Too young To Resist

Isabella

It was a louder morning bell than usual.

It roared through the house today, rattling off the walls and almost toppling my breakfast utensils as it came from the street.

Fortunately, I wasn't in bed, where I would have woken up to such a miserable sound, but I was up early. I detested it.

Marie wouldn't let me act viciously, even if I wasn't. However, I did tend to become grumpy in the morning when I was especially exhausted.

Even though I was exhausted, I was unable to fall asleep. In addition to being the last day of classes, today was also the day for making decisions.

I was giddy with anticipation and anxiety. It got so awful that I almost forgot to kiss Michael and Marie on the cheek before leaving for the school route.

Behind a bigger group of pupils making their way to the school, I strolled by myself. In moments like these, it was always preferable to remain unseen. particularly in the presence of girls like Beatrice.

She was laughing with the girls around her as she walked ahead of me today-girls who used to be my old friends.

However, that was before anything. Before Daniel was exiled and before I rose to the top of Father Lucas's hierarchy.

I anticipated that jealousy would be the cause of the initial taunting and suffering. However, as word of Daniel's actions spread, she was able to fully exclude me from their sisterhood.

However, the taunting had begun much earlier, when we were all carefree kids. She had convinced everyone in the first grade to refer to me as Grams. Before learning what it stood for-grams of fat-I was okay with it. The term had stuck with my classmates, so I sobbed for days and refused to go to school.

And as we were all playing in the field during break, Daniel, the cruel sixth grader, did something horrible. He had gathered a pail of horse poop that had been lying around for days.

We all watched in horror as the excrement sprayed all over Beatrice's face and into her mouth when he tossed the bucket at her, but he didn't stop there. In front of the entire school, he had gone on to refer to her as Waste Face.

When I asked him why he would act so cruelly, all he responded was that I could now go to school in peace because others were too preoccupied with calling her Waste Face to refer to me as Grams of Fat.

Beatrice's condition only worsened when Daniel fled. However, I reasoned that she would now have cause to despise me.

Daniels was assigned to her sister, after all. She was made fun of since she was unable to do her duty after he fled. She was set aside when all the other recent graduates were getting pregnant for The Colony's future.

That was almost five years ago, yet my heart ached for her. She had no cause to be resentful of me. I was not involved in any of it.

Ella, my closest friend, tells me not to pay attention to her, so I attempted to ignore her, claiming that she is simply envious of the attention I receive from Father Lucas. But I'm still bothered by it.

I had no say in the situation. She shouldn't hold me responsible for other people's decisions because I never requested his love and attention.

At that moment, I heard footsteps making contact with the dirt walk. I observe Ella's delicate frame fall into step with me as I look to my left. As we exchange a covert glance, she gives me a little, knowing smile that grows into a full-fledged grin upon seeing my smile.

"Excited for the last day of school?" I joke.

A few classmates notice when my closest friend snorts loudly and rolls her eyes. "If by last day of school you mean the day Father Lucas lets us know what Colleges he's approved for us, then yes."

I adored Ella, but she constantly struggled to control her tone, and at the moment, the students around us were glaring at us because of her loud voice.

I stammer an apology, trying to hide the flush that comes from thinking about all the unwelcome negative attention. I was aware of their thoughts.

Students at The Colony rarely have the opportunity to continue their education past the twelfth grade.

Father Lucas had only ever accepted a small number of pupils to continue their education and attend college, even though we were all obliged to apply; the others remained in the village and carried out their civic responsibilities.

tasks involving labor and/or replication.

However, he had taken on three pupils this year. Among them were Ella and me. Dillan, my assigned, is the third.

"Do you think you got into your top choices?" asks Ella.

Anxiously, I bite my lower lip. If I didn't get into one of the New York City schools, I'm not sure what I would do. I had to be in New York City. "I hope so."

Ella grins and puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I know how hard you have been working and praying. Father Lucas will see that and accept you into either NYU or Columbia. Don't worry."

This was the plan for as long as I can remember, so perhaps she is correct.