I was surrounded by moving figures, all pushing past me and bumping into my shoulder, making me feel like I might fall over. I felt smaller, shorter, and even a bit weaker. Nevertheless, I could feel the tight smile on my lips, which almost hurt. Still, it remained on my face, loud and proud. My arms felt weighed down and heavy; I was carrying a large duffle bag and a backpack that slowed me down. My other hand was occupied with a paper that I kept glancing at.
I was heading somewhere, hastily, with a bit of adrenaline pumping through my body. I felt so weird and different. It felt like this wasn't my body; it was just different. How is it different?
First, I was smaller.
Second, I could actually feel my heartbeat.
Third, I felt confident.
It was a weird but slightly similar emotion. The energy that went through my body made me excited. I didn't even know where I was heading or where I was, so when I stopped by a desk at an entrance, I listened as I began to talk.
"Hello, I'm here for the draft." The joy in my voice made the man behind the desk look up at me.
He shook his head, "you're in the wrong place, kid."
I stared at him, confused, forcing a weary laugh that sounded dry. "I have the form. It's completely filled out. Do you want me to show it to you?"
"Get out of here; you're in the wrong place." The man lifted his hand, not sparing a glance at me. I felt my heartbeat pump with embarrassment, the heat on my face made me shuffle back.
I was about to leave when a figure appeared behind me. "Hey, Vienna, right?" A warm hand came on my shoulder along with the voice.
Both the man at the desk and I turned to face the newcomer. He was tall with an average build, sporting dark brown eyes and chocolate-black hair that was pulled back, with a few strands falling loosely on his forehead. He wore an army uniform, though he had removed his jacket and was wearing a navy green tank top that showcased his physique. He held his coat and hat in his arms and had a warm smile on his face, waiting for my response.
I felt my insides flutter. "Yes. I am here from the draft. I have everything filled out." I handed him the form, watching as his eyes looked up and down while he read it.
He chuckled, looking back up at me. "You're 17?"
"Yes."
"It's pretty uncommon for a youngster to willingly come in as a draft and also being a girl." He handed me my form, walking forward to the desk. I noticed the man sitting and gave him a silent glare. "Nothing suspicious here. Vienna is a drafty, be nice, alright?"
The man grumbled but nodded. "Yes, lieutenant."
He went to type on the computer as I gaped at the man. Lieutenant? My heart fluttered even more; I stared at him in admiration. The lieutenant noticed, chuckling again.
The man finished typing, bending over as something printed. He ripped it out, setting it on top of a uniform he pulled from under the desk. He stood, handing it to me. I had to pull my gaze from the lieutenant to grab it.
The lieutenant placed a hand on my shoulder again, nodding his head forward so I could follow. I complied, quickening my smaller legs to keep up with him.
"I will show you to the corridors if you want. This is where you will be staying as you get used to your schedule."
"My schedule?"
"On the paper," he pointed to the small paper on the folded clothing. I fumbled around, trying to keep up with him. I had it in my hand, reading over it, an understanding forming in my head. "You will be staying in the women's barracks. It is smaller since not many women are a drafty."
"I don't mind." I smiled when I caught up with him. Our steps formed as one when we made our way outside. The sun pierced through my eyes, making me shun away with a flinch.
When they reopened, I was immersed in a new world. Men dressed in the same uniform as the lieutenant were everywhere. Some marched in formation, shouting commands, while others jogged by, yelling the same phrases. They navigated through small cabins that resembled homes but were packed with people. Some carried bags, while others held the same items as I did, entering the cabin homes and joking with one another.
Most looked young like me. They were joking around while the older uniformed men were doing drills on the side. The place was fenced off with large wire fencing. Some outposts built with logs were high on stilts in the corner of the fencing. A few shots rang out, and some people were doing more drills on the other side of me, far away in an open field.
The place was filled with life. Bustling people around who were sweating with work. I couldn't seem to wait to join them.
The lieutenant and I made our way to the end, where the lunchroom seemed to be. Well, it was less of a room and more of a covered area where large tables and counters. There were more of them, but this place was the largest.
But the lieutenant led me to the other side where a small cabin was. It had a sign with words on it at the top; it was the woman's corridor, for drafty's per-say. I walked up before stopping. The footsteps behind me didn't follow.
I turned and met the warm smile of the lieutenant. He noticed the question in my eyes and said, "I won't be going in there right now. I am the lieutenant of the surrounding pod, so I have a lot of tasks to complete. However, I will be seeing you often."
"Well, uhm.. will you still show me around then?"
"Of course," he came a step closer on the steps, giving a small pat on my head. "We can meet up at lunchtime if you want."
"Oh, okay! " My smile returned. It faded when I saw him turn and begin to leave. I tried to maintain professionalism so I didn't seem needy, but I wanted to ask something. I stepped forward before saying loudly, "what's your name?"
He turned, meeting me with a smile. "It's Dawson."
Dawson.
Dawson…
It sounds familiar. Why? I had never seen this man before, and I didn't even know what I was doing.
…
Did I know him?
When I tried to hold onto my beating head, a sloping feeling pulled me awake. Right... I was sleeping. Casper sat in front of me, his tail wagging and a sloppy tongue welcoming me when I opened my eyes. My body felt stiff, though I had a warmth along my skin that made it hard to actually get up.
I rubbed my eyes, mumbling to myself. Maybe it was the sun through the circle window just above the mattress? It had such a strange feeling that the sun was actually there.
That's not how it felt inside the dream. Can I even call it that?
It happened. That's all I know, and I don't think I want to know more. The numbing of a faintly familiar throbbing in my skull made me rub my face harder.
I didn't want to think about it. There was no point in remembering in the first place.
Casper jumped off the mattress and twirled around at the door as if encouraging me to follow him and leave. I managed to get to my feet, wobbling slightly before regaining my balance. I still felt drained, as if I had exhausted all my energy in that dream somehow.
Casper jumped up at me, motioning to the door with his large head. I rubbed his head with a slight smile on my lips. "You're acting like you need to pee or something." Though I don't actually know if they can pee here or anything. If I can sleep, maybe they can urinate?
The questions just keep on coming. I need to stop and let things roll by for a moment, not question everything around me. I need to let things go. Casper seemed to agree with me. When I opened the door, he bolted out while he took me with him. I wasn't ready for the large speed boost, falling over onto my face in a few seconds.
When I sat up to dust myself off, the fall caused some attention to come my way. I ignored them, wiggling to my feet. The pitbull sat still, tongue out and long, looking at me. I huffed, "thanks for the help." The sarcasm was clear in my voice, but Casper ignored me and turned back ahead of us.
He motioned with his head to follow, his wings tucking under one another as he led me on. I didn't know where he was leading me, but I guessed we were leaving out from the large entrance. It did make me feel better knowing that we weren't going to the top, I still didn't exactly enjoy flying like I should.
It made sense though; Casper couldn't fly around here. It made me wonder if he doesn't like being here. Maybe he likes the field more than over here at Angels Cove.
I shook my head aggressively. No, no more questions. Just go with the moment; I can't have a headache, not now. Casper was at the entrance, sitting down away from where the bustling of angels coming in and out of the Cove were. I was next to him, kneeling and stroking his fur, when a familiar shout came from above me.
"EY! You took forever!" It was Rory, they came down in a swoop, their wings beat from the wind. They landed next to me, thumping on the ground as both Bridget and Seth followed after. "Took you long enough."
"What?" I stood up before responding. "What do you mean, how long did I take?"
"Long enough for the new welcoming to start," Bridget responded quietly from the side.
"What? Didn't she have to be shown around and everything? That takes a long time."
"Well, I guess she didn't get the full extent of Wonderland." Seth shook his head.
"That's too bad; if we had been the ones to show her around, she would have seen everything! No stone unturned." Rory crossed their arms.
"You barely helped give Vienna a tour with us." Seth hissed over to them.
Rory gave a shrug, pulling their arms around their body. "It still counts."
"Alright, don't. Unless you both want to argue all the way to the palace." Bridget stepped in between them, placing her hands on their shoulders to distract them.
Her words made me stop, we were going already? How long was I out?
"We are going already?"
Bridget looked over to me, walking over and ignoring the mocking look in Rory's eyes when they stuck their tongue out at Seth. "Yeah, Penny is making her way there. We decided on going whenever you wake up."
"You guys were waiting for me..?"
The pair standing behind the shorter angel looked over, sensing the slight quiver in my voice. Seth stepped forward, with Rory following closely behind. "Why wouldn't we? We are friends, and we do everything together!"
He placed his hand on my shoulder, as if he wanted to do more but restrained himself. Rory, without hesitation, draped their arm around my other shoulder, drawing us both closer together. "All of us are here for you; no matter where you go, you can't get rid of us."
"It goes both ways," Bridget reassured, casting a small glare at Rory's choice of words. She gently rested her hand on my back so we were all touching. "We do things together."
Together, because we are friends.
It felt familiar, as if these promises held a deeper significance. I realized I had someone's life in my hands, just as they had mine. But it wasn't about them; it was about the time when I truly had a life. So, these words—these promises... where had I heard them before?
Before I could register the small pain crawling up, Casper whined from under us. The three released me, Bridget being the one to kneel and give him a scratch. "Including you, of course."
Casper yipped, sitting up and licking the small angel who giggled. Her wings fluffed up at the affection she got, standing back up before the pitbull could try and tackle her. Rory came over to give the pup some attention as Bridget turned to me.
"We can decide if you want to walk there or fly. But we're gonna do whatever you want to do." She smiled brightly, causing a bit of guilt to crawl up my back.
"Well, if Casper is joining, I feel like we should walk there. But you guys are okay to fly and all," Seth nodded from beside me. Rory stood up, their wings bouncing out harshly so they smacked Seth in the face. "-But also, will we be late or miss something if we don't fly?"
Bridget shook her head, hooking her arm with mine as she ignored the two, who got into a tumbling fight just behind her. "It won't matter what time we get there. As long as we show up, I bet the Gate Goddess hopes to see you there." She nudged me, giggling softly at my red face.
"Right, right.." I shook my head, pushing into her as we began to make our way away from Angels Cove. "Don't be using that against me for everything."
She chuckled at my hissed tone. "Alright, but you're just too cute when you're embarrassed."