by Ryan, Matt
I followed Mark up the spiral staircase to the third floor. When we reached my door, Mark opened it and we entered my room. As if on cue, the outside lights dimmed, casting long shadows from the bed and chairs.
The wood floor held deep scuffs and the finish had long since disappeared. The raw wood had never seen any weather, so all the wear would be from the countless feet walking across it.
“How old is this place?” I pulled a wooden chair out from the dinette and sat.
“I don’t know. Old.” Mark ran his hands through his hair and I saw on his face that he had no intention of talking about antiques. “I don’t like this place at all.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty weird, but don’t you think they have a reason behind it all?”
“What, like torturing people to make those damned stones?”
He paced nearby and I adjusted myself on the chair to face him as he moved. “Did I mention how much I appreciated you rescuing me from the fence today?” I plucked an apple from a fruit bowl on the table.
He stopped midstride and looked at me. “That’s my point. What kind of place breeds such hate between people? It feels volatile out there. Even within our own color, people give me hateful looks. Did you see how the Reds treated those frozen Blues in class?” He moved closer to me. “They were humiliating and even violating them. Some of those bastards should be arrested. They took it too far.”
I sighed and thought about the kids in the room. Mark didn’t get it; he’d likely never been on the receiving end of a bully’s anger. Those people in the class had finally gotten their revenge. Would the Blues have been any different than the Reds, if they’d won?
“You remember the way the girl in the front of the class was crying when we won?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He crossed his arms.
“She went right to the guy I’m sure was her tormentor and slapped his face silly. She spat on him and called him every horrible name in the book. That kind of hate isn’t something you’d understand. How many times have you had your face rubbed in the mud?”
“This isn’t about revenge, Allie. This is about this crazy-ass place. Do you really think it’s a good idea to brew all this hate? They’re going to burst out there. Some of them already look broken. I think we need to leave.”
“Do you want to leave because it’s weird? Or maybe it’s not what your mom said it would be.” I leaned back and crossed my arms.
“No. Well … actually, yes. I don’t think we should be here. This place is going to warp us.”
I took a deep breath. “For the first time in my life, I am someone. They’re counting on me out there.” I laughed and pointed at the window. “They’re having a freaking party in my honor.”
Mark rubbed his head and looked at me with concerned eyes. I held his eye contact and they softened. It quickly became obvious that we were in a bedroom together, with no parents, no supervision of any kind. I looked at the door and back to Mark. I had to say something before it became awkward.
“Why did you come with me?” I asked. “You kept this secret from your mom for years. Why expose yourself now?”
He walked closer and sat at the tiny dinette table, scooting his chair near mine. “I think you know why I came.”
I felt a heat in my gut and even though I hadn’t experienced it much, I thought he was flirting again. “I have no idea why.”
“You’re going to make me say it?” He touched my knee.
“What’s wrong with saying it?”
“Fine. I came here because of you. I didn’t want to lose you. The thought of you going somewhere for a long time without me was unbearable. So I played my cards.”
I tried to hide a big smile and lowered my head. “Well, I’m glad you came.”
“You sure? A Malki like me might just hold you back.” He pushed on my leg under the table.
The room darkened. The soft glow of the simulated moonlight lit the room just enough for me to see his face.
“Please.” I rolled my eyes. “You could never hold me back.”
“Is that a challenge? Because I can start pulling you in all kinds of bad directions.”
“I don’t mind some bad.” My lips parted. I’d never thought this conversation would’ve turned out this way, but I didn’t want it to stop. The second we got to the Academy, it had felt like it was Mark and me versus the rest of the world.
“One perk.” He looked around the room. “We’re alone here. No parents, no rules. Nothing to get in the way.”
Oh, goodness, he was flirting with me. I couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot, my nerves sending waves through my body. Why wouldn’t he look away? I lowered my head until his hand left my knee and touched the bottom of my chin. Lifting my face, he moved close, kneeling between my legs.
“Is it okay if I kiss you?” Mark whispered.
“Yes.” I didn’t think I could want anything more.
I closed my eyes as he approached. I felt him against me, his hands moving across my shoulders and grazing my neck. His lips brushed against mine and I quivered. I wanted to grab his face, explore his mouth, touch his body.
He brushed against my lips again, but this time he pushed forward. He felt so warm and soft. My mouth opened and he tilted his head, deepening our connection. I was in danger of melting into the chair. His arms were the only thing holding me up.
I grabbed his hair and ran my hands down his back, over each stiff muscle. Holding tight, I tried to keep from falling into a deep abyss. He backed away to take a breath. In the faint light, I saw the need in his eyes. I stood, but he stayed down, arms wrapping around my thighs … locking me in place.
“I’ve got you,” Mark whispered, tightening his grip around my butt. He rose up, lifting me off the ground. He was much taller than I was, so I wrapped my legs around him and slid down to his hips. Face to face, we kissed. He backed up until his knees hit the bed, then leaned over and laid me on the bed. I made sure he came down with me.
“Allie.”
“Yes?”
“I didn’t say that.” He pushed himself up and looked toward the window.
I rolled to my stomach and heard my name being called outside. Then it happened again, but many more people joined in. Soon it became clear and loud, after they’d gotten their timing down. They were chanting my name.
“I think your fan base is calling you.”
I smiled and ran to the window. It couldn’t be true. But the street was filled with Reds, looking up and yelling out my name. When they saw me, they cheered. Some waved for me to come down, while others yelled it out.
“Better get down there,” Mark said.
I strutted to him with a failed attempt at a sexy walk. “Will you come with me?”
He smiled, and it lit up my world. Then he hunched over, grabbing his stomach.
“You okay?” I rushed to him and put my hand over his.
“Yeah, it’s just something I ate, I think.” He took my hand and laced his fingers with mine. I wanted to kiss him again. Hell, I wanted to forget the party and get lost in him. Unfortunately, he took my hand and pulled me from the room. I glanced back at the rumpled blankets before the door shut.
We walked down the stairs and through the group of Reds at the bottom. The mob rushed forward, vying for space next to me. They shook hands, patted me on the shoulder, or high-fived me. Many introduced themselves, but I knew I could never remember all their names. I hadn’t even made it to the door yet. I glanced back at Mark for help, but he held up both hands and smiled.
“Leave her alone, you damned heathens,” Jackie said, pushing her way through. She was wearing a small black dress that showed a lot of cleavage and legs.
“Hey, Jackie.”
“Come on.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. The second I was out, they cheered again. It was really all too much, and I buried my face in my hands.
“She’s shy,” Jackie announced. “Tonight we’re celebrating Allie, for delivering the first victory to room
twenty-eight in a long time. ‘Cause we know you poor, stupid bastards couldn’t have done it without her.”
They hooted and hollered, looking at me with waiting eyes. Tears fell on a few faces as I scanned the crowd.
“I don’t know what to say. You’ve all made me feel very welcome. So, thank you.”
They cheered again.
“Great speech, Allie,” Jackie said, shaking her head. “Well, let’s get this party started!” She started dancing with her arms held high. There wasn’t any music, but I didn’t think she needed any. She was the type of girl who should be with a guy like Mark.
Mark slid up next to me and clasped his hand over mine, then brought it up to kiss the back of it.
I was looking up at his face when I noticed an object flying across the sky. “Look out!” I called, but Jackie kept dancing. The stone flew toward her until a guy jumped and caught it in his bare hand.
Jackie spun and saw the guy collapsing to the ground. His hand was stuck in front of him and he didn’t move. The Reds gasped.
“No, no. What did you do, Peter?”
A group of Blues were standing near their houses with smug looks as they watched.
“What kind of rock was it? Did you see it?” Jackie petted his hair back.
“It looked like a paralysis stone,” Mark said.
“Like you would know, Malki,” someone chimed in.
“No, he’s right. He’s as stiff as a board,” Jackie said.
Another stone landed next me, an orange one with yellow streaks. It rolled next to my foot and everyone stepped back from it as it rolled back toward the fence and dropped into a hole.
“Really?” Jackie got to her feet and left frozen Peter on the ground. She stomped toward the fence. “That could kill someone.”
A Blue with bleach-blond hair walked toward the fence. “I know, and I’ll keep—”
Jackie quickly drew her gloved hand from her pocket and sent a stone flying over the fence. He reeled back, but it struck him on the cheek. Grabbing for his face, he fell to his knees.
I watched him through the thin slots in the fence as he coughed and touched his neck. He heaved out a green liquid and it splattered to the street around him. One more cough, and he vomited again.
A line of Blues formed near the fence, giving their friend space to spew whatever he had left in him. One of them tossed a stone over the fence, and in less than a second, twenty more followed. I dodged one, but another struck my chest and fell to the ground. It rolled toward the fence and down a slot in the middle.
Another stone struck a person next to me and her hand swelled up and turned red. She screamed in pain and ran toward the house.
Mark pulled me back as stones flew. The Reds regrouped quickly. Several Blues were frozen from Jackie’s efforts, and she strutted next to the fence line, screaming at them to “bring it on” like a crazy person. She kept throwing stones and batting theirs away. She let loose a train of obscenities that blended together as one word.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Mark said, glancing up at the sky.
Damned Blues … they’d ruined my party.
A loudspeaker crackled to life and a buzzer sounded in two quick bursts. I sighed with relief, figuring the teachers were putting a stop to this. The stones stopped flying and everyone stayed still, waiting for something.
“All students are required to attend a retirement ceremony for—” The woman talking over the speaker paused, and everyone seemed to lean forward, waiting for the last words. “Costas Vance of the Red house.”
The Blues roared in excitement. The Reds slumped and many eyes turned to a guy who was maybe eighteen. He rubbed his hands and looked at his housemates.
“I guess it’s my time to go back to the rubes.” He smiled. The Reds around him patted his shoulder and whispered to him. Everyone started walking toward the hub.
My adrenaline was still firing as I kept watching the Blues, waiting for one of them to throw another stone. But they all seemed to forget the full-blown fight we’d just been in. Reds and Blues alike walked toward the Hub.
Carly walked near me and I grabbed her wrist, bringing her attention to me. “What was that all about?” I pointed to the Blues.
“We have wars with them all the time. We aren’t supposed to have our own stones, but it isn’t exactly like they enforce shit here. I think they like it. It keeps us hating each other, especially if someone gets hurt bad.”
I took a deep breath and watched the Reds and Blues walking toward the hub, giving the fence a wide berth. The Reds for the most part kept their heads down, while the Blues hurled taunts over the fence.
“I hate them,” Carly said and walked away.
I knew what she meant. It was so easy to hate someone who had attacked you the way they had. I had been a victim at the fence not long ago. I fingered the soft bruise under my hair.
“You okay?” Mark asked.
“Yeah. Just a bit freaked out after our first stone war, I guess.”
The Reds moved past us toward the hub.
“Guess we’d better start sneaking stones away if we’re going to have a fighting chance here,” he pointed out, taking my hand in his. “Did you hear Costas? I think he’s getting out of here. This could be our chance of finding a way out.”
Once we crossed into the hub, the taunting and swearing stopped. Everyone kept silent and formed a mass of people around the huge statue of the woman, whose name someone told me was Clymene.
I’d been to many assemblies and pep rallies, but this took on a whole different vibe. With the Reds around me, sulking and mostly looking at the ground or the ceiling, I didn’t expect a cheer squad to come out and get things started, but there were definitely two teams involved. The hub didn’t have a fence, but there might as well have been one. A solid twenty feet separated the Reds from the Blues, making a clean line across the hub to a set of double doors.
The large wooden doors opened and the professors emerged, each wearing a black suit or dress. A dozen or more of them formed a circle around the statue. Only a few coughs and rustling feet broke the silence.
A woman with blonde hair pulled into a tight bun stood at the edge of the fountain. She took a white stone from a sack at her hip and dropped it into the fountain. It struck the water, sending ripples through the shallow circle. The water bubbled and steamed, shooting up Clymene’s legs and reaching her chest. The blonde woman then pulled out another stone and hurled it into the water, which froze over the statue, encasing it from the chest down.
The blonde took off her glove and handed it to Priscilla. Behind her, the globe opened in sections, like a sliced orange. One of the wedges lay on the floor next to the woman.
Even from our considerable distance, her bright smile was a beacon as she held her hands out. “Will Costas Vance please come forward?” she asked.
Costas walked past me and made his way through the crowd. The Reds shuffled out of his way, not making eye contact with him. He reached the clearing near the fountain and stopped, wiping his forehead with a shaky hand. The Blues on the other side of the fountain clapped and grabbed each other as they pointed at him.
The woman stepped down from the fountain and greeted Costas with a big smile, her hand landing on his shoulder. “Costas, the Academy and I would like to thank you for the years of service you brought us. I know you’ll carry the memories of what you have learned here, and perhaps you can make the world better than the way you left it,” she said.
I noticed Ira next to me, staring at the floor.
“Who is that?” I whispered.
“President Verity,” she answered so low I thought I had misheard her name.
The president. The very person I had come here to find.
“What’s all of this about?”
“Just watch, if you can,” Ira said.
I turned and watched. Verity pulled Costas up onto the edge of the fountain. The Blues cheered and a few Reds politely clapped.
“
Are you ready for your retirement?” Verity asked.
“Uh, I guess. I haven’t seen my family in a long time.”
“Good. I bet they can’t wait to see you.”
The boy kept looking at the open globe. Verity took both of his shoulders and steadied him. “Costas, I have sacks carrying one stone each. Once you have been accepted by our goddess, you will open the sacks and combine the two stones. There isn’t any light in there, but I’m sure you can feel your way around a bag, yes?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. “Good. Now, up you go, and tell your mom ‘hi’ from us.”
Costas held the bags in his hand and glanced back at us with a small smile. He then stepped onto one of the slices and walked up the ramp onto the flattened part at the center of the globe.
“Are you ready?” Verity asked.
Costas didn’t say anything as he looked at the bags in his hand.
“Great. Then let it begin.” She put her glove back on, jumped onto the edge, and tossed a stone into the fountain. The frozen water liquefied and fell … some splashing out and washing onto the Blues’ feet.
They didn’t seem to mind as they stared at Costas. The slices of the globe retracted and Costas ducked down as they closed over him. The sound of the metal clunking together resonated through the hub.
The room fell silent again and even the teachers looked up at the globe.
I leaned forward in anticipation and wondered what it was we were waiting for. Was Costas going to sprout wings and fly?
The whisper of a scream emanated from the globe before bright slivers of light shone through the gaps. The bright light lasted for a few seconds and then blinked out.
I swallowed between quick breaths and wondered what it meant. I didn’t remember any bright lights when Mark and I had portaled into the Academy, but maybe we couldn’t see it because we were on the inside.
A clanking sounded, like a ball was rolling around on metal. Verity stepped into the fountain, thigh deep in water, held her hand near the boot of the woman holding the globe and placed a bag there. The ball continued to rattle down the statue until it dropped into the bag. Verity cinched it up with a drawstring and held it high over her head.