Chapter Four
January Twenty Four
Juniper
Setting the reusable grocery bags on the counter, June noticed the time was four fifteen, “When is this girls’ community night thing?”
She turned to Brittanya coming in with the last bags.
“It starts at five thirty but we go whenever we are ready.”
Brittanya crumpled the last reusable bag after unpacking it and placed it into the superior bag. June held her pie container while she watched Brittanya put things away. “Do you need help?”
“No,”
she wrinkled her brow at June , “It’s like, five things.”
“Okay,”
She stood awkwardly. “What is this community event girls thing? What do they do at these events?”
“Dinner and it’s an eighteen and older dance event thing at the community center. They play music, dance, socialize, we just like to go together.”
Brittanya closed the fridge, “I think it’s their way of getting singles to meet and populate the island. They love dances, balls and social events.”
“Do you not have a boyfriend?”
June was taken back, Brittanya was stunning.
“No, I am in no rush. I wasn’t born here but I grew up here and all the guys my age are like brothers. I tried dating when I was younger but-”
She shrugged.
“How old are you?”
“I’m only nineteen. Who knows, maybe my soulmate will get recruited here.”
She closed the pantry. “Are you looking?”
The humid island air was suddenly dry in Juniper’s throat. “I don’t- I don’t think so.”
She stumbled on her words and sat at the table.
Brittanya bit into an apple and pointed towards June with her apple in hand, “I have a feeling you will be snatched up so fast.”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion joining her, “You’re really pretty.”
“Okay.”
She doubted her, “When will Whitney and Shianne be here?”
“Whitney is with Fade, her boyfriend, so, soon probably.”
“If she has a boyfriend, why does she go to these single things?”
“Free food,”
Brittanya looked down at her apple anticipating her next bite. “Fade will probably join us at some point and Shianne is at work until four thirty.”
“Where does she work?”
June felt one of her nails snag on her pants and began picking at it.
“The Supply Store.”
“Oh, I guess there is a need for that.”
She didn’t look up from her nail.
“They tried doing a self check out but then they noticed some people still needed that interaction.”
June wiped her hand dry after biting at her nail, “Where do you work?”
She began to question Brittanya’s free schedule, “And where does Whitney work?”
Her mind began thinking of these questions: 'how many people live here?’ ‘What’s a necessary job?’
She laughed standing up to throw her core away, “I’m an intern for cosmetology.”
She turned away from the table and continued talking, “Whitney is a solar engineer.”
“What?”
June was shocked and confused. Whitney came off as, not dumb, more careless about energy or even engineering.
“Yeah, she’s a smart cookie.”
She leaned against the counter facing June.
“Why did you choose hair cutting?”
“I didn’t, it chose me.”
Her face turned into disappointment.
“How does that work?”
June rested her head on her hand that was supported by the table.
“Well, you came yesterday, and we call that Placement Day. We have several Placement Days a year. Including the graduating senior class. So, on those days they choose where you live and what you’ll do after a few tests. It’s not as messed up as it sounds.”
“So, everyone gets treated the same whether you were born here or not?”
“ I wouldn’t quite agree with that.”
“When were you recruited?”
“I wasn’t, my mom was.”
“Shianne is not recruited, she’s a firstborn.”
“What does that mean?”
“There’s two generations, the people who built the island and then their kids, the firstborns. There’s kind of an age gap, but they’ve sort of filled it with recruits.”
“Do they get special treatment? The firstborns?”
“Some like to think they’re special, and their parents, they’re Silkies.”
“Okay,”
June’s brow furrowed, “explain that one, I feel like I was born yesterday.”
“You know the phrase ‘silk stocking’?”
“No, I don’t.”
She shook her head.
“Silk stocking means upper class or aristocrat.”
“Oh okay, is that like Margaret?”
“Yes, but they’re not stuck up or anything.”
The front door beeped and then opened, Shianne walked in and changed her expression from agony to cheerful when she saw the two, “Hello.”
She chirped.
“Hi Shianne, I’m going to freshen up.”
She walked past June and nudged her arm, “Dinner starts at five thirty.”
“I think I’m going to rinse off, if that’s okay Shianne?”
June stood up.
“Yeah, just be quick. I would like to get a shower also.”
*****
“June are you almost done?”
Shianne banged on the opposite bathroom door. It was apparent that her five minute shower was too long.
“Yes, give me a minute.”
She hopped out of the shower and grabbed her brand new towel on the rack, dripping wet. She unlocked Shianne’s door yelling, “It’s all yours,”
and closed her bathroom door to her bedroom. Her legs were spotted with ingrown hairs from previously not shaving, she tried anything to keep Ben off of her, almost nothing worked. She rubbed lotion down both legs feeling their smoothness, but embarrassed by the spots, she chose pants and her long sleeve blouse. She noticed her bruise was almost gone and rubbed her palms against the soft, clean fabric, feeling her starved torso underneath.
June started to think of what the options were going to be for dinner and hoped it wasn’t pasta, she had her fair share of noodles and butter for the rest of her life. “June?”
a voice came through her bedroom door, “It’s Brittanya. Do you want help with your hair?”
She opened the door, “Uh,”
June stared at her with wet messy hair. “If you want to, I don’t want to cut into the time you need to get ready.”
“I am ready, come!”
She waved her hand out of the room, June followed Brittanya across the hall and sat in front of the chair Brittanya had stood behind. Checking the temperature on her curling iron she smiled at June and pulled out her blow dryer.
June watched Brittanya in the mirror as she blow dried her hair for her, until her hair started whipping her in the face and she closed her eyes. It felt so good to have some sort of pampering. The thought of when Ben had a job interview came to her mind. He needed his pants altered but she had slept in on accident. When she had gotten to his place in a panic, he had already gone to someone else and let her know he was disappointed in her. “I don’t know why I thought you would do this. If I had waited any longer, I wouldn’t have been able to have them altered. I probably wouldn’t have gotten the job because of you.”
His voice rang in her head. She rolled her closed eyes as the blow dryer turned off.
“Are you excited to be the new girl?”
She dragged a brush through her hair, collecting them all in the back.
She stiffened her neck, “No, I hate having the spotlight on me.”
“Too bad.”
Brittanya started wrapping strands of hair around her curling iron.
The door opened and Whitney walked in, “Of course you are.”
Her hair was straight but teased at the crown. Her makeup was darker than normal and she wore a tight, dark blue dress.
“What?”
Brittanya slightly turned her body towards her as Whitney sat on her bed.
“You, doing her hair.”
She pulled out her phone. “Fade is going to meet us there.”
“Of course he is.”
Brittanya mocked Whitney. She smiled at her through the mirror, “Excuse me, you’re not allowed to fake smoke inside.”
She teased.
“Ugh, is that what we are calling this?”
Whitney’s voice thickened, “I’d hardly call this smoke.”
“What is it?”
June asked.
“It’s The Council’s way of helping those who are recruited, to quit nicotine habits.”
Brittanya sprayed June’s hair.
“Oh, interesting. What’s in it?”
“Some herbs and shit.”
Whitney’s eyes traced the back of her cartridge before looking back at June. “Not actual shit and not even the good herbs.”
She smirked.
“Shianne!”
Whitney bellowed.
“What?”
She echoed down the hall.
“Are you ready?”
She screamed back.
“Yes! I’m out here waiting!”
“Let’s go before she thinks we were having a meeting without her.”
The four of them piled into the small baby blue, household car. Whitney claimed the front passenger because she wanted to drink and June sat in the back next to Shianne. June never learned how to drive and didn’t want to spill that just yet. Before coming to the island she always walked and if it was too far she had to take the bus. After she became alone she did the bare minimum because the streets slightly scared her but Ben scared her more.
The drive was short, a few blocks down, next to the police station and the fire station, the community center sat, lit up and the doors were open. They could hear the music from the parking lot. An older man was standing next to the door and stopped June after Whitney passed through. “I need you to scan.”
“Okay,”
She hesitated.
“It’s because you’re new.”
Shianne piped up.
The pad flashed green, “You’re good to go.”
He smiled down at her.
The community center had dark wood floors with a red tint to them. The walls were white and the room was dimmed with a few perimeter lights for the tables, where people were eating. June followed the other three to a round table for six and took a seat next to Brittanya and an empty chair. “So,”
Whitney placed the filled glasses on the table, “June, what is your story?”
“What do you mean?”
She hunched over with her hands in her lap under the table.
“Like what was your life like before you came here? What’s the situation?”
“I was a seamstress and I am the only survivor of my family.”
It was still hard opening up about her family, after they were gone nobody seemed to care about her, she had shut out everyone, and then Ben came and it turned out he didn’t care either.
“I’m sorry,”
She looked at June with sympathetic eyes, “I don’t have anyone from my family either.”
A cloud of awkward silence hung over their table for what felt like too long, “Where are you being placed to work?”
“Sixth Street Clothing Company.”
June looked down at her drink and placed it closer to her on top of her cloth napkin to protect the white tablecloth.
“That’s where Amy started.”
Shianne added. “I think everyone who starts there gets bigger and better jobs.”
Shianne’s eyes scanned the room. “I work at The Supply Store. Don’t be fooled, I have a lot of talent, I’m just waiting for a certain someone to come around and sweep me off my feet.”
Shianne swallowed the last of her drink as Whitney began cackling.
“Our little hopeless romantic.”
Brittanya added. I could sense their sarcasm but I don’t think Shianne did.
“You were born here?”
June asked Shianne.
“Yep, I was the fourth baby born here.”
She didn’t make eye contact. “Margaret is my Aunt.”
“Oh,”
June said, unsure how to respond.
“She’s a spoiled brat because of that.”
Whitney filled her in as June nodded in confusion.
A waiter came out with a roll cart and stopped at their table. “Tonight we have the fried Mahi-Mahi with a side of steamed vegetables and a baked potato or we have grilled Yellowfin tuna, on a bed of fresh greens with a spicy vinaigrette.”
The girls made their choices and Whitney grabbed an extra plate in anticipation of Fade.
Halfway through their meal he showed up. “Hey baby,”
He bent down and kissed her. Fade had Blonde, long hair pulled back, his skin was dark compared to Whitney. His shirt hugged his chest and tattooed arms, while he sent a smile around the table stopping at June, “Hello.”
He nodded with curiosity.
“Hi.”
She blushed and looked down at her plate.
“That’s June, she is new. June this is Fade.”
“Nice to meet you.”
She covered her mouth full of her last bite.
“You too,”
He chuckled and went back to Whitney.
“I love this song,”
Shianne practically screamed. All the songs were new to June. The music was different here, this song was upbeat with a female singer. Shianne watched the dozen or so people dance.
“What song is this?”
June leaned to Brittanya for answers and watched Fade whisper to Whitney before taking note of him leaving the table.
“I think it’s new, music is more of an extracurricular activity here and anyone can be on the radio after approval. That’s how most books, art, music, even tattoos are done here.”
“Tattoos?”
June responded surprised.
“Yes, people were giving each other prison tattoos so The Council started supplying them with proper equipment. I guess people still want to show their individuality here as well.”
“Wow. Do you have any?”
“No. I really just have commitment issues.”
She smiled.
June pushed back her plate as Fade returned with a bottle and glasses and watched as he poured even amounts in each cup. She looked at Whitney, she was watching him as well. June had never seen her face so soft, she almost looked different, younger, her age. Shianne was still somewhere else mentally and Brittanya was enjoying the music.
Fade handed her a glass of something bubbly after he handed Whitney hers.
“To June,”
Whitney flashed a smile June’s way.
“To June,”
Brittanya, Shianne and Fade repeated as all the glasses met in the middle of the table. June could have died as surrounding people looked over at the commotion.
After taking a sip, Shianne leaned across Brittanya, “What kind of guys do you like?”
“I don’t know.”
She shrugged, “Why?”
“She’s seeing if you’re competition.”
Whitney held her glass as Fade poured her a second, “She’s boy crazy.”
Shianne ignored Whitney, “have you ever had a boyfriend?”
June thought about Ben and how his dead, shallow eyes sat on his tense face. “Yes, I have.”
June barked back almost defensively.
“Wow.”
Brittanya pointed out her attitude with her response.
“Look, my ex boyfriend was,”
What was the word she was looking for? Sadistic? Controlling? “Abusive.”
She hated talking about him, let alone thinking of him. “That’s why I am here.”
Besides her opening up, her warm face was an indicator of her slight intoxication. “I had nowhere else to go.”
“Ugh,”
Whitney looked at June, disgusted for her. “What an asshole.”
The song ended and a slow song started, they all watched Fade stand and grab Whitney’s hand, leading her out to the floor. “I don’t know how she does it,”
Shianne said, “If I was her, I would have dumped him by now for not proposing.”
“He will,”
Brittanya reassured Shianne, “He’s madly in love with Whitney and a guy that looks the way he does, could convince anyone to date them for an extended time.”
“I’m waiting for you to know who to show up,”
Shianne looked down at her phone.
“I know.”
Brittanya responded. “If he did, you would ditch us in a heartbeat.”
“True.”
They both laughed, “Do you blame me?”
June zoned out across the room, her eyes locked on to a thin blonde man. His profile caught June off guard and a deep chill charged down her. He looked like Ben, he wasn’t Ben, but he looked like Ben.
“Brittanya,”
June nudged her.
“Hm?”
She turned to her.
“I’m ready to go when you are, I have work tomorrow.”
“Okay, let me go tell Whitney, I’m sure she was going to either go home with Fade or have him give her a ride.”
Brittanya got up and walked to the dance area.
June looked back at the man, it wasn’t Ben, she kept telling herself. Ben was in bed when she left and he wasn’t on the plane.