The Assignment

First chapter in my book called "The People of the Core".

My civilization is called the Geoplakes. I've read before that we are descended from fairies that dug deep into the Earth to escape a terrible frost. My queen, Queen Spessartite Garnet, and King Ammolite were banished from the human world. We call it the Surface World, because we live so deep underground. We live right beside a big ball of flame, which I believe, is the core; no one will believe what I say, though. Regardless, it was then, that the two royals decided that they couldn't get along together and split the men from the women. All women born stayed here on this side and all men born were moved to that other side. Since we can live for a long period of time, we don't need to reproduce very often. The last reproduction day was almost 17 years ago.

Today, I, Mariangella Malak, was called to visit my queen. Queen Garnet looks like she’s about thirty, but really she’s like 300 or something or maybe she’s even older. I’ve only ever heard the rumors; I’ve never actually had the guts to ask her. Like all the others down here, she has long and curly blonde hair with bright eyes of many colors. I hear her eyes color changes with her mood. Isn’t that cool? I don’t look anything like her or the other women down here. I have long, straight, black hair with emerald colored eyes. I don’t know why I look different; I mean, we all should have the same genes, right?

Humans look at us and think that we're human just like them, but we aren't. You can tell we aren't human because under our right ear you will find a pattern of some sort. It's different for each of us. The pattern trails from our ear down our necks and stops at our right shoulder. We receive these patterns when we become an adult at the age 16. I attained my pattern almost a year ago. My pattern looks like a cluster of circles within circles. I've been told that these patterns glow different colors when we use "powers" we supposedly possess. I haven't seen any evidence of power possession from anyone down here. Maybe our power has something to do with the surface world.

 

Anyways, I have recently been training to become one of Queen Garnet's top spies. I thought I was going to be given an assignment where I could spy on that guy the menfolk on the other side call King. Yeah right. This is basically how I was sent to spy on the world where this thing called a sun supposedly shines.

 

I entered the throne room.

 

“You wanted to see me, my queen?” I asked as I bowed.

 

“Yes, I have a very special assignment for you, Mariangella.” She said in kind of a grandmotherly voice. Then she dismissed everyone in the room--except me--and continued speaking. “I want you to go up to the surface and see what it’s like up there. Bring me back a full report. I want to know if it’s safe for us to interact with the humans again.”

 

I brushed my black hair out of my eyes. “You want me to go up there? Isn’t that against the law? What if I get caught by someone from the other side?” I refused to acknowledge that side for anything other than what they are: Animals. 

 

She smiled at me and said, “Oh child, don’t you think I’ve thought about this already. You won’t be going alone. I’ve spoken with that thing that they call a king over there and he has agreed to send one of his top spies as well. You two will be going together.”

I was completely dumbfounded. Since when do the two sides of our  work together? They hate each other, don’t they? I wondered why they suddenly changed their minds. When I asked her of this, she just laughed at me and told me to go pack my bags.

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I was busy packing my things when I heard a knock on my door. Before I could say, “Come in,” my friend Juniper was shutting the door behind her. Juniper was blonde, too. She had bright blue eyes. Her pattern looked like diamonds within diamonds. Her pattern stopped at he neck which was weird because all other patterns stopped at the shoulder. The only other thing different about her was a scar down her left cheek from an accident when we were young. I thought it made her look grown up and beautiful. She thought it was the ugliest thing ever. 

 

She looked at me with those bright blue eyes of hers and said, “Where do you think you’re going, Esmeralda?” People down here call me Esmeralda because of my emerald green eyes. I’ve been told that Esmeralda means emerald.

 

“I’ve been given a secret assignment by the queen and was told to pack right away.” I said curtly, hoping she would ask where I’m going and who or what I’m going to spy on. I don’t think I could stop myself from telling her.

 

“Wow, the queen gave you an assignment? Of all the women down here she could’ve chosen from, she chose you?” she said quite bewildered. That made me a little upset. My friend was basically saying that I wasn’t good enough for this assignment. She didn’t even know what the assignment was. She has some nerve sometimes.

 

“Yes. Me. Deal with it.” I said as I finished packing my things.

 

Juniper got closer to me to apologize and hugs me. I accepted both, happy that she realized her mistake this time before I had to tell her. She has a habit of running her mouth and getting in trouble for it.

 

Suddenly there was another knock on my door, and when I answered it and realized that it was time for me to go.

Author's Note

Please review!

Reviews

[Romeana]

A noticeable improvement! :D Wonderful, you have given this chapter more fullness. What was at first a canvas with only a vague outline has become the promising beginnings of a colorful work of art. Many authors will revise a work many, many, MANY times. If you decide to revise this again, it can only be improved. I don’t know if you ever read any of Tolkien’s books, but he spends many paragraphs just describing a FOREST. (Pure madness if you ask me.) Creating a world that people can truly envision is hard work. I'm glad you spent a little time building your setting and history. You did great! Keep it up!
-Romeana