The Abundance Feast 1

Aru couldn't understand how the days flew by so easily and they made it to the feast. She was so excited and so frightened. She was dying to meet her soul guide that the nuns told her so much about them.

Every high priestess has one, like Temene's panther, Manday's nightingale, Karamay's owl and Tuulay's rabbit. The nuns with soul guides, have their guide embroideries on their caftans, with selected colors coming to them with guides. After this night, all virgins will start to wear their soul guide on their caftans. But what if she couldn't summon one? What if the nuns were wrong about her? She knew something they didn't know. Or they chose to ignore it. They were saying that she was gifted and talented in every way. But she knows better than that. It was not the case. She was just studying so hard. So she was not a natural talent that they liked to praise her, but she was just a hard working student who was trying so hard to learn all those things. And She must admit she liked the praises especially when it made the other girls this much jealous, but she knew that she was not even close to what they chose to believe she was.

That day after classes, they walked through the main doors of the temple from the stairs going down to the main garden, where they assembled the first time they got here. She has started crossing the large front courtyard under the afternoon sun without waiting for anyone. Not that she has anyone to wait for either. Other girls were generally walking around as pairs or groups but not her. It was not her thing to have friends. She was alone and she was okay with it. She started directly going to the feast area placed under the eucalyptus trees in the heart of the woods. She knows the exact place that they will set up the tables, like they have for the last ten years.

The nuns were so close to nature, they would always use a chance to be involved with trees and animals. Their source of power was coming from nature and to be able to gather it or channel it, they must have been in nature as much as they can. So, all feasts, all gatherings, all training that requires this touch of energy always stationed under these woods. But, none of them are much more respected and cared for like an abundance feast. They believed the very power they have is being generated this day. Actually Temene said once that she was born on this day of the year. Well, truth to be told implied than said it can be more accurate. Like Temene answers any question directly? She also didn't reply when she asked if Temene knows her birthday. But she said, "it was the most sacred day for us when I looked to the north and saw Lilith and I knew someone was born with gifts that our society was waiting for a long time. And I went to bring her seven years later when she was ready." And she directly looked into the apples of her eyes and she knew she meant her. But that's all.

Anyways, even If she didn't think today was her birthday, she would still like this feast. She heartily adored eucalyptus trees dangling above the white clothed long tables stationed underneath. The tables were full of meals, deserts, drinks and flowers and flowers overflowing from the vases. Numerous raised candles in the candleholders on the tables were not lit yet. Nor the torches placed on iron poles erected on each side of the feast area. After sundown all of them were lit and merrily floating on the excited crowd. They were eating and drinking and talking with each other. She wasn't talking with anyone except Manday, and Manday was generally placed between nuns. But she still loved to observe the ease of people that they have around each other. With the effect of the wine and warm meals filling their bellies and the love and interest for each other enlightening their faces were all so stranger yet were so familiar to her. Like an old story she was being told before. She knew all of it, still it was not more than a tale for her.

Everyone started taking their places on the table. She was avoiding to place herself so early, because of the unnecessary interest of boys, and unnecessary hatred of girls. Like that she was claiming this interest. So she wandered around the trees and extended shadows with the sinking sun now. She trusted her back to a tree trunk and watched the little children playing hide and seek around the tables. She heard someone clearing throat behind her. She knew that someone was here to let her know her place before starting the night. She didn't pivot to see who was there. She didn't bother. If someone wanted to talk to her, they could face her.

Whoever was standing behind, cleared her throat again. She picked her nails, and simply wrapped her finger around her hair's curling ends in an indifference. After the sound of three long steps, she was standing in front of her. Aru barely lifted her eyes and looked her in the eye with a pure coldness, not that she pretended, that she felt, for the owner of the gaze she was meeting with.

Tolobargan was standing in front of her. "Are you searching for a better place that you can attract all interest today?" she asked sarcastically.

" Simply sitting is all it takes for me to attract all interest. " she replied. She saw growing hatred in her eyes, and it made her day even brighter. Tolo was a long girl, with a strong body more than other girls and absolutely more than her. Her black silk caftan she was wearing today like Aru was hiding her large shoulders now. But she remembered them enough to know she was stronger than her and she shouldn't mock her much. But damn, it was fun! Her brown bushy hair was tightly braided to one, because they were a tangled mess when opened. Her small blue eyes were cold and irritating, squinted like to fierce her more. She was a pain in the back. She was the same from day one, and not changed a little in ten years. But for her part, she changed a lot.

Simply the girl that they excluded and ignored was now ignoring them and it was driving them crazy, especially Tolo. She was the center of the rest of the virgins group. They were listening to her, bringing the juiciest gossip to her, leaving the most handsome boys to her and following her for every decision she made. Her first decision was to make Aru's life a hell, but little did she know, she was used to being in hell. Poorness, and awareness were her early curses that she has been carrying it from the starting of her life. Destitution was an inferno that can be more effective for the ones understanding it. And she was understanding. She was aware of their poverty, her sick sister and she was aware that every meal that they had with her family could be the last for a long while unlike the other kids. She had an older heart. And that heart was not easy to tear unlike a crystal heart of a child. Hers was worn leather. So staying alone, reading and studying as a company was so much a preferable life for her, rather than being a punishment.

She pivoted on her waist and pointed to a boy with her head. The boy was trusting his back to an opposite tree like Aru and looking directly to her side with a small grin curving his mouth's edge up. He was a handsome boy, compared to others, but not much for her taste. She couldn't assign this boy even to polish Ulgann's shoes in handsomeness. His green eyes fixed on Aru with a searching look and his slightly widening shoulders looking to be more broader in following years were squared as if to show himself.

"He is mine!" she said in a grunting voice.

"So?" Aru asked.

"So, don't seduce him with your wicked enchantments and keep your hands off him." She said these words by emphasizing every word slowly. This was another lie she likes to tell the girls that Aru was a witch.

Aru chuckled.

"I don't toy with the boys who cannot even touch me unlike you Tolo. What are you going to do, look at each other for all eternity? "

Tolo grunted.

"Besides, if he is yours, put a collar on his neck. I bet common girls will take him in a year or two. He won't be into virgins for the rest of his life."

Aru saw the fury in her eyes before she complete her last words. She knew that staying as a virgin thing were bothering the rest of the girls too much. But the fear they felt from the nuns were keeping them to display it a lot. The burning heat under their skins was so obvious sometimes, even for the ones who are not paying attention to it. Like Aru.

Tolobargan gritted her teeth and brought her reddened face closer to Aru's face. Her blue eyes were throwing flames to her. Aru smiled lazily in response.

"One day, you will like a boy! And that day, I will happily watch your misery." she said, sputtering with fury. None of them could touch each other. And in these kind of situations Aru was finding herself more fancying this rule. Aru smirked again and said,

"Please get off my sight, I want to enjoy a pair of green eyes looking at me." She totally said it to make her pissed more. And she was successful. She slammed her feet on the ground and made her hands fists. Aru just dismissed her by simply brushing air for a non-existing fly before her.

Tolobargan turned her back and walked to the other side of the feast area to meet the other girls. Her only revenge that she thought she could get from Aru now. Having friends.

The green eyed boy smirked at Aru, but Aru just rolled her eyes and turned her head to search the crowd to catch a glimpse of Manday. If she was lucky, maybe she could have a word with her before the ceremony starts. And there she was. With her long light-brown hair, her familiar green caftan with her nightingale embroideries, and her warm lovely green eyes catching Aru's now. She simply smiled and made a hand gesture telling Aru to go there. She did.