Chapter One

"Hurry..." she murmured to herself as she ran along the gravel road. She winced as she stepped on a sharp stone, but kept going. Her knee-length white dress blew in the breeze, and her long black hair fanned out behind her as she ran. The massive grey Rotunda loomed before her, several blocks up the road.

She finally reached the glistening metal doors, and shouldered her way into the red entranceway of the Rotunda. Countless gold chandeliers hung down from the ceiling, their lights illuminating the vast room. The girl slipped into the black shoes slung over her back by their laces, and slipped through another set of metal doors.

The ceremony was about to start. She wasn't late. She breathed a sigh of releif, and sank into a red velvet chair near the back of the room. Suddenly, she heard a faint whisper.

"Lilly!" someone called softly. The girl recognized the speaker as her good friend Maya.

"What?" she asked quietly as Maya sat down in the seat beside her.

"Where have you been, Lilly?" Maya asked, giggling. "The ceremony will begin soon, and you'd have to be crazy to be late for the Coming of Age!"

"Humph," Lilly said. "Who said I want to come of age? Anyway, Jordan decided that today would be a good time to break his arm, the moron. I had to bind it before I came."

"I was wondering where you were," Maya scolded. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, young lady!" Both girls giggled.

"You sound so much like my mom," Lilly said. Both girls were quiet for a moment, watching other children enter the Rotunda with varying degrees of nerves.

"Do you ever wonder what your Job will be?" Maya asked her friend curiously. "I sure do. I want to work in the Care Center. I go there a lot to help my dad."

"You're lucky your dad has a job," Lilly sighed. "Then again, I suppose you're lucky you have a dad."

Maya gave Lilly a little hug. Lilly's father had been killed 3 years ago, when they were both 10.

"I guess I want to work in the Center too," Lilly said, changing the subject. "I don't want a whole bunch of other kids to have no dads."

Maya nodded. The girls were quiet again, watching more families come in.

"Ooh, look!" Maya cried. "He looks important! Woah, look at his robes!"

"I know him," Lilly said with recognition. "He's on the Council. He's Ivan's uncle...Jamothy!" Both girl cried "Eew!" They giggled again.

Ivan was a very good friend of Lilly and Maya's. His Coming of Age had been two years ago, and both of them had gone. Ivan had seemed a bit annoyed at having to publically admit they were his friends, but he had been pleased to see them just the same.

"If the Council Members are coming, that means the ceremony will be starting soon!" Lilly and Maya squirmed with eagerness while they waited.

The mass of people in the Rotunda slowly began to disperse into neat isles of red velvet seats like Lilly's. The excited chatter slowly died down, and the room began to fill with a vibe of pure excitement. A hush fell over the room as the chrome doors behind the people swung open.

An elderly man came swishing into the room. He looked as though he was thousands of years old, but he was not frail. On the contrary, he was firmly built to the point that he was almost bulky. His long white hair and beard hung down past the hem of his red and orange robes, and he wore thin, blue-rimmed glasses. His presence demanded a total respect from the surrounding crowd, and from the twenty Council Members that followed him into the room.

"Is that who I think it is?" Maya gasped in awe.

"The Head Governor!" Lilly breathed. "I can't beleive it!"

The old man took his place at the head of the room, and cleared his throat. He began his Coming of Age speech with gusto.

"Welcome to the Rotunda, and thank you for joining me," he said in a gruff, firm voice. "I, of course, am Head Governor Legatus. It is a pleasure to be here.

"I am sure you all know what you are here for, so I will not waste much time explaining. The Coming of Age ceremony is for those of you who find yourselves at age 13 years. I am sure your families have taught you that this means you are now obliged to play a part in our society. You must begin your Jobs in a week."

"Oh, great!" Maya whispered happily. "Lilly, I'm so excited!"

"I can see," the Governor said, his eyes twinkling, "that some of us are much more excited than others." He winked at Maya, and continued with his speech.

"I believe you have all filled out your questionairres, or have a good excuse as to why you didn't," he said, smiling. "Those questionairres will help the Council and myself decide what jobs you would be best suited for. I trust you all were as truthful as possible on them, and I hope we have found jobs that you will enjoy."

With that, Governor Legatus stepped down, and the Council Member on the far right stood up.

"The Coming of Age ceremony has officially begun. As we call your name, you will come up to the front and receive further instructions as to your Job. Bethane Aguschia?"

A girl with long, blonde hair and brilliant green eyes skipped up to the stage. Lilly made a gagging motion to Maya, and both girls grinned.

"Bethane" the Governor said, "in your questionairre, if I am not mistaken, you said that one of your favorite passtimes was to paint and draw. We felt this showed artistic aspirations, and we have decided to put you in the Department for Architectural Styling and Creation. Your Job will be to design the layouts and ornamentations of buildings in the area."

Bethane beamed, and happily accepted a roll of paper and a binder from the nearest Council Member. Flashing one last grin at the Head Governor, she skipped back down and bounced into her seat.

"Oh, no," moaned Lilly. "If she's designing the buildings from now on, we will live in a world of pink and flowers." Giggle, giggle, giggle.

The ceremony continued in pretty much the same manner, as people received their Jobs with varying degrees of pleasure. Finally, the Council Member's voice called out:

"Maya Soyru?"

Maya's eyes grew huge, and she got out of her seat, trembling. She walked up to the stage slowly, and stood before the Head Governor, sweating.

"Lovely to meet you, Maya," the Governor said. "In your questionairre, you described how much you admired your father's Job at the Care Center, and how you loved to help him. I believe this speaks for itself, and we have placed you in the Care Center along with your father."

Maya's face lit up, and she squealed with delight. She whisked her binder and papers from the Council Member that held them out for her, and jumped down from the stage. She rushed back to her seat, her face turning scarlet red.

"I got it, Lilly!" she squeaked. "Oh gosh, I got it!"

"Congrats," Lilly whispered. "Now, hush, and listen."

Several more names were called, and Lilly braced herself. She was next.

"Lillian Tempelton?"

Lilly rose from her seat, and strode confidently up to the stage. She climbed up several steps, her nice black shoes clicking on the polished wooden surface. She blushed a bit, knowing there was dust on her dress.

"Hello, Lillian. Lilly, is it?" Lilly nodded, surprised.

"Now, from what I understand, you did not fill out a questionairre," Governor Legatus said. "Is this true?"

Lilly nodded again.

"Why?"

"You see, sir," Lilly began, "my little brother Kolby was sick, so I had to stay home and take care of him. Mom was off at work, and I'm the oldest. And dad's...."

"I know," the Governor said gently. "You're a hard worker. That's what we assumed from your absence. I did speak with your mother about the matter, and I received the same story from her. We admired your work ethic, and your determenation. Yes, your mother did tell me some other stories. And we understand that you enjoy caring for your siblings when they need it?"

"I do, sir," Lilly replied, trembling.

"We would have placed you in the Care Center, but all the places were filled," explained Legatus. "Hopefully, you will also enjoy the place we have found for you."

To Lilly's surprise, the Governor turned to face the public.

"As many of the parents here know, there are many robbers and bandits around the area that we reside in, among other dangers that I will not delve into at the moment. Long ago, there was an elite force of individuals dubbed 'The Guardians.' They and their, ah, partners, protected the city from harm. Lilly, you are our Guardian."

As Lilly turned to face the crowd, she saw that they were all beginning to stand. They faced her...and bowed. Lilly was taken aback. She looked up at the Governor.

"Why are they -"

"Not now, Lilly," he said firmly. "I will discuss the matter with you later. Go take a seat."

Lilly turned to face the Council Members, and saw that they were standing, too. One of them handed her a slip of paper and a thick black binder. It had a lock on it, and it was made of leather. She accepted them cautiously, and walked quickly back to her seat.

"What was that all about?" Maya asked.

"I don't know," Lilly whispered back. "I do not know."



"Well, what's it say?" Maya asked eagerly.

"Ahm, it says to meet Head Governor Legatus in his office tomorrow afternoon to discuss my job." Lilly folded the slip of paper, and stuffed in into her pant pocket. The ceremony was finally over, and Lilly was lying on Maya's couch, eating Maya's mother's cookies.

"Here's some milk," Maya's mom said, bustling in with two glasses.

"Thanks!" Lilly and Maya said at the same time.

Maya's mom bowed quickly, and began to leave.

"Why do people keep bowing at me?" Lilly cried. "What's the big deal? I'm a Guardian, or whatever. What's my Job?"

"Oh, dear," Maya's mom said softly. "You have no idea what is in store for you, Lilly." With that, Maya's mother slipped out of the room.

"We'll find out tomorrow, I guess," sighed Lilly. She closed her eyes, and took to wondering what in the world a Guardian was.




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