Evalene's Number

by Bethany Atazadeh

  “Good morning, good morning!” Olive said with a playful flourish of her hand. “The other ladies all went to breakfast already, but I’ve been waiting for you! The smell of eggs and bacon and especially the maple syrup have been tickling my nose for hours!”

  “Hours?” Evalene blinked.

  “Well, probably just a half hour. But c’mon, hurry up!” Olive’s head vanished as fast as it had appeared. Evalene sighed and pulled herself up out of the bunk to sit on the edge, still wearing her clothes from the escape, feeling grubby and uncomfortable.

  Olive danced up and down the narrow hallway, not discouraged at all by the confined space or the fact that she might be waking people up. Pulling her boots on as Olive pranced towards her, Evalene whispered, “Aren’t people sleeping? You’re going to wake them up.”

  “No I’m not, sleepyhead,” Olive protested, smiling undeterred. “Everyone is in the mess deck for breakfast or below decks. It’s almost 10 o’clock!” That shocked Evalene. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept past seven. It must be due to the lack of sunlight, confusing her body into thinking it was still night.

  Moving towards the door, dancing backwards now, Olive said in a sing-song voice to go along with her dancing, “If you don’t hurry up they’re going to put the food away. Do you want to starve?”

  “No,” Evalene mumbled. She was hungry. Evalene ignored Olive frolicking back up the aisle toward her again as she fought with the laces on her boots. The girl was humming a lively tune under her breath as she spun in circles.

  Finishing the laces, Evalene sat for a moment, still waking up, taking in her surroundings more closely as she did. No one else seemed to be in the racks, like Olive said, but even so, Evalene would keep an eye out in case Talc appeared.

  Olive was still twirling around. The blonde girl wore a soft, green tunic, which was shocking enough on its own, but instead of a skirt, she wore pants like a man! They were black like Evalene’s leggings. None of the women would dare to wear pants back home. Was it just Olive or did all the women on the island dress this way? “I like your outfit,” she offered as she stood.

  “Thank you!” Olive beamed, coming to a stop. “I like yours too, it’s so different from what I usually see women from Eden wearing.”

  Evalene’s stiff blue skirt, leggings, boots, and jacket were different then her usual clothing too. The high Numbers were much more fashionable than she’d ever been allowed to be. But if this ship only carried lower Numbers, maybe Olive had only seen the drab browns. “Don’t you ever watch the rest of Eden on TV?”

  “Are you kidding?” Olive shook her head, laughing. “Eden’s broadcasts are blocked. Before the captain, we only knew what the Number One wanted us to.” No longer dancing, she reached out to touch the unique outer layer of Evalene’s skirt, a rough fabric that was more abrasive and stiff than the rest of the dress, making it stick out a bit like an old-fashioned ballerina. “Let’s trade clothes!”

  “What?” Evalene blinked in confusion.

  “Let’s switch!” Olive repeated, tugging at the sleeve of Evalene’s jacket. “I can tell you have bad memories of the color rules.” She smiled and pulled at Evalene’s coat, waving towards the Head. “Come on, let’s go change!”

  Evalene balked. “No, I couldn’t!” She’d never worn pants in her life, “Besides, I’ve worn these clothes for...” she calculated how long it had been since the escape. It felt like years. “This will be the fourth day. They’re dirty and smelly. You don’t want to wear them.”

  Raising her brows, Olive let go but cocked her head in thought, spinning towards a nearby bunk and hollering over her shoulder, “I know just the thing!” The girl darted inside, her feet hanging out as she dug around within her bunk. A few seconds later, she popped back out, holding a pile of fabric.

  It was another patterned dress, this one made of priestly white fabric, but with red, orange, and yellow flowers with beautiful green ivy and leaves twining them together. It looked soft and flowed prettily as Olive unfurled it to show her. The length was modest, yet it broke all the color rules. Evalene loved it immediately.

  “I always bring options,” Olive grinned, coming back to Evalene. She thrust the dress into Evalene’s hands. “Put this on, and we can wash your clothes. You probably want a shower too. I showed the other women where everything was yesterday.”

  Evalene hesitated to accept the offering. What was the catch? “Thank you, but I couldn’t.”

  “Yes you can,” Olive disagreed cheerfully, grabbing Evalene’s arm. She dragged her towards the Head, storming into the women’s restroom at full steam. Ignoring Evalene’s protests, Olive smacked Evalene’s hand away when she tried to give the dress back. She showed her how the showers worked, where the towels and soaps were, and then left her alone with a repeated, “Hurry up! We’re still on a deadline if we want to eat!”

  By the time Evalene was finished, she was sure they’d missed breakfast, but the shower and the new dress felt so refreshing. The last time she’d worn this many colors was before her Numbering Day. She found herself smiling as she stepped out of the shower stall, holding the stolen blue-clothing disguise in a bundle. She ran her fingers through her wet hair and left it to air dry, dropping the towel into a bolted-down hamper.

  The dress flowed just to her knees in front, and longer in the back. She loved it. And the neckline was a simple bowl shape, wonderfully higher and more modest than the outfit she’d borrowed from Ruby, with simple cap-sleeves. Loose and relaxed compared to the tight layers of her previous ensemble. She felt like a new person.

  Olive clapped her hands together, “Much better, huh?” Look in the mirror!”

  Taking a step towards it, Evalene felt fifty pounds lighter. Even though the neckline was modest, it still showed more skin than she was used to, so she pulled out the soft leather jacket from her pile of old clothes and put it back on. That, along with the black boots and leggings, made for an extremely colorful outfit. Olive’s grin was contagious, and Evalene smiled back at her. “Thank you.”

  “No problem,” Olive shrugged off the thanks. “Here –” she took the bundle of clothes, carrying it to the sinks. “Let’s wash these quick before we go.” She filled a sink with hot water and soap, scrubbing the clothes underneath and rinsing them off. “This is the best we can do until we’re back on dry land. We’ll let them air dry. C’mon, let’s go eat!” Everything was always in a hurry with her.

  Rushing with Olive to the mess deck, they paused to hang the clothes from the ceiling of Evalene’s bunk on their way. When they arrived, Evalene discovered Olive was just being dramatic. Breakfast was served all the way up until lunch, with only an hour or so break between meals.

  She followed Olive through the breakfast line, the soft fabric of the dress flowing around her legs elegantly, making her feel graceful. She hated being indebted to the girl, but she loved the dress so much she didn’t want to give it back.

  She filled up her entire plate with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a sampling of everything else available whether she recognized it or not. They headed towards an open table, a smile still on Evalene’s face, when she saw the man from yesterday, Talc.

  He was seated with other familiar faces. Weaving through the tables after Olive, Evalene avoided eye contact, thankful when they sat on the other side of the room with a couple other women, but she could feel his eyes on her back. The blood pounding in her ears made it hard to hear Olive’s introductions. She ducked her head, hoping they wouldn’t talk to her. She wished she could disappear.

  “Grandma Mae makes the best eggs in the entire world,” Olive was saying. “And I mean the best! Chef Peridot’s are good, but hers are better.” Olive took a huge bite, continuing to speak around the mouthful. “The eggs come from the chickens on our farm.” She swallowed and scooped up another bite, as she said, “You can’t beat fresh eggs.”

  Nodding, Evalene risked a glance around, looking for Jeremiah, wishing she hadn’t left so abruptly
last night. Maybe she could go apologize now. He was nowhere to be found, but two tables down she spied a few crew members enjoying their breakfast. They were close enough to provide her some relief from Talc’s presence. Evalene swallowed a few times, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat before finally picking up her fork to eat.

  The food was savory. Despite her worries, she inhaled her food, listening to Olive’s stories with half her attention, the other half focused on the bald man and his friends. She was careful to sit in such a way that she could always see Talc’s table out of the corner of her eye. They hadn’t left yet.

  “She also puts tiny pieces of ham in it,” Olive was saying, and Evalene tried to remember what the girl was talking about. The crew members nearby stood to leave, scattering Evalene’s thoughts as Olive continued. “The ham is also from our farm, because we raise a pig or two each year, but I try not to think about Edgar or Louise or Henry or the others, because it ruins breakfast a little.”

  When Olive paused for a reaction, Evalene searched her brain for what the girl had just said. Only a few words had stuck, but she ventured a question, “You have pigs?”

  “Yes, on our farm! I told you!” Olive threw her hands up, fork swinging in the air. Evalene opened her mouth to apologize as she watched her potential rescuers dump their breakfast trays and leave the room. But Olive’s offense lasted only a moment and then she happily chattered on. “It’s technically Grandma Mae’s farm. My parents and I have our own house on her land. But we all help. Someday I’ll build my own house right next to theirs. Settle down with a husband and kids...” She trailed off for a moment, looking over at a table on the other side of the room near Talc’s.

  Olive wanted a husband and kids. On the island. Evalene followed her line of sight, to find Jeremiah and Luc eating at the table next to Talc’s. How long had they been there? After yesterday’s conversation, it was clear who Olive’s choice was for the role of husband. Evalene tried to imagine having a husband. She couldn’t picture it.

  Playing with the crumbs on her plate, scooping them one way and then the other with her fork, Evalene snuck one more glance at Talc’s table where they still sat, considering her options. She could apologize to Jeremiah, and maybe if the big man saw her with the captain, he would leave her alone. But that was a big maybe. Or she and Olive could just leave since they were done eating. “Olive, do you want to go to the lower level? I was there yesterday when I was... exploring,” she finished weakly to avoid mentioning Jeremiah.

  “Yeah! Let’s go!” Olive jumped up and grabbed her tray. They dropped off their dirty dishes in bins by the kitchen before heading to the lower level.

  Entering the makeshift gymnasium and the wide-open room immediately boosted Evalene’s spirits. Olive ignored the exercise equipment, walking towards the back of the ship where Evalene had sat with Jeremiah last night.

  “Have you been to the living room yet?” Olive asked over her shoulder. She wilted for a moment when Evalene nodded, then perked up. “But did you see all the games and the music area?”

  Olive skipped into the cozy compartment ahead of Evalene without waiting for an answer. “We have so many games – you’ll love them!”

  Evalene wandered inside, over to the chair Jeremiah had sat in, and tried it. It enveloped her like a hug. She wished she was brave enough to help him.

  Olive dug through a closet full of different boxes, pulling out one at a time and shaking her head until she found the one she wanted. “Have you played chess before?” she asked, coming over to set the thin box on the table in front of Evalene.

  “My father had a set,” Evalene said, smiling a little at the memory of them playing when she was young. His set had been made of marble, but these pieces rattled in the box. One game was enough to trigger her memory, and she could’ve played five more times, but Olive dug out another box instead.

  “Let’s play Rutabaga instead!” She dumped the contents onto the table, setting up a new board with figurines of plants and animals and two little stick figures with bows.

  Evalene had never heard of it. “How do you play?”

  “What?” Olive threw her hands up, “You’ve never played? It’s like... kind of an economical version of chess, where you see who will survive, and if you can gather enough plants and shoot enough food.”

  “Sounds like it was invented after the war,” Evalene laughed, then cut off, catching herself. It was easy to let her guard down with this girl.

  But Olive laughed too. “I bet you’re right!”

  The day passed in a blur as they went up for lunch with the other girls, and then came back downstairs to the living room again. This time Olive pulled out a guitar to show Evalene, playing a tune and offering to teach her how to play. This was the life Evalene had always dreamed of – the ability to choose how she spent her day, having fun, learning new things. Olive taught her chords and Evalene practiced until blisters began to form on the ends of her fingers.

  “We should probably take a break. You don’t want your fingers to bleed,” Olive told her. “Plus it’s almost dinner time and I’m starving.”

  But Evalene was enjoying herself for the first time since Kevra’s betrayal. “Just a couple more minutes.” She placed her fingers on each string in the order Olive had shown her and strummed. It sounded clearer. She was getting the hang of this.

  “Alright,” Olive smiled. “You keep practicing. I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll come back to get you when dinner’s ready.” She skipped out of the room, leaving the door open.

  Alone in the living room, Evalene tried to put the chords together, pushing herself to switch the position of her fingers faster. Olive had to go all the way upstairs and down the long hallway to get to the Head. By the time she got back, Evalene was determined to have smooth transitions.

  She was starting to get the hang of it when a shadow filled the doorway. “That was fast,” Evalene said to Olive without looking up from her fingers, placing them in the next chord.

  “Well, look who it is,” a voice growled, and it wasn’t Olive’s. Evalene’s head jerked up. Talc stood in the doorway, his smaller friend behind him as well as another younger man with long hair, all wearing brown.

  22

  Running into Talc

  THE GUITAR DROPPED ONTO the floor with a loud crash of hollow wood and clashing notes as the strings vibrated from hitting the ground. Evalene stood, heart pounding. They stood between her and the only way out of the room. She tried to gauge how soon Olive would be back, but it was impossible to say, if she got caught up talking to someone or side tracked by dinner.

  Evalene straightened her spine and lifted her chin, forcing herself to stare directly into the big man’s eyes. He thought she was a high Number, and she was determined to keep it that way. She knew his type. If he found out she was a lower Number, he’d still be a bully, but he’d be far less likely to take it easy, since no one cared what happened to a 29. If she stood tall and proud like Ruby, they would back off and leave her alone. Wouldn’t they?

  “Excuse me.” She took a few steps towards them. “I’ll be on my way.”

  But they didn’t budge. “Schorl,” Talc said over his shoulder, cracking his knuckles, “guard the door.”

  The long-haired man nodded, stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind him. It clicked shut. “There’s no lock,” the smaller man said, but Talc waved him off, stepping towards Evalene.

  “I know a brat just like you back home,” he told her, advancing. She backed up until her legs ran into the sofa behind her. “She thought she was better than me too. Had the Regs give me a couple beatings over nothin’ and now I’m thinkin’ why don’t we get a little payback?” This last part he said over his shoulder to the smaller man.

  Evalene took advantage of his momentary distraction to move around behind the couch into the next circle of chairs and sofas. Now if he wanted to come after her, he had to chase her around. Her mind raced, trying to think of a way that she could m
ake both men chase her, instead of just Talc. If she could get them both to come to this side, then her path to the door would open and she could make a run for it.

  But as Talc turned back with a sneer, she remembered the third man on the other side of the door. She backed up further, glancing around the room for some sort of weapon to defend herself against his huge hands, but the only objects close at hand were the couches and chairs with their soft cushions and pillows. Desperate, she continued to back up, moving towards a picture that hung on the wall.

  The men were enjoying their position of power, not in a hurry, and as Talc rounded the corner of the couch with a sinister grin, Evalene reached up to yank the frame off the wall. She would throw it at him, in hopes that it would hit or trip him, so that she could round the couch and try to get past the others.

  But the picture was anchored to the wall. With the frequency that the sub dove and resurfaced, it made sense that everything was bolted down, yet Evalene pulled harder, frantic.

  Talc laughed, a deep, menacing sound that gave her shivers. She gave up, turning to face him, crouching to run or fight as the smaller man rounded the couch from the other side. Despite being terrified, Evalene clenched her fists, preparing to swing when they got closer and take them by surprise. She refused to take a beating the way she’d had to back home.

  “Let me in right now!” Olive’s voice demanded from outside the door. “This room is for everyone to use—” The door knob turned. “If your friend wanted privacy he should’ve gone to his bunk. Excuse me!” As the door burst open, Talc and the smaller man both moved away from Evalene, leaving her to stand trembling against the back wall while they dropped into the nearest chairs. Olive appeared in the entrance, scowling.

  “Evie, hurry up, it’s time for dinner and the meeting,” Olive said, as if Evalene should’ve known. She waved vehemently for Evalene to come, and Evalene didn’t dawdle. Almost running past the smaller man, where he sat in his chair, she hurried to Olive’s side.