The Reaping

Chapter 6

Cora

I look into his eyes more confused than I think I have ever been. No one has ever said that I am above them. I know my family cares about me but even they have never lifted me above them. Yet I sit here looking into the eyes of the man that leads a whole continent of people and he says that I am greater.

"You look like you don't believe me." He says with a chuckle, and I feel myself begin to relax again. He smiles at me. "Cora I have waited to find someone that I thought I would be able to love. I waited to meet the woman I would fall in love with. I listened to your answer to your questions and I know that you are looking for the same thing. You have never been intimate with anyone and neither have I. I want us to try and make this a real relationship and not just a mating."

I know that I am sitting here with my mouth hanging wide open and look like a total i***t. I take a moment and study this man in front of me. He is beyond handsome and it is obvious that he has a hidden side of him that any woman would kill to have for herself. I decide to voice my concerns and not keep them hidden.

"Why would you want me though? You could honestly get any woman that you want and I'm not just talking about your power. You are beautiful and you have been nothing but nice to me. I am just an average girl who just so happens to have not had sex." The look on his face is like he is trying to figure out how to answer that question.

"To be honest I was not even going to take part in the reaping. I hate the event, to be honest. There are so many things that I want to change, but let me get back on topic. My father talked to me and I thought why not take a look. You were the first one that I looked in on. I listened to your answer questions and I immediately felt a spark there. I just knew that there was a chance that you could be the one. When you said that you wanted your mate to love you and that you would do anything to make that happen, I knew then that I had to have a chance with you." A small blush creeps its way onto his cheek.

"So what do you suggest we do? I mean about mating and all of this." 

"Well have you ever read about dating before in any of the books from before?" I nod my head fast because that is part of what made me want to find love. My grandparents showed me what love is and the books I read made me see that there are many different types of relationships but that love is the most important part of what makes the couple happy.

"I have! Plus my grandparents were together before the illness so they loved each other. They were an amazing example of what love is." A smile lights up his face and I feel myself blush a little at how gorgeous he is when he smiles.

"My parents met at reaping but they fell in love. So since we both have a good idea of what we want, I think that dating would be a good starting point. Now I know we can't exactly go to a lot of places like they use to but I have some ideas that I think would be a lot of fun. So Cora would you do me the honor of letting me have your first date?" I giggle and smile at his playfulness in the way he asked.

"I would love to. And when will this take place?" He smiles again.

"Later this evening. I will be making you dinner and then I thought we could watch the stars come out." I can't help but smile and feel like I have somehow won the biggest prize there is, Thomas.

Thomas gives me a tour of the house and shows me to my room. I have my room until I feel comfortable with sharing. He says that he wants us to be comfortable with each other before we start sharing and I honestly couldn't agree more. Once he shows me around he lives to take care of dinner and I am left to get settled in and acquainted with my room. The room is large with a nice bedroom suit. I place my few belongings away and look at the bookshelf. There is a huge selection of books here and I can't help but smile.

After the illness, very few books or anything printed has been made. What we have is everything from before that was not destroyed in some way. I find myself picking up a book that I have never read and lay back against the headboard and start reading. After a couple of hours, I hear a light knock at the door. I open the door to see a smiling Thomas holding a flower in his hand.

"I am here to pick you up for our date. This is for you." He hands me the flower and I smile up at him.

"Thank you. I have never gotten flowers or even a single flower before. I love it." He smiles and blushes again and holds his arm out for me to take.

Once we are in the dining room I see what a beautiful job he has done by setting the table and even lighting some candles. He pulls my chair out and as soon as I'm seated he brings over a plate with a steak, potato, and broccoli on it. I can't even remember the last time that I have been treated to such a nice meal. We never starved but certain things were rarely available in my village.

"I hope you like it. You look a little shocked. Do you not have steak often?" He asks in a sincerity that leads me to believe that he has no clue that this is not normal for me.

"Thomas, I haven't had beef in probably ten years. It is not available to us. I am very excited to be able to eat it now." I notice the look in his eyes and I can tell that I have upset him. "I'm sorry if I...."

"No!" I flinch back. "No I mean I'm not upset with you. There have been regular shipments of beef and all types of food to all villages for years. You should have had these types of things a lot. We will talk about things like that at another time. I just really want to get to know you tonight." He smiles and I feel myself lighten knowing that I haven't upset him.

"How about this, I once read about a game called twenty questions. The couple in the story did it to help them get to know each other and it seemed kind of fun. We should play that and see if it helps us to get into the swing of conversation." As I say this I see his eyes sparkle with delight. I can tell that he wants to get to know me and it makes me feel even happier.

"Alright, I think that would be perfect. I'll let you go first." His smile is infectious and I can't help but feel myself smiling along with him. As soon as we set foot in this house it was like a whole other man is in front of me. I understand that the stories were just what he said they were. He has a "work" persona and then there is the real him that only his family and I get to see.

"Let's see. Oh, I know. Favorite book?" He laughs and it is one of the best sounds I have heard in a long time.

"I think it would have to be The Passage by Justin Cronin." I look at him a little surprised. Not many I know have read it. I loved it. "The reason is that I love the idea that human beings can overcome any obstacle to make a better world."

"Oh, I agree one hundred percent. That whole series is amazing. People surviving with bloodthirsty monsters around every corner, not to mention the struggles between the people. I have read it several times." I blush a little at the thought of how nerdy I can be at times. He smiles and I know that he has noticed my blush.

"Okay, so it's my turn. Let's see... Oh, favorite color? I know not a real original question, but an important one."

"Blue. I love any shade of blue. I think the sky is what started it. I would always look up at the birds flying and how free they were. I think that somewhere in my head the color blue symbolized freedom." As I finished saying this I saw a wide range of emotions run through his eyes. 

"Did you really feel like you had no freedom?" His voice comes out as almost a whisper. I can see that he is distraught over what I said. My mind kicks in telling me to tread lightly, that he may snap and hurt me. My heart is telling me that he has not done anything to give me the indication that he would ever hurt me, in fact, he had done the opposite. The question is which part of me do I listen to?