowns at us.

"Who are you? I have never heard of someone with a weird name." I bit my lower lip as I search for a polite answer and not a snappy retort. The warrior on my left took the liberty of answering for me by saying four short words.

"She"s with the director." The woman"s eyes widen at that and she bows her head.

"I am so sorry. I didn"t know. Please spare me." Tears are already making her eyes gla.s.sy. So I just wave her off and said, "It"s okay. You don"t need to be sorry." She whispers a small thank you then went back to work.

As soon as we are in, I feel so underdressed and dull-looking. Because everyone wears colorful and elaborate, make-ups, wigs or gowns. Their hairs look like cotton candy. Their dresses look like pillows are stuffed underneath them. Their make-ups well, they look like a clown. This is what the people in hunger games look like in real life. Ever wonder why I know that movie? Well, Mica and I used to watch it all the time.

As I descended from the stairs that lead to the dance floor, I earn a few glances from the guests. They whisper while looking at me from up to down. I curse inwardly as I keep my head up and continue to walk. I don"t even know where I am going so I lean slightly backward and ask the warriors, in a hushed tone. "Where are we going exactly?"

"To your table." I didn"t know who answered since I was busy trying to appear confident.

"Where is it?" I hissed through my gritted teeth.

"Here," we weave through the crowd who part ways for us and finally we found our table sitting directly below the stage.

"What time is it?" I ask them as I took a seat.

"7:45," my warrior on left answered curtly.

Waiters run around to give us drinks. I"ve had a couple of gulps but I didn"t order more than one gla.s.s of water. I prefer to be sober and conscious enough to listen to anything worth listening to. I also urged the two warriors behind me to take a seat but they refuse to do so. Honestly, I was wishing that they would say that because I really don"t want to sit beside my mortal enemies. I asked them because I just want to act nice though I want to gag when I ask them.

The music stopped, replaced by tapping on a microphone. The crowd went instantly silent and all of us turn our head in unison towards the woman standing on the stage. She"s the perfect example of what a birthday party should have. Balloons + ice cream + a little cotton candy on top. I press my lips tightly together to resist the urge to laugh at her appearance.

Somehow, I am thankful that I get to wear this kind of dress instead of that.

"Ehem, ehem," she started, giving all of us a bright smile. She scans the crowd and when her eyes landed on my, her eyes went incredulously wide that I am afraid her eyes might pop out from her socket but it didn"t. She gives me a brighter and wider smile if possible before addressing the larger audience once more. "Cool down, folks. Tonight is a very important night for all of us." A cheer erupted from them while I just sat there, listening intently on every word she"s going to say. She waited for the cheer to die down before continuing, "The Director has, uhm, surprise for us later on. But before that, let"s raise a toast to pay tribute to our lost. The last Commander in Call died while battling with the...outsiders to ensure that we are unharmed. Let us raise this toast not just for her but for the other warriors we lost." I didn"t bother raising mine. Instead, I stare at my lap as I clench my fist tightly. Anger flows smoothly in my veins, filling my blood with such delight that I can"t quite tell. I want to release it but I remembered what that woman told me. One wrong move and my friends will suffer. I bit my lip to help ease the sting in my eyes for feeling so helpless and hopeless. I raise my head and find that woman looking down at me from where she"s seated above. I glare at her and her reply was that triumph look on her face that is so hard to miss despite her stoic aura. She wanted me to feel this, to see if I would take the bait but I won"t. I won"t risk causing a scene and risking the lives of my friends. Aimee is right, I need to be cunning in playing her games.

"A memory from yesterday,

A hero of today,

A legend till the end of days." They said in unison while raising their toast and drink. I roll my eyes at their fake weeping and crocodile tears. The woman on stage wipes her non-existent tears away with a handkerchief. After that, she looks at us again and smiles brightly, brighter, no she smiles the brightest as if nothing bad had happened. "Now, now. Settle down, settle down." I don"t know if she has a problem with speaking or she just really likes doing that. "A guest is in need to make an announcement. She told me earlier that she has a little surprise for us and I am hoping that this is it so let us settle back on our seats and let her unwrap her little surprise for us. Now, the wait"s over. Ladies and gentlewomen, please welcome, The Director!"

Claps and cheers came from the crowd, louder than earlier. The woman looks at her back and sure enough, the director emerges from the red curtains. Just like me, she"s dress to kill not to party. She forces a smile, especially when she glances in my direction. "Good evening, ladies. I hope you are enjoying the night." A loud yes purr from them. "Thank the G.o.ds you are enjoying because I don"t know what will make you laugh like that other than an extravagant party." Giggles and laughs came from them. What"s worth laughing? Oh, I forgot to mention, they are mentally r.e.t.a.r.ded. Of course, don"t say that in front of them unless you want to be chop down into pieces. "Okay, settle down. I am extremely sorry for what happened to our last Commander in Call. She has been in service for years for us and it is such a pity to die in such a situation but we can"t undo that. They have been prepared for that but still." Might I remind you, that she"s currently taking acting cla.s.ses. Cause a single tear escape from her right eye and she pats it away. An "aw" sounded from the fake-sad-looking ladies. "But you need not worry because I have found a perfect replacement for her." My heart started beating wildly, banging on my chest begging for release. "She was an exile with incredible fighting skills. I might say that she can beat me if she wants to but don"t worry she won"t do that." Gasps filled the air (probably because of the thought that an exile will be the next Commander in Call), some glances at me but I just stare wide-eyed at the woman speaking on stage. My mind is already thinking of ways on how to get her head to rip off from her body. "Don"t worry because she is my close friend and she swears to protect you even if it means killing one of her own." I struggle to find the proper way of breathing as she says the next words. "Please come on stage, the New Commander in Call, Commander Ellie." My. Heart. Stops. Beating. Literally.