Down End Road
Chapter 34

Me and Ally sat rigidly in our plush dark ruby dining chair. The order of Washington was very... red, with it's decór. All the furnishings; from the bed sheets to the tablecloths were red.

Mercifully, there were accents of white and black that either accentuated one tone of red's brightness or added to the ambience of another red's darkness.

The chandelier above us had rubies scattered among the white crystals. The jet black iron above it held it in place. It had come as quite the culture shock to more than just me. Ally had met up with some friends from Maddison and other various orders and I had tagged along.

Maverick and Alex were sat with a few of their friends over on the opposite side of the dining room, obnoxiously loud laughter rung out across the hall from their table.

I missed Alex's warm presence beside me. I missed his little digs at me. I missed his smile. I missed his nearness- Jefferson, I had seen him three hours ago, what was wrong with me. I sighed and tuned back into the conversation of our large table.

"-That was only because I hadn't slept well, not because I'm slow." a boy I recognised as Tristan, justified.

"Boy, please, you come up with a new excuse every time we tell this story. Last time you claimed to have a cold. Just replace a story and stick to it, if you not gonna' own up and say that you lost because Jayden was faster than you." Kelly said, she had dark brown skin with ice-blue eyes. Her hair was a straightened shiny version of the night sky.

"You should take Kelly's advice Tristan, especially if you ever wanna' make the story sound believable." Ally interjected. We all sputtered out laughs, but it quickly died in our throats when the amplified ting of metal on a champagne glass resounded around the large dining room.

The ballroom of 470 students plus faculty were deadly silent. The group of elderly men and women (including Harris) stood to face the onlooking guests and students.

"We are glad to gather the Society of the civil's senior class of 2009. Depending on your choice, you may have chosen to graduate and sign with an order this year, or wait till the next for one more year of studying." Chad Washington said. His skin was a light brown dotted with dark beauty spots on his cheek. He had a puff of white hair that sat neatly trimmed upon his head.

"However, focusing on this year, we are overjoyed to be hosting, and celebrating the annual continuation of the Society of the civil's junior games." Denise Washington Chirped, she wore a crimson suit that clung to her elegant frame. Boys whooped and cheered at her announcement and she smiled affectionately at all of them.

She had milk white skin and a shock of orange hair that cascaded down her back into neat ringlet curls at the ends. Her bright green eyes took in the crowd astutely whilst her cordial smile still upturned her lips. I knew that look. It was the look of someone who wanted something, or was looking for it.

A cold bead of sweat slithered down my spine when her eyes landed on me, a wicked smile carved her features. I shuddered and looked around the room for the one source of my solace.

As if sensing my disarray Alex's gaze snapped to mine. Another shudder crawled up my spine but not out of fear. I breathed out a sigh of bliss when he smiled at me reassuringly. He looked over to my source of disquiet and glared at her, his gaze said that he was thinking of a thousand different ways to end her.

I smiled at his overprotectiveness. Denise Washington curiously studied Alex, the wicked glint in her eyes subdued to a fascinated gleam. I swallowed the lump in my throat and focused back on Alex who coincidentally was staring straight at me. I plastered on a smile then returned my attention toward the speech about the games and events.

"Every year, we as a society set a new challenge and this year the games will include the usual races and tests, however, there will be a mandatory event held for anyone and everyone with a testing aptitude of 35 and over."

I felt my heart skip several beats. I looked around the room and saw a few people stare down at their plates in shame or shock. Maverick looked unphased, happy even. However, Ally was a nervous reck sweat gleamed on her hairline and I could tell by the twitch of her mouth that she was nervous and a little upset about the challenge.

"It will be a new competition that involves all three gifts. Now the competitors from the combined Franklin and Maddison orders, are Tristan Tucker, Kelly Finn, Alice little..." The leaders droned on the announcements before the very end caught my attention once again.

"From the order of Hamilton their representative competitors will be, Ally Anderson, Genevieve Leviticus, Heidi leviticus, Henry Dale, Thomas Williams, Jason Johnson, Maverick Landon, Alexander Griffin and Myra Rose. R." I heaved a sigh of relief that they didn't say Remington.

A rowdy round of cheers resounded from around the room from different selected tables. Ours included, I smiled at my new-found friends, Ally looking only a little pasty stretched her lips into a mildly happy smile.

The delicious meals came out next. Platters of salmon with rice and vegetables. Trifle served with a topping of shaved chocolate. Fruity mocktails with little umbrellas were served to all of us. I smiled and laughed.

"So let's hear it everyone, what's your score." Tristan imposed. I smiled at them shyly as one by one people said their gift levels. I fidgeted nervously with my blazer sleeve. I crossed and uncrossed my ankles as my omission of truth sudden came closer. Ally looked paler as well her eyes nervously scanned the crowd.

Our saving grace came just in time. "Myra, Ally our presence is requested." Maverick said dramatically. I rolled my eyes flashed a polite smile said goodbye and stood up, making sure to take my mocktail with me. Maverick led us to a small gathered group, their hushed conversation almost silent among the boisterous conversation of the hall. I saw Alex's tall frame before anyone else.

"Let's move this conversation to somewhere more... appropriate." Harris announced to the small group of formally dressed teens.