by AR Colbert
“Take any seat you want,” Charles said. “There won’t be any other passengers today. Just you.”
I decided to grab a lone chair near the front rather than one situated in front of a table in the middle of the cabin.
“Buckle up until we get up in the air, then you’re free to move around if you’d like. There’s a small refrigerator at the back with some beverages and snacks. Help yourself. Do you want me to grab you a pillow or a blanket or anything before we get going?”
“No, thank you. I should be fine. How long is the flight?” I’d just eaten breakfast and I didn’t think the flight to Louisburg would take long, based on Felix’s trips. I couldn’t imagine why I’d need to sleep or eat while we were flying. Plus, there was a small window near my seat, and I was pretty sure I’d be too distracted by the view to want to do anything else.
“It’ll be about two hours. We’ll have you there before lunch.” Charles looked over his shoulder toward the cockpit at the front of the plane. “Well, I’ve gotta get up there. Holler if you need anything!”
The engines roared loudly just a few minutes later, and I sat white knuckled with my hands gripping the armrests as I watched the hangar move slowly out of view through the window. We seemed so high up in the air already, but I knew the plane's wheels were still rolling slowly across the concrete below.
The plane turned ninety degrees to the right and picked up speed, sending grass and trees zipping faster and faster outside my window. My heart was thumping almost as loud as the engines that vibrated beneath me as the plane lifted up, pushing my head back against the plush leather seat as the ground moved away below.
Pressure began to build in my ears, and I pulled the gum Emmaline gave me out of my pocket. Maybe she was being kind after all. Its minty fresh flavor washed over my tongue as the hangar came back into view below, smaller now, like a dollhouse as the plane soared higher and higher.
Before long, wisps of white began to block my view of the ground, and I realized we really were in the clouds. Down there somewhere below was everything I’d ever known. Classen City. Raf and the Embers. Felix and the Leadership.
I hoped I was doing the right thing.
My mind wandered as we flew through the air, and it didn’t seem like long after the plane reached its full altitude that it started to descend. More trees and grass came back into view, but it looked remarkably similar to the area we’d just left behind. I wished I could see the cities from the sky. That would have really been something. But I’d see Louisburg soon enough, assuming Emmaline was able to get a hold of the Leaders there.
The plane shook with a bump, and I gripped the armrests once again.
“Buckle up.” Charles’ voice came through a speaker above me. “We might have a bumpy landing with all this wind. But we’ll touch down again in just a few minutes.”
Bumpy was an understatement. I don’t know how I was still breathing once the plane finally touched down. I thought I was going to die. I thought it was surely going to crash us down to the rocky earth below. But we made it, and the scenery around us was full of sunshine, chasing my worries away once I knew we were safe on the ground again.
I wasted no time unbuckling and hopping out of my seat. The plane was interesting, but I’d had enough. I was ready to get off.
Finally, Charles came back and opened the door for me as another man rolled up and locked a set of stairs into place below. I stepped out, shielding my eyes from the sunlight. I was so focused on getting safely out of the plane and not tripping down the stairs that I didn’t see who was waiting for me until I reached the bottom.
Everett Walsh. Felix’s dad stood with open arms and an oversized grin on his handsome face. “Claren! I’m so glad you decided to take my offer.”
CHAPTER 6
“Mr. Walsh, hello again.” I tried to mask the surprise and irritation in my voice. I told Emmaline I didn’t want Felix to know I’d gone to work with the District Leadership. It would have been nice for her to give me a heads up that I was actually going to work for his father. It was only a matter of time before he found out now.
And given the rocky relationship Felix had with his dad, he wasn’t going to like this one bit.
Everett took my hand and placed a kiss on the back of my knuckles once I reached the ground. It was a warmer greeting than I’d expected from him, but it was brief. He didn’t waste any time launching directly into his welcome speech.
“Welcome to Louisburg,” he said with a wave. “The people will be thrilled to have you here. I think we’re going to make an excellent team.” He gave me a wink and extended the crook of his elbow to escort me back to the hangar, but I didn’t take it. I might have been hired to make him look good, but there were no cameras around at the moment. I wanted to set a standard of professionalism, and that didn’t involve being friendly with him unless I had to be. I didn’t know the man at all, but Felix didn’t trust him, and that was enough for me to keep my distance.
“I’ve cleared my schedule for the day. I thought maybe I could show you around town. Also, I hear you have a birthday coming up, so perhaps we can discuss plans for a party when we get back to the house later.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing Louisburg, thank you. But I really don’t need a party.” I readjusted my backpack on my shoulders. “Also, when you say ‘the house,’ are you referring to mine or yours?”
Everett chuckled. “Both, I suppose.” That’s what I was afraid of. “I figured you could stay with me for the time being, since we’ll be working so closely together. You’ll be matched in a year, so there’s no need to set up house now when you’ll be moving before long anyway. Besides, I’ve got plenty of space.”
It made sense, but I didn’t relish the thought of living with Felix’s dad for an entire year. Maybe I’d be able to petition for a place of my own once the training was over. He winked again, and I found myself hoping my room would be set up on the opposite side of the house from his, at the very least.
“And as for the party,” he continued, “I thought it would be a great way for you to meet the other District Leaders. They’re all very excited to get to know you better.”
Again, he was right. It would be good for me to learn who was really in charge here at the District level, even if I wasn’t much in the mood for a party.
“I suppose that would be fine. A small, simple get-together to meet the other Leaders will be nice.”
“Excellent. I’ll have my attendants get to work on it as soon as we get back.”
I followed him out of the building where a black sedan was waiting. His driver was a younger man, probably in his twenties, and he looked bored until he caught sight of us approaching. He stiffened as we entered the vehicle, and it only took half a second for the driver’s antipathy toward Mr. Walsh to fill the small space. Everett didn’t seem to notice, but I’d have my work cut out for me if the rest of the city felt the same way about the man.
Our car lurched forward over bumpy roads leading away from the airstrip. The trees surrounding Louisburg were more dense than those I’d grown used to back home, but otherwise, their Outside looked very similar to the area surrounding Classen City. The roads became better maintained and I noticed more abandoned structures as we neared the city limits.
Everything felt almost familiar, just a different flavor of home, until we reached the boundary. Louisburg was surrounded by an eight-foot tall chain-link fence. Protectors stood guard at the entrance, looking just as bored as our driver had been. I wondered how many entrances into the city there were, exactly. I knew Louisburg was a little larger than Classen City, so maybe they had a more difficult time monitoring the roads, and that’s why the fences were necessary. Or maybe they had a bigger issue with unruly Outsiders.
I shuddered thinking about Milo and his Exiled men. Hopefully Louisburg didn’t know the same kind of evils here. And hopefully the good Outsiders still had a way to get what they needed from the city, despite the fences. I’d have t
o find a way out to explore soon and see if there were any connections to the Embers nearby.
Our driver flashed the guards an official document and they peeked in the back windows before nodding and waving us through. I smiled at the man who looked in my window, but it went unreciprocated.
I only half-listened to Everett rattle off facts about the city as we drove through the streets. Most of what he had to say was boring, official information I could look up from a book on my own. I was far more interested in how the city felt.
At first glance, it looked like any other New American city. I’d seen images of it flash across my evening television screen many times before. But video can’t capture the true feelings of a place. Louisburg had a peculiar energy that left me...uncertain. And a little on edge.
As we neared the business district, more and more citizens were outdoors, ambling along the sidewalks. Some were dressed for work, presumably carrying out tasks for their jobs as they should be. But a surprising number of the people weren’t doing much of anything at all. One man was actually just sitting on the sidewalk, arms propped on his knees, watching the other people stroll by. Observing this behavior from working adults was shocking. Never would we dream of sitting around during a work day in Classen City.
They all had one thing in common though. As our car cruised past them on the road, they would turn and watch it with narrowed eyes. Bitter. Suspecting. I didn’t know how I was supposed to change the attitudes of these people toward Everett when they clearly had some very strong opinions of their own.
“Tell me about the citizens here,” I said. “Are the people happy?” The corners of Everett’s mouth turned down as he glanced my way. I’d caught him off guard, mid-sentence about the architecture of some of the old buildings we were passing.
“What do you mean?” he asked. His innocence was disingenuous—I could sense it. He knew exactly why I wanted to know more about the people. He simply didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet.
I sighed. “Forgive me for being blunt, but Ms. Frasier informed me that my role here was to help with appearances. And it appears to me that the people aren’t pleased. What is it that they are unhappy about?”
Everett’s jaw clenched briefly before he quickly replaced any evidence of irritation with a faux smile. “I forget how perceptive your kind are.”
My kind? Was he referring to Empaths? I probably shouldn’t have taken as much offense to the statement as I did. It didn’t sit right with me.
He straightened in his seat, and the look on his face told me I should prepare for a political speech. Felix got the same serious expression when talking business.
“Unfortunately, the people of Louisburg have a bit of a rebellious streak. It’s one of the reasons the Leadership here brought me in. I take great pride in the way I managed Classen City. Our people there are obedient. We believe in structure and systems. We devote our lives to The Greater Good. They don’t have the same respect for authority here.”
A flutter of excitement wriggled through me, but I tampered it back down. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but rebellion had a way of getting me hyped up lately.
Everett didn’t notice, thankfully. “The District brought me in to help after they witnessed my results back home. But there is a long history of weak Leadership here.” I raised my brows and Everett responded with a soft chuckle. “Between you and me of course,” he added. “I would never want to disparage my fellow Leaders.”
“So what is your plan, exactly?”
“Well, now that I have been placed in charge of the entire Greater Midwest District, it’s my responsibility to get all six cities running as smoothly as Classen. I need to run a tight ship and let the people know I’m not playing around. Which is why I’ve put a temporary hold on many of the people’s wages.”
“You did what?!” I couldn’t even pretend to hide my shock. It was no wonder the people were angry. The standard wage was barely enough to get people by as it was. Withholding any part of it would leave people hungry. Not to mention it wasn’t fair. The law was pretty simple—go to work, receive your standard wage.
“They stopped working,” he said with a small shrug of his shoulders.
I shook my head. There’s no way an entire city would just stop working. It was a death wish. “Surely that’s not true.”
“It is—for many of them. Some are still working and getting paid as usual. But many of the people here were beginning to take our generous wages for granted. They stopped going to work. Or if they went, they didn’t put in any effort. So I threatened to stop paying them. They thought they’d try to call my bluff, but as I mentioned, I don’t play games. If I want something, I’ll stop at nothing to get it. And right now I want our people to realize how much they need us. The last thing we need is another Great War.”
I sat slack-jawed, staring at the scowling faces we passed by. It wasn’t right to let an entire city go hungry. But why would they just stop working? They knew how the system was set up.
“What about the other cities in the District?” I asked.
“They’re not as solid as Classen, but then again, maybe I’m just biased toward our home town. None are quite as far gone as our District Capital of Louisburg, though.” He leaned toward the middle of the car and pointed ahead between the seats. “Look. We’re nearing the Center now.”
I followed his gaze, and beyond the rooflines ahead I could barely make out the edge of an enormous brick wall. It had to be twice as high as the one in Classen City, and barbed wire swirled around the upper edge. How had I never noticed that on television before?
“Are the walls that high all the way around the Center?”
“They are. As I mentioned, the people here are different than they are back home.”
I couldn’t imagine I would be too happy in a place like this either. Then again, maybe that’s why the Embers were so adamant that I stick with the Leadership and rise in the ranks. Maybe I was supposed to come here and help change things for these people. Though what I really wanted to do was help the people take the Leadership down.
Past another set of guards standing outside of a large tower at the edge of the Center walls, we pulled into the neighborhood where Everett lived. I recognized his estate from a block away. It was enormous, with two-story tan brick walls, ornate moldings around tall leaded glass windows, and towering copper spires glowing with emerald patina atop the third story dormers. The home was surrounded by a grassy lawn and gardens, one of the few estates in existence that hadn’t been transformed to fit modern New American standards. It was a marvelous ode to a world long gone, like a page from a foreign history book.
We’d been led to believe it housed many people—the same way we thought Felix’s house was actually an apartment building. But I was wiser now. I knew that this was one gigantic mansion for one man, and maybe some of his staff. And me now too, I supposed.
“Home sweet home.” Everett grinned. One of his attendants, an older man with salt and pepper hair that hung past his ears hurried down the walkway to open the car door, but he never made eye contact with me. He stared resolutely ahead, as though he wasn’t worthy of speaking to me. Or maybe he felt I wasn’t worthy of speaking to him.
Everett didn’t seem to mind the lack of conversation as he ushered me toward the door himself. A small woman not much older than me waited inside the grand foyer. She wore a plain gray dress and her mousy brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun low on the back of her head. She stared ahead like the male attendant had until Everett addressed her directly.
“Joy.”
“Yes sir?” She turned her gaze toward him stiffly. Her stance was respectful, straight-backed and attentive as she awaited his next words dutifully. But that poor girl wanted to be anywhere else. I could relate.
“This is Ms. Claren Greenwood. She’s going to be staying with us for a while, as we discussed this morning. Have you prepared a room for her?”
“I have, sir.”
“Please show her there. I have some calls to make this afternoon, but I would appreciate it if you would give Ms. Greenwood a tour of her new home. I want to make her very comfortable here.”
“Yes sir.”
Everett’s eyes trailed my body, his lips tight with disapproval. “And please help with a new wardrobe for her. She hasn’t brought much with her, so she’ll need to go into town to do some shopping. Maybe tomorrow? I can call the shop Workers in the western business district to let them know you’re coming.”
I glanced down at my jeans, the denim dirty from my run through the woods the day before. They were the only pants I’d brought—the only pants I owned at this point.
“I would be happy to, sir.” Joy nodded her head toward Everett respectfully before turning toward me with disdain in her eyes. Forcing a polite smile, she said, “Follow me Ms. Greenwood. I’ll show you to your room.”
CHAPTER 7
My bedroom was spacious, yet it still felt cozy and thoughtfully decorated, and like the rest of the mansion, it transported me back to a time period long forgotten. The glossy wood floors reflected light from giant glass doors leading out to a balcony that overlooked the back lawn. An old fireplace sat across from the bed, beside the entrance to an en suite bathroom.
“This room is stunning, Joy. Thank you for preparing it for me.”
The girl pushed air through her nose before forcing a smile. “Of course, Ms. Greenwood. I’m happy it pleases you.”
“You can call me Claren.”
She paused for a moment, caught off guard by my relaxed tone, but she didn’t respond to my comment. “Here is your washroom, if you’d like to get cleaned up before lunch. And I’m happy to give you a tour of the house and the grounds as soon as you’re ready.”
Funny, she didn’t look too happy to be doing anything. Joy stood with her feet together, hands clasped loosely in front of her. She kept her gaze fixed to the wall across from her. I watched her intently, opening myself to her emotions and trying to understand her better. I could practically hear her thoughts running through my mind.
