Today is my fifth day at Collation. The last of my peers' assessments will be conducted this afternoon, and I'm grateful that nobody will continue asking me for information about it. Keeping my mouth shut has made me some enemies, and I'm not a fan of it.
Olivia has been glaring at me every chance she gets, and I'm wondering if she's had a hand in some of my classmates disliking me. She and Nick don't seem to be getting any closer, and he doesn't seem to be finding any problems with me. If someone would've asked me to guess if I'd have issues with someone from Perspicacity or someone from Inimical during Collation, I never would've thought it'd be Perspicacity.
I also never would've thought I'd be this okay with missing home. Not seeing my friends and family sucks, but it's easier than I thought it would be. I can go to Devin when I'm lonely and want some company, I can go to Jeremy when I miss home. While I wish I could give my mom a hug or hang out with Liz, it's not so bad. It just seems like part of what life is right now.
"Ditching me for your boyfriend?" Devin asks as we enter Canteen A together.
"You're the one who makes it ditching." I roll my eyes. "You could join us at his table."
"And sit with all those people who aren't in our class? No way."
"You could learn something from them."
"Sheets, assessment." She rolls her eyes. "What are they gonna tell me that I don't already know?"
"That's fair." I laugh. "I'll see you after lunch."
We go our separate ways and I eagerly sit down at Jeremy's usual table. Calling it our usual table still feels weird. He's had it for six months; I've been here less than a week.
"Hey," he says when he sits down next to me.
"Hey." I smile as I go in to hug him, the stench of sweat hitting my nose before I can even come close to making contact. "Ew, why are you gross?"
He laughs. "I just ran ten miles and then had to lift weights for thirty minutes. We don't get to shower until after dinner."
"That's disgusting."
"You're really not gonna hug me?"
"Do I look like I'm gonna hug you?" I laugh.
"That's cold. Two months ago, you would've killed for a hug."
"Yeah, but I don't have to miss you anymore." I shrug.
He shakes his head with a laugh. "I'll remember that one, Mackenzie."
"I hope you do. I expect you to smell like one of Roy's apple trees next time you see me."
"I'll do my best." He nods. "I'm gonna go grab our lunch."
"Thanks." I hold my breath and kiss his cheek before he heads over to get in line for food. I watch him walk away with a smile on my face. His muscles add to his brown eyes and matching hair to make him even more attractive. When his looks are coupled with his personality, funny and compassionate, he's the perfect guy. And he only has eyes for me. I really am lucky to have him.
"Hey, Sheet Girl," a voice behind me says just before Nick sits down next to me. "That was a half-assed kiss."
I roll my eyes. "Why is your nose in my business?"
"There's not much to do around here." He shrugs. "My assessment is done, training hasn't started yet, most of the girls are annoying. But you two came from one of the most uptight provinces in all of Zeldanda and had a secret relationship for months before starting Collation. Your mediocre love life is really my only source of entertainment for the time being."
"So glad Jeremy and I could be of service."
"So am I. Personally, I didn't think you had it in you."
"Why does everyone think people from Coterie are boring and weak?"
He laughs. "Because you guys are."
"Why? Because I haven't killed anybody?"
"Because you've never been put in a position where you can justify killing somebody. You're probably mortified that there's a possibility you'll be placed in Inimical."
"You guys are constantly at war. Anyone placed there would be lucky to survive six months after graduation. Who wants those odds?"
"I do."
It's a good thing Jeremy isn't back with my lunch yet because if I had something in my mouth, it'd be all over the table.
"Fighting to survive is all I've ever known." He shrugs. "I'm good at it by now. I wouldn't know what to do in a province where I don't have to constantly watch my back and be looking over my shoulder."
I guess wanting what you're used to and always being ready for something to happen makes sense, especially given his past, but I'd think living in safety would still be at least slightly desirable.
"I'm expecting to be pretty good at this whole Collation thing from it, too, so that's a plus."
"That's fair." I laugh.
"What's fair?" Jeremy asks as he sits down next to me, setting our trays on the table.
"Nothing." I shake my head.
"Aw, he grabs your lunch." Nick fakes a smile. "That is so cute. Seriously, you guys are adorable."
Jeremy rolls his eyes. "Get outta here, Nick."
"No worries, I gotta grab my lunch. I'll see you later, Sheet Girl." He gets up from the table.
"I'm really starting to hate that guy." Jeremy shakes his head.
"He's harmless."
"He's annoying. He's always hanging around you."
"No, he's not."
He shakes his head again. "You're blind, and he likes you."
"No way. But even if he did, I have you. There's nothing for you to worry about."
"I know that."
I look down at my tray. He selected a wrap that appears to contain chicken, lettuce, tomato, and mayo, a green apple, a chocolate chip cookie, and a small bottle of orange juice. They must've had some left from breakfast.
"Thank you for grabbing my lunch," I say.
"You're welcome, babe." He kisses my forehead. "I can't promise the apple will be as good as Roy's."
"I'm certain it won't." I frown at that as I pick up my wrap and take my first bite. "Wrap's good, though," I say through a mouthful of food.
He laughs. "So ladylike."
"Me? A lady? Gross." I roll my eyes.
"Hey," Andrea says as she sits down across from me, the smell of her sweat hitting me immediately.
"You smell, too." I grimace.
"Thanks." She laughs. "Did you tell her about today's training?"
"I did." Jeremy nods. "I can't wait for her training to start."
"You're gonna smell disgusting."
"Lucky me." I roll my eyes. "They really should provide perfume with our deodorant."
"It would be nice," Andrea says. "You're just lucky you have your head start for your first day."
"That first race was brutal," Jeremy agrees. "I hadn't trained at all before coming here. I was so out of shape."
I didn't train, either. I should have. Why didn't anybody at Coterie tell me to start running before my birthday came around? All that time spent ignoring Collation should've been used to prepare me, to give me the highest chances of surviving and going home as possible. I love Coterie, but it's starting to feel like my community failed me.
"Trust me, nobody trained before coming here," Andrea says. "People from Inimical are just naturally a little more ready, but nobody did anything out of the ordinary."
"Did you know what to expect?" I ask. "Before coming here, I mean."
"I didn't have a damn clue." She laughs. "All I was told was to let my Inimical shine and take down anyone who does better than me. Clearly, I will not be doing that, so I've been flying blind."
I raise my eyebrows. "They tried telling you to take people down? Like kill people just because they're doing better than you?"
She shrugs. "It's typical Inimical behavior. Hence why I won't be placed back."
"I can picture you in Coterie," I say without thinking. I know she's bummed about not going back to Inimical, so I'm sure telling her she could fit in well in a different province doesn't help.
"I've been getting that a lot." She nods.
I try not to frown at that. I know that Andrea being placed in Coterie doesn't change my odds of being placed there, but being told how much I belong there would be the ultimate source of comfort. In a way, I'm incredibly jealous of her.
"What'd I miss?" Nick asks as he sits down next to me.
"Absolutely nothing," Jeremy deadpans.
"Nice of you to save the excitement until I came back. What are we talking about?"
"My lack of wanting to kill people during training."
Nick shakes his head. "I can't believe we're from the same province. Sorry, but if someone has a chance of surviving or being placed in Inimical over me, I'm taking them out. End of story."
"Regardless of who it is?" Andrea raises her eyebrows.
Nick nods and takes a bite of his sandwich. "I didn't come here to make friends."
"I don't think you go anywhere to make friends." Jeremy rolls his eyes.
"And that's exactly how I've survived this long."
"So what's your afternoon looking like?" I ask, trying to change the subject.
"I think we're rock climbing," Andrea says.
"You guys get to rock climb?" I ask. "That's so cool. Why is that part of Collation, though?"
"Inimical," Nick says. "You gotta climb shit sometimes if you're going to war."
I guess that's a fair point, but I wish my attempt at changing the subject had been more successful.
"Not all of us can sit at home and garden all day," he adds.
"Not everyone in Coterie gardens." I roll my eyes. "And nobody stays home all day."
"That true?" Nick asks Jeremy.
He nods and takes a bite of his apple. "Roy's are so much better."
"Roy?" Nick asks.
"He's from Coterie," I explain. "His apples are amazing."
"Odds are that is one of his apples," Nick says.
"What?" I ask.
"You seriously didn't know that Coterie supplies produce for all other provinces plus Center?" Andrea asks. "I would've thought that would be common knowledge there."
"Did you know that?" I ask Jeremy.
He shakes his head.
"It's probably not as good because it isn't as fresh," Nick says.
"Why didn't anyone tell us we provide for other provinces?" I ask Jeremy.
"You guys have a reputation for being self-absorbed," Andrea says. "You guys don't even interact with other provinces. Center officials have to go into Coterie twice a week to pick everything up."
"What?" I ask. "I've never seen the officials show up."
"They do it at night," Andrea says. "Something about wanting to avoid issues with residents."
My head is spinning. "What did you mean when you said we don't interact with other provinces?"
"You guys keep to yourselves," Nick says. "I heard you don't even visit family members who aren't placed back there after Collation."
I think back to my conversation with Mrs. Hernandez when she mentioned writing letters to her sons and getting contraband photos.
"Well, we're not allowed to," I say.
"That's a load of crap." Nick laughs. "Coterie doctors take care of Inimical soldiers."
"No, they don't." I shake my head. "My dad's a doctor. He would've told me."
"Clearly not," Andrea says.
"Well, why would we be responsible for taking care of Inimical soldiers?"
"Because Inimical soldiers keep you safe," Nick says.
"What are you talking about?" Jeremy asks.
"Inimical protects all of Zeldana," Andrea says. "You guys really didn't know that, either?"
I shake my head. "Coterie has no reason to have any enemies. I figured we didn't need protecting."
"You know each province is part of Zeldana, don't you?" Nick asks.
"Of course, I know that." I roll my eyes. "I just figured each one had a little more independence like Coterie does. I didn't realize you guys were all so close-knit and connected."
"I thought you guys knew how isolated Coterie is," Andrea says. "It's not like Coterie was forced out or anything. It was the choice of the leaders. Our leaders made it seem like the people of Coterie wanted it that way."
"I don't know of us ever having a say," Jeremy says. "Do you?"
I shake my head.
I knew that Collation would come with some surprises, but I never imagined there would be so many secrets coming out about Coterie. We've cut ourselves off from the rest of Zeldana, we interact with other provinces but can't keep in touch with loved ones placed elsewhere. What else don't I know? What else am I wrong about? Has everything I thought about my home for the last sixteen years been a lie?
A/N
Happy Thursday! I tried to post this last night but apparently Wattpad didn't want y'all to enjoy it until today. Thank you so much for reading!
~Kel💘