I've been awake for at least an hour, but if I hadn't been, I would've been woken to the music of a carousel.
I open my eyes and look around. The room is still dark, so only shadows fill what should be the walls and ceiling. I push myself up and flip on the lights that circle my bed frame. Below me, Adelaide says, "Morning, Kitty. I'm surprised you woke to that. It's so pretty and calming. I picked it out, do you like it?"
When she turnTs off what she chose as an alarm, I say, "You should've picked something that will always wake us. Why did you get to pick it?" She sighs before moving off her bed and -in a swift motion- turning on the lights. The sudden adjustment hurts my eyes.
"Look," Adelaide says, lifting a black card between her fingers. I blink a few times to try to see clearer, but she tucks her card away and adds, "I was given mine yesterday. I was told to give you yours and tell you how they work."
I climb down from my bed while asking, "So why didn't you?"
"I'm giving it to you now! Plus, I would've made it so confusing, I was tired," she says, walking to her dresser, "It's like money. You can cash out your spare points and use them to buy stuff. We all start with the same amount and are given more every... month. I don't remember. Here."
She tosses it to me over her shoulder before pulling out a beige long-sleeve dress with a dark gray ribbon around the waist and bows lining the bottom. She lifts it to me, "Isn't it pretty?"
"Do we have to wear those?" I ask, picking up my card. It's light but still feels sturdy. Is it metal?
"Well, it's our traveling uniform so, yes," she says, smirking at me like I'm a fool. She twirls around to the vanity and sits down, "I woke us up half an hour earlier than everyone else, I hope that's okay. It's six thirty. We'll be meeting the town kids after breakfast, which will be around eight. Did you already know that?"
"No," I mumble. She sighs and looks over her shoulder, "Poor you. Go get dressed, look presentable."
I force a smile to my lips and turn around. I'm only listening because it's what's smartest.
"I'm serious about this one," she adds when I reach the bathroom door. I ignored her and shut the door behind me.
I turn to the mirror and lift the dress to my body, irritated by what the reflection shows. I want these people to know who I am, and I can't when I look like some doll. I want to attract the right people.
I take a deep breath and lower the dress. Maybe I could draw on it, I didn't hear any rules about destroying our uniforms, just that we have to wear them.
No, that doesn't sound like the best thing to pull so early on. I smile and shake my head. This place will get the best of me, and they know it.
I lift the dress again, examining it, before getting dressed and braiding my hair.
"Took long enough," Adelaide says when I step out of the bathroom. She turns, looking both natural and glamorous with her make-up, "Look at you, so pretty when you try."
I try not to roll my eyes as I say, "I wasn't trying, I wanted to look much worse."
"Why?" She asks, smirking, "I guess you wouldn't really care, though. You have two guy friends and, well, they're just your friends."
I bite back a laugh. Like I'd ever be romantically involved with either of them. They're tools, tools that I'll dispose of if they don't give me the results I want. Friends are pointless and every relationship is formed with benefits.
It's true, you're only friends with a person because of what they can give you. If it's something you don't want to lose, you put up with them.
"All students please come to the lunch hall for breakfast," the loudspeaker says, making Adelaide frown. I smirk and flatten out the front of my dress before opening the door. The distant buzzing sounds eerie in the empty and still halls. The lights aren't as bright but are dim like a child's night light.
I take a deep breath and press the button to bring the elevator down or up. Adelaide comes out when the doors slide open.
"Aw, did you wait for me?" She asks, smirking as she struts to the elevator. I mutter, "Don't flatter yourself."
"Speak up, Kitty," She says when the doors slide shut, pleased with my behavior. She smiles and turns to me and I show how much I don't care, and that annoys her.
She looks like she wants to say something the entire ride, but doesn't. That makes me pleased.
When the elevator dings and the doors slide open, I slip out and rush to the lunch hall. I push the doors open and look around. It's mostly empty which gives it an uneasy feel, like anyone could be watching you.
I don't spot the boys so, I pick a table farthest from the announcing stage. When I sit, Adelaide says, "I'm going to join you, whether you like it or not."
I nod and wait for the lunch hall to fill. When the boys come in, I nod to Adelaide and Chester nods back to me. When they sit down I get my food. After Adelaide gets her food, the announcer from yesterday tells us all about our trip. Half an hour later, we leave.
Coming out of the academy, I feel a sense of control of my life. Yet so monitored. I have a strong feeling things will be worse here than they were in the training homes.
"Isn't it exciting?" Adelaide says, walking beside me. I don't answer until we pass the gates, "Sure. Do you know how far it is?"
"Just a short walk," she says, fluffing her hair, "How come you don't know?"
"I was checking to see if you knew." It's true, it's sly. I don't want her to know about the things I've learned. If she doesn't know she'll be ignorantly putting the information I need in the palm of my hand. If she does know, she'll avoid sharing anything.
She nods and looks ahead, "Aw, you're looking out for me! Who knew you cared!"
I look away from her to stop myself from speaking out, and my breath is taken away. The trees and grass are such a dark green, that it almost looks unnatural. Bushes line the sidewalk and benches under trees with long, draping branches. Where I lived, it was always cold and plants hardly flourished. Minus the pine trees.
The grass was a yellowish green and flowers only grew in greenhouses. All the buildings were made of brick and stone. We had dirt paths rather than cement ones and each house in the town was gated.
"Look! It's so different from my town, our houses were so colorful!" Adelaide says, tugging my sleeve. I nod and look at the dull-colored houses. The buildings are unremarkable but the ground-covers, trees, and flowers are wonderful.
The houses are all the same and the ones closest to us line a playground. Next to the playground is a large picnic area where the town kids who had to stay here sit. There are only about fifteen of them.
"So, since we're gonna be left alone for like three hours, I'll meet you back here," Adelaide says, bumping my shoulder as she pushes past me. I nod and scan the area. Most of the kids are huddled in groups. Three are alone, two sit at separate tables and the third stands against a support beam.
"Would you like us to leave you alone?" Chester's voice startles me. I whip myself around and look at him, "I don't care."
"Did I scare you?" he asks, smirking. I try not to roll my eyes. Emotion is a weakness I don't want to pay for.
He looks back at Jack and says, "Well, I wanted to talk to them all. So if you want to join me, you can. He's waiting, I guess."
"Waiting for what?" I ask, directing the question to Jack. But it's not him who answers, it's Chester, "For one of them to come to him."
Jack turns pink and opens his mouth, but I stop him by saying, "That's clever. I won't be doing either of those things, but thank you for inviting me."
They both nod and I turn back to the town kids. When I pick the one I want to talk with, I slowly walk to him. I watch the eyes of the crowd. I watch how they smirk at me and how they nod to him, the whispers surrounding us. It intrigues me how much he doesn't care.
I stop in front of his table and he looks up, "Hi. I'm Christopher, most people avoid me so if you don't want to be talked about, you should go."
"I'm Lynx and I don't care," I say, putting my hand out for him to shake. He looks me up and down with his hazel eyes and shakes. I smile and nod to the seat in front of me, "May I sit?"
"At your own risk."
I sit and he says, "Your hair is really pretty."
"Thank you," I mumble, moving my hair behind my back, uncomfortable by his sudden comment. He smiles with his lips pressed tightly together and says, "Why did you choose to talk to me?"
"You're the only one not asking for people to come talk with you."
"No one's asking," he says, smiling at me like I'm silly. I nod and say, "Not verbally. But their faces tell what they won't say."
He tilts his head at me and puts on an expression that shows he's thinking about it deeply. After a few moments, he says, "Okay, so they're open books?"
"Yes."
"Am I?"
I nod and he smiles again, "Well, I'll pay attention to that more. What did you plan on talking about?"
About your town. "I was raised being told that the guest should let their host start the conversation."
"You're a guest?" He laughs and runs a hand through his caramel hair, "Why do you think that?"
"What do you see me as?" I ask, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. That's a good sign. He's different from the rest.
He drops his hand and taps the table, "I don't really know how to put that into words. Maybe like, authorities in training? That would mean you are far from a guest."
"Hm?"
"You... never mind," he laughs again. Something about his laugh gets me. It's light and musical. It almost makes me want to smile.
"So, your name is Lynx. That's cool," he says, nodding to his statement, "Why did your parents choose that name? Or are you a trained kid?"
"Are you asking if I'm breeded?" I ask in a challenging tone. He shakes his head and smiles, "No, did it come off that way?"
I nod. Breeded kids are those who were only conceived to be out in the training homes. I'm not breeded. I know that because I would've been living in the training homes from infancy.
I don't know anything about my birth.
"So why did your parents pick that name?" Christopher asks more cautiously this time. I allow myself a smile as I say, "They didn't name me that. I was given my name because of my fondness for the cat."
"Are you a trained kid?" He asks slightly leaning forward. I nod and he smiles.
"What?" I ask, shifting in the seat. He shakes his head but says, "It's just that you're so odd."
I blink at him and that makes him laugh and say, "I think we'll get along well, don't you?"
I don't answer. Something about him is very off. He doesn't care about our differences. He's genuine about being friends.
"No?" He asks, frowning. I nod and say, "Sure."
He reaches out and touches my cheek. I flinch and jump away from his light and delicate touch.
He laughs, "Sorry, it's just that... your skin looks so smooth. Anyway, what should we talk about?"
I blink at him again.
He might scare me away.