Ready or Not Page #2

• Short story
• Fantasy

								

“Eve, we don’t have time for your little lessons,” said Eren, “the orb was gifted by the Queen of Accomar to the Sineaters centuries ago. The orb is capable of teleporting a Sineater anywhere they are summoned. In this case, the place we’re going is…?” She raised an eyebrow to me.
“Ellingsworth,” the confidence in my voice made Eren smile.
“Good! Now Eve, move on and explain how teleporting works, would ya?”
I looked at Eve with curiosity plastered all over my face.
“Once the moon completely turns red, we must all put our right hand on the orb. Then you say ‘By the skies that summon thee, allow us to eat and bring peace’”. She paused 
Peace. The word was unfamiliar to my being. I had been through so much since my parents’ passing. And before I could get lost in my mind again, Eve’s voice broke into my thoughts. 
“Now is everyone ready?”
“Yes,” everyone but me said in unison. I looked out of the window behind Evangeline and I could see the moon. Its milk white became more red as time went on. This was it, this wasn’t the time to get lost in thought, yet I couldn’t help but feel out of place compared to the rest of my sisters. 
They all got to do this before me. Eren, Evangeline and Emerie the most. Edith and I being the youngest, were forced to stay inside but even then, Edith got to be summoned before me. It felt like my nerves were crackling under the pressure. I felt uncomfortable and I began to sweat. Will I even get the teleportation right? Put your hand on the orb and say one simple sentence. It was all I had to do yet I kept thinking that I would mess such a simple task up.
“ELORA!” My sisters called my name in unison and as startled as I was, I was able to notice everyone’s hand on the orb. It’s time. I looked to Emerie who gave me a reassuring nod. I can do this.
I put my hand on the orb, “ready?” asked Evangeline.
Nobody said anything but I could tell by the seriousness in their faces what their answer was. I reached for the orb and when my palm touched it, I was surprised by its warmth. 
I took a breath, closed my eyes and relaxed. “By the skies that summon thee, allow us to eat and bring peace”, we all said in unison.

* * *
	When I opened my eyes, we were in a forest. With trees taller than I’ve ever seen. An abundant amount, unnatural looking. I looked up and saw birds flying ahead, Blue Deads except their calls weren’t as annoying. The sun was out and pushed the heat down on my skin. I disliked the heat so much but the sunlight made the forest look pretty. But as I looked closer, I noticed the clouds changing  and becoming darker. The wind began to blow a little bit stronger. 
My sisters began walking forward and I followed quickly behind them along the path. I had no idea where we were going but I stuck close like a lost puppy. It felt like we were walking for hours when suddenly everyone stopped and I bumped into Edith’s back.
	“Why’re we stopping?” I leaned over to look past Edith and then I saw it. A pickup truck with all our belongings. “How the fu-”
	“Don’t question it, just get in,” Eren told me. They walked up to the truck but there I stood again dumbfounded. I had so many questions: How did our things get here? Why is this truck here? Did someone put it there?
	I saw a clearing 
	“Ow!” Something hit my shoulder, but when I looked to my right  I realized it was someone. 
	“Get your ass in the back or we’re leaving you,” Evangeline climbed into the passenger side of the truck. I heard her whisper something to Emerie, “why did you let her come if all she’s gonna do is stand idle like an idiot?” She got into the passenger side of the truck.
	I hurried onto the back of the truck and Eren helped me up. I sat down squeezing between two suitcases with more piled by my feet. Eren sat in front of me and Edith sat beside her. Immediately my eyes fell to the floor. That out of place feeling came back once again and I felt a hand touch my knee. It was Edith.
“Don’t mind her. We don’t know what’s been up her ass either. We were all surprised by the truck the first time we teleported,” she smiled.
“Speak for yourself,” Eren scoffed.
Edith and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
When we pulled up, I saw three houses. White on the left, green in the middle and white again on the right. I looked left and right to see that pattern was prominent in the neighborhood. In Accomar, every house was one color: black. Our houses were made of dark stone. They were drastically taller and wider for the comfort of bigger families. The village I lived in consisted only of Sineaters and it was common for families to consist of two parents with more than four children. 
Currently, my sisters and I are the only ones with no parents at all. The grass was green unlike Accomar where the red sky made everything look dark. So even if our grass was green, I wouldn’t have been able to tell either way. 
Eren and Edith hop out of the back and start unloading the suitcases. I noticed my green backpack and put it on before hopping out. Emerie and Evangeline walked to the back but Emerie had something in her hands. She held it to her chest.
“Here,” she held out what I now see is an envelope.
“What is this?” I replied receiving it. I attempt to open it but Emerie grabs my hand. I looked up at her and noticed the look in her eye. It was just like Evangeline’s except, hers were a bit more scary. 
“Bring it inside and put it on the table in the dining room. You don’t get to see what’s inside until Eve opens it. Got it?”
I didn’t question Emerie’s words because she trusted me. She trusted me enough to hold something I couldn’t even open outside.
 “Got it,” I turned to walk toward the house. As I walked up the gravel path I couldn’t help but feel as though I was being watched. I looked to my left to see a girl, who looked about my age standing on the porch of the green house. She’s pretty, I thought to myself. 
I stopped walking and stared back at her as she stared at me. She looked tall but not as tall as me. I could see the way her body bent and curved through her loose clothing. She tilted her head out of curiosity and I followed. Her skin was a bit lighter than mine. I haven’t seen a girl my age in awhile.
Since my parent’s death, no one has spoken to me. Or I at least stopped talking to other Sineaters because their pity nearly drowned me. Sineaters who I didn’t even know would come up and greet me like we were best friends. It hurt more knowing that love and concern only came when something bad happens. 
I looked into the girl’s eyes and noticed they were dark like mine. I wondered if she would want to be friends or if she was like the others. But as I wondered, the rain began to fall and she suddenly ran inside the house. Did I scare her?
“For f*ck’s sake Lora, stop freezing up and get inside! It’s gonna rain soon and we need help carrying the bags!” Evangeline had two suitcases in her hands while walking up the path.

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