Ch;1
>I walk briskly down the hall, following orders, head straight ahead, listening for any sign of him. My grey robe drags along the ground behind me, slowing me down slightly, I hate this thing. I round the corner, eyes trying to focus on anything in the rooms that speed by, ears listening for any sign behind the closed doors. I take the stairs two at time, trying not to fall as my robe catches beneath my feet. I hear a the sound of shower at the end of the hall, my pace speeds up as I go for the door. I knock loudly, trying to beat the sound of the running shower, I hear it turn off and someone approach the door. The doorknob turns and there He is. “Mr. Volkovna, the Lord wants to see you now,” I say quickly before lowering my eyes as a sign of respect. I assume he smiles or at least nods before walking past me, only a towel. “Sir, you might need to change,” I mutter, I do try not sound disrespectful. “Oh, right” he answers before turning quickly back into his room.
>I wait outside, my mind wandering slightly, I remember the trip to this place, it was a cold day, I had been awake for 36 hours when I got the call, an hour later I was in transit, on my way to Сім. The nine hour drive was good, I got to sleep a bit, the scenery was nice too, a pity we didn’t stop to get a better look. The thing I remember most about that day was the fire, the charred remains of the forests on the outskirts of Сім, I can remember the smell of burning sap and leaves.
“Where is the Lord?” I hear Him ask.
“In the Grand Hall,” I respond, following Him down the hall towards the stairs, He walks fast and it’s hard for me to keep up, but I try my best. We rush through the main foyer, past a small girl sitting in the lush green arm chair, she must be the daughter of one of the other Lords. We walk through the main doors that lead into the waiting area, I stop here. Secretaries aren’t allowed past here, ever. I watch Him go into the Grand Hall, he looks back at me and smiles. I take seat on the lounge by the door, waiting, as you would do in a waiting room.
>Сім is a big city, the Seventh and most power city of the Neo Order. It’s where Kiev used to be, before it was destroyed in the war. I’m too young to remember how I used to be, but from what I learnt in school, it seemed like the world was a terrible place, full of crime and hate, corrupt presidencies and bureaucrats, where children died from starvation and women were raped. It was terrible place, that’s what they used to tell us, over and over again; even made us write it when we asked about it too much.
>Schooling was short, 9 years and then we were sorted into our professions. Serfs, Lords, Ladies, Delegates, Secretaries, B-guards or Soldiers. Serf was the worst you could get picked for, only those with an E.I.R below 130I were Serfs, B-guards were above 130E but below 150I. Lords and Ladies were above 250E, but under 200I, Secretaries had to have above 250I, they didn’t care about E. And Delegates were the hardest to get into, 250I, 300E. I had 300I but a low E rating, so I was assigned to be a Secretary. I’ve worked in all the cities, always in the Manors, never in the Parlisions, though.
>The door opened and the Lord stepped out, followed by his B-Guard. “Mikhail, follow me,” he said, looking me directly in the eye, that never happens, ever. I stood up, quietly and walked into the room, I stood to the side, not wanting to venture too far in. I see Him sitting in the chair closest to me. I notice the Lord beckoning me towards the head of the table. As I walk past Him, He hands me a piece of paper; I look at him, briefly confused, but hid the note. I don’t know why I didn’t tear it up, notes are illegal, but maybe I wanted something to happen, something that isn’t restricted by them. I walk slowly towards the head of the table, as I do, people begin to leave, one by one they exit the room, leaving behind a sense of foreboding that gives me a bad feeling. As I reach the Lord, everyone is gone, even his B-Guard. I keep my eyes on the floor, too frightened to look up.
“Mikhail, my boy, sit” His voice is stern yet kind, I do as instructed, placing myself on the chair next to him. I can smell the dinner that was just served here, pasta, the Cook’s specialty.
“You’re a dedicated boy, one who under-credited for his silent achievements. I would like to reward you, by adopting you into my family,”
My stomach drops, this has never been done before, or at least I haven’t heard of it being done before.
“It would be an honor,” I whisper, the lump in my throat preventing me from speaking anymore.
>The paper work was drawn up, and signed in an hour. I’m now part of the family. I am now a Lord-to-be. I exit the Grand Hall, walk through the waiting room and into the Lobby, the girl is still in her seat, even though the Lords have left.
“Have you read the note?” she asks, her eyes are swelling with knowledge, she knows a lot, that’s for sure. I just shake my head and walk away. As soon as I round the corner I open the note. It reads: Meet in my room at 03.90. The writing is elegant and perfect, like it was typed out instead of written.
evin;