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The Emerald Green Dress
By Maggie Herschleb
Genre: Fiction Level: Junior 7-9
Category: UAA/ADN Creative Writing Contest

Eirian cursed as filthy water seeped through his worn out shoes and chilled his feet. How could he have known there was a puddle there? By this time the streets were pitch black. He had been using his powers for most of the stroll home, but it takes a fair amount of energy to summon light. Energy Eirian doesn't have. Just another problem he has to face until he can unlock his full powers. Eirian began trudging again, tilting his head towards a tall, purple, marble building. Slowly, his eyes reached the top floor of the building, where he noticed that light was sporadically flashing in the window. What could his siblings possibly be up to at this time? For a brief moment, Eirian's chest filled with anxiety.

Could something be wrong?

The light flashed again, clearly filling the room. Eirian raced to the large iron door and burst into the building. No one was around. Remembering to be quiet so he wouldn't startle the neighbors, he tiptoed up the steps. With every step, the stairs creaked and shifted, threatening to collapse any second. As Eirian neared the top floor, he heard faint, familiar giggles coming from above. He let out a sigh of relief.   

They're safe.

The winding staircase ended at a small oak door, with a handle that appeared to be falling off. Eirian carefully turned the weak handle, entering a small room. About five inches from the door was a grimy kitchen missing a fridge. Just beyond the kitchen lay a large table low to the floor, where five pillows sat around the table, each embroidered with names: Delmira, Runa, Eirian, Iris, and Ryuu. A plate of food was set by Eirian's pillow.

Must be cold by now.

This was one of Eirian's late nights, but he luckily managed to steal some leftovers from his gig. He prefers "rich people leftovers" to Delmira's terrible cooking any day - but he would never actually tell her that, or else he'd be punished for sure.

"No fair!" Eirian heard Ryuu's squealing voice coming from the door beside the table.

"You've most likely woken the entire building by now, what's going on in here?" Eirian says as he enters the room. The room suddenly fills with light. Eirian can see his four siblings huddled together around Delmira on his bunk.

"Eirian!" everyone says - except for Delmira. She sits still, holding the light, and gives Eirian a cold glare. Eirian rolls his eyes, not wanting to deal with his older sister's scolding at this hour. Delmira seems to notice his exhaustion, because she backs down, saving it for later.

Ryuu pulls Eirian down onto the bed next to him, "Delmira was just showing us her powers. Show him, show him, show him!" he says, tugging on Delmira's sleeve and almost falling off the bed with eagerness. Delmira nods, takes a deep breath, and slowly opens her palms, creating a blinding light that stretches across the room, making it impossible to see anything. A pang of jealousy lingers in Eirians throat.

And I couldn't even keep a ball of light steady on my walk home.

Then the light fades from the room, leaving just enough to see everything.

"I wish I could do that, "Runa sighs, shifting beside Delmira.

"You'll get to, soon enough. Sixteen. Only one year," replies Delmira.

"Does that mean I have to wait a whole ten years?" Iris whines.

Eirian stays quiet. Just about everyone in Bulimos is born with powers, but you're not allowed to unlock your full potential until you turn seventeen. Delmira unlocked hers two years ago, but still tells stories about the experience. She tells them about traveling through the capitol, Vis, and about her ceremony. She tells them about the bright yellow eyes of people from the Solar Region, the frosty faces of the Crystallos, and the white fluffy hair of the Nebula Region citizens. Eirian - being from the Astrum Region where people are called Stars - was petite like all the other Stars, but with messy brown hair and gray eyes.

She even tells them of how she got to see all the kings and queens of every region in Bulimos. In two years, Eirian will get to see for himself, but does he really want to? Does he really respect the kings and queens? From what Eirian has experienced himself, the whole Concilium - government of royalty - doesn't actually care about the wellness of their people. If they did, maybe Delmira wouldn't have to take care of their family. Maybe then they could live without fear of starving and he wouldn't have to serve at fancy parties to make a living.

Everyone went back to their beds, and Delmira let the light go out.

            The next morning, Eirian woke to voices coming from the other room. Runa appeared to be teaching Iris a lesson on the history of Bulimos, while Ryuu listened intently from his spot at the table. Delmira was baking fresh rolls in the kitchen. As Eirian sat down, Delmira placed a small plate of grapes on the table for everyone to snack on. He popped one into his mouth, now interested in Runa's lesson.

 Runa was the only one who was able to attend school. There wasn't enough money for the full family to get an education, and Delmira had to stay back and take care of the rest of them, so Runa would always pass on what she learned.

            "... Eventually, the so-called ‘gods' wanted more power. All of them thought that their power should be considered the greatest, and that all the other types of powers should be lesser than them. So, to say the least, they would not stop arguing. Everyone knew they would never come to a conclusion, so that's where the idea of different regions came in. They decided that they could each have power over their own region."

            "And what happened after that?" Iris asked.

            "Well, it's blurry. I can tell my history class left out plenty of things, but at that point in time, the regions weren't actually separated. People from any region could live anywhere they wanted, they just had different kings and queens than other regions. But, because of this, there were people with mixed powers. These people we call delinquents now, as you know, and it's punishable by death to have kids with someone from a different region-"

            "-You're telling me delinquents weren't executed back then?" Ryuu asked, shocked.

            "Yes. They say that the delinquents got out of hand, seeing as they were stronger than people with just one power, and that they had to get them under control. This is why the regions split into different territories, and why we can't meet people from any region but our own."

            "But Delmira got to see people from different regions," Ryuu butts in.

            "That's only because she went to Vis to unlock her powers," Eirian says. Just then, Delmira sat a sizable plate of purple colored rolls onto the table, and everyone rushed to grab one.

The only good thing she makes.

            Once Eirian was finished with his roll, he rose from the table, grabbing a pouch filled with some coins, and headed for the door.

            "Hey! Where are you going?" Delmira stopped him.

            "I've got to buy a nice coat for the ball I'm supposed to serve at tonight. It's the Annual Sidereal Ball. Everyone talks about it. I'll most likely be gone for the rest of the day, but I'll see you all in the morning."  No one else said anything, but everyone's face dropped at Eirian's words. He seemed to be working later and later every day.

...

            Eirian left the apartment and traveled down the streets of Civitas Stellas, searching for a second-hand shop where he could purchase a nice coat at an affordable cost. The sky beamed a mix of bright pinks, blues, and purples in all directions. Just about every city in the Astrum Region looked this breathtaking, but Civitas Stellas was the most grand of them all. With buildings as tall as the sky, cobblestone pathways leading every which way, and delicious smelling food on each corner, the bustling city never failed to lighten Eirian's mood. He had to keep reminding himself that he didn't belong here, where everyone was wearing pearls and owned at least two houses.

            Once he found a darker alley which he thought suited him well, he turned to see if he could find what he was looking for. Sure enough, a sign that read "Star Quality Second Hand," caught his eye. As Eirian pushed the door open, a little bell rang over his head and an old woman popped up from behind the counter. Looking around the room, Eirian could see piles of clothes stacked up to the ceiling. The place was as organized as a landfill. When the old lady asked Eirian if he needed any help, he told her about the coat ordeal. She walked around for a while, going through different piles of clothes, finally stopping by an overflowing dresser.

            "Fancy coats should be in here," she said, leaving Eirian and going back to the counter to help another customer who just walked in. He shuffled through the coats for a while, finding a velvet maroon blazer that he rather liked at the bottom of the drawer. After paying, the lady noticed the coat was especially wrinkly, and asked Eirian if he would like to steam it.

            "Now, be careful, boy. You have to put the iron on the steam setting, or else you'll destroy the velvet," she said, leading Eirian behind the counter and through a curtain to the back room. She pointed to the corner where the iron was and went back to her work. Eirian laid the blazer flat on the ironing board and began steaming the wrinkles out. As he opened the coat, he noticed some patches on the inside. After taking a closer look, he realized those were not patches, they were letters embroidered into the fabric. A message. Eirian could tell someone had tried to take out the stitches, because there were a few letters missing. The embroidery read:

 " MEET M    THE BAL      EMERAL  GREE   DR SS

DISP SE OF TH S"

            What Eirian should do is let this all go, but he couldn't help feeling curious. If anyone else were to find this message, they may not have thought more of it, but Eirian had had the ball on his mind all day, and he could make out what the message said. Eirian knew that whoever this message was meant for, it wasn't him. It also probably reached the person it was meant for, considering the blazer was thrown in a second-hand shop and some of the letters were missing.

            As Eirian was leaving, he stopped to ask the lady at the counter, "Do you remember when this coat was donated here, perhaps?"

            "That's funny you should ask, I- I actually think it was just last night. The man seemed to be in a hurry. He told me to put it at the bottom of that drawer, but I couldn't see his face."

In a poor old second-hand shop filled with clothes in every direction, it must have just been a coincidence that he picked the one blazer with a secret message. Maybe this was just a new and creative way of asking someone to the ball, but Eirian didn't think so. He thought he had found the gold in the landfill. He let his curiosity get the better of him. He was going to look for the girl in the emerald green dress tonight, at the ball.

...

             The buzz of voices and activity rose up around Eirian as he entered the ballroom, carrying a tray of glasses that were filled with a mysteriously foggy liquid. The ballroom was vast and thrillingly stunning, with a second floor balcony overhead. His eyes danced from person to person, searching for the color green.

He handed out drinks to a group of people wearing extravagant fur coats, "Have you seen anyone in an emerald green dress, perhaps?" he asked them. They shook their heads, shooing him off. He didn't expect it to be this difficult to find the girl in the emerald green dress, but she was nowhere to be seen. Being the curious boy that he was, he decided he would try and listen in on conversations, in hopes of finding out any resourceful information. He moved up to the second floor where it was more quiet, spotting a couple chatting over the balcony. He pretended to occupy himself by cleaning a table.

"I heard another delinquent escaped their execution today," said the woman.

The man replied, but Eirian wasn't listening. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something dart through a door in the hallway behind him.He may have been mistaken, but he thought he saw...

Could it be?

Eirian calmly slipped into the hallway and peeked through a crack in the door. The girl in the green dress was chatting with a tall man - tall for a Star, that is - he could barely see. Her tone seemed to be rather grave.

"The Nectere successfully saved the delinquent princess, Vera. We don't know where she is now, but the Crystallo princess is with her. She will come to the Solar Region and meet us at the Nectere base, but we're afraid she'll have to make it there alone. There is no way of telling where she is, but that may be a good thing," she said.

"Then why have you gone through all this trouble to send me the message? Surely there must be something wrong, or more important that you have to say, Aideen?" the man asked.

Aideen sighed, "The Concilium is suspicious. They know something more is going on. And now everyone will be searching for the princess. No one knows how corrupt the Concilium is. If we keep hiding then we won't be able to save all the delinquents and others who are harmed by the Concilium."

"So...what are we supposed to do?"

"We need to start telling people the truth. We need proof of how the Concilium is abusing their power and trying to control us. In the last Nectere meeting we decided each region needs to inform their people about what's happening. So it's your job to get more people that we can trust on our side."

Eirian had heard enough. Puzzled couldn't even explain how he felt. Questions were traveling through his brain at full speed.

What is the Nectere? Is Princess Vera of the Nebula Region really a delinquent? Is the Concilium not what I thought it was?

He hadn't realized how long he'd been away from his job. He thought he better leave, and ask Delmira for advice on what he's gotten himself into. But as he started down the hallway, he felt someone tap his shoulder from behind and a shiver ran up his spine. He turned to face Aideen.

"Nice coat," she said. And then everything went black.

...

            Eirian's vision blurred. He was now tied to a chair in the middle of the room Aideen and the tall man were talking in before. He could tell it hadn't been that long since he was knocked out, since the ball still sounded loud and chaotic. Eirian was barely able to see anything, and a pounding pain was emerging from the back of his head. The two "Nectere" members were standing over him, not yet knowing he was awake, arguing.

            "Melian, how could you be so utterly dense! Hiding the blazer in a second hand shop?"

            "I- I was in a rush, okay? I didn't want anyone to think I was suspicious so I ripped some stitches out and told the lady to throw it in the bottom of a drawer. I thought no one would find it in that mess of a shop, and even if they understood it, it would be far after the ball. Do you think I could've been able to foresee that some curious server would happen to stumble upon it?"

            "It doesn't matter now. He had been listening in our conversation. We don't know how much he heard."

            "What are we supposed to do with him? We can't kill him."

            "I-" Aideen stopped. Eirian had shifted in the chair, eyes fully opened.

            "What is the Nectere?" he asked after a long silence. Both Aideen and Melian glared straight through his soul, not saying anything, "C-can you at least untie me? I didn't hear much, I promise. And I didn't even understand any of it anyway. I won't tell. Just - please don't kill me," he pleaded.

            "We can't trust you," Melian said.

            "But, I want to know. I want to know what the Nectere is, and I want to know how the Concilium is corrupt. You did say you needed to get more people on your side, didn't you?" Eirian had no idea what he was doing. Part of him ached to know more. He always doubted the Concilium, and felt they mistreated people like him, but he knew he was getting himself too far into trouble.

            "People that we could trust," Melian crossed his arms.

            "Wait," began Aideen, "We can tell you what you want to know, but you must first tell us exactly who you are." Melian's eyes darted towards Aideen, shocked at what she said.

            "I'm just a server. My name is Eirian. I live in an old apartment building in the poor sector of Civitas Stellas that can barely fit my siblings and I. What more do you want to know?"

            "If you ever tell a soul about what you heard, we now have the ability to find you. Got that?" Aideen said, "The Nectere is a secret organization where we connect to different regions. Our goal is to unite the regions and stop the control that the Concilium has over us. Satisfied?"

            Eirian was not satisfied. He didn't know why, but he believed every word they said. It just made sense. The Concilium had too much control. Why were the delinquents even bad anyway? Just because they were more powerful? Why should someone be executed for that?

So, he made an impulsive decision, "I want to join you," he blurted out. The two others seemed to be taken aback.

            "So - to make sure I'm getting this right -  we knocked you out, tied you up, threatened to find you if you told anyone about us, and you... want to join us?" Melian asked.

            "I grew up poor and without parents. The Concilium did nothing to help. Do you think I am lying to you?"
            Aideen sighed, "What do you want in return?"

            "You get my family and me to the Nectere base in the Solar Region where we can be safe. That's all I ask."

            Aideen nodded her head, about to say something, but was interrupted by a loud commotion coming from downstairs. Aideen quickly untied Eirian and shoved him and Melian out of the door, then quietly approached the balcony, looking down at the scene below. About ten guards were in the room and more were filling in.

            "We have permission from the Concilium to search this building for a delinquent," One of the guards shouted out to the shrieking crowd.

            "We have to get out of here," Aideen said, searching the room for some kind of escape.

            "Over there," Eirian said, pointing to a fire escape across the room. The three waited until the guards were distracted by a girl who fainted downstairs, and then rushed across the wrap around balcony, headed for the fire escape.

As Aideen's hand reached for the door knob, Eirian heard a guard shout, "Over there!" pointing towards the three of them. Aideen pushed through the door, jumping down out of sight. Melian was next, and then Eirian. But by now the guards had started catching up. He landed hard on his feet on a sidewalk of the street he took to get to the ball. Not bothering to glance behind him, he followed Aideen and Melian along the sidewalk. The street was quiet and there was no crowd that they could hide in. He heard a sudden crack and a buzz from behind him. He automatically knew what it was.

Lightning.

The guards must have been fully trained. Eirian couldn't summon lightning yet, but he hoped Aideen or Melian could. A spark of lightning just barely missed him. They were trying to taze him, he guessed.

"Aideen, Melian!" he yelled. They looked back, understanding the situation. Eirian sighed in relief when they both summoned sparks from their palms and shot back at the guards. Three of them were hit. Eirian knew they wouldn't be able to win against seven more guards. They had to get to safety. He quickly calculated where the best place in the city would be to hide.

Aideen and Melian had stopped to fight off more guards, and once Eirian had caught up with them, he said, just loud enough for only them to hear, "Turn to the right." Then he tried his best to manipulate the light, bringing it all the way down until everything was pitch black. He could only hope Aideen and Melian trusted him as he turned right, down a familiar alley. He slowly brought the light back and motioned for Aideen and Melian to follow him into the second hand shop. The lady behind the counter seemed startled as they rushed in.

"We need to use the iron in the back," he gushed, but didn't wait for the lady to answer. They all hurtled over the counter and through the curtain.

...        

After waiting until morning, they felt it was safe to leave.

"I have to get back to my family, but when can you get us to the Nectere base?" Eirian asked.

"We'll have to settle things with the Nectere first, but you don't have to worry. When we're ready for you, we will find a way to contact you," Aideen said.

As Eirian was getting up to leave, he paused, "Thank you," he said, without looking back at the two others.

...

As Eirian traveled home, he thought about what he would tell his siblings. He thought about how they would make it out of the slums in the Astrum Region, and that filthy apartment. He thought about how they would no longer hang on by a string, how they would be safe with the Nectere. He thought about being a part of the fight to unite the regions.

            Then, he saw the light flashing in the window of the top floor of his apartment building, and smiled.


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