CHAPTER 1 #3
Just like the women at The Academy, when a man turns eighteen, they ‘enroll’ at The Academy to train to be a guard for the kingdom.
Those who excel, like Max, would get chosen to be a part of the King’s guard and help protect the royal family.
They lived at the school as well, but were off-site away from the women, so there was no temptation, as Madam liked to put it, but every night at least one girl snuck off to the barracks.
The guards had a code between them, and if the girl said the magic word to the guard on duty, they would let them sneak out.
After the men have completed their first year here, they begin guarding the halls and doors of the women’s dormitories.
Max was assigned to our room during the night, and from that day on, we became friends, and it flourished into whatever this was.
I have always had feelings for him, but my feelings were not as deep as his.
It made me feel human, and not just another mindless being in this world, waiting to serve others for the rest of our lives.
I knew it was selfish, but I needed to feel something while I was stuck here.
We would sneak kisses, pass notes, and hold hands whenever we had a moment alone.
Quick fleeting moments that were over way too soon.
I would give anything for an afternoon, snuggled in his arms, but this place made it impossible to spend more than a couple of minutes together.
There were too many eyes always watching and ready to turn you in for praise from Madam.
It reminded me of animals in the wild, hunting an injured animal for its next meal.
Little did they know, I had not had a peaceful night's sleep since coming here, and I had a list of names ready to turn in if anyone tried to rat on Maya or me.
I felt protective of Maya; she had helped me in so many ways since coming here, and I was not going to let anyone hurt her.
I ran to catch up with her, and she was waiting for me by the stairs.
“Up to no good as always?” She said, raising her eyebrow at me and crossing her arms, mimicking Madam's demeanor when she scolded us.
I rolled my eyes at her and shoved her shoulder as I walked by her.
The rest of the morning was a blur, spent bathing, getting dressed, sharing stories, and laughing to disguise our anxiety about the afternoon ahead.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious, but mine was different.
The girls here were on edge about presenting perfectly to the advisors, but me?
I was anxious to leave these blank walls behind and never look back.
We were both in the bathroom, and I was sitting in front of the wall covered in mirrors.
Maya was finishing braiding her hair into the same woven strands she had worn since day one of meeting her.
I looked back at my reflection, and I could see my wild, untamable waves staring back at me, almost as if they were curling with cruel laughter.
Maya stood up and came over to me with her brush.
She could always sense when I was unsure of what to do, but did I really care?
“What are we going to do with your hair. It is so thick; I can hardly get a brush through it.” A perplexed look crossed her face as she tried to brush through the mess that flowed down my back like a cascading waterfall.
My curls came from my mother; her hair was blonde, with waves that flowed just past her shoulders, but it was always immaculate.
I had never been able to get my hair to look as good as hers did.
That was the only attribute I got from her; she would always tell me that everything else I had gotten from my father.
He had passed away before I was born. I only knew what he looked like and who he was through my mother’s memories, which she would share with me, but that was rare.
Sometimes she would lose her train of thought and stop mid-sentence while telling me stories about him.
Her eyes would brim with tears as she drifted off into the distance, lost in her memories.
I had so many unanswered questions, but I never wanted to push her for more.
I could tell from the pained look on her face that it was hard to even think about him sometimes.
His name always remained a mystery to me.
Every time I asked her, she would crumble, unable to speak.
She would always say that he lives in her memories, and I never understood what she meant until the day that I was ripped from her arms.
“There! That will have to do.” I looked at my reflection in the mirror to see that Maya had put my hair in a ponytail high up on top of my head, and she had made sure that no loose strands were poking out by applying a hair serum that made my hair gleam under the firelight.
This was the first time my waves looked somewhat manageable and tame.
“It’s perfect! I look exactly like a show horse.” I replied, my words drenched in sarcasm.
She smacked the back of my head, “Just don’t move too fast, it may explode.” She said, motioning with her hands above her head, and made a silent boom sound with her mouth.
“That’s enough, ladies, it is time to go.” The guard, clearly annoyed with us, said, popping his head into the doorway.
His face was covered in pimples, and he had the saddest attempt at a mustache on his upper lip.
With that warning, Maya set her brush down on the sink counter, and we both ventured to the door, towards our unknown futures.