CHAPTER FOUR
LOUD KNOCKING JOLTED ME AWAKE. DROOL COVERED MY PILLOW, sticking my nest of tangled curls to my face.
I had never been late for my shift. One night in the clouds, and I had overslept, fully dressed in my gown.
There had been none of my usual dreams or restlessness—despite everything I had learned and experienced.
“Emeline,” Lo called.
“Coming.” I shot up only to trip on the golden fabric.
Cursing the gown, I ripped it off, tossing it unceremoniously onto my bed before pulling on my usual gray attire, mundane in comparison.
I scanned my wrist quickly and opened the door.
Lo pushed her way in as the automated voice we were all forced to listen to every day began its usual report about the information the Illum’s system had gleaned from my MIND scans.
“What happened?” Lo greeted me, holding two steaming cups. She stared at the discarded gown before glancing back at me, her fear obvious. “You weren’t down there with everyone for the Pod. I got worried. I thought something had gone wrong.”
“I just overslept.” The rising sun painted my white walls in my solitary living quarters with soft pinks and yellows.
I made my way to the bathroom mirror, revealing smeared makeup and a knotted mess of hair.
Somehow, I had dined with an Illum last night.
I turned on the water and began washing my face.
The rest of dinner had proceeded with minimal embarrassing moments.
We sat in poignant silence after Collin’s warning.
I ate every bite of my dinner, practicing restraint in not licking the leftover sauce off the plate.
Collin’s eyes flickered between my plate and mouth like he half expected me to.
The server had swept in once again, saving me.
He brought us tea, a bitter concoction, and a small piece of something Collin informed me was chocolate cake.
“Before you take a bite, I am going to warn you,” Collin had advised. “This is going to make everything else you’ve eaten tonight obsolete.”
“You didn’t have what I had,” I claimed before taking a small bite.
He had been right, so very right. After I devoured the cake, Collin led me back to the entrance and summoned a Pod.
Promising to be in touch soon and thanking me for a memorable evening, he kissed my hand again.
I had almost been able to block out the Elite necks craned in our direction.
Only when the Pod doors shut had I breathed out my relief. I had survived. Now I had to wait to see whether the contract would come through.
I toweled off my face. My matching brown eyes captured my attention. I didn’t know how long the lens would stay, but I had no intention of removing it. I attempted to tame my hair just as the automated voice finished her report.
Procreation Contract pending.
Even with Collin’s assurance he would reach out, I half expected to be informed I had been rejected. I had been brash last night, spoken out against the Illum to one of its members.
“Come here,” Lo said, taking the brush from me and gently working through my curls.
“What are you doing here? You’ll get in trouble for being late,” I said.
“Doubtful. I don’t have a Mate. They don’t watch the Mateless like they now watch you.
There are too many of us to monitor all the time.
” She began braiding my hair. I didn’t know if I bought her theory, but she might have a point.
We didn’t know the extent of the Illum’s technology, but to track everyone all the time would be difficult.
However, I knew from experience what happened to those who stepped out of line.
“Still, you have your yearly soon,” I reminded her.
She tied the ends of my hair. “I’m aware. If we grab your stuff and run, we can catch the last Pod. We’ll barely be late.” She spun me. “Let’s—” She stopped, her blue eyes wide. “Your eyes! What did they do? Is it permanent?”
“They put a lens device to cover it.” The lens itched as I said it.
“I have so many questions,” she said as the black box that delivered my nutrients dinged. I had no appetite for the mush after last night. She peered out the window. “Pod’s here. Grab your stuff.”
I grabbed my bag and followed Lo. My eyes snagged on the golden heap on my bed and the wrongness of it in the sterile white room—as out of place as I felt last night seated before Collin. I shook off my insecurities and chased after her.
Minutes later, we zipped through the city alone in our Pod. The buildings shifted from squat rudimentary brick complexes to soaring glass skyscrapers as we entered High Town. The Archives were housed beneath the tallest one.
The megastructure had columns of shiny metal and glass weaving together in a dance that threatened to touch the sun at its tip.
The base, where we entered, was impossibly wide, metal pillars piercing the ground connected by sweeping arches with towering doors.
I always felt they resembled the trees in old art pieces I had cataloged.
There was an unyielding beauty to them. There were six others, slightly smaller yet otherwise identical to our building.
“Here,” Lo said, handing me a cup. “It’s a stimulant drink—the Majors drink it for energy.”
The aroma was a heady mix. “How do you have a drink that’s for Majors?”
“You remember Becca? The Minor with dark hair who was rejected four moons ago and cast down to blue?”
I nodded; I didn’t know her really, but I had heard the story from Lo. I took a small sip and shuddered against the bitterness.
“I saw her near the river last moon. I had hoped she could tell me what she did wrong. So I could, we could, you know—not end up like her.”
“Why was she out in public?”
Majors weren’t supposed to be seen. Their work was completed during curfew for the rest of us.
“She said she missed fresh air. Please don’t lecture me; I know I could get in trouble.
” Lo sighed as my brows shot up. We weren’t permitted to talk to anyone outside the Minor population, but I was in no position to remind Lo of that after meeting Hal.
“I just don’t want to end up like her,” she continued.
“I don’t want us to end up in blue. Anyway, she was drinking one of these.
She gave me the rest of it. It gives you so much energy.
Now I’ve been sort of seeking her out for them.
She’s there every morning following her shift.
I went looking for her when you didn’t show up.
Thought she might know if you ended up there. ”
“You thought I’d mess up?”
Lo threw me a reproachful look. “I didn’t think you’d mess up. I know you, though. You don’t like the way things are. You get upset easily.”
She was right. I had done exactly that—not only with the Starlings but with the youngest member of the Illum.
“Did Becca give you any information?” I asked, shying away from the accuracy.
“Oh, no.” Lo downed the rest of her drink. “She told me they aren’t permitted to talk about it or Low Town or they’re eliminated. Enough about that. Tell me about last night. What happened? How did you do?”
Sapphire eyes flashed before me. I bit my lip, thinking of how Collin had watched me all night.
He had been so accepting. Taking a deep breath, I told Lo everything: about the Starlings—“They sound creepy”—to the dress I wore—“Was that what was on your bed?”—and finally, the dinner.
I explained the Garden, the food, and the décor.
“And?” Lo probed as the Pod came to a stop. Lo grabbed my cup, downing the rest without a word before shoving my cup and hers into her bag.
“And what?” I asked, following her off the Pod.
“Your proposed Mate,” Lo exclaimed. “You haven’t mentioned him once!”
My cheeks flushed. “He was . . . very nice.” I tilted my head toward the sun’s warmth.
“Very nice! Oh, come on, Emeline! Tell me more than that,” Lo demanded, pulling me toward the building.
We entered the large glass doors, and the chandeliers and their beauty normally dazzled me. But now they were lackluster compared to Collin.
We scanned into the elevator, and as it descended, I admitted, “He didn’t treat me like I was below him.”
“Did he say anything about your defect? Was he pleased with your behavior? Did he say anything about the way you looked?”
“He didn’t say anything about my defect, but it was covered,” I said as the door opened to her floor. “He seemed fine with my behavior, I think.”
Lo stepped into the hall, identical to mine. “I’m happy for you, Emeline,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks. He’s not an Elite.” My heart pounded. The one thing I was afraid to say out loud. The door began to close. “He’s a member of the Illum,” I spat out.
Lo’s jaw dropped, her utter shock following me down.
Yesterday morning, my life had been consistent, predictable.
Now I had a proposed Mate who accepted my status.
Who had already offered me a contract. Lo was talking to a Major Defect in her attempt to be approved.
A different Major Defect drifted back to me.
The moment the Pod sent me to the clouds I had pushed away the encounter with Hal completely.
In the dark, beneath the surface, the mysterious man in blue returned to my mind.
I opened the door to my office, ignoring the dings from my Comm Device as Lo bombarded me with questions.
An ostentatious display of flowers ate up half of my desk, the delicate perfumes engulfing me.
As if Collin had gathered the very essence of the Garden and deposited it here just like I had imagined doing last night.
My desk had been moved, now centered in the room, facing the wall to the left of the door directly below the hanging light.
“Ah, there you are.”
Sitting in my chair, his feet crossed on my desk, looking entirely at home, was Hal.
He lazily flipped a small notecard between his fingers. “Good morning, or should I say afternoon? For me, it’s almost the middle of the night. Nocturnal life.”