by Chris Babu
Drayden certainly wouldn’t struggle with the intelligence portion of the test. That wasn’t the problem. It was the other part, the bravery one. Nobody knew the specifics of the test, even the intelligence section. Was it a written test? He didn’t even want to speculate about what a bravery test entailed. The whole thing was a closely guarded secret, since only the Initiation Council got to see it. And there was the whopper: He didn’t want to die.
A gigantic rat scurried across the sidewalk, barely missing his feet.
Drayden jerked back and stumbled. He leapt onto a fence in front of an apartment building. “Crud!” Where did it go? He waited, gripping the fence. If he saw a rat in one spot, he would avoid it for a week, even crossing the street.
Rats and cockroaches, the only other living creatures in any meaningful number in New America, were everywhere. It seemed appropriate, since the people of New America were rats and cockroaches too. Hideous creatures that would exile a child’s mother for no reason. Scientists estimated the rat population to be ten times the size of the human one. Nobody had dared to contemplate the number of cockroaches. While no one even knew the exact human population, most guessed around 100,000 people. Mr. Kale said the zone breakout was roughly 75,000 in the Dorms, 9,000 in the Lab, 15,000 in the Precinct, and 1,000 in the Palace.
Given the lack of meat in their diet, some people had allegedly eaten rats and subsequently died horrible, disease-ridden deaths. That may have been an old wives’ tale. People did kill rats and use their pelts to produce clothing, however. One of those people just happened to be their upstairs neighbor, Dayla Krajewski. She was an eccentric elderly lady whose apartment reeked of, unsurprisingly, rat. She explained that rats contained an oil in their skin called buck grease, which gave the clothing a rodenty smell. She called it a “warm tortilla” smell.
Drayden had never eaten a warm tortilla and was positive he never wanted one. He climbed off the fence and dashed to the next block. Picking up the pace, he turned right when he reached Thirtieth Street.
It was three avenue-blocks to the FDC. Wesley had worked there since he graduated two years ago. His flunky grades limited his choice of occupations, so he selected the loosely-defined “worker” position, because Mom was the manager. He basically moved heavy crates of food all day.
All the available Dorm positions were working-class by definition. In Drayden’s opinion, a hierarchy did exist, despite the fact that all jobs paid the same. Tech jobs in the science labs or hospitals were the best, but the list of options was endless: barbers, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, bus drivers, garbage men, janitors, secretaries, construction workers, seamstresses, you name it.
Drayden didn’t desire any of those jobs. Even being a lab tech would grow boring.
A half block away now, the FDC came into view, in a former grocery store on the corner. Wesley worked late tonight, so he would have missed the broadcast.
Drayden had too much on his mind to think about the Initiation. He needed answers about his mother.
“Wes? You in here? It’s Dray!”
Because the FDC had closed an hour earlier and the power was out, it was silent and pitch black inside. Chilly, moist air permeated the room with the fresh smell of wet vegetables. Late every night, one worker locked up the food to ensure some hungry soul didn’t break in and steal it.
Drayden remained by the door, afraid he’d accidentally knock over a barrel of cantaloupes in the dark. It was impossible to be there without thinking of Mom. While he didn’t typically visit Wesley at work, he’d come to see Mom often. Drayden would beg her to sneak some extra food home since she oversaw distribution. Nobody would know. Not crates of food, but an extra banana or something. He and his mom both loved bananas. She always refused and pointed out they would be taking food from someone else.
“Boo!”
Drayden jumped, his heart pounding. “Dammit, Wes! Not cool.”
Wesley laughed so hard he cried.
“Oh my God,” Drayden said, bent over with his hands on his knees. “You shkat flunk. What the heck is the matter with you?”
Wesley giggled. “Sorry, bro. I couldn’t resist. What are you doin’ here?”
“Did you forget that whole thing from last night? There was an exile, it was in our apartment, you—”
“Shut up, chotch. I just didn’t know if something else was wrong. Whoa, what happened to your eye?”
Drayden wished it was even darker inside. For his tough brother, the black eye would be a badge of shame. “Alex,” he said.
“Oh man. I swear, that kid. You want me to give him a beating?”
“No. I should’ve…I…never mind. It’s fine, I got it.” Drayden considered telling Wesley about the incident with the Guardian, before stopping himself. He was probably blowing it out of proportion already, and the Guardian had most likely forgotten about him by now.
“Can you give me a hand stacking the oranges?” Wesley asked. “I don’t have that much left to do, but it’s brutal in the dark. Follow me, carefully.”
Drayden clutched the back of Wesley’s shirt as they headed down an aisle. They passed through two doors that swung open into a back stockroom and stopped. A window provided enough moonlight to turn objects into silhouettes.
Wesley hoisted a box of oranges up on a shelf. “Hey, I heard the siren earlier. What was the broadcast?”
“Nothing,” Drayden said. “It was Holst, actually. He was just talking about the Initiation because it’s on Sunday.”
“Was there anything new about it?”
“No. The same. The only thing that matters about it didn’t change.” Drayden passed Wes a box of oranges with a grunt. “Failure equals exile.”
Wesley paused and faced Drayden.
“What?” Drayden asked.
“I think you should enter.”
“Come again? You think I should enter? Enter what, the next room? That box on the floor? Our apartment?”
“I’m serious,” Wesley said
“Yeah, easy for you to say. Did I forget you entering two years ago or something?”
“I wouldn’t have had a chance in hell. You know that. And we still had Mom back then. What’s gonna happen now with Mom gone? She was the glue, man. Dad gave up a long time ago. You really want to be a lab tech the rest of your life? You’ll be bored on your first day. You could totally do this. There isn’t a question they could ask that you couldn’t answer.”
“It’s not just an intelligence test, Wes. It’s a bravery test too, whatever in God’s name that means. Let’s be honest; that’s not exactly my strong suit.”
“That’s the easy part.”
Drayden choked on his spit, retching for a second. “I’m sorry. Have we met? I’m Drayden, your brother. The kid who got beat up today by a flunk I could outgrapple with no hands. Instead I was scared and froze up.”
“Listen. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, even before the exile.” Wesley sat on a crate. “The Bureau says every year that the test doesn’t require any special skills. No unusual talent, or strength, or agility. Just the guts to give it a shot. It’s normal to be scared, but the point is, anybody can do the bravery part. The difficult portion for almost everyone would be the intelligence one. Most kids just aren’t smart enough. You are.”
Drayden tugged on his left earlobe. His brother was making some sense. Besides, he had been thinking about it himself. Still, thinking and doing were very different things.
“Look, this is the hand we were dealt,” he said. “The Dorms suck, but we’re safe. Living in the Lab would have been nice if Dad hadn’t screwed up. It’s not like the Lab, Precinct, or even the Palace could be that much better. There literally aren’t enough resources in the city for that to be possible. And the entire point of New America is specifically that the zones are all equal. I’m not risking my life just to score a cool job.”
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“It’s not just a cool job for you,” Wesley said, his voice cracking. “If we even made it to the Lab, Dad could be a doctor again. I could get out of this hellhole post that I only tolerated because Mom was here. Our family might not fall apart.” He paused. “Just think about it. You have two more days to decide.”
Typical Wes. This was exactly why he and Dad were not his mother and could never be his mother. Wes was thinking about himself, not Drayden.
“You know, I came here to talk about Mom, not the stupid Initiation. What the heck did Dad mean when he said there were things I didn’t know about Mom?”
Wesley returned to stacking boxes. “I’m not sure exactly what he meant, but there were some things you didn’t know about Mom. I’m not sure if they had anything to do with her exile, or if they’re what Dad was talking about. Because…I wasn’t sure if he knew.”
“Knew what?” Drayden threw his hands in the air. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Mom was having an affair. With Nathan Locke, the Bureau guy who runs the FDCs.”
Speechless, Drayden plopped down on a crate.
Wesley shrugged. “She didn’t know I knew. At least, I think she didn’t.”
“No, she wasn’t. Mom? Our mom?”
“Dray, I saw it with my own eyes, right here in the FDC. Either Dad knew, or she had other stuff going on too that he knew about. Maybe she was involved in some conspiracy against the Bureau. She had been spending a lot of time with Lily Haddad lately. Mom had secrets.”
Drayden was floored. Apparently, he didn’t know his mother as well as he believed. Having an affair could be a logical reaction to being married to a slacker like Dad for twenty years. Conspiring against the Bureau, however, was illogical and foolish.
“Mom was too smart to get involved in some plot against the Bureau,” Drayden stated emphatically. “She would never risk being taken away from us. Wes, did it ever occur to you that this Locke guy could have ordered her exile? What if she broke it off and he got pissed, like in that Fatal Attraction movie the Bureau played a few months ago? Should we ask Dad about it?”
Wesley shook his head. “No, man. Mom’s gone. I realize you don’t respect Dad, but he’s not a bad guy. If he didn’t know, why crush him? And if he did, why embarrass him by letting him know that we know? You could find out what happened to Mom if you moved into the Palace and joined the Bureau. Now there’s a reason to enter the Initiation.”
“Of course I want to know what happened. In fact, I need to understand the reason, because otherwise nothing makes sense anymore. Finding out won’t bring her back. Mom made me promise I wouldn’t enter. Hell, it was her last wish before they dragged her away.” Drayden stood, feeling lightheaded. He was used to thinking out every side of an issue, but when his mom was the problem, it was just too much. “I’m sorry, Wes. I gotta go home. I can’t handle all this.”
Wesley wrapped his arms around Drayden. “We’ll be fine, bro. We’ll make it through this. Think about what I said about the Initiation. You can do this. I know you can. I love you, little bro.”
“Love you too.”
Drayden left. He needed advice, and he knew just where to turn.
CHAPTER 6
The following morning, Drayden couldn’t bear to look his father in the eyes. His heart ached at the deception, embarrassment, and sorrow that must have existed between his parents.
He woke up early, chugged his shot of milk, and wolfed down a pitiful chunk of bread and a banana. The sweet fruit reminded him of Mom again. They wouldn’t receive their weekly food allocation for another two days, but the prior one had only lasted five. There wasn’t enough food. Although hungry, thankfully he could shower this morning.
Tim was waiting at Lexington Avenue, a block from school, which was unusual. As soon as Drayden got close enough, he knew something was wrong.
Tim’s face was twisted in dismay. “Dude, don’t freak out. Your Guardian is waiting by the door to school with another Guardian. They’re eyeballing everyone going in.”
Drayden’s face flushed with nervous heat. “Oh shkat. This guy won’t let it go, apparently. I hoped it was no big deal. The thing is, I didn’t just get caught cutting school. I saw him selling hay to a guy.”
Tim’s eyes widened. “No way! A Guardian selling drugs? No wonder why he’s trying to find you. Why don’t you just ditch again? Go home.”
“I can’t, I have to talk to Mr. Kale. I shouldn’t push my luck cutting again either.”
Tim peered down the street toward the school. “Yeah. Plus, it’s the field trip.”
With everything going on, Drayden had totally forgotten. For years, the seniors eagerly anticipated the traditional field trip to the Meadow. It represented not just the grand finale of their academic lives, but the only field trip they’d ever take. It was the one time in their lives most of them would be allowed outside the Dorms.
Tim gripped Drayden by the shoulders. “I have an idea. I’ll distract them. I’ll jog around the back of the school over to Park Avenue. I’ll yell and scream about…someone being hurt. I can find another kid to fake an injury. Lemme take care of it. You gotta be close, just out of view. As soon as they leave their post, get in.”
“Won’t you get in trouble when they realize there’s no emergency?”
Tim tilted his head and gave Drayden a look. “I can smooth talk a few Guardians. Don’t worry about me.”
“Tim…thank you. I owe you one.”
Tim winked. “No you don’t. Just wait for my signal. Trust me; you won’t miss it.” He jogged up Lexington Avenue a block and turned left on Thirty-Fourth Street, disappearing around a corner.
Drayden shuffled toward school, hugging the buildings to remain out of sight. When he reached the wall that bordered the school, he ducked behind it, less than fifty feet from the doors. He peeked over the top.
The bald Guardian and his buddy flanked the doors, inspecting all the kids strolling into the school.
Drayden crouched and waited for Tim’s diversion. Tim was so damn loyal. Without exception, he had Drayden’s back. Years ago, when bullies tormented Tim over his scar, Drayden befriended him, and Tim never forgot it. It was a simple thing for Drayden, who didn’t have any friends anyway. Even years later, Tim seemed to believe he owed him. While Drayden hadn’t used his own jiu-jitsu in fights, Tim had. He could always count on Tim to defuse a situation or fight to protect him.
A scream pierced the morning silence. “Help! Oh my God, help me!”
Drayden peered over the wall. Jeez, Tim.
Tim frantically jumped up and down in front of the school, shouting at the Guardians. Everyone stared. The Guardians exchanged a confused glance.
Tim pointed in the direction of Park Avenue. “Help, please! Someone’s hurt bad! Hurry!” He dashed toward Park Avenue. The Guardians abandoned their posts and followed.
Drayden sprung up and strode to the door, trying to appear casual. As soon as he stepped into the lobby, he abruptly stopped.
Mr. Kale stood there, a stern look on his face. He grabbed Drayden by the arm. “Come with me,” he whispered urgently, leading Drayden up the stairs one floor and into the hallway.
“Mr. Kale, what’s going on?”
Mr. Kale held a finger to his lips. “Shhh.”
Drayden’s pulse quickened. Maybe he was in serious trouble.
They entered Mr. Kale’s austere, windowless office. It contained a junky wooden desk, three chairs, and bookshelves stuffed floor-to-ceiling. The whole room smelled dusty. Mr. Kale motioned for Drayden to have a seat while he sat behind the desk. He took a piece of paper off the desk and handed it to Drayden.
It was a grainy photograph printed on recycled paper. It looked like one frame of a video from a surveillance camera.
Goosebumps spread down his arms. The shot was from behind, and showed som
eone running down the sidewalk. Obviously, they both knew who it was. His heart beating in his ears, Drayden looked up at Mr. Kale.
“That Guardian by the door passed this out to the teachers today. They’re looking for you.”
Drayden whimpered in fear. “What should I do?”
“You want to tell my why you were running from them?”
Drayden recounted the episode for Mr. Kale.
Mr. Kale let out a deep breath. “Besides me, I doubt anyone can identify you from this video, and no teacher would turn you in anyway. The drug-dealing Guardian can’t exactly tell his superiors why he’s truly after you. The only thing they can officially cite you for is skipping school. The Chancellors probably wouldn’t approve an exile for a first-time offender who happens to be our top student. So I wouldn’t worry too much.”
Mr. Kale leaned forward, his eyebrows raised. “However…you can’t avoid that Guardian forever. That was a nifty stunt Tim pulled to get you in today. If that Guardian catches you in person though…” He shrugged. “I don’t need to tell you the Guardians sometimes don’t play by the rules. But there’s another option, and I intended on calling you to my office today to discuss it even before this incident. Drayden, I think you should enter the Initiation.”
Drayden couldn’t decide how he felt about yet another person being so free with his life, even Mr. Kale, who had always treated him well. “Wesley said the same thing.”
“There are good reasons, Drayden,” Mr. Kale whispered. “Early New America was fairly equal. These days I believe the quality of life separation between the zones has exploded. Don’t forget, I live in the Lab, so I know. At the very least, whether you move to the Palace or the Lab, you would guarantee a much better life for yourself and your family. A more fulfilling career as well. If you join the Bureau, over time you might even be able to influence policy, advocate for the Dorms. In the ultimate scenario, you could even promote tearing down the walls. Who knows what’s possible once you’re there?” Mr. Kale looked hungry, like he was dreaming about the best meal he could ever want.
