The War by Ella J.
I took a deep breath. I could feel my heart rate going up; and that was the last thing I needed right now. This was the most important day of my life. If this day didn’t go perfectly I
wouldn’t have a life. I glanced down to the flashcards I was reading off of, my hands sweaty and my mind filling with worry. I looked back up at my reflection. I was all dressed up
for the occasion: a white lacy dress, long white gloves, heels that I could barely walk in, and my hair carefully done with perfectly placed curls. I straightened my posture, took one last look at the person in the mirror, and turned away.
I exited the dressing room and entered the waiting room. I counted 19 other kids, as expected, already sitting and chatting with each other. I sat quietly in my designated spot, reciting my speech in my head. I watched the people around me talking to one another. They were acting as if we were at a picnic in the park but I knew on the inside they were nervous too, wondering if they’ll be ok. Ten of us were going to be doing much more than ok, but the other ten were going to be sent off to fight. They were going to be sent off to fight in The War; and The War was not pretty.
The War started before we were even born. The Council deemed it a rude topic to talk about so no one did. Then before I even realized, The Choosing had begun. My classmates' conversations came to an end as they rushed to their seats as the red curtain slowly opened. My heart skipped a beat. The audience seemed bigger now that I was on the stage instead of in the audience. The Head of Council wasn’t at our Choosing. There were countless other Choosings happening at the same time right now. The familiar councilor who hosted our
Choosing every year called #1 up.
#1 was Eva Jones, and she wasn’t going to get sent to fight, she was too perfect. Hannah began her speech and it was the same as the rest of our speeches: it was her life. She
went through her life year by year, accomplishments, mistakes, friends, and most importantly, test results. Then she talked about what she planned to do in the future, and most importantly whether she did or did not want to go fight. When her speech ended, she was thanked and returned to her seat. The speeches went on, and my time to speak was creeping up. No one ever wanted to fight. No one wanted to fight because no one really knew what it meant. No one really knew where the fighters went. If they survived The War, they were sent off to live in designated communities. Once you were sent off to The War, you didn’t come back. Then they called my
number: #16.