Jake:

I am in church... yet again. My parents can't stop me from going, they just drag me along every time. I still never pay attention, and I never wear my Sunday best.

I huff and sigh as I stare out the stain glass window that's full of doves, frozen doves with ivory in their beaks, flying across the sky. They look so free but so chained down at the same time.

I shift my weight in bench and the solid wood creaks under me, everyone looks at me. The hour long meetings are always so quiet, you could almost hear a pin drop. If pins were allowed in this religion. But unfortunately, they are not, or else I would of stabbed myself after the first choir song.

"Harken all ye people and repent this day or the lord will strike his raft upon you." The preacher says at the front of the congregation, he is surrounded by his choir, who just got done singing praises. "It is by the lord's merciful hand that ye are saved from the fire pit that will await you for your sins!"

Blah, blah blah. I sigh and go back to looking at the doves, all the other paintings and glass windows all show people burning in pits. It's a very graphic image and I'm surprise more people don't go to therapy after seeing them.

Gosh, I wish Mason was here. Maybe we could ditch this church all together and go out in the woods and shoot squirrels with rocks and slingshots, then leave their bodies in the woods like waste. But Mason doesn't come to church with me, although he is meeting me after for the....

"Annual church youth dance." The preacher says, this is the only pet I pay attention to. "Will be taking place after this meeting, our young people will gather in the commons area and dance for fun, sinning for the next two hours, then we will join back here for repentance. This is good for our youth to learn the process of repentance---"

I don't pay attention to the rest of the speech. All I want is to dance, dancing is my absolute favorite thing! I have learned all the type, swing, country, line, jazz, hip-hop, you name it, I can do it. I only ever get to dance with others one time every year. Every other time I dance, it's usually by myself in my room, and that's just boring.

Finally after what feels like a forever long prayer, I am released from this living nightmare to go and dance!

I rush from the building as soon as the girl praying says Amen. I book it to the commons area, which is a giant marvel fountain that squire pure cold water into a pool in the center of town. The ground is lined with brown stones cut to perfection to fit with no cracks. For this occasion, it was decorated with lights and balloons, a table set up for snack and drinks, and a giant music player to play actual music instead of choir stuff.

As usual, I am the first one there, ready to dance. I hear the music and beat of Radioactive by: Imagine Dragons hit my eardrums and beat alone with my heart. I hold my breath, this was one of my favorite songs. I feel my foot stop to tap as I casually dance along to the music.

The other teenagers like me start to arrive, they are dressed in their church clothes. I feel out of place but whatever. I don't care. I get to dance, and I'm going to dance!
----------------------------------------------------

Mason:

"Come on class, time for our annual field trip!" My teacher announces as she files us into the ships.

This year we are going to Norsett for their annual dancing festival. We have been studying the planet's traditions and customs for all year, and they are all stupid and pointless. Why do I need to know what they believe in, it's not like I plan on living there anyways.

I glance out the window into the vast space as we travel. The ships are small and packed like a normal school bus, and everyone is decided to scream at the same time as they talk, each conversation louder then the next till you can't even hear yourself think.

The trouble with my school, they keep teaching us the wrong lessons instead of what we actually need to know. I want to learn how to manage a checkbook and do mortgage and learn how to by a house... stuff like that. I don't need to know why and how the Norsett people make paintings of people burning in pits.

I just want to let the stress of school go so then I can stop stressing about what I'm going to do with my life once I become an adult in one year. Its hard enough to think of idea of what to do when school hasn't prepared me for anything.

Nothing matters.... but what if something matters and I'm missing that because I'm dancing in my place instead of throwing myself out there. I sweep over every friend I meet, and blow off every party.

I am not brainless, so why is this concept so painful to me to figure out... it's only because I actually care about what I will do with my life.... and nobody else's does.

That's it... I'm going to find out what I'm missing. The first person I see once I get to Norsett, they will be my best friend.

I will partake in this 'sinful dancing' and then discover for myself if I'm really missing out on anything in life.