“They get more attention with negativity.” I stated flatly staring emotionless at the screen 50 feet ahead of me. On the screen was an old film from the late 20’s. People at that time enjoyed watching dramatized versions of people’s lives filled with arguments and lots of crying. I think they might have been called reality shows. In today’s society—over 100 years later—those kinds of shows are only used as education to show how far we have come as a society. Today was the last of those videos I would have to watch. It was the day that could change my whole life. I was surrounded on all sides by a sea of people, all dressed in their old grey coveralls that they had been wearing for years. Today was the day they elected the new leader. Every year they would take the graduating class and pick out of them one person who would join the Order of Valien—a group of people who made decisions for the people in Valleyville. The Vale were appointed for life, and there was a representative from every age group in Valleyville.

The TV flickered as the screen changed to a broadcast from the Vale—one of the rare times they were seen by the public. They lived in a large brick mansion in the center of town called The Shophouse. It was surrounded by tall metal towers that overlooked the surrounding town. “People of Valleyville” a deep voice bellowed from the speaker “Today marks a crucial step in your life” The humming of quiet conversation was instantly halted, replaced by the sound of shoes scuffing on the floor as everyone turned to face the television. “The person who will join us in The Shophouse will be…”

I felt my hand start to shake and a weight hit my shoulders, as if to push me to the ground. My head filled with thoughts. What would life be like if I became one of them ? What would my life be like after today? What kind of… “Penny” a voice whispered interrupting my thought “Pstt…Penny? Hello?” the voice repeated. “Sorry” I whispered apologetically “what did I miss?” I turned slightly to look at George. George had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. “Just their speech about how much of an honor it is to be picked,” George muttered. “This is the most important job ever.” I said, mimicking the voice on the TV. The booming voice started speaking again, ending our conversation “ The person from this year’s graduating class that has been selected is” The voice paused, clearly trying to create suspense. “Penelope rosewood” I stood motionless trying to wrap my head around the situation. That was my name.

Before I could think any more about what was going on I was dragged up in front of everyone and handed a milky white robe adorned with lace and gold leaf. I was ushered away from the crowd, toward a black car parked just outside the square. I couldn’t even buckle the seatbelt before the car tore out of the parking lot. The windows were blacked out so I could not see where we were headed. I assumed we were headed to The Shophouse, but after a series of twists and turns I felt the road underneath us turn to gravel. Where were we going? There were no gravel roads in Valleyville, they had all been paved by order of the Vale last year. My dad was a city worker and had been on the crew assigned to that. After what felt like hours of driving we turned one last time and came to a stop. The door opened and the sunlight hit me like a punch, blinding me with its glaring rays. Once I could finally see I stepped out of the car. We were parked on a dirt road surrounded by endless fields of flowers of all different colors. There were no buildings as far as the eye could see. “Where are we?” I asked, turning to face the car. It was gone, the car was gone. In its place was a letter. I picked it up and examined the gold seal that held it closed. I had seen this seal before, it was the seal of the Vale, a skyscraper wrapped in vines with a large crown on top. But it wasn’t exactly, this seal also had writing on it “Break the Vale”.