LJ Idol Exhibit A: Week 6 - Tilt-a-Whirls
“You’re not going to volunteer? Wasn’t your number called?”
The voice snapped Willa out of her thoughts. Who was going to talk to her on a day like today? Looking up from her seat beneath the old maple tree, she glared up at the boy who spoke. She didn’t recognize him. He had straight jet black hair that came to just below his shoulders, along with strange silvery eyes and brown skin. His clothes looked like anybody else’s, only there was something off about them.
Willa raised an eyebrow. “Do you want something? I’m trying to read.”
“Don’t you think you should be at the town hall, onstage with the others who were selected?” he asked, looking at her as if he couldn’t understand her.
Who was he to tell her what to do, anyway? Accepting your selection was voluntary -- Willa didn’t have to present herself as a possible Servant of the Gods if she didn’t wish to.
“Are you familiar with the concept of something being voluntary?” Willa muttered, feeling distinctly annoyed.
“And you don’t want to volunteer?” he wondered. The boy actually sat down beside her, causing her to scoot away a few inches. While he was so close, Willa could sense an unusual amount of magic power coming from him. Grumbling, she marked her place in the book and turned to look at the mysterious boy.
“Why would I?” she countered. “Nobody really knows what the gods even do with their pretty young volunteers. I would rather stay on Earth, thank you very much. And why do you even care?” She didn’t hesitate to glare at him, though part of her cautioned against antagonizing him too much, since he clearly had power.
“Prestige? Honor? A chance to do your religious duty?” he stammered, confusion plain on his face.
“I pray at the Temple on all the Holy Days. As far as I’m concerned, that’s enough religious duty for me. Look, Mr. Whatever-Your-Name-Is, I’m trying to read. Since school is canceled during Selection Day, I thought I would get ahead.” Willa reached for her book again. She stopped when something occurred to her. Narrowing her eyes, she said, “How do you even know I was selected?”
Willa knew the names of the people selected in the first part of the lottery weren’t revealed, except to the chosen ones themselves. Then, those who were picked showed up at Selection Day for the second round. This was done to avoid pressuring those selected into volunteering if they didn’t want to do it. So how could this annoying boy know anything?
He avoided her eyes. “I -- know things,” he said.
“Evidently,” Willa muttered. “But how? Are you a priest’s kid or something? Visiting for our Selection Day to watch the ‘lucky’ sixteen year olds go on to parts unknown? Your parents tell you my name and face?”
The boy leaned against the tree. He said, “I am not a priest’s kid. There are -- other ways of knowing.”
She wanted to throttle him because he made no sense. “If you won’t explain yourself, at least give me your name,” she grumbled.
“You can call me Kai,” he said, offering her a hand to shake. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Willa.”
She shook hands with Kai before quickly letting go. Holding his hand, even for just a moment, let her truly feel just how powerful he was. Willa couldn’t help shivering -- people never felt like that.
“I find it incredibly creepy that you know my name,” she muttered. Willa looked right into Kai’s odd eyes. “That’s a misuse of whatever power you have -- a violation of privacy, you know.”
Kai startled at that, his eyes growing wide. “You -- you can tell I have power?” he stammered.
“Yeah,” Willa said. “It’s a special ability of mine -- detecting other people’s power levels. And yours are more than I’ve ever seen in a human.” She barely kept herself from asking Kai if he was human, figuring that would be unwise.
“I see,” Kai murmured. “You’re blessed by the gods yet don’t want to give back.” He shook his head.
“I am not giving up my life for an ability I never even asked for,” she muttered. She grabbed her book, stuffed it in her bag and stood up. “Now, unless you have something important to tell me, I’m going to go somewhere I won’t be bothered.”
Kai bristled -- Willa could easily see the tension in his body. She furrowed her brow, wondering what the boy’s problem was -- did he come from some extremely devout family and thus take personal offense at her disdain for Selection Day?
“You -- you could have any luxury you wanted, provided you’re willing to give yourself, and you -- you think so little of my people’s offer. I know which lottery winners would have been chosen in the second round -- you would have been one of them. Yet you say no,” he huffed, his eyes flashing.
Kai’s eyes reminded Willa of lightning about to strike. She should have been more afraid, but, instead, she focused on what he had said -- his people’s offer? That -- there wasn’t any way. Willa leaned against the tree. The possibility of Kai’s origins made her feel like she was spinning out of control. She felt she might fall off the Earth if she didn’t have the tree to support her.
“You’re a god, aren’t you?” she breathed.
Willa expected him to deny it, but Kai nodded. Her heart stopped in surprise, and she gasped -- how could that be possible? It was simply too much, but it was true. She could tell he wasn’t lying.
That left one question -- why was Kai here and what did he want with her? Did Willa even want to know? She thought he might have simply been curious about her, but she didn’t ask him. Something told her engaging him in further conversation would just invite trouble, so Willa simply walked away, hoping Kai wouldn’t follow her.
The voice snapped Willa out of her thoughts. Who was going to talk to her on a day like today? Looking up from her seat beneath the old maple tree, she glared up at the boy who spoke. She didn’t recognize him. He had straight jet black hair that came to just below his shoulders, along with strange silvery eyes and brown skin. His clothes looked like anybody else’s, only there was something off about them.
Willa raised an eyebrow. “Do you want something? I’m trying to read.”
“Don’t you think you should be at the town hall, onstage with the others who were selected?” he asked, looking at her as if he couldn’t understand her.
Who was he to tell her what to do, anyway? Accepting your selection was voluntary -- Willa didn’t have to present herself as a possible Servant of the Gods if she didn’t wish to.
“Are you familiar with the concept of something being voluntary?” Willa muttered, feeling distinctly annoyed.
“And you don’t want to volunteer?” he wondered. The boy actually sat down beside her, causing her to scoot away a few inches. While he was so close, Willa could sense an unusual amount of magic power coming from him. Grumbling, she marked her place in the book and turned to look at the mysterious boy.
“Why would I?” she countered. “Nobody really knows what the gods even do with their pretty young volunteers. I would rather stay on Earth, thank you very much. And why do you even care?” She didn’t hesitate to glare at him, though part of her cautioned against antagonizing him too much, since he clearly had power.
“Prestige? Honor? A chance to do your religious duty?” he stammered, confusion plain on his face.
“I pray at the Temple on all the Holy Days. As far as I’m concerned, that’s enough religious duty for me. Look, Mr. Whatever-Your-Name-Is, I’m trying to read. Since school is canceled during Selection Day, I thought I would get ahead.” Willa reached for her book again. She stopped when something occurred to her. Narrowing her eyes, she said, “How do you even know I was selected?”
Willa knew the names of the people selected in the first part of the lottery weren’t revealed, except to the chosen ones themselves. Then, those who were picked showed up at Selection Day for the second round. This was done to avoid pressuring those selected into volunteering if they didn’t want to do it. So how could this annoying boy know anything?
He avoided her eyes. “I -- know things,” he said.
“Evidently,” Willa muttered. “But how? Are you a priest’s kid or something? Visiting for our Selection Day to watch the ‘lucky’ sixteen year olds go on to parts unknown? Your parents tell you my name and face?”
The boy leaned against the tree. He said, “I am not a priest’s kid. There are -- other ways of knowing.”
She wanted to throttle him because he made no sense. “If you won’t explain yourself, at least give me your name,” she grumbled.
“You can call me Kai,” he said, offering her a hand to shake. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Willa.”
She shook hands with Kai before quickly letting go. Holding his hand, even for just a moment, let her truly feel just how powerful he was. Willa couldn’t help shivering -- people never felt like that.
“I find it incredibly creepy that you know my name,” she muttered. Willa looked right into Kai’s odd eyes. “That’s a misuse of whatever power you have -- a violation of privacy, you know.”
Kai startled at that, his eyes growing wide. “You -- you can tell I have power?” he stammered.
“Yeah,” Willa said. “It’s a special ability of mine -- detecting other people’s power levels. And yours are more than I’ve ever seen in a human.” She barely kept herself from asking Kai if he was human, figuring that would be unwise.
“I see,” Kai murmured. “You’re blessed by the gods yet don’t want to give back.” He shook his head.
“I am not giving up my life for an ability I never even asked for,” she muttered. She grabbed her book, stuffed it in her bag and stood up. “Now, unless you have something important to tell me, I’m going to go somewhere I won’t be bothered.”
Kai bristled -- Willa could easily see the tension in his body. She furrowed her brow, wondering what the boy’s problem was -- did he come from some extremely devout family and thus take personal offense at her disdain for Selection Day?
“You -- you could have any luxury you wanted, provided you’re willing to give yourself, and you -- you think so little of my people’s offer. I know which lottery winners would have been chosen in the second round -- you would have been one of them. Yet you say no,” he huffed, his eyes flashing.
Kai’s eyes reminded Willa of lightning about to strike. She should have been more afraid, but, instead, she focused on what he had said -- his people’s offer? That -- there wasn’t any way. Willa leaned against the tree. The possibility of Kai’s origins made her feel like she was spinning out of control. She felt she might fall off the Earth if she didn’t have the tree to support her.
“You’re a god, aren’t you?” she breathed.
Willa expected him to deny it, but Kai nodded. Her heart stopped in surprise, and she gasped -- how could that be possible? It was simply too much, but it was true. She could tell he wasn’t lying.
That left one question -- why was Kai here and what did he want with her? Did Willa even want to know? She thought he might have simply been curious about her, but she didn’t ask him. Something told her engaging him in further conversation would just invite trouble, so Willa simply walked away, hoping Kai wouldn’t follow her.