Superior

Chapter X: Now

Chapter X: Now

Delaney

The streets of Seattle are unnaturally quiet. Snow-encrusted sidewalks are marred by footsteps, but the culprits are long gone. In the dim evening light, the only sound is that of the whistling wind. It's one of the rare times that I've seen the city so empty. Not that it's a surprise; after all, Jeremy Fairleigh is in town.

Leaning toward the frosty glass of the window, I gaze outside, catching sight of a few stragglers who haven't dropped everything to go and see Fairleigh speak. Their hoods are turned up against the biting cold, scarves winding around their necks and gloves cocooning their fingers.

For the most part, things have gone back to normal. Trai and I have gone home to our families and returned to school, where our biggest worries are Mr. Ellison's pop quizzes and Ms. Ehrenberg's load of math homework. Our parents still go to work, we still go to school, and our life has returned to its previous predictable rhythm.

But that's just on the surface. Within the city, and in our school itself, changes upon changes have been implemented in quick succession. It began with alterations as big as a new system of state and city government (my dad had to learn the new job) and has gone down to matters as small as what we wear to school (starchy new uniforms, which Fairleigh says "promote unity.")

Probably the biggest change, though, is the removal of the Popularity system in every school district across the country. For me, it took a while to get used to; all those years of wishing it would disappear, yet at first, I found it hard to function without it. Before, we knew who our friends were, where to sit at lunch, who to hang out with after school-it was all determined by our Rank. This was new, and for a lot of us, terrifying. But as time passed, we figured out how to break down the barriers, and now, you'll see former Populars lunching with ex-Losers, and big groups of mixed-Rank kids gathering at Dulcet at the end of the day.

All thanks to Jeremy Fairleigh and the Pro-Inferiors.

In a way, I'm actually grateful for everything that Fairleigh had done. Without Popularity interfering with everything, my parents are more lax, my teachers are less tense, and my peers are actually willing to speak with me. In the three months since I've returned home and school has started again, I've acquired a small but steady group of friends-that is, when I can find people who don't spend all their time questioning me about my time in the Capitol.

"Hello? Delaney, you in there?"

I snap back into reality at the sound of Katie's voice, blinking away the glow of streetlights to focus on my friend's face. She's watching me worriedly, her green eyes narrowed in concern.

"You okay?" she questions. "You looked kind of out of it just now."

I shake my head. "No, I'm fine," I assure her. "It's just strange, is all."

Estelle, the more perceptive of the two, gives me a knowing smile. "Strange that the city emptied out just to go see him speak?" she guesses, pushing her dark curls out of her face.

"How'd you know?"

She taps the side of her head, smirking. "Psychic, of course."

With a roll of my eyes, I laugh. When I first met Estelle, all those months ago at Stevie Jackson's party when she'd warned me about Carlie, I wrote her off as nothing more than Caleb's jealous ex. Now, having reconnected with her after the Popularity system was abolished, she's become one of my most trusted friends.

Katie, the ditsy blonde from my Marine Bio class, has slightly less depth than Estelle, despite them being best friends. But she's loyal, friendly, and doesn't ask too many questions, so I'm content to have her around.