Chapter I - Olivia

Chapter I - Olivia 

The sky is grey, the trees are green. My feet kick through the pine needles on the forest floor. My throat runs dry as my lungs continue to push out air. I have no idea how long I have been running or the purpose of my doing so. I just keep going, going, going. Until. BAM! I run straight into something, bringing both figures to the ground. Well, not something, someone. A boy-or, a man- I really don’t know. He is short, though still taller than I, dark-haired and fairly good-looking aside from his ragged clothes and meatless figure. Just as he opens his mouth to speak, I jolt awake. It was just a dream, a strange one at that. I lie there in my soft bed and feathery blanket, far away from the dark forest and discomfort of my jog. Now rising from my bed, I walk over to the window to watch the sun make it’s daily climb in the sky. Our house resides on the upper part of the mountain in which our great country is built upon. Most residents of Cultridia live on the inclines of the mountain.  The only people who live in the Upper Flat-Lands, which surround the peak of the mountain, are business owners and shopkeepers. 

My gaze descends from the incline of the mountain down to the forests of the Lower Flat-Lands. I know there is no life there, other than for the ruthless animals, as I have been told my whole life. But, for the first time in my seventeen years, I wonder. What is it like down there? What is it like for the creatures who spend there lives there? 

I hear a knock at the door but before I can answer my younger sister, Dahlia, appears in the room. She’s only ten but she looks like she could be at least thirteen with her red-orange hair and electrifying blue eyes. She favors my older sister, Aralyn, in that way. 

“Liva, Mother and Father want to speak to you in the favoring room.” says Dahlia. My name is Olivia, however, Dahlia butchered that when she first started speaking. At three years old, she couldn’t seem to grasp the fact that some words do, in fact, have three syllables. 

“The favoring room? It’s morning, shouldn’t we be eating breakfast?” I reply

“Well, of course I’m going to eat breakfast, but Mother and Father want to speak to you in the favoring room. Now.”

“Why in the favoring room? Can’t we just discuss this over breakfast?”

“I don’t know. I’m only ten. No one tells me anything.” she says then trots off to the delicious breakfast that awaits her. Jealous of her soon-to-be-filled stomach, I turn to my closet and pull out a green knee-length dress with a metallic band that fits just above my waist, silver tights, and black heeled boots with diamond buttons. I don’t like dressing like this. I would much prefer wear simple trousers and blouse. But my parents force me to wear nice, elegant, shiny clothes like the rest of the girls in Cultridia. 

After dressing myself, I exit my room and head down stairs to the favoring room. The favoring room,why would they want to speak to me there? The only reason anyone goes to the favoring room is to discuss the idea and process of any sort of arrangement. Oh, no. They can’t. I have to be at least eighteen to be eligible for an arranged marriage. My mind ponders about all other forms of arrangement they could be making for me as I continue to make my way through our massive house. As I approach the favoring room, my thoughts flutter back to the idea of a marriage. I arrive at the large, important door of the, now terrifying, room. I’ve never been in here before, I’ve never had reason to. Until now. My hand slowly turns the handle and I peek through as the door opens.

“Olivia, we’ve been waiting for you.” says my father. I nervously enter the room. Step by step moving towards an empty chair next to my mother.

My father continues. “Olivia, there is something very important we must discuss with you and your sister.” In all my nervousness I didn’t even notice Aralyn sitting to my left. Her red hair was fixed in a single braid down her back, and she wore a blue dress almost identical to mine. Her bright blue eyes were fixed on the coffee table in the midst of the chairs. She appears to be just as nervous as I am. 

“Your father and I have been thinking a lot- a lot about your future.” My mother starts. Future. The word echoes in my mind as it could really only mean one thing. The one thing I dread most. An arranged marriage. 

“Aralyn, you already know of our struggles to find a husband for you within Elatus.” Aralyn gives a slight nod. “Olivia, you will be eighteen within the next month and it seems as if it will be just a difficult to find you a husband.” This remark is not meant to be offensive, however, I take offense. 

“And what do you plan to do about that?” I reply in a sarcastic tone. My mother turns her head to my father with a large sigh. 

“We are sending you and your sister to take a tour around the country. You will be meeting boys of your age from all over. Upon your return, your mother and I will decide who you shall wed out of the young men who have offered their hand in marriage. ”My father’s words were like a grenade being thrown in my ear and sinking down to my stomach to explode.
“What?” I say “You’re just going to marry me off to some guy I don’t know? I don’t even get to choose? I’m not even eighteen yet!” I’m up out of my chair before I can even think about it. “How could you do this to us? Lyn and I have never even left Elatus before!”
“Calm down Olivia! This tour is what’s best for you and your sister and you know it.” says my mother

“No, I don’t know it because I don’t want a husband nor do I need one!”

“Olivia, it’s the social norm. If you do not get married by the time you’re nineteen you’ll be a social outcast just like your sister!” my father retorts. I look over at Aralyn to see if his words hurt her in some way. But, I really can’t tell. Her eyes are still fixed on the coffee table.

“I don’t care if I’m a social outcast! I would rather stay here and live my life alone with no friends than be married to some stranger.” I glance over at my sister again after realizing that she might take offense to my words as well. But, her gaze remains unaffected.

“Darling. You need friends. Everyone needs friends.” My mother continues in attempt at reassurance.

“No, mother, you need friends. And if you actually cared about any of your children at all you would have realized that I already don’t have any friends. Social outcast or social norm. It doesn’t matter.” My parents stare at me. Not in regret of the fact that they don’t care, but, in embarrassment of my accusation.
“Olivia, you listen to m-”

“-I’ll do it.” we all look over to Aralyn who has now broken her focus on the coffee table and is risen out of her chair. She continues. “We’ll do it. We will marry at your demands.” I stare at her in disbelief. She then takes my arm and pulls me out of the room. As we start up the stairs I jerk my arm away from her. She stops.

“What is wrong with you? What are you thinking? You’re actually going to let them do this to us? You actually want to marry some stranger?” My sister stares at me as tears start to fill her eyes.

“No, Livy, I don’t want to. But I have to. And so do you.” She says as a tear escapes from her eye.

“No, we don’t have to. We can live here and-”

“Don’t you understand?” She raises her voice “Being a social outcast is more than simply not having friends. People laugh at you, and gossip about you. Men walk through the streets openly making jokes about you. And in all of that-” She pauses “And in all of that, no one wants you.” Tears now flooding down her face, she continues up the stairs. As she moves out of sight I can hear her sobs in the distance. I take a seat on the steps. I have never realized the pain my sister goes through everyday. She always appears just as she always has. Happy, smart, and kind. I feel numb with regret of my harsh words, emotion of this heavy morning, and longing to be young again. I come to only one conclusion. that I must accept the thing I hate, the thing I dread. An arranged marriage.




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