{SHORTLIST OpenNovellaContest 2021}
{ONC 2021 Round One Ambassador Picks}
Aithne Pan, a Chinese-Irish girl living in the futuristic city of Venice has to decide between what her heart tells her is correct, and what she has always been taught is righ...
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Walking off the lift, I yawn.
Vulcan hasn't trained me alone since Gold told her off, but she is the person I expect to see when I walk towards the Dock.
It's been a month since I first started trying to infiltrate Lilac Royalty, but it feels like it has been a lot longer. They no longer treat me like an outsider, our friendship getting stronger every time we see each other. I have a feeling - a gut feeling - that any day now they will allow me to trail behind them as they head on one of their rescue missions the members of Lilac Royalty partake in when they aren't spending time with me.
It makes me wonder: What do they do other than be a vigilante? Because unless they steal there is no way for them to maintain a decent lifestyle. The other option is that they have sponsors or a donation account, which is doubtful because I would certainly have found something when I do my research.
Music is playing as I head towards the sea, the sound coming from one of the houses I pass louder than the waves crashing ashore, stronger than usual. It must be quite a rough day outside the barrier for water to be splashing so aggressively over the cement wall. The music gets louder, the melody reminding me of the songs we used to sing at school during band practice, although I have to admit, very badly.
The rundown building I used to call school is now closed, and if things haven't changed since the last time I went there, it is now a business, the classrooms now offices and file room, the bright yellow walls a pale white. The building wasn't the best, it was only on the seventh level, but it was better than those down here. I once visited one with my mother because she was asked to change the colour of the walls to brighten up the place, and out of pity, she did. I think that is the first time I started going against the idea of progressing up into the higher levels, my dream of moving up in the city slowly crumbling. The children were all seated on cushions - old dirty cushions - and there weren't any toys, no books in sight either. I think their school has also closed though, but that's just the way things go now; things change as quickly as my mother used to change her opinion on the perfect colour for her nails.
"There you are! What took you so long!" Eagle asks, wrapping her arm through mine and pulling me towards Diamond, a large black cape covering her body. Looking at the girl next to me, I realise she is too.
And underneath, they are both wearing their purple outfits.
"Time to see how good you are in the real world," Diamond says, handing me a duffle bag she had been hiding under her black cape, her hood covering any emotions her face could be showing.
I grin, "Does that mean I'm a member?" I ask excited, walking faster and taking the bag she is handing out to me.
"No, this is another test,".
"Don't worry, Fish, you'll become one of us in no time," Eagle assures me, "Let's go, you can change over there," she continues, dragging me towards the place she is pointing towards.
I am finally going on a mission with them. I might not be a member of Lilac Royalty, but having the chance to prove myself is going to allow me to see how they act up close, to discover anything that might give me a clue as to who they are, and it's a step closer to my objective. I know that once they trust me in the real world, as Diamond put it, they will end up trusting me enough to show me their faces, and maybe even by giving me their names.
Walking into the cramped tool shed, I open the duffle bag Di has given me. Inside, purple spandex stares back at me, my nose wrinkling in distaste as I start getting undressed. I'm not sure who designed these suits, but I've never been comfortable showing off my skin, so I've always opted for baggy clothes, most of them from the men's section of the few shops around my level that I visit once a year. The purple outfit Lilac Royalty wear, though, is anything but baggy. The trousers, a set of black leggings with a hint of purple, feel tight around my bottom half, and the purple shirt that complements it isn't any looser. To make sure the shirt doesn't ride up up and the trousers don't slip down there is a belt, a small electronic gadget attached to it. At the bottom of the bag I find a mask, the colour identical to the cape with a hood that is underneath it.
"Are you ready? Ember says there is some trouble on level two," Eagle whisper-shouts from outside.
Taking a deep breath, I open the door, the duffle bag with my clothes inside it over my shoulder as I take in the world through my new mask, "Yes, let's go," I say as confidently as possible. The mask is more comfortable than I thought it would be, but the rest of the outfit is definitely not to my taste.
Nobody knows who I am, I remind myself, I could be naked and wearing a mask and nobody would know who I am. This isn't that bad.
"Okay then! Let's head over to Di and I can fly all of us there,".
Her mention of flying makes me snap out of my self-conscious train of thoughts. Flying - free falling to be exact - is one of my biggest fears.
"I'll climb with some water, don't want to be a burden," I say, shaking my head and walking towards the leader.
"Eagle, ready?" Diamond asks, the gadget - identical to the one I have strapped to my waist - in her hands as she reads, her eyes moving at lightning speed.
"Yes, but Sailfish doesn't want-" She starts, my voice loud as I cut her, explaining what I want to do, "I'd rather use water lines. I think it's a good way to warm up before a fight,".
Diamond seems stuck for a moment, her eyes still before snapping at my face, "Do what you want, but you better be at Street Querini Stampalia on the second level in the next ten minutes or we won't be seeing you ever again,".
I can tell I have let her down; she doesn't believe I will make it.
I nod, "I promise I will be there,".
CHAPTER SIX WORD COUNT: 1119
As some of you know, the next chapter is going to be a flashback, so get ready! I'll give you a hint of what's to come; it has something to do with her parents. What do you think will happen? Will it be a happy memory or a sad one? Let me know your guesses!
