Landon(4)

 

 

 

 

Walking back from the kitchen Landon cannot help but feel great about what had happened. He had met a girl from another colony. He had fallen in love and felt the connection that so few were lucky to feel. He could feel her now too, even though she was so far away. How far away, though, he doesn’t know. Not really looking where he is going, he walks straight into Evergreen, a girl he has known all of his life.

He looks up at her, shocked. “Oh, my apologies Evergreen,” he says, stepping out of the way to let her by. But she stays where she is.

“I’ve been looking for you Landon,” she tells him.

He tilts his head. “Really? What for?” he asks, concerned.

“Yes,” she says. “You see… the matchmakers have decided to pick my match a few years early, on the day I am of twenty-one years. Today.”

“Oh, I am sorry Evergreen. It is quiet sad that you did not have more time to try to find a mate,” he tells her. “But I do not understand. What does this have to do with me?”

Then it dawns on him; why she is telling him about her early match. She doesn’t pick up on the look on his face so she clarifies what he had already figured out.

“They chose you for me,” she says, smiling.

“Oh,” he says in shock. He wonders if there is any way to get out of this. If there is a way that they would let him be with Rayne. Someone foreign to their colony.

“This’ll be great,” she says then hugs him tight. “Do you know how amazing our children will be?”

Children?! With… Evergreen?? No! I just… can’t do this…

He pulls away stiffly. “I…I can’t do this. I’m sorry Evergreen but I… I love someone.”

Her brow furrows in confusion and pain. “What? You love someone? Then why would they pick you for me? When two people love each other then the matchmakers obviously can’t pair them with other people. Who is it? Flower? You two have been spending a lot of time together. Is that why you have been ripping your clothes, hunting? To spend more time with her?” She doesn’t wait for an answer and keeps going on. “I knew it. She talks about you a lot. I thought my sister was just crushing on you. When they chose you for me, I thought we would be able to work our relationship to love…”

Landon cutes her off, “It is not Flower. It is a girl with the name of Rayne. She is a year younger than I,” he tells her.

“Rayne? I have never heard such a strange name. Surely you are mistaken? There is no girl with that name in our colony.”

“Yes, you are correct. There is no girl with that name in OUR colony and no, I am not mistaken. Her name IS Rayne.”

She looks at him, confused, the emphasis of certain words not sinking their meaning in. “I do not understand,” she says, stating the obvious. “If there is no girl in our colony with the name of Rayne, then how could you be in love with a girl of that name?”

Landon sighs impatiently, wishing she would understand. “Rayne is not from our colony. She is from another colony. There are other colonies out there, or at least one. Magnen was right.”

A surprisingly harsh tone comes out with Evergreen’s words. “NO! I will not believe you! There are no other colonies. You and I were chosen for each other, so that is how it will be. You are my match and I am yours!”

He recovers from her outburst and replies in a calm voice. “I understand that we have been chosen for each other but I have chosen someone for myself. The right person. So if you will please excuse me, I must go tell the matchmakers to find you someone else.”

Before waiting for her to say goodbye, he pushes past Evergreen and stomps toward his room. Right before he walks into the wing which holds his room, Magnen steps in front of him.

“Oh, Magnen. Hello,” Landon says.

“Landon, I am sorry to say that I was eavesdropping and that I heard yours and Evergreen’s conversation,” Magnen says, showing embarrassment in his voice.

“Oh,” is all Landon can say.

“We need to talk about this in private,” Magnen tells him, walking to Landon’s bedroom. When inside, Magnen closes the curtain door and looks to Landon.

“So lets talk,” Landon says nervously.

“So, from what I heard, you are in love?” Landon nods. “With a girl named Rayne from another colony?” Another nod. “Hmm. This is definitely new. Are you sure it is love? And not just amazement from beauty or skill?” he asks.

Landon looks surprised by the question. “Yes, I am certain it was love. It was the same connection my mother and father had. I am sure of it. I can still feel her presence with me although at the same time I can feel the distance,” he says.

“Mmm… interesting. What have you learned about her colony?” Magnen asks, intrigued.

“Well she is a hunter; the only female hunter. They maintain a population of around 140 people.”

“My goodness,” Magnen says. “This is most definitely a dilemma I have not heard of in the fifty years that I have been alive!” he exclaims. “I do not know how we are going to work with this… wait! Tell me. How far do you think it is to their colony??”

Landon hesitates but still gives the correct answer. “Close enough to dig a tunnel to.”

 

 

 

Reviews

[daftinklings]

Hmmm...why all the questions? This Magnen person is suspicious.

Anyway, you're writing is a bit abrupt. I mean, he falls in love so suddenly, and then Evergreen gets so angry. I know what you're trying to convey, only, it could deal with more description of what they feel. Also, some typos here and there, and again, you've got a great plot going for you. You could extend it more. I think you've got a greatly detailed world waiting for you to uncover it here.

Just flesh out the characters a bit more and know when to reveal information, and when to withhold it. If this story can go where I think it can go, then you would have created a whole world and culture to play with.