He gently takes a hold of my stylus, effectively stopping my tapping, and then tugs it out of my fingers, placing it flat on the table. I look around guiltily. I’d forgotten people were trying to concentrate.
He nods his head over to the door and I follow him outside. He stops just outside the classroom door and looks off into the distance, thoughtful.
‘I need you to focus in this class,’ he says. ‘I know it must be difficult, given your lack of talent, to stay motivated, but you need to try.’ He turns and stares into my eyes, searching, as if hoping I’ll miraculously change.
‘I’m sorry Mr. Kale, I understand and will try harder in the future.’
‘Please see that you do. It’s important,’ he stresses.
‘I will.’
I turn to walk back into class, but he stops me.
‘Elle, if your test was wrong and your talent score is a one, which I suspect it is, you’re in the wrong area of the city. If I don’t see a vast improvement I won’t have any choice but to notify the recruiters.’
‘What? I don’t understand.’
‘Everyone with a talent score of one is sent to West Hope. I don’t want to send you there but, if a recruiter comes, I won’t have any choice in the matter. They are trained to read your talent level and I have no influence over them. I can give you some time to try and improve before I notify them, but if nothing changes…’
‘I’ll be sent away,’ I finish.
His forehead creases and he looks at me, concerned. ‘Elle, my door is always open, so you can come chat to me if you ever need to, or you can take on extra lessons if you like.’
I look away, unable to meet his eyes. I will be sent to the west no matter how hard I try or how many extra lessons I take. I am doomed and there’s nothing I can do about it. The only thing I can hope for is more time here in East Hope to finish what I started.
‘How long do I have?’
‘Maybe a few weeks,’ he says.
Will that be long enough to find Sebastian? It doesn’t seem like nearly enough time. ‘I would appreciate as much time as you can give me. I don’t want to be sent away.’
‘I will try my best, but like I said, if the recruiters come it’s no longer up to me.’ He pats me on the shoulder and goes to return to the classroom.
‘Mr. Kale?’ I say, catching his arm. ‘Last week, when you read me, you said I was struggling with the loss of my friend. Then you went on to say they were close by. I just wanted to know if you knew any details about where they might be?’
‘I never get details like that from what I see,’ he explains. ‘I get impressions, feelings. I can tell you your friend is here in Hope. But as to where exactly, I don’t know.’
‘Oh,’ I respond.
‘I’m sorry Elle. I could tell you both were close. I wish I could be more helpful.’ He pushes his glasses up his nose and looks at me, sympathetically. It really seems like he wants to help.
‘No, that’s okay. I just figured it was worth asking.’
I watch him return to the classroom and, as he disappears through the door, I slump down onto the ground, cradling my knees in my arms.
What am I going to do? I’m running out of time.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Several hours after school finishes for the day, I stand in my room waiting for Lara to arrive. I’d seen her briefly as I’d left school and the only clue she’d given me about tonight was that I absolutely had to dress up. I drag the clothes hangers in my wardrobe back and forth, unable to concentrate on the task at hand. All I can focus on is the fact my life is about to be uprooted again, and I only have a few weeks left in the east.
A million questions tumble through my mind, but the most concerning one is: will I end up sick like the people I saw in the west?
I try to ignore the worry gnawing away at me on the inside and look down at the jeans and t-shirt I’m wearing. Cathy and I had only shopped for the basics when I first arrived, so my wardrobe selection is limited to say the least. I’d been going for comfort when we’d been shopping. I’d never even considered I might need something dressier.
I start rummaging through my drawers trying to find another outfit, but instead of an outfit for tonight all I come across are my greys. I haven’t thought about them since arriving here really, but a sense of warmth rushes through me as I pick them up. They feel comforting, so familiar. As I take them out to have a closer look, something falls out of the pocket of the pants.
I bend down and pick up the crinkled ball of paper. I smooth it out carefully. It’s the picture Dr. Wilson gave me of his grandson, Aiden, with a message for him, should I find him up here.
I turn the picture over and look at the symbol the doctor drew on the back, slowly tracing my finger over it. I frown as it moves over the crinkles that run through the unusual design. I’d been so angry when I’d carelessly balled it up this way. I thought I’d lost my only way out and blamed Dr. Wilson for it. I’d been wrong to so quickly accuse him though. I was the reckless one, and if anyone was to blame for almost sabotaging my escape, it was myself.
I flip it over to look at Aiden. He has such a kind looking face, and I’m surprised I don’t recognise him from the ARC. If only I could help. I’m struggling to find my own friend up here, how can I hope to find him too?
There’s a knock at the door and I quickly fold the picture over and put it in my pocket. As the door swings open and Lara bounds in, I put a smile on my face. Tonight, I am determined to try and forget about the picture in my pocket and my imminent departure to the west.
‘Heya,’ Lara chirps.
‘I didn’t realise you were here. Did you even ring the doorbell?’ I ask.
‘Oh, I arrived at the same time as Mr. Mason,’ she responds. ‘I asked him and he said tonight should be fine. We’re all sorted to go.’
‘Did you tell him what we’re doing?’ I ask, curious.
‘He thinks we’re having a sleepover at mine.’
‘We are?’ A sleepover doesn’t sound too bad. Although I don’t know why she expects me to dress up.
‘Nope,’ she responds. ‘Technically you will be sleeping at mine. But that’s not what we’re doing.’ Her lips are pursed mischievously. ‘This way we can be out as late as we want.’
‘Your parents don’t mind?’ I ask.
‘Nah, it’s just my older sister and I up here and she’s pretty lax about what I do.’ She looks me up and down. ‘You will need to wear something slightly nicer than that though,’ she says, looking disapprovingly at my standard blue jeans.
‘I don’t have much else.’ Even though I trawled through my wardrobe several times there was nothing appropriate. Lara eyes my wardrobe suspiciously. ‘Really,’ I stress.
‘Hmm. I’m sure I’ll have something that’ll work,’ she says.
I pack my sleepwear into a small bag and sling it over my shoulder. As we exit into the hallway, I nearly have a head-on collision with Beth.
‘Hey Beth,’ Lara says, sweetly. Beth raises one eyebrow in return.
‘Where are you guys going?’ she asks.
‘The loft,’ Lara replies.
‘Really? I’m not sure that’s Elle’s kind of place.’ Her eyes flick over to me as she says this and there’s the smallest hint of concern in them.
‘I guess we’re going to find out,’ I say, firmly ending the conversation. I grab Lara’s arm and tug her away. ‘Bye Beth.’
Once we’re out of the hallway, and no longer in Beth’s firing line, I let go of Lara’s arm and follow her to the front door. I feel a sudden rush of uneasiness though as I replay the conversation with Beth in my mind. Since when has she given a damn about what I do?
By the time we arrive at Lara’s apartment I feel quite certain she’s about to burst with excitement over whatever she has planned. Her apartment is similar to the Mason’s but, because it’s smaller and on a lower floor, the views aren’t quite as impressive.
‘Hey Jess,’ Lara says, as we wal
k into the lounge room. ‘This is Elle.’
A girl maybe a few years older than us sits on the couch. She looks very similar to Lara but her eyes are more hazel coloured than brown. ‘It’s nice to meet you Elle,’ she says, formally.
‘You too,’ I reply.
She sounds so mature. It’s hard to believe she’s only in her early twenties. I definitely get that ‘old-soul’ impression with her.
‘Jess isn’t coming tonight?’ I ask, as we walk to Lara’s room. I ask the question half because I’m interested in knowing and half because I’m hoping Lara tells me what we’re doing.
‘No!’ she scoffs. ‘She’s pretty reserved. Would probably prefer staying in reading a book or watching TV.’
‘So the place we’re going is somewhere reserved people wouldn’t want to go?’
Lara gives me a knowing smile at my question. ‘You don’t think I’ll give the game away that easy?’ she laughs.
She opens the door to her bedroom and I follow her in. ‘Was Jess here when you arrived?’ I ask.
‘Yeah. It was so strange coming up here last year and finding her after being apart for so long.’
‘And are both of your parents still in the ARC?’
‘Yes.’ Glancing away from me her eyes fixate on the wardrobe. ‘Let’s go through my clothes and see if we can find something appropriate for you to wear,’ she says, changing the subject quickly. I follow her over to the wardrobe and she begins flicking coat hangers of clothes across the rack.
‘Are you going to tell me what this place is yet?’
She smiles into her wardrobe. ‘Nope. I told you, it’s a surprise.’ I hope her idea of a surprise isn’t something crazy or dangerous. The flicker of concern I’d seen in Beth’s eyes comes back to me. Surely Lara wouldn’t take me somewhere risky?
‘It will be fine. Stop worrying,’ Lara says, sensing my apprehension. ‘What do you think of this one?’ she asks, holding up a black, scoop neck dress.
‘It’s very short…’ I point out. She rolls her eyes and passes me the dress.
‘Just try it on. You’ll look amazing in it.’
Once I have it on I stand in front of the mirror. The material clings to my body and, as I thought when I first saw the dress, it is extremely short. The only pro is that it has long sleeves, which should at least keep my arms warm tonight.
‘I’m not sure,’ I say, attempting to tug the bottom of the dress down lower.
‘You look hot. Stop stressing. You’ll fit right in.’ I turn to Lara who’s also changed. She’s wearing a dark blue low cut top with an even shorter leather skirt.
After an hour spent applying makeup, taming my hair, wedging my feet into heels I can barely walk in and a lot more coaxing from Lara, we both stand in front of the mirror. I can barely recognise myself in my new outfit. Lara’s applied my makeup heavily; it makes me look slightly edgy. I definitely look older than I’ve ever looked before. I wobble slightly in the heels as I take a step forward. I will kill myself in these things tonight.
‘I don’t think I want to go,’ I tell her, as I look myself up and down.
‘You look fine,’ she says.
‘No, I don’t. This isn’t me, I don’t think I should come.’
Lara watches me carefully, almost as if weighing my mood. ‘You need to come. I got a message from Josh. He said M will be at the loft tonight and is willing to meet with us.’
‘He is? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’
‘I didn’t want to get your hopes up if he wasn’t there,’ she says. ‘The outfit is necessary if you want to fit in.’
I look back at myself in the mirror. I really don’t like what I see there, but it sounds like I don’t have a choice if I want to meet M. ‘Well then, let’s go.’
When we get outside, an icy breeze blows right through me. I huddle my arms closely around my body. I’m so cold I can almost hear my teeth chattering.
‘How far is it?’ I ask.
‘Not far,’ Lara responds. She doesn’t even look cold, but given her fast pace of walking she must be just as keen to get back inside as I am. I stumble awkwardly in the heels as I try to keep up with her.
The further we walk, the quieter it becomes around us. I’ve never ventured from the main streets in the east, so I’m surprised to find how different it is in the back blocks. There’s barely anyone else on the sidewalk and the street lamps that work become few and far between.
There’s garbage in the gutter and the walls of the buildings we pass are covered in the bright, colourful tags of what must be Hope’s dedicated group of graffiti artists. This whole area is neglected and too quiet to feel safe. I’m beginning to agree with Beth—wherever we’re going, this really isn’t my kind of thing.
We arrive out front of a rundown apartment building and Lara walks up the steps to the front door. She turns, noticing I haven’t followed.
‘Are we really going in there?’ I ask, looking up at the broken windows and dark, grimy walls.
‘Yep. Come on.’ I stare at her for a moment, uncertain. It’s the kind of place you’d expect to enter and never walk back out of again.
‘C’mon,’ she urges, rubbing her arms.
‘Alright,’ I mutter. Whatever is inside can’t be worse than standing out here in the freezing cold.
The inside is as rundown as the outside—worse even. Old, dirty wallpaper dangles from the walls, and a light bulb hangs precariously by its exposed wiring, from a ceiling that looks close to collapse.
‘Are you sure we’ve got the right place?’ I ask. Surely we’re not meeting M here. Lara merely smiles in response. She walks over to a rusty looking elevator, built into the far wall of the entrance foyer, and presses the button.
‘Yes I’m sure. We’re going up!’ she says. I automatically look around for the stairs, but Lara only laughs, assuming I’m joking when I suggest we use them instead.
When the lift arrives, Lara pulls open the door and pushes aside the inner metal wire gate. I edge my way into the lift after her. She giggles as she sees me bounce lightly on the floor, attempting to test that the thing is still connected.
She presses the button for the top floor and I suck in a quick breath and hold it there as we ascend. I’ve been better with lifts lately, but I’m still not a huge fan.
‘Nearly there,’ she says. Her anticipation is contagious and I can feel it beginning to build inside me as well.
When the lift stops again, and she pushes open the door, I am hit by a wall of sound. People are crammed into the hallway in front of us. They are talking and laughing loudly, but that’s nothing compared to the overpowering blast of music blaring from somewhere down the other end of the building.
The music is so loud I can feel the vibrations of it shaking the floor beneath my feet. Little flakes of plaster, which have found their way off the decaying walls and onto the floor of the lift, bounce up and down in time to the heavy beat.
We edge our way through the crowd and head towards the noise. I look around curiously, through the open doorways we pass, and at the kinds of people we walk by. None of them indicate what exactly this place is though. Eventually we reach a doorway that is blocked by a large man dressed all in black.
‘Hey Daz,’ Lara says to him, surprising me. She knows this guy?
‘Hey Lara,’ he replies.
‘Have you seen M tonight?’
‘He was in earlier, but I haven’t seen him in a while. Maybe check by the bar,’ he suggests.
‘Okay, thanks.’
‘Don’t get into too much trouble in there,’ Daz warns. Lara winks at him and he stands back to let us past.
She grabs my hand and pulls me along behind her, winding and weaving with ease between the people packed into the corridor. We’re just getting to another doorway when I stumble over a loose floorboard. Hobbling behind Lara with my head down, I try to slip one of my feet back into the shoe properly. The things I’d do for some real shoes right now.
When I man
age to regain my footing, I look up and do a double take. I’m no longer in the crowded hallway, but in a massive room filled with people dancing.
It’s derelict in here, like the rest of the building, but in the darkness with the pulsing coloured lights, it doesn’t look so bad. There’s the distinct smell of sweat and smoke though, and I cough to clear my throat.
‘The loft is a party?’ I shout out to Lara over the music.
‘Not just a party. It’s the party,’ she calls back. ‘It’s a secret and constantly changes location. There are so many of these abandoned buildings in the city from before, they have a wealth of options and pretty much never get caught.’
‘Get caught?’ I panic.
‘Don’t stress, it will be fine. Let’s just focus on finding M.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lara isn’t even slightly daunted by the loft party and is quick to drag me straight into the thick of it. Once we’re inside, she makes a beeline for the back of the room, where there are several guys standing behind a long bar pouring drinks.
Lara stands on her tiptoes and leans over the bar towards one of the guys behind. ‘Hey, have you seen M?’ she yells to him.
‘Haven’t seen him in a while, but I’m sure he’s around,’ he yells back to her.
‘If you see him, will you let him know Lara is looking for him?’
‘Will do,’ he responds, grinning at her. ‘Have a drink while you wait,’ he says, lining up four short glasses on the bench and filling them each with a clear liquid, before pushing them towards us.
Lara passes me two and I look down at them, then back up at her, not sure what to do. She is two steps ahead as she throws her head back and drinks the small glass of liquid all at once, then the other one. She looks at me expectantly.
‘I don’t know if this is a good idea,’ I say.
‘Don’t be silly. You’ll be fine,’ she says. ‘Besides, it’d be rude not to.’ She’s so certain it’s okay, and I don’t think she’d ever put me in danger. In fact, she’s spent the last week trying to keep me out of it. Plus, she did just have the drink herself.
The ARC 02: Talented Page 10
