Chapter 1
Third Point of View
“HAVE YOU EVER FELL IN LOVE? For the last eight years, every class I had, that is the question that people often have used to start their story when given an assignment of love but let me ask you this— what is love? What does love mean?”
"Love means—”
Superstition.
Murmurs of students grew as they tried to discuss the definition of a word that is not real. That does not exist. The teacher’s slight grin slanted up as he watches his students fall into a similar pattern— discuss, learn, and adjust. His smile, however, drops as he stares at the girl who keeps her head towards the windows while scribbling onto her art book.
“Ms. Amara Graci,—” he started before another student rose her hand. “Coach J, it’s pronounced Grr-rah-chee, not Gray-cee. Anyways, Amara can’t talk, she’s not normal.”
Amara let out a silent scoff before letting her emotions into a similar grey. Quickly staring up towards the offended teacher, Amara pierces her eyes back onto the windowsill where she continues her drawing of the sunrise, waiting for him to resume his class.
Minutes later, the bell rang signaling the class had ended. Gathering her stuff, Amara takes her time to walk up to the teacher’s desk.
Quietly looking around, Amara quickly mumbles the answer the Coach was looking for: “Love is a superstition until you make it real for yourself.”
Leaving the classroom, she stares back at the shocked teacher, who was wondering how the girl who keeps quiet had figured out his riddle. Giving a hidden smile, she walks towards her next class.
Hours later, classes had officially ended. Amara felt her throat tighten as she walked towards her brother’s car, letting her loose muscles tighten as her brother’s friends stood around the car. Feeling the stares on her back, she silently opened the doors of the black Toyota Mega Cruiser and slammed the door shut.
“Yo, Asher! I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?" Asher smiles before glancing towards his younger sister. Turning back to the group of boys that were gathered around his car, he shook his head, remembering the lustful stares the boys gave to Amara. “Sorry man but my sister comes first.”
The boys groaned before letting go of the feeling, knowing that Asher Graci had officially confirmed his decision. The boys wanted to push further but fought against it, remembering the last time one of their old friends had gone against Asher’s word. Not wanting to end up in the hospital, the group of friends nodded before dispersing, leaving Jack Marcos alone with their leader.
“Alright but you better come to my birthday, okay?” Asher nodded, hinting the conversation as he walked towards the driver’s door. “Bye Ash, bye princess!” Amara, whose window was down, gave a small smile and gathered the courage to wave goodbye to the only friend of her brother she trusts.
Minutes later, the pair drove off onto the crooked road to their grandmother’s house. The car grew quiet as the two siblings took in the sights of the forest grounds they had entered. Amara had kept her eyes shut while mouthing the words of a familiar melancholy song she had hummed when she was younger.
“Mai, you need to stop listening to these depressing songs.” Asher laughed, bobbing his head to the familiar rhythms of 1975. Amara rolled her eyes, letting a smile slip on her face as she watched her goofy brother imitate the beatings of George Daniel.
Laughing along, the pair burst into lyrics as heads were bobbed and the shrieking laughs of love were passed around. Reaching towards the end of the road, the car stopped and smiles slowly dispersed from their faces. A hard glare grew on Asher’s face as an unknown figure had jumped in front of the pair’s car.
“You. You are an Everdeen?” The unfamiliar voice spoke, letting his knife scratch the car a tad bit as his eyes shrunk with hatred. Asher’s face grew grey as he immediately pulled up the windows, nearly missing the tips of the mystery man’s hand. “You, vile Everdeens, never seem to die, do you?”
Amara’s breath caught in her throat as her window was shattered from the outside and the door immediately opened up. Shrieking, Asher screamed and begged for mercy as he tried to save his younger sister.
“No! DON’T HURT HER!” He screamed, watching Amara’s eyes grow with teary fear as the knife started tickling her right collarbone. As Asher yelled, Amara’s breathing began to quicken as her eyes grew blurry before turning faint. Watching his sister fall into the arms of an unknown man, Asher gathered up his strength before starting to race towards the man who carried his sister. Jayden, one of the two men, froze as a familiar birthmark had peeked behind Amara’s left ear.
Seeing the sight, he quickly ordered Samuel to dose Asher with anesthesia as Jayden swept down to cradle the girl who he had been looking for.
After nearly sixteen years, Jayden Mori had finally found his sister’s children, the children he swore to protect with his life.
However, the only thing he feared was if the rumor of the youngest child was true. Only time can tell if Amara Graci Everdeen Mori was the first and only Chosen One.
Authoria Darius Kailanina Owned
