Chapter Two

I brushed the loose hairs from my face and started on my way. I knew I was running late. The celebrations always started as soon as the sun is past the morning dawn. I rushed, the look alike square houses flew by my eyes. The slight breeze tickled my face and pulled the baby hairs out from my braid, the loose strains getting caught in my mouth every now and again. I had to pull them away and spit them out as I made my way to the circle in town square.

I saw the birthday group standing on the stage as our elders gave a speech to everyone else that was standing below. The crowd felt overwhelming somehow, as if they were all whispering about me in secret. I shuffle through the crowd, elbows being shoved here and there, pushing through annoyed faces, I mumbled a few 'sorry's and 'excuse me's to not seem so rude but it still came off as rude anyways. I for sure was now feeling some eyes burning a hole in the back of my head when I walked towards the stage.

The eldest elder's voice boomed over us as he spoke, "And finally we have the nature walk and feast planned for tonight. If you'd be so kind as to-..."

The elder that was speaking paused when his old eyes saw me step up on stage besides another kid. The hair that strung from his nose swept in in his inhale for a moment before his face turned into a scowl at me, his stare made it very clear that he was upset with me. Now I felt super self-conscious for sure. I knew it was a mixture of shoving through the crowd and the pause, doesn't mean I didn't feel the heat on my face from it. I grit my teeth to hold back the tears as the elders finished the speech. I wanted to shrink, disappear somehow so I could cry. Become an ant since I felt so little and weak already would be my birthday wish right now.

Once they gave out an apple to each birthday kid, we were dismissed from the stage and brought to the town hall.

The town hall was a small hut but our important meetings and elections were held here. The only reason why the elders gave a speech then moved us to the building was because they got tired fast. They never said that was the reason but the whole town made it an inside joke by this point. The elders moving us to the town hall every year only kept the joke alive. I didn't find it as funny since the elders were red in the faces from exhaustion and being under the sun, this was more likely to be the reason of to why they did it.

The birthday group including myself was sat down in front of the meeting table with it bare. The meeting table stretched out far enough for twelve people, the same amount of elders and birthday kids we had this year, it was perfect like always. Everything was always perfect now that I thought back on it.

I really did mean everything though, from the dirt roads in town to how many pebbles were in the local rock garden. Our crops were in a grid and there was five rows of everything. Every adult in town wore the same thing and always had neat hair no matter what and were driven mad by the young kids being messy. I glanced out one of the holes in the town hall's building that could be called a window and knew it once I saw it again, there were an exact amount of space from each tree that sat in town as well. Everything that the commune could control was perfect. What made me notice these things only today? Or have I always noticed this and only now was when these thoughts surfaced to my mind?

I was snapped back to reality when a pair of hands that held a present before me. A plain, wooden birdhouse. I knew it was going to hung up as soon as I got back home to Aunt Brianna. Everyone received a birdhouse along with whatever else the town made for us. A line of people paced themselves in front of us as they placed more presents on the table, one by one. A pine cone with a red ribbon tied on it, a set of wind chimes, and a new wooden cup that had my name written on it. The writing was faint due to it being written in blueberry juice but it was small and hand carved. It had character the other hand carved cups that were passed out didn't have. It was nice to have something only for me.

The other kids acted polite and thanked everyone, I chimed in with a thank you as well before the gifts were put in sacks and handed to a respected household member of theirs, Aunt Brianna had to run around town for our secret dinner together tonight and was going to pick up my sack after our walk. The kids with their hands empty stared at my sack, one of the girls that had an attitude problem tilted her nose at me. It made me angry and sparked an anger I hated in myself, an anger that made me want to attack her but I held back, clutching my sack instead of her flesh.

The elders ushered everyone out of the building and closed the town hall doors behind them. Once we were out of the building, a man with bright orange hair and a bright smile greeted us, "Hello, birthday boys and girls! I am the birthday hike guide for you today. You may have seen me around town helping with the plays and whatnot but I live for the annual 18th birthday hike! My name is Hart and please do not hesitate to ask me anything!"

A few of the others sneered at this and the other half was done with today. Hart's lizard eyes beamed with life and he wore a smile the sun would be envious of. He clapped his hands together, gathering our attention again like toddlers.

"As you know, we've got a nature walk to get to so let's get hiking! This way! Let's move them legs!" Hart motioned to the trail that was walked every year. You could tell from how flatten the grass was and the space that was flatten was enough for a line of people and nothing more. The trail was trimmed with wildflowers that were solid white along with some that were the color of butter.

We started into the beginning of the woods, the girl that made me angry shoved past everyone to the front of the line while Hart was counting everyone. I wanted to walk up and step into the mud pile that was two inches away from her feet so she would get covered. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I didn't want to get in trouble with Hart or any of the elders today, I was still in trouble for painting the walls of the hospital. It was a solid white building and I was sick of it was what made me decide to do it. My decision landed me three months in berry picking with the adults.

I let everyone pass me as we got on the trail, Hart was behind everyone and tapped my shoulder, "Hey, Constance, I'll take your sack for you." He held out his hand for my birthday sack and I nodded, "Thanks." I quietly said as I passed the bag off to Hart. He made sure to be careful as he threw the sack over his shoulder. He gave me a warm smile and made his way to the front of the line.

"Alright, let the hike begin, gang!" Hart shouted, running uphill into the woods, the trees covered any trace of him in seconds. We ran after him, the wind blowing past my ears, the greens of the forest blurred against my eyes. For a second I thought I saw a bright color I've only seen on rare fish but it flew by me so fast that I couldn't process what it was. I chalked it up to a bird, even though the shape looked too big to be such a thing.