Chapter IX - Part II

Read Chapter IX - Part I HERE

Samuel walked away from the lake clutching the letter in his hand. He had hoped to stay invisible, even forgotten when it came to the contents of this message. He didn't go home because he knew his mother would be waiting there. She must have told the dark-skinned guard where to find him. So he rested his back against the cold stone wall and ripped the envelope open. His eyes slid over the contents focusing only on one sentence.

"Your application has been accepted," he read out loud. It was hard to describe what he was feeling at that exact moment. There were sadness, anger, and disappointment. He wanted to crumple the letter and throw it into the lake but it wouldn't have changed anything. He would have to leave Sencor and his family. His life would change forever. And he didn't even ask for it.

He hid the letter in his pocket and walked towards the gate. Sometimes he liked to walk around the city and observe the people and their behavior. Since it was still early, the streets were quite empty, with the exception of young mothers and their babies. They were the only ones allowed rest from their work. If prisoners got too sick, they were usually executed. As were the ones just refusing to carry their sentence. Samuel often wondered what would have his childhood been like if he had grown up as a prisoner in Sencor. Would he still love art and literature?

His feet led him to the A sector. Close enough to see his home, yet far enough to remain unnoticed. The red-haired woman he had seen in the morning was standing in front of a house again. She seemed around ten years older than him but she was still beautiful. She didn't seem to be worried or afraid of the passing guards although there was no baby in sight. Samuel hesitated. He didn't want any trouble for the woman but it was his duty to keep everything and everyone under control.

"Why aren't you by the lake?" His guard side got the better of him.

The woman pretended to cough. "I'm sick. But I'll go to work tomorrow."

Her arrogance surprised him. I guess you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, he thought.

"You don't look sick to me," Samuel continued.

"That is why I'll be going to work again tomorrow," she answered sneeringly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get some rest."

The woman didn't wait for him to allow anything. She just slammed the door behind her.

Samuel looked into the window by the door and for a second he thought he saw blue locks disappearing to the other room. Just the existence of another room seemed suspicious. Every house had multiple rooms but each family only got one. There shouldn't have been a door leading to another. He wouldn't report them just yet, but he would keep an eye on them for as long as he was in Sencor.

There wasn't really anywhere else to go so he started walking home. Fortunately, his father was still patrolling but his mother was sitting in the kitchen as he had expected. Her legs were crossed and arms resting on her knees. Her face looked hopeful. Samuel put the envelope on the table and shook his head.

"They accepted," he said and took a chair.

Her mothers smile faded. "But you have no experience!"

"Maybe that's what they're looking for. I don't know."

"Can you refuse it?" she asked knowing the answer.

"Refuse the Emperor?" Samuel shook his head again.

"Have you told father?"

"No. But I guess he'll be thrilled. His own son training to become one of The Night Ravens. What an honor!" Samuel tried to imitate his father unsuccessfully. Most of the guards would have been glad to see their children becoming a part of the Emperor's personal guards. Even most of the children would have been happy, with the exception of Samuel. He had secretly hoped to become an artist like his mother had been once.

Mother wiped away a tear. There had been a lot of crying for her that day. Samuel dragged his chair closer and took her hand.

"They aren't expecting me until a week or two. Let's just enjoy the time we've got. I can skip guard duty and spend more time at home," Samuel offered, trying to set his own emotions behind. Mother forced a smile but the coming weeks would be hard for her.

Samuel decided he would use his week or two for good purpose. He didn't want to go leaving behind regrets. He would find the blue-haired girl and he knew exactly where to start.