We have waited centuries for them, lost countless loved ones, and recited innumerable prayers hoping that we would finally be the generation to be saved. Escorted by Mr. Grayson Edwards, please welcome Miss Zoë Carver.”
Applause rings out so loudly my eardrums vibrate. Ben pulls me up to the door of the ballroom. The room is dark and the spotlight shines so brightly in my eyes that I can't see anything inside of the room. Breathing feels like a chore. I worry I might faint as I feel my stomach do a flip. The emcee continues, “and escorted by my son, Mr. Bennett Reynolds, please welcome Miss Emma Owens.”
The applause wash over me, roaring in my ears. Blood rushes through my body as my heart thumps wildly in my chest. My hearing is muffled and my skin tingles. Everyone rises to their feet. My pulse thrums riotously in my arm, squeezed tightly in between Ben's elbow and rib cage. He puts his other hand over my fingers that are digging into his flesh. “It’s ok. Just hold on to me. I won’t let you fall.”
We walk directly down the center of the room. I hear Dr. Milton’s words in my head. Try to look grateful. I smile at the crowd and shamelessly lift my free arm for a quick wave. Cheers ring out from around the room and my breath catches. I feel slightly empowered, yet incredibly awkward and embarrassed all at once.
The spotlight isn’t directly in my eyes anymore. I suddenly notice that Ben has led me to a small stage at the front of the room.
“There are a few steps we have to climb up to get to the podium.”
The podium? I guess we are jumping right in to my speech. He goes first, holding one hand while I lift the front of my dress with the other to avoid stepping on it.
“You give your speech and then we eat. Easy enough, right?”
I take a deep breath and nod. “Yeah, piece of cake.”
He leads me over to the woman who introduced everyone. “Emma, this is my mom, Dr. Vivian Reynolds.”
She is just as classically attractive as Ben is. The only difference between them, aside from her shorter stature, is the lighter brown shade of her hair. I reach out to shake her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Emma. I hope my son is taking good care of you this evening.”
“Yeah, he’s been great. I probably would have tripped on my dress if it weren’t for him.”
She smiles brightly and laughs. “Are you ready to give your speech?”
“I guess now is as good a time as any.”
She walks back over to the microphone. “Please be seated, everyone.”
I haven’t written anything down, but I know what I want to say. I take a few slow deep breaths to center myself while Dr. Reynolds introduces me. I don’t hear anything that she says until she turns back to me and calls my name.
I walk to the microphone and thank Dr. Reynolds for the introduction. The lights have come up slightly, allowing me to get a better look at the audience.
The ballroom is filled with round dinner tables. Each seat is occupied by a member of the colony, all of them exquisitely dressed for the black tie event. Their faces are happy and calm, filled with hope. After a few seconds, the applause die down and silence falls over the room. People shuffle in their seats and glasses clink against dishes in the distance.
“Two days ago, I was just an ordinary high school senior. I didn’t pay attention much in class, my thoughts often wandered to the life I kept hidden from the world. I didn’t know any of you existed and I definitely did not know that you were all here waiting for me. I didn’t know the history of dreamwalking. I didn’t know there were people worldwide who could do what I did…”
I pause and drop my gaze to my fidgeting hands. “I also didn’t know that my mother disappeared the day I was born, and that the woman who raised me was really a complete stranger.”
Sounds of sympathy from around the room ring in my ear. “I didn’t know that the young girl I was encountering in my walks and seeing over and over again on television was my sister. My heart went out to her parents as they begged for help. I, in turn, begged my dad to let me help her. I put the pieces of